Overview
Third-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
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 Third Grade, focus on these critical areas:
Explaining and Practicing Positive Peer & Family Relationships
Identifying and Demonstrating Health Practices That Reduce Illness & Diseases Caused by Bacteria & Viruses
Recognizing and Demonstrating Respect for Individual Differences in Growth & Development
Instruction: Signature Elements
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.
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.
Make It Relevant
Ensure that health education experiences are relevant and responsive to students’ interests, everyday life, or important current events.
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
Third Grade HealthSmart Lesson Slide Decks
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) |
|
|
Substance Abuse Prevention (OCT) |
Harvest of the Month: PERSIMMONS (Spanish) |
|
Violence Prevention (NOV/DEC) |
Harvest of the Month: PUMPKINS & SWEET POTATOES (Spanish) |
|
Growing Bodies and Active Consent (JAN/FEB) |
Harvest of the Month: GREENS (Spanish) |
|
Nutrition & Physical Activity (MARCH) |
Harvest of the Month: ROOT VEGGIES (Spanish) |
|
LGBTQ and Advocacy (APRIL) |
*All read aloud books can be found in SFUSD libraries
Harvest of the Month: PEAS & BEANS (Spanish) |
|
Summer Safety and Environmental Health (MAY) |
Harvest of the Month: STRAWBERRIES (Spanish) |
**Lessons will continue to be added as they are developed
Unit Overview as Document for Third-Grade Health
Reflection Questions
- 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?
Want More?
Standards
More Resources
- Lessons and assessments aligned to SFUSD standards-based report card (SBRC)
- Slideshow with info on Teaching Sensitive Topics: Puberty, HIV, Gender, LGBTQ+
- Safe Touch and Sexual Harassment Prevention resources
Contact the Health Team
This page was last updated on May 17, 2023