Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.1A Grade 6 CPI 5

 

Standard: 2.1 - Wellness

 

Strand: A - Personal Health

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 5 - The student will discuss how technology impacts wellness.

 

Grade: 6

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION - Brainstorm modern inventions from the last 25 years that have helped people who are ill or contributed to the prevention or treatment of disease (e.g., antibiotics, specialized drugs, vaccines, computerized diagnostics, improved exercise equipment, organ/body part transplantation, surgical equipment). Students investigate a topic, develop a written report describing the evolution of the invention, and make predictions about the future of the technology and its potential impact on health.

Variation: Students visit a healthcare facility to see the role of technology in action and relate the use of technology to new and emerging career opportunities.

Variation: Ask students: “While the many advances we have today have generally made life better for everyone, what problems have we created by these technological advances?” Examples for discussion might include prolonging life expectancy and the need for healthcare for an expanded population
of elderly citizens, the “black” market for transplant organs, or the controversy surrounding assisted suicide.

 

·        WHO'S IN CHARGE? - Ask students to describe the organization of a major corporation. Explain to the class that the human body is much like a major corporation: the chief executive officer is rarely seen but has a great deal of influence on how well the company functions. The chairperson or CEO of the human body is the pituitary gland. Since this gland is frequently called the master gland, this organ becomes the chairperson for what we call “adolescent restructuring.” Divide the class into teams. Each team designs a company, with the pituitary in charge that shows how hormones regulate many bodily functions. Team members define their tasks during puberty, determine what body systems must work together to accomplish these tasks, and describe what adaptations can be made to ease the adolescent restructuring. Teams present their ideas to the class.

Variation: Use CD-ROM and interactive computer technology (e.g., A.D.A.M., 3-D Human Body) to allow more advanced students to study the intricacies of body systems.

Variation: Use models of organs and body systems, (e.g., he brain, heart, skeletal system) to reinforce information found in books and videos. Take students on a field trip to a science center or health education center (e.g., Liberty Science Center, Franklin Institute, CentraState Medical Center’s
Health Awareness Center) to experience interactive displays.