HEALTH EDUCATION
Currently students must successfully complete a minimum of one physical education/health education credit in Grade 9 and one in Grade 10, as listed in the following table.
Effective September 2008, as recommended in the report of The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures All-Party Task Force (June 2005) students are now required to complete one additional PE/HE credit in Grade 11 and another in Grade 12. Because this is a transition year, students entering Grade 12 in 2008 will be required to earn the Grade 12 PE/HE credit in order to meet the minimum graduation requirements without being required to complete the Grade 11 PE/HE credit.
Further information about graduation requirements is available.
Grades 9 and 10 (effective September 2007) and grades 11 and 12 (effective September 2008) could include an OUT-of-class delivery option as part of the physical education/health education courses.
The combined physical education/health education curriculum develops the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for maintaining physically active and health lifestyles. The curriculum focuses on making healthy decisions related to physical activity participation, healthy eating, substance use, sexual reproductive health, and injury prevention. It encourages schools to involve parents in planning for implementation of content that might be sensitive in some communities.
In grades 11 and 12 students must complete a physical activity practicum that addresses health-related fitness components. This physical activity practicum must be a minimum of 55 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
All K-12 schools are expected to use the combined physical education/health education curriculum as of September 2005. The aim of the curriculum is to provide students with planned and balanced programming to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for physically active and healthy lifestyles.
The following are the content highlights for Grade 9 outlined according to the five general learning outcomes (GLOs) titled Movement, Fitness Management, Safety, Personal and Social Management, and Healthy Lifestyle Practices.
| General Learning Outcomes (GLOs) | Content Highlights |
|---|---|
| 1. Movement | |
| The student will demonstrate competency in selected movement skills and knowledge of movement development and physical activities with respect to different types of learning experiences, environments, and cultures. | Students participate in a variety of physical activities that includes more lifetime pursuits such as badminton, ultimate, aerobics, cross country skiing. They learn how to analyze and adapt the associated concepts and skills to guide their practicing and help contribute to their personal success. They learn officiating skills where applicable. |
| 2. Fitness Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop and follow a personal fitness plan for lifelong physical activity and well-being.
|
Students continue to learn about the health and fitness benefits of physical activity, muscular system and principles of training and conditioning. They assess and analyze their own skill- and health-related fitness components and participate in an individualized fitness plan. They use heart rate monitoring techniques to determine their response to activities of different intensities (e.g. mild, moderate, vigorous). They examine factors that may affect their personal fitness planning and development and look at ways to help overcome these barriers. Designing effective warm-up and cool down routines related to selected sports/physical activities is required. |
| 3. Safety | |
| The student will demonstrate safe and responsible behaviours to manage risks and prevent injuries in physical activity participation and in daily living. | Students are expected to show an understanding of safety rules and procedures, risk factors, common injuries, reasons for appropriate dress related to equipment and facilities for selected indoor and outdoor activities. As well, students are required to demonstrate safe behaviours in class activities and basic first aid. As part of the health education component, students gain an understanding of the issues related to community safety laws and policies, accessing valid health information, and dealing with abusive and violent situations. |
| 4. Personal and Social Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop self-understanding, to make health-enhancing decisions, to work cooperatively and fairly with others, and to build positive relationships with others. | As part of learning about personal and social management, students examine personal strengths and qualities, career choices, and skills for employability in preparation for setting personal goals for the future. They design, implement, and evaluate a personal action plan of their choice. They also learn about behaviours or skills for developing healthy relationships, achieving success, and dealing with conflict, anger, or dangerous situations. They will have the opportunity to discuss and apply these skills in different case scenarios. |
| 5. Healthy Lifestyle Practices | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions for healthy living related to personal health practices, active living, healthy nutritional practices, substance use and abuse, and human sexuality. | Students examine the healthy practices related to developing close relationships, substance use and abuse prevention, addictions, sexual reproductive health, healthy pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS as well as community agencies and resources available to help. They also learn about making health-enhancing decisions related to substance use and responsible sexual behaviour. |
Note: In Grade 9, the health topics that contain potentially sensitive content are personal safety in GLO 3, as well as substance use and abuse prevention and human sexuality in GLO 5. Prior to teaching the content, schools are expected to communicate appropriate information to parents, including a parental option. A parental option means that parents may choose a school-based or alternative delivery (e.g., home, professional counselling).
All K-12 schools are expected to use the combined physical education/health education curriculum as of September 2005. The aim of the curriculum is to provide students with planned and balanced programming to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for physically active and healthy lifestyles.
The following are the content highlights for Grade 10 outlined according to the five general learning outcomes (GLOs) titled Movement, Fitness Management, Safety, Personal and Social Management, and Healthy Lifestyle Practices.
| General Learning Outcomes (GLOs) | Content Highlights |
|---|---|
| 1. Movement | |
| The student will demonstrate competency in selected movement skills and knowledge of movement development and physical activities with respect to different types of learning experiences, environments, and cultures. | Students participate in a variety of physical activities that includes more lifetime pursuits such as badminton, ultimate, aerobics, cross country skiing. They learn how to analyze and adapt the associated concepts and skills to guide their practicing and help contribute to their personal success. They learn officiating skills where applicable. |
| 2. Fitness Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop and follow a personal fitness plan for lifelong physical activity and well-being.
|
Students continue to learn about the health and fitness benefits of physical activity, muscular system and principles of training and conditioning. They assess and analyze their own skill- and health-related fitness components and participate in an individualized fitness plan. They use heart rate monitoring techniques to determine their response to activities of different intensities (e.g. mild, moderate, vigorous). They examine factors that may affect their personal fitness planning and development and look at ways to help overcome these barriers. Designing effective warm-up and cool down routines related to selected sports/physical activities is required. |
| 3. Safety | |
| The student will demonstrate safe and responsible behaviours to manage risks and prevent injuries in physical activity participation and in daily living. | Students are expected to show an understanding of safety rules and procedures, risk factors, common injuries, reasons for appropriate dress related to equipment and facilities for selected indoor and outdoor activities. As well, students are required to demonstrate safe behaviours in class activities and basic first aid. As part of the health education component, students gain an understanding of the issues related to community safety laws and policies, accessing valid health information, and dealing with abusive and violent situations. |
| 4. Personal and Social Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop self-understanding, to make health-enhancing decisions, to work cooperatively and fairly with others, and to build positive relationships with others. | As part of learning about personal and social management, students examine personal strengths and qualities, career choices, and skills for employability in preparation for setting personal goals for the future. They design, implement, and evaluate a personal action plan of their choice. They also learn about behaviours or skills for developing healthy relationships, achieving success, and dealing with conflict, anger, or dangerous situations. They will have the opportunity to discuss and apply these skills in different case scenarios. |
| 5. Healthy Lifestyle Practices | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions for healthy living related to personal health practices, active living, healthy nutritional practices, substance use and abuse, and human sexuality. | Students examine the healthy practices related to developing close relationships, substance use and abuse prevention, addictions, sexual reproductive health, healthy pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS as well as community agencies and resources available to help. They also learn about making health-enhancing decisions related to substance use and responsible sexual behaviour. |
Note: In Grade 10, the health topics that contain potentially sensitive content are substance use and abuse prevention and human sexuality in GLO 5. Prior to teaching the content, schools are expected to communicate appropriate information to parents, including a parental option. A parental option means that parents may choose a school-based or alternative delivery (e.g., home, professional counselling).
Effective September 2008 the Grade 11 Active Healthy Lifestyles credit is a required credit for graduation. The design of the new course will allow for schools and students/parents/guardians to determine how the learning outcomes of the curriculum will be achieved. This may be accomplished through a teacher-directed delivery model during IN-class time and a student-directed model of the OUT-of-class time. Students must complete a physical activity practicum that addresses health-related fitness components. This physical activity practicum must be a minimum of 55 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity. In addition students will learn about fitness management, mental-emotional health, the social impact of sport, and substance use and abuse prevention.
The Department has developed general guidelines for managing risk in OUT-of-class activities as well as selected safety checklists for safe participation in many common physical activities. This information is available in the OUT-of-Class Safety Handbook: A Resource for Grades 9-12 Physical Education/Health Education.
The following are the content highlights for Grade 11 outlined according to the five general learning outcomes (GLOs) titled Movement, Fitness Management, Safety, Personal and Social Management, and Healthy Lifestyle Practices.
| General Learning Outcomes (GLOs) | Content Highlights |
|---|---|
| 1. Movement | |
| The student will demonstrate competency in selected movement skills and knowledge of movement development and physical activities with respect to different types of learning experiences, environments, and cultures. | In Grade 11, through Module A: Physical Activity Practicum, students have the opportunity to participate or specialize in activities of their choice. Students will set personal goals related to their physical activity plan. These personal goals may focus on health-related fitness components and/or skill-related fitness components, depending on the students’ choice of physical activity/sport and ability. |
| 2. Fitness Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop and follow a personal fitness plan for lifelong physical activity and well-being.
|
The specific learning outcomes addressed in Module B: Fitness Management continue to
help students develop a pattern of daily and/or regular participation in physical activities
and develop an understanding of how to acquire/maintain optimal personal health and
fitness. The ultimate goal is for each student to value physical activity as a key component
of health and to take ownership for his or her fitness through regular participation in
physical activity. In the physical activity practicum, Grade 11 students are required to
achieve a minimum of 55 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity that contributes
to cardiorespiratory endurance plus one or more of the other health-related fitness
components (muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility). There is a strong connection between the lessons in Module B: Fitness Management and the physical activity practicum. Students will determine where they are on the Stages of Change continuum (i.e., pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, or maintenance stage), set goals accordingly, and then develop and implement a physical activity plan. Students will choose safe, ethical, and age/developmentally appropriate physical activities IN-class or OUT-of-class that will contribute to the goals of their physical activity plan. The OUT-of-class model provides students with more opportunity to take responsibility and to be accountable for their participation while receiving guidance and support from their teacher and parents. Fitness assessment is optional as part of this curriculum. If teachers and/or students choose to do fitness assessments, they need to use a humanistic approach that emphasizes education, prevention, and intervention. Fitness assessment is used to establish personal goals and to monitor individual progress, rather than to compare one student’s results to those of others, as in norm-referenced testing. |
| 3. Safety | |
| The student will demonstrate safe and responsible behaviours to manage risks and prevent injuries in physical activity participation and in daily living. | This GLO continues to be emphasized in Module A: Physical Activity Practicum and in
Module B: Fitness Management relative to physical activity participation and in the other
PE/HE modules relative to making safe decisions in daily living. Safety education and
risk management are essential to helping students prevent injury, reduce risks, and avoid
potentially dangerous situations, whether the topic is related to PE or HE. Students, parents, the school, and the community are all involved in managing risk for the non-school-based activities that occur during the OUT-of-class component of this course. Students are provided the opportunity to choose physical activities suited to their own interests and abilities through the OUT-of-class delivery model. With this choice, students take more responsibility, along with their parents, for becoming informed about the safe and responsible behaviours related to the selected physical activities. Since all physical activity involves an element of risk, teachers, parents, and students have the responsibility to minimize risks and hazards at all times. Students and parents must follow the local policy and procedures (i.e., sign-off process) for school-based and nonschool- based OUT-of-class physical activities. |
| 4. Personal and Social Management | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to develop self-understanding, to make health-enhancing decisions, to work cooperatively and fairly with others, and to build positive relationships with others. | In the Grade 11 curriculum, Module C: Mental-Emotional Health and Module D: Social
Impact of Sport are extensions of the learning outcomes related to Social Development
and Mental-Emotional Development.
The following personal and social management skills that are identified in the Framework
are reinforced in each module: - goal-setting/planning skills - decision-making/problem-solving skills - interpersonal skills - conflict-resolution skills - stress-management skills For example, goal-setting/planning skills are reinforced in the lessons in Module B: Fitness Management. Decision-making/problem-solving skills continue to be the foundation skills emphasized in every module. |
| 5. Healthy Lifestyle Practices | |
| The student will demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions for healthy living related to personal health practices, active living, healthy nutritional practices, substance use and abuse, and human sexuality. | The strands identified for GLO 5 in the Framework, Personal Health Practices, Active Living, and Substance Use and Abuse Prevention, are addressed in the Grade 11 curriculum. The focus continues to be on accessing accurate and useful information to support healthy decision making. Learning about the benefits and importance of active healthy lifestyle practices for prevention of chronic disease or illness is also reinforced. Health promotion for self and others is emphasized in the suggested learning activities that build on the positive and negative aspects of different influences such as the media and peer pressure. |
Note: In Grade 11, the health topics that contain potentially sensitive content are substance use and abuse prevention and mental-emotional health in GLO 5. Prior to teaching the content, schools are expected to communicate appropriate information to parents, including a parental option. A parental option means that parents may choose a school-based or alternative delivery (e.g., home, professional counselling).
Effective September 2008 the Grade 12 Active Healthy Lifestyles credit is a required credit for graduation. The design of the new course will allow for schools and students/parents/guardians to determine how the learning outcomes of the curriculum will be achieved. This may be accomplished through a teacher-directed delivery model during IN-class time and a student-directed model of the OUT-of-class time. Students must complete a physical activity practicum that addresses health-related fitness components. This physical activity practicum must be a minimum of 55 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity. In addition students will learn about fitness management, nutrition, personal and social development, and healthy relationships.
The Department has developed general guidelines for managing risk in OUT-of-class activities as well as selected safety checklists for safe participation in many common physical activities. This information is available in the OUT-of-Class Safety Handbook: A Resource for Grades 9-12 Physical Education/Health Education.
