Kindergarten - Health

Overview Link to this section

Kindergarten students in SFUSD engage in 20 Health lessons per year. Lessons are created from the HealthSmart curriculum and correspond to SFUSD monthly health themes. Elementary health education strives to improve health outcomes for youth and their families by teaching the knowledge and skills necessary for life-long healthy choices. We view comprehensive health education as a rite of passage for all students.

Priority Standards Link to this section

What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer Health understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level.

In Kindergarten, focus on these critical areas:

Identifying and practicing basic hygiene

Illustration of adult and two children crossing the street in crosswalk

Understanding and applying basic safety concepts

Four kindergarten students play in the woods

Identifying and choosing healthy foods and activities

Instruction: Signature Elements Link to this section

Below are signature elements of SFUSD Health instruction that students should experience regularly throughout first grade as they develop health literacy.

Create an Information-Rich Environment

Provide meaningful, health-related text on classroom walls and well-stocked, inviting, and comfortable libraries that contain a range of health-related texts (e.g., nutrition and physical activity, social and emotional learning), including texts in students’ home languages.

Illustration of question mark, gears turning, light bulb coming on, and exclamation point over faces

Promote Inquiry & Autonomy

Allow students to generate their own questions and to choose health-related activities, texts, and even locations in the room in which to engage with health-related books, manipulatives, and tasks independently.

Text: Student like with multicolor circle around text

Make It Relevant

Ensure that health education experiences are relevant and responsive to students’ interests, everyday life, or important current events.

Icon of four people forming a circle by interlinking arms

Emphasize Collaboration

Structure frequent opportunities for students to collaborate with their peers in health-related group learning tasks, to read and discuss texts, and in creating artifacts that demonstrate their learning.

Materials

Kindergarten HealthSmart Lesson Slide Decks

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Units & Planning Guide

Lessons are created from the HealthSmart curriculum and correspond to SFUSD monthly health themes. Harvest of the Month lessons correspond to the availability of the produce at local farmers’ markets. To meet the required 20 health lessons per year, we recommend at least three lessons from each health topic. Health lessons are not available in Spanish.

Unit	Lessons
Personal and Community Health (AUG/SEPT)	Keeping My Teeth Clean (Report Card entry) Washing Hands (Report Card entry) Getting Help When Sick or Hurt Harvest of the Month: TOMATOES (Spanish)
Substance Abuse Prevention (OCT)	You Can Be Safe from Poisons Tobacco Hurts Your Lungs What to Do When Smoke Bothers You Harvest of the Month: ROOT VEGETABLES (Spanish)
Violence Prevention (NOV/DEC)	SFUSD Inclusive Schools Week Resource Guide Find Bullying Prevention and other SEL lessons to support Violence Prevention Month in the SEL portal Additional Lesson: Feeling Safe at School: We Don't Bully! Harvest of the Month: PUMPKINS & SWEET POTATOES (Spanish) Harvest of the Month: CABBAGE & BROCCOLI (Spanish)
Growing Bodies and Active Consent (JAN/FEB)	Having People Who Care Safe Feelings are Healthy Feelings You Can Get Help for Unsafe Touch Harvest of the Month: GREENS (Spanish) Harvest of the Month: MANDARINS (Spanish)
Nutrition & Physical Activity (MARCH)	Eating is Part of Being Healthy (Report Card entry) You Can Choose to Eat Healthy Foods (Report Card entry) Setting a Goal: Plenty of Water for Me! Knowing and Moving Your Body is Part of Being Healthy (Report Card entry) *Setting a Goal: Come Move with Me! (Report Card entry) Harvest of the Month: PEAS & BEANS (Spanish)
LGBTQ and Advocacy (APRIL)	*All read aloud books can be found in SFUSD libraries Love Makes a Family activity Introducing Teddy readaloud Sparkle Boy readaloud Harvest of the Month: AVOCADOS (Spanish)
Summer Safety and Environmental Health (MAY)	Rules for Staying Safe in Traffic (Report Card entry) You Can Be Safe When You Walk (Report Card entry) You Can Be Safe When You Cross the Street (Report Card entry) You Can Be Safe Riding in a Car (Report Card entry) Harvest of the Month: STRAWBERRIES (Spanish)

**Lessons will continue to be added as they are developed
Unit Overview as Document for Kindergarten Health

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Reflection Questions Link to this section

How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?

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Standards

California Health Education Content Standards

More Resources

Contact the Health Team

Allison Shoule

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