Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.1D Grade 4 CPI 3

 

Standard: 2.1 - Wellness

 

Strand: D - Diseases and Health Conditions

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 3 -  The student will explain that some diseases and health conditions are preventable and some are not..

 

Grade: 4

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        FAVORITE THINGS THAT SUPPORT WELLNESS - Explain that many people have favorite things and that sometimes those things might not always be good for them. Play “My Favorite Things” (from the musical “The Sound of Music”) and ask students to listen carefully to the song. After the song has finished, ask students to list some of the items mentioned in the song. Ask: “Are the items mentioned in the song the same as your favorite things?” Give each student a chart with several categories of “favorites” (e.g., favorite food, TV show, song, sport, game, color, season). After students have had a chance to complete the chart, divide the class into small groups to compare charts. Members of each group discuss whether their favorites contribute to wellness. After limited discussion, each group selects from their collective lists three favorites that support wellness and report to the entire class. Create a master list. Reinforce that some things on the list may be better for us than others and help us to remain healthy. Each student draws a picture of their “healthy favorite” and completes a contract statement such as:

-        I can stay healthy by...
-        When I don’t feel well, I will...
-        My health resolution is...
-        My favorite thing about being healthy is...

 

·        A HARDENING EXPERIENCE - Ask the students to close their eyes and imagine that they had no teeth—none at all! After the giggles, tell students to open their eyes. Brainstorm how having no teeth would affect their everyday life. Explain that students must take care of their teeth so they will last a lifetime. Define the term decay and explain that you will show the class an experiment that demonstrates how important caring for teeth is. Place a whole egg in a glass filled with vinegar. Place a second whole egg in a glass of water containing fluoride (check with a local dentist for help if your water is not fluoridated). After the eggs have been submerged for some time, remove the first one, wipe it dry and have students feel the shell. The shell of the egg submerged in the vinegar will be soft. Then remove the egg submerged in the fluoridated water. The eggshell should be tough. Ask students: “What does this experiment tell you about how fluoride protects your teeth? Where can you get fluoride for your teeth?” Show students several dental-care products containing fluoride. Explain that another source of fluoride is at the dentist’s office. Students generate a list of things to prevent tooth decay and keep their teeth strong.

Variation: Invite a dental hygienist or dentist to discuss regular dental care, toothbrushing, flossing, and nutrition that support healthy teeth.

Variation: Bring in empty dental-care product packages (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash, dental rinses). Students read the labels and identify the common ingredients in each. Is fluoride always pre-sent? Why are some toothpastes not recommended for children?

Variation: Students investigate whether the water is fluoridated in their community and surrounding communities. Students determine what individuals should do to promote healthy teeth in communities where the water is not fluoridated and create a poster or pamphlet educating the community
about the need for fluoride.

 

·        GOLDEN RULES - Brainstorm rules that students must follow while in school, on a school bus, or on the playground. Examples of such rules might include:
-        No running in the hallway.
-        Do not throw trash in the hallway.
-        No talking during a fire drill.
-        Wear a seat belt on the school bus.

Discuss the consequences of breaking these rules. Be sure to emphasize that consequences might include injury to self or others, not just punishment. After discussion, students design a message board promoting school safety rules. Divide the class into small groups and have each group take a different area of the school (e.g., one group does playground safety, one does bus safety). Students present their message board and display in the classroom.

Variation: Students design a mini-billboard. Students create a design, glue the design to cardboard, and attach a second piece of cardboard to create a standing billboard. Display the signs in the classroom.