D1. Understanding Health Concepts
Specific Expectations
Healthy Eating
D1.1
demonstrate an understanding of how the origins of food (e.g., where the food is grown, harvested, trapped, fished, or hunted; whether and how it is processed or prepared) affect its nutritional value and how those factors and others (e.g., the way we consume and dispose of food) can affect the environment [A1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “Almost all the food we eat is processed in some way. Can you describe the difference between minimally processed and highly processed foods – for example, between a baked potato and instant mashed potatoes, and between prepackaged apple slices and sweetened apple sauce?”
- Student: “Unprocessed foods are foods that are raw or in their original form. Processed foods have been changed in some way to help preserve them or make them more convenient to use or easier to sell. Minimally processed foods, like bagged apple slices or frozen vegetables, haven’t been changed very much. Highly processed foods, like instant mashed potatoes or sweetened breakfast cereals, have changed a lot from the way they were to begin with. The more that food is processed, the more nutrients it may lose; however, some types of minimal processing, such as freezing, can help food retain nutrients.”
- Teacher: “The way our food is produced, processed, and distributed can have environmental impacts. The way we consume and dispose of food – potentially resulting in food loss and food waste – can also have environmental impacts. What are some of these impacts and what are some choices we can make to reduce them?”
- Student: “The way highly processed foods are manufactured and the way they have to be shipped can increase air and water pollution and contribute to other environmental problems. In addition, packaging creates extra waste that is hard to recycle. To lessen our environmental impact, we can use more unprocessed or minimally processed foods. We can opt for reusable water bottles and food containers. When cooking at home, we can make sure to use perishable items first and remember to eat our leftovers.”
Personal Safety and Injury Prevention
D1.2
demonstrate an understanding of concussions and how they occur, as well as an awareness of the school board’s concussion protocol [A1.5 Self, 1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “Physical activity brings great benefits that can last a lifetime. However, physical activity may involve some risk. Sustaining a concussion is one of those risks. What is a concussion and how might it occur during physical or other activities?”
- Student: “A concussion changes the way the brain normally functions. It can occur as the result of a bump to the head, neck, or body that causes the brain to move rapidly within the skull – for example, if someone accidentally runs into a goal post during a soccer game or collides with another student during recess. I know that even when I wear a helmet, my brain can still be injured, as the helmet was designed to protect my skull but not to prevent concussions. You can’t see right away that a concussion has happened, but there can be signs and symptoms afterwards.”
- Teacher: “If a student suffers a hit to the head or neck while playing soccer during recess and acts differently – seems more angry or more sad – afterwards, could these increased emotions be related to the hit?”
- Student: “Yes, if your brain is injured, it can affect your emotions, behaviour, and mental health. The student who got hit needs to tell a teacher so the school board can follow through with the steps necessary whenever a student has a concussion.”
D1.3
demonstrate an understanding of different types of legal and illegal substance use (e.g., dependency on nicotine in cigarettes or vapour products, or caffeine in coffee, energy drinks, and colas, or sugar and salt in sports drinks, or alcohol in beer, wine, and spirits) and both the mental and physical impacts of problematic use of these substances on themselves and others (e.g., dependencies or addictions, relationship stresses, financial stresses, legal issues, health issues, environmental issues) [A1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “When a family member is consuming alcohol in a harmful way, there is an impact on that person, and there is also an impact on others. What impact does it have on others in the family?”
- Student: “People who consume alcohol in a harmful way may not be able to take good care of their families. They may miss important events, spend money that is needed for other things on alcohol, or get involved in arguments. Sometimes they may become emotionally or physically abusive.”
- Teacher: “Energy drinks, pop, and sports drinks are not illegal substances, but consuming too much of them can still lead to problems. What problems might be associated with drinking too much of these kinds of drinks?”
- Student: “Drinking too much of these drinks can give you more caffeine, sugar, or salt than is good for your body. Too much caffeine can make you jittery or too excited and may even make you addicted. When you are addicted to caffeine, you sometimes get a headache when you do not have the caffeine. Too much sugar can lead not only to tooth decay but also to many other health problems. Too much salt makes your blood pressure go up and is not good for the heart. Also, you can get too full drinking these drinks and then not eat enough healthy foods.”
Human Development and Sexual Health
D1.4
identify the characteristics of healthy relationships (e.g., accepting and respecting differences, avoiding assumptions, being inclusive, communicating openly, establishing and respecting personal boundaries, listening, showing mutual respect and caring, being honest) and describe ways of responding to bullying and other challenges (e.g., exclusion, discrimination, peer pressure, abuse) and of communicating consent in their interactions with others [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships]
- Teacher prompt: “Consider different types of relationships – with friends, siblings, parents, other adults – and think about the kinds of behaviour that help to make those relationships healthier. What can you do if you are having problems with a relationship?”
- Students: “I can tell the person how I’m feeling, and we can try to work something out that we both agree on. If we can’t solve the problem ourselves, we could try to get advice from a trusted adult. It’s normal for friends to disagree sometimes, but we always need to be respectful of each other’s feelings and boundaries. It might be a good idea to spend some time apart until we can communicate openly and listen respectfully.” “I can remember that just being kind is always a good place to start. For example, when a new student joins our class, I could invite them to sit with us for lunch.”
D1.5
identify factors (e.g., sleep, food, physical activity, heredity, environment, support from a caring adult, sense of belonging, peer influence) that affect physical development (e.g., of hair, skin, teeth, body size and shape), social-emotional development (e.g., of self-awareness, adaptive skills, social skills), and the development of a healthy body image (e.g., of the ability to enjoy, respect, and celebrate one’s body, to acknowledge one’s thoughts and feelings about it, to accept its shape and size and to focus instead on what it can do) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.3 Motivation, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “Our body image is the way we think and feel about our physical appearance. When you have a healthy body image, most of your feelings about your body and appearance are positive. You feel comfortable and confident in your body, and you accept and appreciate it. What are some ways of developing a healthy body image?”
- Student: “I can focus on caring for my body and respecting what it can do. I can spend time doing physical activities that I enjoy, such as climbing and dancing. It’s important to remember that everyone’s body is unique, so it’s not helpful to compare my body to anyone else’s.”
- Teacher prompt: “There are factors that affect your development that you can control and other factors that you cannot control. Can you give me examples of both types of factors?”
- Student: “I can’t control my heredity, which can affect my body size and shape, skin colour, and type of hair. I can’t control my family situation, or my cultural background, or where I grow up. I can usually control how often I brush my teeth, what foods I choose to eat from those that are available, how much I talk about and focus on my appearance, how I choose my friends, and some of the activities I do.”
- Teacher prompt: “Having a sense of belonging and of being accepted, understood, and listened to is important for emotional development. How can you show acceptance or understanding of everyone, regardless of shape and size, ability, background, family, skin colour, culture, who they love, or the way they do things?”
- Students: “I can stand up for someone who is being teased because someone thinks they are different. I could try to learn more about people who do things differently than I do – such as learning about how some people who are deaf can talk using their hands, how some people with physical disabilities move with a wheelchair, or what someone who has a different religion from mine believes in.” “I can pay attention to what people do for me to make me feel that I’m included and that I belong, then try to do the same for others.”
Mental Health Literacy
D1.6
explain how the brain responds (i.e., the brain’s stress response – fight, flight, freeze) when it thinks there is a threat and how that response might affect thoughts, emotions, and actions [A1.1 Emotions]
- Teacher prompt: “If our brain senses that we are worried about a threat or danger, it sets off an alarm to alert us by making us feel that something is not okay – it might make our heart beat a little faster, or our stomach might feel upset. This alarm can be very important in getting us ready to take action. But sometimes, like a real alarm, the ‘alarm’ in our body can be too sensitive and we experience a ‘false alarm’ – we get nervous feelings in our body, even when there is nothing really to be afraid of. This is our brain’s way of letting us know that there is something we need to pay attention to. When the alarm goes off, we need to figure out if there is a real threat or not. Then it’s easier to know how to respond. What are some of the things that you think can make this alarm go off in our body? What do you do about it?”
- Students: “When I heard a sound last night, my heart raced and I couldn’t get back to sleep. Later I figured out it was just the cat jumping off the bed.” “When I have to share my work in front of the class, I get butterflies in my stomach. It helps me to take a few deep breaths and remember that it’s okay to feel a bit nervous and that I’ll get through it.”
