Fifth - Health

Overview Link to this section

Fifth-grade 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 Fifth Grade, focus on these critical areas:

Explaining viruses (including HIV) and bacteria, and their relationship to the immune system; practicing health-enhancing behaviors (for example, covers coughs and sneezes, avoids contact with others’ bodily fluids)

Diagram of plate showing recommended portions for fruits, grains, vegetables, protein, dairy

Explaining internal (biological signals) and external influences (media, peers, family, culture) that affect food choices and physical activity, and accessing valid information

Text: Puberty brings new, thoughts, feelings, choices and responsibilities.

Explaining the structures and functions of major organs in the human reproductive system (including the social, emotional, and physical changes that occur during puberty)

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

Fifth Grade 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)	Getting Accurate Health Information Understanding Chronic Disease Protecting My Health Now and In the Future Harvest of the Month: CUCUMBERS (Spanish)
Substance Abuse Prevention (OCT)	L24 Consequences of Alcohol Use L25 Alcohol and Feelings L26 Alcohol and Peer Harvest of the Month: PERSIMMONS (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 L10 Understanding Fights L11 Fights: Feelings and Consequences L12 Preventing and Avoiding Fights Nov Harvest of the Month: PUMPKINS & SWEET POTATOES (Spanish) Dec Harvest of the Month: CABBAGE & BROCCOLI (Spanish)
Growing Bodies and Active Consent (JAN/FEB)	PCAR Sexual Harassment Lessons Find safe touch lessons in the Child Protection Unit (CPU) in the SEL portal Planned Parenthood Puberty Lessons (Recommended) Report Card Lesson L32 Old Me, New Me Report Card Lesson L33 Understanding Puberty and New Responsibility Report Card Lesson L34-35 Understanding a Growing Body Report Card Lesson Amaze.org’s Puberty Toolkit Report Card Lesson Jan Harvest of the Month: GREENS (Spanish) Feb Harvest of the Month: MANDARINS (Spanish) 5th Grade HIV/AIDS Lessons Tell Me about AIDS Student Book Tell Me about AIDS Teacher Guide Report Card Lesson Immune System and HIV Slideshow Lesson **Report Card Lesson
Nutrition & Physical Activity (MARCH)	L16 Using the Healthsmart Guide for Healthy Eating Report Card Lesson L17 Understanding Food Amounts Report Card Lesson L18 Challenges to Healthy Eating: Junk Food **Report Card Lesson Harvest of the Month: ROOT VEGGIES (Spanish)
LGBTQ and Advocacy (APRIL)	Gender Roles and Expressions A Look At Prominent LGBTQ+ People Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Harvest of the Month: PEAS & BEANS (Spanish)
Summer Safety and Environmental Health (MAY)	L15 Taking a Stand Against Violence L22 Health Eating & Activity Goal Setting L23 Tracking My Progress Harvest of the Month: STRAWBERRIES (Spanish)

**Lessons will continue to be added as they are developed
Unit Overview as Document for Fifth-Grade 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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