D2. Making Healthy Choices
Specific Expectations
Healthy Eating
D2.1
explain how to use nutrition fact tables and ingredient lists on food labels to make informed choices about healthy and safe foods [A1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “Food labels contain a lot of information, including the product name, the serving size and the number of calories per serving, product claims, an ingredient list, and a nutrition fact table, which identifies the nutrients in the product, and other information, such as the amount of sodium. How can you use this information to evaluate food choices?”
- Students: “I can check the nutrition fact table to see how much saturated fat, sugar, and salt is in the product. When I use information from the nutrition fact table, it can help me make healthier food choices at home and when I go shopping with my family. Making healthier food choices on a regular basis can help us reduce our intake of sodium, sugars, and saturated fat. I can also compare and choose foods with more nutrients like fibre, potassium, and calcium.” “The nutrition fact tables and ingredient lists are useful, but I also make choices based on what I enjoy, because I know that healthy eating patterns take place over time and so I can eat treats occasionally.” “I can also check the ingredients list to identify and avoid foods that have peanuts in them, if someone in my family is allergic to them or if I’m selecting snacks to bring to school. I can use similar available information about the ingredients and nutrition values in food at restaurants and fast-food places.”
Personal Safety and Injury Prevention
D2.2
demonstrate the ability to deal with threatening situations by applying social-emotional learning skills (e.g., self-awareness skills, including self-monitoring, coping, and emotion-management skills; relationship skills, including conflict resolution skills; communication skills, including assertiveness and refusal skills) and safety strategies (e.g., having a plan and thinking before acting; looking confident, being aware of their surroundings and of people’s body language, tone of voice, or facial expressions; seeking help; drawing on cultural teachings, where appropriate, to analyse situations and develop responses) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.3 Motivation, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “What can you do to help if a friend tells you about a situation where they are feeling bullied or unsafe? What could you do if you were there when it happened?”
- Student: “I can listen to my friend and talk about ways we can stand up for ourselves when someone is bullying us, including by naming the behaviour – stating firmly that it’s not okay to say things that are racist or homophobic, even in a joking way. I can stand up for my friend if I am there when it happens, or I can get help by telling a trusted adult.”
- Student: “I can listen to my friend and talk about ways we can stand up for ourselves when someone is bullying us, including by naming the behaviour – stating firmly that it’s not okay to say things that are racist or homophobic, even in a joking way. I can stand up for my friend if I am there when it happens, or I can get help by telling a trusted adult.”
- Teacher prompt: “What strategies could you use in a situation where you were being harassed, criticized, left out, or treated differently because of what someone thought about your sex, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, body shape, weight, or ability?”
- Student: “Different situations may require different strategies. Sometimes it is best to be assertive and stand up to the person who is treating me badly, by speaking confidently. If I feel threatened, it is safer to avoid confrontation by ignoring the person, making an excuse and walking away, or getting help. It is always good to notice how these kinds of situations make me feel and to share my feelings with an adult I trust.”
- Student: “Different situations may require different strategies. Sometimes it is best to be assertive and stand up to the person who is treating me badly, by speaking confidently. If I feel threatened, it is safer to avoid confrontation by ignoring the person, making an excuse and walking away, or getting help. It is always good to notice how these kinds of situations make me feel and to share my feelings with an adult I trust.”
- Teacher prompt: “How might the medicine wheel teachings of the Anishinaabe help you to consider strategies for personal safety?”
- Student: “The four components of the Anishinaabe medicine wheel can help me think about my safety and well-being in terms of my physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health. Each Indigenous community has its own way of thinking about the holistic health of people, communities, and the environment. I can look to Indigenous cultures to help me think through ways of seeing myself and the world.”
D2.3
demonstrate the ability to apply decision-making, assertiveness, and refusal skills to deal with pressures pertaining to alcohol use or other behaviours that could later lead to addiction (e.g., smoking, vaping, drug use, gambling, video game use) [A1.4 Relationships, 1.6 Thinking]
- Teacher prompt: “What might you do if someone is pressuring you to try alcohol or a cigarette?”
- Student: “I can try to avoid situations where I might be offered alcohol or cigarettes. If I can’t, I can say strongly and clearly that I do not want to participate. I can also mention problems that I’d rather avoid, like bad breath, disease, and impairment – or I can just make a joke and change the subject.”
Human Development and Sexual Health
D2.4
identify intersecting factors that affect the development of a person’s self-concept, including their sexual orientation (e.g., self-awareness, self-acceptance, social environment, opinions of others who are important to them, influence of stereotypical thinking, awareness of their own strengths and needs, social competency, cultural identity, availability of support, body image, mental health and emotional well-being, physical abilities), and how these factors can support their personal health and well-being [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “A person’s self-concept and mental health and well-being can be affected by a number of internal and external factors that work together. Internal factors come from within yourself. They include having a sense of purpose in life, being able to arrive at and sustain a clear sense of who you are, having a strong sense of cultural identity, feeling that you have the right and the ability – to take steps to make things better, having clear boundaries, being optimistic, having high expectations of yourself, and having the skills you need to solve problems. Sexual orientation refers to a person’s sense of sexual attraction to people of the same or different sex. Having an understanding of your sexual orientation is an important part of developing your sense of self and well-being. There are also external factors that impact your development. These come from outside yourself. Can you give me examples of external factors that are protective – things that help a person develop a positive self-concept and improve their mental health and well-being?”
- Student: “Protective external factors include having support from friends, family, and caring adults, having a safe place to live, and being involved in activities that make you feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Together, internal and external factors shape who you are, and help you understand who you are.”
D2.5
describe emotional and interpersonal stresses related to puberty (e.g., questions about changing bodies and feelings, adjusting to changing relationships, crushes and more intense feelings, conflicts between personal desires and cultural teachings and practices), recognize signs that could indicate mental health concerns, and identify strategies that they can apply to manage stress, build resilience, keep open communication with family members and caring adults, and enhance their mental health and emotional well-being (e.g., being active, writing feelings in a journal, accessing information about their concerns, taking action on a concern, talking to a trusted peer or adult, breathing deeply, meditating, seeking cultural advice from Elders, Métis Senators, knowledge keepers or knowledge holders) [A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “Think about some things that could lead to stress for adolescents. For example, as they grow, people sometimes feel self-conscious about their bodies, but we all grow at different rates and you can’t control how fast you grow. When you think about how to respond to stress, consider what is within your control and what is not.”
- Student: “Things I can control include whether I have a positive or negative attitude about things, how I show respect for myself and others, whether I ask for help when I need it, whether I am involved in activities at school and in my community, the actions I take, whether I am open to new ideas, and whether I make my own decisions about things or let myself be influenced by others. Things I cannot control include what others may think about where I was born, who is in my family, how much money my family has, and personal characteristics such as my skin colour, hair colour, sexual orientation, and body shape and structure, or whether I have a learning disability, a physical disability, or a health issue. All of these things are a part of who I am. I cannot control how others see these aspects of me, but I can control what I do and how I act. For example, I may feel self-conscious about my body when I am running or swimming, but I like these activities and I will continue to do them.”
- Teacher prompt: “It is normal to have stress and to have different feelings, including being happy, sad, angry, and excited at different times. Part of taking care of your mental health and emotional well-being is learning to be aware of and to monitor your own feelings. How do you know if you need help with your feelings?”
- Student: “If you feel one way for a very long time – for example, if you always feel sad, anxious, or tired – that might be a sign that you need to get help to learn what is causing those feelings and what you can do about them.”
- Teacher prompt: “As you enter adolescence, you may begin to develop new kinds of relationships and new feelings that you have not had before. Your relationships with your peers can become more stressful. Understanding how to respond to these new feelings and situations can reduce some of the stress that goes with them. For example, if you feel you ‘like someone in a special way’, what are some appropriate ways of sharing that information with that person and what are ways that are inappropriate?”
- Student: “You can show that you like someone by being extra nice to them, talking with them more, spending time with them, or telling them that you like them. Ways of showing that you like someone that are inappropriate include touching them without their permission, spreading rumours about them to others or online, and making fun of them in order to get attention. Sharing private sexual photos with others or posting sexual rumours online is hurtful, unacceptable, and illegal.”
Mental Health Literacy
D2.6
demonstrate an understanding of their role, and the limits of their role, in helping others who may need mental health support [A1.2 Coping, 1.4 Relationships, 1.5 Self]
- Teacher prompt: “How might you know that a friend, or someone you know, might be trying to manage a mental health problem and may need help?”
- Students: “I might notice a mood change or behaviour that is a lot different from what I usually see. I might notice that the person doesn’t join the group anymore or seems to be feeling sad or is falling behind in classwork.” “I’d pay attention if I heard them saying things about wanting to feel better but not knowing how to change.”
- Teacher: “What could you do to help a friend? What is important to understand about the limits of how you can help?”
- Student: “I can try to encourage them by reminding them of things that have worked for them in the past – like taking a break, having fun together outside, taking some deep and grounding breaths. But if that’s not working, I can encourage them to ask for help. If they don’t and I’m really worried about them, I can tell an adult I trust. I need to remember that getting help is important. Especially if I’m worried that the person might hurt themselves or be in danger, I need to make sure I’m not trying to help on my own.”
- Teacher: “If the problem seems like something you need help from an adult to deal with, who could you ask for help?”
- Student: “My teacher, my coach, a family member, an Elder, a Métis Senator, or another trusted adult in my community.”