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 intermediate 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. Because the developmental characteristics and needs of students in these grades cover such a wide range, awareness of individual needs is critically important at this level.

Physical Domain

Students in the intermediate grades may still be going through a growth spurt. For females, the growth spurt tends to occur between the ages of 9 and 13 years, and for males, between 11 and 15 years. Thus, students may vary considerably in their physical development, and growth differences may still account for differences in physical abilities and skills. At this age, most gross and fine motor skills are developed. Students tend to be able to combine motor skills and have the ability to participate in modified or full versions of sports, activities, and dance. Students may also develop specialized skills related to specific activities that they have become interested in and may be ready to learn and practise performance-related components of fitness – agility, coordination, balance, speed, and power – that will help them in these activities.

It is important at this level not only to recognize the developing abilities and skills of the students but to continue to differentiate instruction and assessment to address students’ individual needs. In particular, it is important to provide:

• opportunities for students to make their own choices of activities and equipment and ways of modifying these;
• opportunities for students to choose a level of participation that suits their stage of development and abilities;
• constructive feedback to guide students as they develop and refine their physical skills.

Cognitive Domain

Students in the intermediate grades are becoming capable of handling more complex thought processes. They are generally able to process and understand more complex instructions and strategies, although cognitive abilities will vary, and they generally have well-developed attention spans. Accompanying these expanding intellectual capacities is a greater understanding of their individual learning preferences. Some students may know that they learn best when given the opportunity to explore and discover on their own. Others may know that they learn best by collaborating with others or that they benefit from more direct guidance and supervision.

Programs for students in these grades should offer instructional activities that are personally relevant and meaningful. Students need to see themselves reflected in the curriculum. This underlies the importance of recognizing and including all students of all backgrounds and abilities. Programs should also offer students opportunities to make their own creative adaptations to activities in order to stimulate their thinking and create an optimal level of challenge, one that is neither too hard nor too easy and that is interesting for all participants.

Affective Domain

Students in the intermediate grades are in the process of forming their adult identities and consolidating their moral beliefs and values. They are very much influenced by the world around them, and especially by their peers, who are a major source of motivation. They are continuing to develop their interpersonal skills and generally enjoy participating in activities with their peers. Their responses to winning and losing vary individually but can be very emotional.

Programs for these students should provide opportunities for students to interact positively with their peers, to continue developing and improving their relationship skills, and to learn and apply concepts of equity, fair play, ethics, and social justice. Larger group activities should be introduced gradually. However, students should still have the opportunity to participate in individual activities and play in small groups in order to facilitate maximum participation and accommodate individual preferences and learning styles.

Sport and physical activity can be powerful socializing agents for adolescents. In some cases, they can also create environments of exclusion. Some adolescents move away from physical activity because of physical, social, and emotional changes or stresses at puberty. Adolescence is a key time for using the opportunities provided within health and physical education to reach and connect with youth and provide them with positive social, emotional, and physical experiences.

Social-Emotional Learning Skills

In the intermediate grades, there continues to be an emphasis on developing relationship skills. There is also a focus on recognizing and coping with stress and challenges in positive ways, to build resilience and an attitude of positive motivation; developing self-awareness and self-confidence in order to nurture a sense of identity and belonging; and applying critical and creative thinking skills in deeper and more complex ways. Students will have opportunities to practise processes for solving problems, setting goals, resolving conflicts, and making decisions. They will also continue to develop their awareness of emotions, intentions, and motivations as they communicate and interact with others.

Active Living Strand

Expectations in the intermediate grades consolidate and build on much of the work done in previous grades, adding new knowledge and extending the range of application to new situations. Students become acquainted with a greater range of opportunities and environments for physical activity. They also expand their knowledge of factors that motivate people to be physically active, including understanding connections between physical and mental health, and of ways to motivate others. Physical fitness activities in these grades continue to emphasize self-assessment, self-monitoring, and goal setting, but within the context of a more detailed understanding of fitness that includes factors affecting fitness and the application of training principles to the enhancement of both health-related and skill-related fitness. The safety expectations are expanded to take in the broader range of venues that older students are active in and the greater level of responsibility that they are capable of handling, including reducing the risk of injury such as concussion. In particular, students learn how to anticipate and protect themselves from outdoor hazards and how to respond to emergency situations.

Movement Competence Strand

As they continue their development of movement skills, students in the intermediate grades work on more complex combinations of stability and locomotor skills and their application in relation to stimuli (e.g., other students, equipment, music) in their immediate environment. The work on manipulation skills (throwing, catching, and retaining) emphasizes the use of these skills in combination and in relation to external stimuli in the playing area (e.g., other students, equipment, boundaries). They learn to apply their understanding of movement principles and the phases of movement to refining these skills and have multiple opportunities to explore previously learned movement concepts, with a particular emphasis on the concepts of effort and relationship. Their study of activity components, categories, and strategies expands to include: a wider range of activities and activity environments; the use of critical and creative thinking skills to reflect more deeply on how applying different tactics affects their participation in an activity; and an examination of similarities and differences between various activities in terms of their rules and the skills and tactics they call for.

Healthy Living Strand

Students will continue to learn about the factors that contribute to healthy development and consider how that information connects to their personal health choices and to the health of others in the world around them. In the intermediate grades, they will focus on making connections between their own health and the physical and mental health and well-being of those around them.

Grade 7 and 8 students add to their knowledge of healthy eating practices and deepen their understanding of the relationship between eating patterns and disease, making healthier food choices, and promoting healthy eating to others.

The study of personal safety and injury prevention expands to include situations that students in these grades may encounter as they become more independent and active in a wider variety of situations and environments, including online and virtual environments. Students also consider the consequences of bullying, harassment, and violent behaviour, including gender-based and racially based violence, and examine ways of preventing or responding to it. In addition, they continue to learn about concussions, including strategies to support healthy recovery.

Expectations relating to substance use, addictions, and related behaviour introduce them to linkages with mental health and stress, expand their understanding of the personal and social consequences of addictions, and examine how concerns with body image, which are very prevalent at this age, can lead to problematic substance use.

The human development and sexual health expectations recognize that students at this age are developing their sense of personal identity, which includes their sexual identity. Students may already be involved in or contemplating sexual activity or dealing with relationship issues that affect their self-concept and sense of well-being. Consequently, there is an emphasis on developing the skills needed for maintaining healthy relationships, understanding the importance of consent, and acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about their sexual health. Key topics include delaying sexual activity, preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, understanding how gender identity and sexual orientation affect overall identity and self-concept, and making decisions about sexual health and intimacy.

As part of developing mental health literacy, students learn to distinguish between mental health and mental illness and build awareness of the impact of stigma associated with mental illness. In preparation for the transitions that come with adolescence, students continue to build their “toolkit” of strategies for supporting mental health, including self-care strategies and an understanding of how to access additional help, if needed.