Grade 6 Health Curriculum

Family-facing version of the grade 6 health curriculum

Quarterly Overview of Grade 6 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.
 

Urinary and Renal Systems

Students will:

  • Identify and describe the major structures and functions of the renal and urinary systems (kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra).
  • Describe the importance of proper hydration to support renal function.
  • Describe strategies to promote renal health.

Nutrition

Students will:

  • Compare the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of macronutrients (e.g., carbohydrates, fat, protein) for adolescents.
  • Explain ingredients in foods that may cause an allergic reaction.
  • Analyze the benefits of following recommended daily allowances for macronutrients when selecting beverages and planning meals and snacks.
  • Interpret information on a food label to identify a food product that may cause an allergic reaction.
  • Explain the impact of external influences (e.g., family, peers, screen time, social media) on personal health choices.
  • Create a one-day plan for meals, snacks, and beverages that includes the daily recommended macronutrients.
  • Promote the understanding of the impact of food allergies on individuals.

External Influences on Decision Making

Students will: 

  • Identify influences (e.g., family, peers, culture, screen time, media) on personal health choices.
  • Explain the impact of external influences on personal health choices.
  • Analyze a variety of media to identify tactics used to persuade consumers regarding physical activity, nutrition, sleep, or other areas of personal health products.
  • Monitor personal progress towards physical activity, nutrition, and sleep goals.
  • Analyze the reliability of health product claims for physical activity, nutrition, sleep, or other areas of personal health.

Communicable Diseases and Vaccinations

Students will:

  • Identify a variety of immunizations and vaccines available to prevent communicable disease and illness.
  • Describe the impact of immunizations and vaccines on individuals and others.
  • Identify strategies to reduce illness at home and at school.

Noncommunicable Diseases

Students will: 

  • Describe causes of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
  • Identify strategies to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
  • Promote strategies to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

The Proper Use of Medicine

Students will: 

  • Differentiate between proper use and misuse of prescription and nonprescription medications.
  • Evaluate the influence of media and marketing techniques on prescription, nonprescription, and unregulated medication choices.
  • Describe where to access accurate information on the proper use of prescription, nonprescription, and unregulated medications.

The Benefits of a Tobacco-Free Environment

Students will: 

  • Identify social influences/influencers on both the reduction and promotion of the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products (e.g., vaping), and other drugs.
  • Identify the benefits of a smoke and tobacco/nicotine-free environment.
  • Examine the changes in school and community policies and laws regarding tobacco/nicotine-free environments.

Addiction and Substance Use Disorder

Students will: 

  • Define addiction and substance use disorder.
  • Identify different types of opioids.
  • Describe characteristics of substance use disorder.
  • Differentiate between legal and illegal drugs that fall into the opioid category.
  • Describe the types of support available at school and in the community for substance use disorders.
  • Describe the dangers of opioids in the home and the community impact of the national opioid epidemic.
  • Identify mental and health professionals and explain their role in preventing the use/abuse of prescription opioids and other drugs.

Resistance Skills and Peer Pressure

Students will: 

  • Explain the importance of accepting responsibility for personal actions to avoid risk-taking behaviors related to substance use.
  • Analyze family and peer pressure as influences on the use and nonuse of opioids, alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, and other drugs.
  • Identify resistance skills to avoid violence, gangs, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Child Abuse and Neglect*

Students will: 

  • Demonstrate increased understanding of child abuse and neglect, including emotional and sexual abuse.
  • Explain that there are laws protecting children from inappropriate and abusive behavior of others.

Community Health-Care Agencies*

Students will: 

  • Become aware of school and community health-care services and how to access these services.

Internet Safety*

Students will:

  • Examine the positive aspects and misuse of social media and text messaging.

What is Mental Health?

Students will:

  • Define mental health and describe what it means to be mentally healthy.
  • Explain the importance of personal boundaries for physical, emotional, and social health.
  • Identify protective and risk factors for mental illnesses and challenges.
  • Identify ways to set and communicate personal boundaries and how to respect the boundaries of others.
  • Compile and promote personal, family, and community resources that can help oneself and others with mental illnesses and challenges.
  • Practice ways to communicate personal boundaries for privacy, safety, and expression of emotions and opinions.

Personal Strengths

Students will:

  • Describe personal strengths and areas for growth.
  • Describe strategies to work through adversity and challenges.
  • Demonstrate the ability to set and monitor a personal goal to address one area of growth.

Contributing to Group Activities

Students will:

  • Analyze factors that contribute to group success (e.g., respecting individual differences and opinions, accepting responsibility, contributing positively, knowing when to lead and when to follow, dealing with conflict, using effective face-to face and online communication skills).
  • Explain the importance of understanding the feelings and perspectives of others.
  • Demonstrate ways to show respect for individual differences, opinions, and beliefs.

Managing Stress

Students will:

  • Identify potential positive and negative responses to stress and criticism.
  • Analyze internal factors, such as responses to criticism or stress, which influence emotional and social health.
  • Demonstrate the ability to create a plan to manage stress.

Preventing and Stopping Bullying

Students will:

  • Describe the possible effects of bullying and cyberbullying, including the increased risk for harm and violence when bullying aggression persists.
  • Explain the role of family, peers, community, and the media in preventing bullying and cyberbullying.
  • Evaluate a plan to prevent or manage the effects of bullying and cyberbullying.

Body Image and Self-Esteem

Students will:

  • Describe persuasive tactics used by various types of media.
  • Define body image and explain the importance of having a positive body image.
  • Identify potential positive and negative responses to stress and criticism.
  • Describe how culture, media, and other external factors influence perceptions about body image.
  • Analyze the influence of the media on issues related to body image.

Conflict Resolution Skills

Students will:

  • Analyze the role of emotions and media influences on conflict and violence.
  • Explain methods to reduce violence and peacefully resolve conflict.
  • Practice ways to resolve conflict peacefully.

Gang Prevention

Students will:

  • Explain what a gang is and identify gang-related behaviors.
  • Explain the importance of friends or adult mentors in avoiding gang involvement.

Injury Prevention and First Aid

Students will:

  • Create strategies to prevent injuries, to include safety habits in vehicles, on the Internet, and in public areas, and during recreational activities.
  • Describe basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.
  • Explain the importance of accepting responsibility for personal actions to avoid risk-taking behaviors and injury.
  • The student will use a decision-making process to determine when medical assistance is needed.
  • Identify strategies to reduce illness and injury at home and at school.
  • Develop a plan to remain injury-free, including avoiding risk-taking behaviors online and in the community, and using safety equipment.
  • Demonstrate basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.

Sun Protection and Sun Safety

Students will:

  • Describe basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.
  • Use a decision-making process to determine when medical assistance is needed.
  • Demonstrate basic first aid and emergency procedures for common injuries, including sunburn, cuts, scrapes, and insect stings.

School Safety Drills

Students will:

  • List types and purposes of school safety drills.
  • Describe the consequences of not following school safety drill procedures.
  • Demonstrate appropriate behaviors during lockdown, fire/evacuation, tornado, earthquake, and other safety drills.

Environmental Stewardship

Students will:

  • Assess environmental health and safety issues in the community.
  • Describe how all individuals have a responsibility to protect and preserve the environment.
  • Explain the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local agencies in protecting the environment.
  • Create and monitor progress toward a personal goal, service learning, or group project to protect the environment.
  • Identify careers and professions associated with environmental health.
  • Develop a plan to work collaboratively with peers, families, and community groups to address community environmental health and safety issues.

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 the 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), grade 3 tests focus on measuring content knowledge and skill development.

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