Grade 5 Health Curriculum

Family-facing version of the grade 5 health curriculum

Quarterly Overview of Grade 5 Health

The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.

Lessons and Details

NOTE: Lessons with * are part of the Emotional and Social Health (ESH) unit of the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum and will be included within the health grade. Parents or guardians may choose to opt their child out of any or all lessons in the ESH unit.
 

Integumentary System and Good Hygiene

Students will:

  • Identify the major structures and functions of the integumentary (skin, hair, and nails) system.
  • Describe hygiene habits that promote good health.
  • Describe the importance of maintaining a healthy integumentary system.
  • Explain the importance of dental care, hand washing, and other personal hygiene habits for good health.
  • Describe ways to care for the integumentary system (e.g., personal hygiene, sun safety).

Recommended Dietary Allowances

Students will:

  • Define macronutrients and micronutrients and how the body uses each.
  • Explain Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and the concepts of eating in moderation and energy balance in relation to healthy weight.
  • Explain the RDA for macronutrients and micronutrients.
  • Analyze food labels for a selected meal that meets RDA and energy balance for health.
  • Analyze and interpret information on food packaging, including Nutrition Facts Labels, ingredient lists, and health claims.

Promoting Healthy Beverages

Students will: 

  • Describe the effects of caffeine on the body.
  • Identify the influence of marketing techniques on food and beverage choices (e.g., caffeinated beverages).
  • Design marketing materials to increase the sale and consumption of healthy foods and beverages that meet RDA and energy balance for health.
  • Promote sale and consumption of healthy beverages.
  • Support family and peers in making positive food, physical activity, and sleep choices that promote heart health. 

Physical Activity and Sleep

Students will:

  • Explain the effects of physical activity, sleep, and personal health habits and behaviors on heart health.
  • Review personal health habits that support heart health and the ability to perform various physical activities.
  • Identify healthy activities that students can do with friends and family to build positive relationships.

Effects of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs on Relationships

Students will: 

  • Analyze the effects of the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, marijuana, inhalants, and other drugs on relationships with family, peers, and other individuals.
  • Explain the connection between mental health and substance use.
  • Encourage others not to use alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, marijuana, inhalants, or other harmful drugs.

Saying NO to Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

Students will: 

  • Describe effective communication skills to request assistance in situations where alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, marijuana, inhalants, and other drugs are being abused.
  • Describe how to get help and assistance with mental health and substance use concerns.
  • Encourage others not to use alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products (e.g., vaping), marijuana, inhalants, or other harmful drugs.
  • Identify prevention resources and strategies for avoiding alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products (e.g., vaping), marijuana, inhalants, and other drugs.

Roles, Duties, and Responsibilities of Family Members*

Students will: 

  • Identify roles, duties, and responsibilities of family members.

Abuse and Neglect*

Students will: 

  • Define child abuse and child neglect and identify adults who they can confide in and who will help them.

Self-image and Stress

Students will: 

  • Define stress and identify physical and emotional responses.
  • Define positive self-image.
  • Identify positive and negative ways to manage stress.
  • Identify the importance of a positive self-image.
  • Practice strategies for managing stress.
  • Analyze positive and negative influences on self-image (e.g., media, peers).

Dealing with Harassment

Students will: 

  • Define and describe harassment.
  • Describe how to respond to and report harassing behaviors.
  • Practice ways to respond to and report harassing behaviors.

Communication and Conflict

Students will: 

  • Identify effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrate respect for individual differences.
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills to defuse or resolve conflict.

Healthy Relationships

Students will:

  • Identify components of healthy relationships and social skills. 
  • Describe the benefits of healthy relationships with family, friends, and other adult mentors. 
  • Identify healthy activities that students can do with friends and family to build positive relationships.

Managing Emotions Appropriately

Students will:

  • Analyze the role of feelings/emotions in conflict resolution situations.
  • Explore the role of parents/guardians and health professionals as resources to promote health, prevent disease, and create a healthy community.

Staying Injury Free

Students will:

  • Identify the major structures and functions of the eyes and ears. 
  • Identify behaviors and environments that can lead to vision and hearing loss.
  • Describe ways to prevent vision and hearing loss and the associated healthcare professionals (e.g., optometrist, ophthalmologist, audiologist).

Violence Prevention

Students will:

  • Analyze why people choose to follow or not follow safety rules at school.
  • Recognize the influence of violence in the media on behaviors.
  • Examine one’s role and the role of others in causing or preventing injuries at school.

Sun Safety

Students will:

  • Examine the health risks associated with unprotected sun exposure.
  • Determine strategies to protect against the harmful effects of the sun. 
  • Identify strategies to protect against the harmful effects of the sun.

Responding to Emergency Situations

Students will:

  • Analyze why people choose to follow or not follow safety rules at school.
  • Examine one’s role and the role of others in causing or preventing injuries at school.
  • Promote safety procedures school-wide.

Protecting the Environment

Students will:

  • Describe the effects of air and noise pollution on health and the environment.
  • Describe strategies to decrease the impact of air quality and noise pollution on body function and the environment.
  • Research community service opportunities to address air, noise, and other environmental health issues for peers and community groups to volunteer and work on together.

Community Service

Students will:

  • Advocate for a caring school environment.

Internet Safety

Students will:

  • Define cyberbullying and its impact on one’s health and well-being.
  • Describe how to report cyberbullying at school and at home.
  • Describe how to respond to and report harassing behaviors.
  • Identify inappropriate online behaviors.
  • Describe ways to offer friendship and support to someone who has been cyberbullied.

Assessments

Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.

  • Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
    • Check for understanding 
    • Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
  • Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction.

For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.

In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), fifth grade tests focus on measuring content knowledge and skill development.

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