Key Element 1:

A student who meets this standard should make responsible decisions as a member of a family or community.

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Students ages 5-8 should be able to:

Identify key elements of a decision-making process related to health issues and problems.

Brainstorm ways to resolve a health problem. Focus on the key elements of decision making, as used in Here’s Looking at You 2000. Explain and list them in order. Students can make posters illustrating health choices and listing the steps of decision making.

Identify an affect of responsible behavior for self, others, and community.

Participate as a class in a community service project, then have students write about one way that their responsible behavior helped others and/or the community.

Engage in physical activities that provide for challenge, problem solving, decision making, and risk taking.

Play small group games that involve cooperating and problem solving with others to keep an object away from an opponent.

Distinguish between problems that can be solved independently and those that need the help of a peer, adult, or professional.

Respond to a scenario where students determine whether the problem can be resolved individually or with the help of an adult or professional.

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Identify and demonstrate responsible decision-making behaviors as they affect self, others, and community.

Create a display of advertising campaigns based upon a current role model or product. Recognize that idealized images of the human body and performance, as presented by the media, may not be appropriate to imitate.

Engage in physical activities that involve challenge, problem solving, decision making and risk taking.

Work in small groups to solve physical challenges (e.g., trust falls, human knot, partner pull-up).

Identify solutions to problems that can be solve independently and those that need the help of a peer, adult, or professional.

Select a problem in one’s life (e.g., friend is mad, school conflicts) and make a plan of action that outlines how to handle it independently or with the help of others.

Predict and evaluate how decisions regarding health behaviors have consequences for self or others.

Create a nutrition plan for one week based on physical and cognitive needs.

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Predict immediate and long-term impact of health decisions on the family and community.

Research the development of immunizations for a childhood disease. Forecast the impact of parents choosing to no longer immunize against a disease, such as polio. Relate the findings to immunizations in Alaska, historical and current.

Apply the decision-making process to adolescent health issues.

Role-play a scenario where frustration, anger, disappointment, or grief was experienced. Identify ways the situation could have been avoided or handled differently, then discuss ways to relieve the stress of the negative feelings.

Analyze the ability to use different strategies when making decisions related to health needs and risks of young adults.

Review the 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data for adolescents in Alaska. Identify a pertinent issue and discuss with students the strategies adolescents might use to make positive health decisions.

Analyze how information from peers influences health.

List and discuss positive and negative ways students influence each others’ decisions on specific health issues (e.g., tobacco, drug, or alcohol use). Create in small groups a poster, news article or other project aimed at positively influencing peers’ decisions on a health issue.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Analyze how health-related decisions are influenced by individual, family, or community values.

Become informed about a current public health topic (e.g., sewage treatment, fluoridation, teen pregnancy) by reading newspaper or magazine articles. Invite a panel of people representing different views on the topic to speak to the class. In reaction papers, students will consider how prevailing community values on the topic affect them and what they can do to spur change.

Evaluate the reliability of health services, products, and information.

Survey health-care issues (e.g., services, insurance, care plans) to determine options available for consumers and criteria to be addressed in selection (e.g., What should a consumer look for to get a reputable mammogram?) Develop questions to ask a physician in order to make informed and responsible health decisions about typical health-care problems.

Examine information, ideas, and arguments regarding current technological health advances and research to determine perspectives regarding a health-care issue (e.g., gene testing, organ transplants). Evaluate the results considering issues such as ethics.

Debate a public health issue (e.g., serving alcohol to minors, open-container ordinance) taking into consideration an individual’s rights versus community rights.

Evaluate the extent to which strategies such as shared decision-making, collaboration, and consensus building enhance group dynamics.

Identify a health issue pertinent to the community for which preventive services are inadequate, then write a persuasive letter to a local or state leader to request assistance in fulfilling the need.

Key Element 2:

A student who meets this standard should take responsible action to create safe and healthy environments.

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Identify characteristics of a safe and healthy environment.

Tour the school grounds and building. Working in groups, list features that make these environments safe (e.g., cross walks, bike paths, sidewalks, ramps, fire alarms and extinguishers, trash cans).

Identify potential health risks and hazards in community play areas and the environment.

Take a field trip to a playground or public area to identify potential hazards for discussion and mapping activity.

Identify ways to make play areas and the environment safer and cleaner.

Participate in programs aimed at reducing litter in school and community.

Collaborate with others to safeguard the health of the environment (e.g., recycling, reducing waste, reusing items).

Create a landfill, using an old aquarium, to observe whether or not classroom trash decomposes.

Identify actual or potential risk factors within home, school, and community environments that can affect one’s health.

Establish goals and a plan to reduce personal risks (e.g., wearing sunscreen, keeping food refrigerated, having parent change furnace filter).

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Identify characteristics of a healthy community and environment.

Brainstorm the features of a healthy community and environment, including roles of individuals, agencies, etc. Based on studies from environmental groups and governmental agencies (e.g., Dept. of Health, Dept. of Sanitation), determine services available for the community (e.g., water testing, flu vaccines). Observe for one week the school playground, home environment, or route to school for potential environmental health concerns. Brainstorm solutions or recommendations to solve the problem using resources gathered from community agencies and individuals.

Explain the role of school and community in cleaning and protecting the environment.

Conduct a study regarding the food-purchasing habits of families in the class. Then study the biodegradable status of a buried potato, paper container, plastic bottle, and an aluminum can at regular intervals. Present and display findings, then make recommendations based on findings.

Recognize existing and potential environmental health problems within the community.

Develop a school Environmental Safety Patrol that examines potential environmental risks in the school environment and makes recommendations to improve them (e.g., recycling, providing adequate paper towels, replacing hazardous playground equipment).

Explain the effects of recycling on community and environmental health.

Collect and weigh the amount of trash around the school to predict the long-term effects of land pollution on human health. Assess neighborhoods for other environmental hazards (e.g., noise, air pollution, water contamination).

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Describe and compare the impact of technology on the environment and human health.

Research and write about the health effects of technological innovations (e.g., advances in medicine and transportation, the role of television) on a youth in the 1930s and a youth today.

Identify and describe environmental control measures to help reduce human illness (e.g., immunizations, mosquito control, lead-paint awareness).

Brainstorm a list of environmental control measures evident in your community. Assign small groups to research the "who, what, when, where, and why" associated with the control measure and creatively present the information to the class through a skit, brochure, news report, or other means.

Evaluate the potential result of an environmental solution considering issues such as aesthetics, ethics, and societal responsibility.

Given an environmental problem such as air pollution from power plants, examine the issue from the perspective of the power plant, the Environmental Protection Agency, the neighborhood association around the power plant, the people who buy the electricity, and any others who might be involved or affected.

Identify and evaluate the role of individuals and society in protecting the environment and preserving resources.

Brainstorm the characteristics of a healthy community and environment, including the roles of individuals, agencies, etc. Simulate a community within the classroom. Assign roles, issues or problems, then work together to determine how to keep the community healthy.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Examine ways that individuals, communities, and state and federal governments cooperate to promote environmental health.

Create and distribute brochures which illustrate environmentally sound consumer alternatives for using throw-away items such as paper, disposable diapers, and Styrofoam.

Compare present environmental problems to those in the past and propose ways to reduce environmental health problems in the future.

Assume the role of an advocacy group and have the class write a letter to local, state and national government representatives.

Analyze family histories to determine genetic risks and potential health problems related to exposure to environmental pollutants.

Select a local, national or world catastrophe (e.g., Love Canal, Chernobyl, lead paint poisoning, nerve gas) and research the known or suspected risks. Identify genetic risks and impacts for families living in the area or far away.

Analyze health-related issues affecting employees in the workplace (e.g., occupational implications of substance abuse, company policies regarding mandatory drug testing, employment policies regarding physical limitations and chronic health conditions, workplace programs that promote good nutrition and exercise, essential safety practices at work).

Use the Internet to locate the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Select four standards that apply to the school building setting. Assess how they are met, using assessment methods such as observations, reviewing school handbooks, interviewing administration, etc.

Key Element 3:

A student who meets this standard should describe how public policy affects the well-being of families and communities.

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Identify school and community policies that advocate for healthy individuals, families, and communities (e.g., immunizations, no-smoking, seat belts, crosswalks in school zones, school speed zones, animal control).

Make a mural for the school of school policies that keep students safe. Invite the principal to review the work and suggest other policies that could be added.

Identify community guidelines that promote healthy living environments (e.g., animal control, sanitation, immunizations).

Read and review brochures from various community agencies, then list the ways each agency promotes healthier environments.

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Identify school, community, and government policies that advocate for healthy individuals, families, and communities (e.g., nonsmoking in public places, playground safety, clean water, animal control).

Research school, community and government agencies as a class project. Create a matrix of ways those entities promote health.

Identify relationships of government standards (e.g., restaurant inspection, emissions control, water quality) to health and safety.

Invite a health inspector to speak to the class. Students ask previously prepared questions about government standards related to health, then write about what they learned from the speaker about how government standards can protect their health.

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Predict how community guidelines, public policies, laws, and regulations (e.g., curfews, speed limits, driving ages, controlled substances, weapons) promote healthy living environments, environmental quality, and community health.

Design a plan with recommended strategies to reduce a situation in the local community that presents a threat to health. Write a letter, make a phone call, or send an electronic message regarding the concern to appropriate officials.

Analyze how the Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and other public health agencies affect individuals and communities in disease reduction, control or prevention (e.g., food inspection, safe storage and handling of food, flu vaccines, education, no-smoking ordinances).

Investigate health agencies in the community and create a display of their information.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Analyze standards and regulations (e.g., water quality, restaurant inspections, immunizations) pertinent to community services and resources that are designed to protect the health and safety of families and communities.

Describe the interrelationship of the health-care field and the U.S. economy, and research the impact of changing demographics on public policy.

Analyze how the public influences the development of public health policy and government regulations.

Identify trends and issues affecting the cost of health care, and investigate what individuals or organizations have done to influence policies and regulations related to this issue.

Key Element 4:

A student who meets this standard should identify and evaluate the roles and influences of public and private organizations that contribute to the well-being of communities.

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Students ages 5-8 should be able to:

Identify school health helpers and explain their roles.

Create a book of health helpers in the school, using student illustrations and descriptions of how these individuals can help. Have students share their book with another class.

Identify community agencies that provide health and safety services (e.g., Health Department, Fire Department) that contribute to the well-being of communities.

Make a map illustrating the locations of general health-care providers in a neighborhood or community (e.g., fire, police, hospitals, water sanitation, and animal control) with an accompanying chart which illustrates the type of services offered .

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Discuss the roles and responsibilities of community agencies that provide health and safety services that contribute to the well-being of communities.

Demonstrate the ability to access school and community health services for self and others. Practice introducing oneself and explaining a specific concern or question.

Identify situations requiring professional health services.

Review a long list of health-related situations, and discuss which ones require professional help and the reasons why or why not. Share conclusions with the class and identify sources of professional help.

Use technological tools to locate information about public and private health organizations that contribute to the well-being of communities.

Create a poster using information retrieved.

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Identify characteristics of valid health information products and services.

Select a health information product or service from a community agency and evaluate it for validity using the characteristics defined.

Identify places that provide consumer protection services.

Research and create a brochure that identifies consumer protection services in the community. Make copies of the brochure available through the school office.

Describe situations requiring professional health services for adolescents.

Use scenarios to prompt a discussion about whether or not professional health services are required. Have students write about and share a couple of other situations that also would require professional help.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Evaluate community health services and systems currently in place and make recommendations for improving those systems and services.

Use scenarios to prompt a discussion about whether or not professional health services are required. Have students write about and share a couple of other situations that also would require professional help.

Examine the viewpoints, collaborative efforts, and organizations associated with societal health issues in order to make decisions that are informed and responsible (e.g., recycling efforts, pollution controls).

Identify a health issue in the community and stage a mock community meeting to discuss a pressing aspect of the issue. Members of the class will assume various roles of concerned citizens, governmental personnel, representatives from involved agencies, etc., and develop viewpoints based on research into the issue. Some students can act as news crews, videotaping the meeting and interviewing participants for later shared viewing and class debriefing.

Describe the relationship between health products, services, and money.

Review marketing techniques (e.g., bandwagon, humor, snob appeal). Select one approach to use in promoting a student-created health care product or service.

Key Element 5:

A student who meets this standard should describe how volunteer service at all ages can enhance community well-being.

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Students ages 5-8 should be able to:

Identify what a volunteer might do in the community.

Describe a personal volunteer action.

Describe the types of volunteer work done by parents or other members of the community.

Create a mural showing the ways parents volunteer and help the community.

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Describe how volunteer work done by parents or other members of the community contributes to personal and societal well-being.

Participate in major community volunteer event, then write about how involvement of self or others in such volunteer events improves the community. Describe the feelings that come from volunteering.

Identify opportunities for personal and social contributions in the community.

Invite parents to talk about their community contributions. Create a broad list of opportunities from parents’ examples and suggestions by students. Have students select one action they can take and set a time line for completion.

Identify benefits of personal involvement in improving the community.

Compile a list of students’ personal experiences with community service. Each student can share how that activity benefited or affected them. Make a class list of the benefits of personal involvement in community service.

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Identify examples of social and civic responsibility.

Cut out newspaper articles showing examples of social and civic responsibilities and/or responsible actions. Categorize them on a poster for display in the class or school.

Describe how volunteering contributes to a quality living environment.

Ask students to reflect on a time they volunteered to help with a job in their family or community. Write about and share with the class how this effort improved their quality of life.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Describe how the individual influences the health and well-being of the workplace and the community (e.g., volunteerism, disaster preparedness, proper care to prevent the spread of illness).

Watch the movie The Power of One. In writing, students can evaluate the risks, sacrifices, and benefits of one person’s efforts to influence the overall well-being of a community.

Identify how communities can foster quality relationships.

Create a volunteer opportunity for the class. Invite others, including friends and family, to participate. Ask students to describe how this event affected their relationships with each other, parents, and the community as a whole.

Key Element 6:

A student who meets this standard should use various methods of communication to promote community well-being.**

INDICATORS

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Students ages 5-8 should be able to:

Encourage and support others in making positive health choices (e.g., eating practices, cleanliness, safety practices).

Create a positive-health-choices chart where students can report helping or encouraging others. Have students report in pairs (encourager/encouragee) what action was planned and how the encouragement helped, or what the support meant to them.

Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively when advocating for healthy individuals, families, and schools.

Plan and produce a healthy lunch for the class and students’ families. Groups take responsibility for menu planning, food purchases, decorations, set-up, and clean-up. Limit spending to a budget, which may be based on contributions from families. Plan, purchase, and serve the meal using nutritional information, math skills, and health promotion information.

Discuss accurate information and express opinions about health issues.

Survey the variety of methods used to convey accurate health information and ideas, and select one (e.g., poster, stickers, radio advertisement or public service announcement) to use to promote a good health habit, such as tooth brushing.

Students ages 9-11 should be able to:

Analyze various communication methods needed to express health information and ideas accurately.

Survey information on a health topic as presented in print and electronic media (e.g., magazine ads, news articles, audio and video interviews, television commercials). Discuss and create a class chart identifying types of communications, purposes, main messages, and confusing issues. Students then write about the form of communication they believe is most reliable and why.

Identify barriers to effective communication of information, ideas, feelings, and opinions about health issues.

Present a scenario that illustrates effective communication of ideas. Discuss and list the barriers to effective communication. What might be done differently?

Influence and support others in making positive health choices.

Think of a person who is loved and cared about and who needs support to make a positive health choice. Write a letter to that person conveying support.

Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively when advocating for healthy individuals, families, and schools.

Work with the nurse, administration, other teachers, and Alaska Health Fairs to host a health fair at school for students, parents, and other community members. Students will select topics, research information on the topic to present in a booth with activities, if appropriate, and work in the booth to share their knowledge with others.

Students ages 12-14 should be able to:

Develop, articulate, and implement a solution to a researched health issue.

Identify a local health issue (e.g., presence of vending machines in schools) and prepare a flyer to share the information with other students in the building. Invite the principal to a meeting with students to discuss issues, concerns, and solutions.

Adapt health messages and techniques to the characteristics of a particular audience.

Review health advertisements and identify the target audiences. Who else might benefit from the messages? Create adaptations of one advertisement to appeal to audiences of different ethnicity, occupations, or special needs.

Identify barriers to influencing and supporting others in making positive health choices.

Interview peers or adults about particular health choices (e.g., tobacco use, diets) and report to class the real and perceived barriers. Those interviewed should remain anonymous. Questions are prepared and practiced by students ahead of time.

Students ages 15-18 should be able to:

Adapt health messages and communication techniques to the characteristics of a particular audience.

Create a board or card game for elementary students addressing tobacco, alcohol, or other drug issues. Research the topic to determine what factors most likely influence this population.

Utilize strategies to overcome barriers when communicating information, ideas, feelings, and opinions about health issues.

Create a web identifying the barriers to communication about a sensitive health topic (e.g., becoming sexually active). For each barrier, suggest a strategy and create dramatic presentations for practicing the strategy.

Evaluate the effectiveness of communication methods for accurately expressing health information and ideas.

Select different communication methods for telling the community about safe drinking water issues. Research the issue and present to the class. Discuss the relative effectiveness of each method and questions that the group might have about accuracy.

Work with others to promote alternatives to teenage drinking, tobacco, and other drug use.

In a class round-table discussion, identify and consider a variety of viewpoints when solving problems related to alcohol use during school sports events and activities. Select strategies through consensus building and report solutions to student government and PTA.