Physical Education/Health Education

Manitoba PE/HE Curriculum Overview

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Introduction

The combined Physical Education/Health Education (PE/HE) curriculum was designed to address the 5 major health risks for children and youth.  They are:

  • inadequate physical activity
  • unhealthy dietary behaviours
  • drug use, including alcohol and tobacco
  • sexual behaviours that result in STIs and unintended pregnancies
  • behaviours that result in intentional and unintentional injuries

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 vision is physically active and healthy lifestyles for all students.

Curriculum content is organized within the following five general learning outcomes (GLO):

  1. Movement
  2. Fitness Management
  3. Safety
  4. Personal and Social Management
  5. Healthy Lifestyles Practices

Furthermore, there are specific learning outcomes identified for each GLO and for each grade to help students learn about active healthy lifestyles. For more detail for each grade, visit each grade level for lists of student learning outcomes or My Child in School.

For balanced programming in physical education, students should receive instruction in the following five physical activity categories:

  • Individual/Dual Sports/Games
  • Team/Group Sports/Games
  • Alternative Pursuits
  • Rhythmic/Gymnastic Activities
  • Fitness Activities

For balanced programming in health education, healthy decision-making is emphasized related to the following strands or topics:

  • Safety of Self and Others
  • Personal Development
  • Social Development
  • Mental-Emotional Development
  • Personal Health Practices
  • Active Living
  • Nutrition
  • Substance Use and Abuse Prevention
  • Human Sexuality

Time Allotments

Physical Education/Health Education (PE/HE) is compulsory for Kindergarten to Grade 10. The following are mandated time allotments. See Note.

Time Allotments
Grade % PE/HE min/day allocation PE min/day 75% allocation HE
min/day 25% allocation
PE/HE min/6-day cycle allocation PE min/6-day cycle 75% allocation HE min/6-day cycle 25% allocation
K
(½ day)
11% 16 12 4 99 75 24
1-6 11% 33 25 8 198 150 48
7-8 9% 30 23 7 178 134 44
9-10 2 credits, with 1 credit (110 hours) 50% PE, 50% HE for each grade
11-12 2 credits - Grade 11 (30F) and Grade 12 (40F). Each credit requires a Physical Activity Practicum which consists of a minimum of 50% of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Schools may choose to offer more time (including integration, special activities, supplementary programs, etc.). Based on The Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Task Force recommendations (June 2005), time allotments for PE/HE were mandated September 2007. Systemwide implementation of the Grade 11 and 12 PE/HE curriculum is 2008.

For suggestions related to timetabling the mandated time allotments, refer to the resource Scheduling Kindergarten to Grade 8 Physical Education/Health Education: A Resource for School Administrators.

For information related to implementing the new Grade 11 and 12 curriculum which includes an out-of-class delivery approach, refer to Implementation of the Grade 11 and 12 Physical Education/Health Education: A Policy Document and other online support materials under grades 11 and 12.


Safety and Liability

Teachers are expected to provide “professional” standard of care rather than “the careful and prudent parent” standard of care especially in high risk types of physical activities. Educators must be knowledgeable of the four criteria established by the Supreme Court of Canada to determine the necessary and appropriate standard of care within the context of physical education:

  • Is the activity suitable to the age, mental, and physical condition of participating students?
  • Have the students been progressively taught and coached to perform the activity(ies) properly and to avoid the dangers inherent in the activity(ies)?
  • Is the equipment adequate and suitably arranged?
  • Is the activity being supervised properly in light of the inherent danger involved?

Current recommended resources related to physical activity safety are:


Treatment of Potentially Sensitive Content

Student learning outcomes in two strands, Substance Use and Abuse Prevention and Human Sexuality (in GLO 5—Healthy Lifestyles Practices) as well as in the personal safety (prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse) sub-strand (in GLO 3—Safety) may be potentially sensitive to some students and their parents/families and/or communities. This sensitivity may be based on family, religious, and/or cultural values.
Potentially sensitive content must be treated in ways that are appropriate for the local school and community context. Greater cooperation and coordination among the home, school, and public health systems will contribute to the health and well-being of students. Schools are required to:

  • determine local policy related to potentially sensitive content using school/division/district planning process
  • seek parental involvement as part of the planning process
  • provide a parental option prior to implementation
  • make decisions relative to the following areas as outlined in the chart below
Potential Decision Areas for School Division Planning
A. Potentially Sensitive Content

The Framework identifies the following content areas as potentially sensitive:

  • Human Sexuality
  • Substance Use and Abuse Prevention
  • Personal Safety

These areas require school divisions to use a planning process (that includes parental involvement) to determine programming details.

B. Breadth/Depth Treatment of Content

Decisions related to the depth and breadth of coverage of potentially sensitive content include the choice of appropriate content, instructional strategies, assessment/reporting strategies, and learning resources.

Decisions regarding the depth/breadth treatment of specific learning outcomes in the strands/sub-strands identified as potentially sensitive in the Framework can include:

  • more—use with greater depth/breadth than what appears in the Framework
  • at—use with the same depth/breadth
  • less—use with less depth/breadth
  • none—no use
C. Parental Option

There must be an inclusion of a parental option related to the potentially sensitive content. A parental option means that parents may choose one of the following options for delivery of potentially sensitive content:

  • school-based delivery
  • alternative delivery
  • Parents have the right to opt for alternative delivery (e.g., home, professional counselling) for their child where the content is in conflict with family, religious, and/or cultural values.
D. Scheduling of Instruction

Decisions related to scheduling of potentially sensitive content may include the following options:

  • within physical education/health education
  • integrated in various subject areas (e.g., science, language arts)
  • in separate units and/or blocks of time (e.g., theme weeks)
  • a combination of within, integrated, and/or separate
E. Parental Communication

Ways to inform parents of school-based programming and to determine the parents’ choice (i.e., school-based and/or alternative delivery) need to be established. Means of communication may include

  • letters
  • meetings
  • permission forms
  • websites
  • brochures
  • newsletters

Parents may use departmental resources when choosing alternative delivery.

F. Teacher Training Requirements

Decisions for identifying requirements for training (e.g., number of days and types of training) related to potentially sensitive content for school staff and others such as parents, community volunteers, and peer educators need to be made.

G. Staff Assignments

Staff assignments could include use of staff, parents, peer educators, and community volunteers to enhance programming related to potentially sensitive content.

For more background information, lesson plans, instructional and assessment strategies, refer to the following support documents: