Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.2E Grade 4 CPI 5

 

Standard: 2.2 - Integrated Skills

 

Strand: E - Leadership, Advocacy, and Service

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 5 -   The student will develop a position on a wellness issue

 

Grade: 4

 

Sample Activities:

 

·    HEALTH NEWSPAPER - Brainstorm sources of information about health and then focus on the kinds of information found in newspapers. Distribute a variety of newspapers to small groups of students and instruct them to search for articles related to health. After the groups have identified several different kinds of articles, each group plans and develops a health newspaper. The newspaper may focus on one health topic or cover a number of health areas. Students design and print the newspaper and share it with the class.

Variation: Invite high school or college journalists to assist in the project.

 

·    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...

 

·    WELLNESS POEM - Open this activity by asking students what wellness means to them. Write several responses on the chalkboard. Students develop an acrostic poem using the word “WELLNESS” or “HEALTHY” and create a collage or poster illustrating the wellness theme. Display the poems and artwork and discuss ways to remain healthy.
 

·        GOAL ACHIEVEMENT - Explain that in order to achieve a goal you need to make a plan. Reaching a goal requires effective decision-making skills. Using the acronym TARGET, students analyze a number of potential health goals. The TARGET method, outlined in the box below, provides steps to reach goals. Students review the health goals, decide if they are realistic, and discuss what might need to occur to reach the goal. Students select two personal health goals and analyze them using the TARGET method. Pair students with similar goals to share their goal plans.

 

 

Variation: Students write a story or diary about how they achieved their goal.