Program design and delivery must take into account the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of students, as well as their sense of self, or spirit. The following descriptions of the developmental characteristics of students in the junior grades are general in nature, and individual student characteristics will vary depending on the child’s age, sex, gender identity, body size, experience, and background.

Physical Domain

Students in the junior grades tend to have significant individual differences, reflecting a wide range of growth rates and life experiences. Some may have begun a major growth spurt. Sex- and gender-related differences in development are also evident. As they approach puberty, the average weights and heights of the girls will generally be greater than those of the boys. Some students may begin to develop secondary sex characteristics, and some may feel awkward performing skills as they get used to changes in their bodies. As a result, there is a significant need for differentiated instruction and assessment in these grades. Students in these grades also have more developed locomotor and fine motor skills than students in the primary grades and are developing a greater ability to combine motor skills in sequence. Generally, however, their bodies tend to be less flexible than those of the younger students.

Programs for these students should provide opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities and should avoid concentrating on only one type of activity, as this can lead to overuse injuries. Providing a wide range of activities also exposes students to new ideas and experiences that may further encourage their commitment to making active and healthy choices whenever they can. Individual and small-group lead-up activities give all students opportunities to be engaged in their learning. Because of the variability in individual development, students will benefit from having a choice of activities or being able to modify activities to suit their varied needs.

Cognitive Domain

Students in the junior grades show a growing capacity for abstract thought and a greater ability to process visual information rapidly. Their attention spans are increasing, and they demonstrate greater thought retention and increased problem-solving abilities. They tend to enjoy challenges, contests, and intellectual activities. They are also generally less egocentric than students in the primary grades and more conscious of external influences.

Students in the junior grades need opportunities to use their creativity and apply their expanding intellectual capabilities. They like to be involved in making decisions and should be given opportunities to analyse movement and activities, to offer suggestions for improving their skills, to modify activities to give themselves the right level of challenge, and to inquire more deeply about topics that are personally relevant during health discussions. They should have frequent opportunities to question, integrate, analyse, and apply information.

Affective Domain

Peer relationships assume increasing importance in the junior grades. Students are more influenced by their peers and tend to seek peer approval for their actions. They are more likely to become involved in clubs, close social groups, and cliques and may sometimes experience tension with adults as they develop closer relationships with their peers. They may demonstrate a desire to be popular and to assert themselves and often perceive their ability and success in relation to others rather than themselves. They may be more aware of gender role expectations and stereotypes and look to social media, shows, movies, and the Internet, as well as to peers and the community beyond the family, for role models. Relations between sexes can become more complex as students develop.

To help students develop their sense of self and an awareness of their own abilities, likes, and dislikes, programs in the junior grades should encourage them to think in terms of self-improvement rather than peer comparison. To help them develop their own rules and value systems, they also need to be exposed to models of fair decision making and be given many opportunities to think about and solve their own problems. Program activities should emphasize participation and teamwork and help students understand the concepts of fair play, ethics, and healthy competition. Students at this level should be encouraged to ask questions and take responsibility for their learning.

Social-Emotional Learning Skills

For students in the junior division, relationship skills assume increasing importance, and there is therefore an emphasis in this portion of the curriculum on developing the communication skills, social skills, and behaviours needed to work effectively with others. At the same time, students will continue to develop their identity, increase their awareness of self, and further develop skills in identifying and managing emotions, managing stress, and embracing optimism and positive motivation. They will also continue to develop critical and creative thinking skills as they learn to use clear processes for making decisions, setting goals, and solving problems.

Active Living Strand

Students in the junior grades continue to participate in individual and small-group activities, but are introduced to a variety of lead-up activities as well. By examining and understanding the factors that motivate or inhibit involvement in daily physical activity and considering ways of overcoming obstacles to participation, they expand their ability to take responsibility for their own fitness. They continue to build their understanding of the relationship between physical and mental health. They are introduced to new concepts, such as the components of health-related fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility) and intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect exertion. They also learn to use a variety of self-assessment and monitoring techniques to identify areas for improvement and set more advanced fitness goals. The study of safety expands to include precautions for accident and injury prevention during physical activity and simple treatment procedures. Students build on their learning from the primary grades about concussions and concussion prevention.

Movement Competence Strand

Students in the junior grades continue to develop stability and locomotor skills as they learn to perform various combinations of movements and to associate movement skills with more specific manipulation skills (i.e., throwing, catching, and retaining). Through exploration and experimentation in a variety of activities, they acquire an understanding of the movement concepts of body awareness, spatial awareness, effort, and relationship as well as an understanding of simple movement principles, such as maintaining a low centre of gravity, as in a “ready position”, to improve stability. Students in the junior grades learn how to relate these concepts and principles to their movement skills in order to improve the quality of movement and further develop their sense of self and their identity as competent movers. They also learn to categorize games and activities on the basis of common features, and they acquire an expanded understanding of activity components, movement strategies, and the use of different tactical solutions to increase success in physical activities.

Healthy Living Strand

In the junior grades, students continue to develop an understanding of the factors that contribute to their physical and mental health and the health of others in their family and community, but with a particular focus on choices and decisions connected to their personal health.

Their ability to make healthy eating decisions is further developed as they acquire additional knowledge about nutrition and nutritional labelling, and as they learn how to understand and manage their food choices and set healthy eating goals for themselves.

As they become more independent and more responsible for their own safety and that of others, they also learn how to assess risk, respond to dangerous situations in person and online, and protect themselves from a variety of social dangers, including bullying, abuse, violence, and a range of technology-related risks. Students continue to build on their understanding of consent and healthy relationships. They learn about the hazards of tobacco, vaping, alcohol, cannabis and other drugs, and addictive behaviours and develop the decision-making and communication skills needed to resist pressures to engage in behaviours that can lead to injury or harm.

Students also learn how to behave inclusively, responsibly, and respectfully with others, in person and online, and to protect their mental health and emotional safety, and that of others, through a better understanding of stereotyping and assumptions and ways of challenging these.

Because students at this age are approaching or beginning puberty, the curriculum expectations provide an opportunity for students to develop the knowledge and skills that they will need to understand the physical, emotional, and social changes that they are experiencing or are about to go through. Topics include reproduction, self-concept, care for self and others, relationships, consent, sexually explicit media, stress management, and decision making.

Students have the opportunity to continue to develop their mental health literacy, deepening their understanding about the connections between thoughts, emotions, and actions, learning about seeking help when needed for their own and others’ mental health, and knowing the limits of their ability to help others with mental health–related challenges. They also continue to learn strategies for making healthy choices to support mental health.

Students who are well informed, who have had the opportunity to do some thinking in advance, and who have been able to practise the appropriate decision-making skills are likely to make wiser decisions about their health.