Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.1F Grade 8 CPI 6

 

Standard: 2.1 - Wellness

 

Strand: F -  Social and Emotional Health 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 6 - The student will describe situations that may produce stress, describe the body's responses to stress, and demonstrate healthy ways to manage stress.

 

Grade: 8

 

Sample Activities:

 

·    SEALED WITH STRENGTH - For this activity, you need two rubber playground balls. Draw a face on each. Put a small hole in one of the balls. Explain that the ball represents a young person. Allow both balls to drop to the floor; the ball with the leak will not bounce as high as the other. Explain that the “injured” ball represents a young person who has experienced violence. In order to be “sealed with strength,” the survivor of violence must participate in recovery. Some people experience what is now called post-traumatic stress syndrome. Describe this for the students. Place a seal over the puncture in the ball and as you mention the steps to recovery, pump a small amount of air into the ball. Bounce the ball again; it should bounce higher than before. Reinforce the five suggestions for recovery. The steps should include:

 

STEPS TO RECOVERY
-    Talk about what happened.
-    Get a complete medical examination.
-    Seek counseling.
-    Join a support group.
-    Learn and practice self-protection strategies.

 

      Variation: Invite a school or community counselor to speak about recovery and support groups.

Variation: Invite a panel that includes a victim of violence, a family member of a victim, a law enforcement officer, a counselor, and a physician to speak about the effects of violence. Presenters should emphasize helpful resources in the community.

Variation: Divide the class into small groups. Each group develops a list of 10 self-protection strategies. From the list, groups design a role-play and present it to the class. Discuss the appropriateness of the strategies.

 

·    IT'S GETTING KIND OF CROWDED - Use masking tape to outline a three foot square on the floor. Instruct each student to write on a sheet of paper one way that crowded living conditions may affect one’s health. Without further explanation, ask one student to take his/her paper and stand inside the square and then read what is on the paper. Have another student join the first student in the square and read his/her answer. Continue to add students until the square is crowded. Stop and ask the students in the square how they feel. Some students will express evidence of increased stress. Explain that living in crowded conditions does increase stress. Allow the students to return to their seats, and continue the discussion of ways that crowding impacts health.

     

      Variation: Students develop a chart or web that focuses on specific issues related to overcrowded conditions (e.g., diseases that are more common in an overcrowded area, the incidence of violence). Students use the Internet to locate state, national, and international organizations that provide information and assistance (e.g., New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services [NJDHSS], CDC, Red Cross, World Health Organization [WHO]).

Variation: Students identify countries or areas of the world that have been significantly hindered by overcrowded and unhealthy conditions. Students research the country’s health statistics and examine issues such as health facilities, education, economic status, and job opportunities in this area.

 

      Variation: Brainstorm a definition of quality of life. Ask: “What factors influence the quality of life in a community? How does quality of life impact health?”