Download pdf - Mount Laurel Township Schools Health Curriculum Grades

Mount Laurel Township Schools

Health Curriculum Grades Preschool through Eight

Adopted by the Mount Laurel Board of Education on August, 2016

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MISSION STATEMENT OF THE

MOUNT LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRICT

The mission of the Mount Laurel Township School District is to prepare all children to be

successful citizens and workers in the 21st century. As aligned with the New Jersey

Core Curriculum Content Standards, this includes educating students to read with

comprehension, write clearly, compute accurately, think critically, reason, discover,

innovate, collaborate, and use information to solve problems.

Mission Statement Adopted by Board of Education February 19, 2008

Mount Laurel Central Administrators

George Rafferty Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Sharon Vitella

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Robert F. Wachter Jr.

Assistant Superintendent for Business/Board Secretary

Susan Henry Human Resource Manager

Marie F. Reynolds

Director of Communication Services

Mount Laurel Board of Education

Maureen Sojka, President

Marc Jones, Vice President Diane Blair Michael Gallagher Melissa DeClementi Margaret Haynes

Christine Dickson Scott Jones Leigh Ann Erlanger

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Table of Contents

Summary of New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Revisions 2014 3 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards: Introduction 4 – 10 New Jersey Core Curriculum Frequently Asked Questions: 11 – 18 For Health and Family Life New Jersey Student Learning Standards Frequently Asked Questions:

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education 19 – 24

Glossary 25 – 27 Adaptive Physical Education 27 Dating Violence Prevention/Instruction 28

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Summary of Revisions to the 2014 NJCCCS for Comprehensive Health and Physical

Education

There were minor changes made to the 20014 standards. Additions to the standards

included the following defining terms in the glossary: over load principle, progressive

principle, principle of specificity, health, wellness, rhythm and health data. Newly passed

legislation, N.J.S.A. 18A: 35-4.23a describing Dating Violence education grades 7-12, was

added to the legislation section. One additional revision of the Introduction of the

document was the addition to the existing definition of 21st Century Skills by the

Partnership of 21st Century Skills; the phrase “Understanding national and international

public health and safety issues” was added to the existing definition.

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New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards

for

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education

INTRODUCTION

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education in the 21st Century

Health literacy is an integral component of 21st century education. Healthy students are learners who are “knowledgeable, productive, and also emotionally and physically healthy, motivated, civically engaged, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond their own borders” (ASCD, 2004). As part of the state’s initiative to prepare students to function optimally as global citizens and workers, the contemporary view of health and physical education focuses on taking personal responsibility for one’s health through an active, healthy lifestyle that fosters a lifelong commitment to wellness. The mission and vision for comprehensive health and physical education reflects this perspective:

Mission: Knowledge of health and physical education concepts and skills empowers students to

assume lifelong responsibility to develop physical, social, and emotional wellness.

Vision: A quality comprehensive health and physical education program fosters a population that:

• Maintains physical, social, and emotional health by practicing healthy behaviors

and goal setting.

• Engages in a physically active lifestyle.

• Is knowledgeable about health and wellness and how to access health resources.

• Recognizes the influence of media, technology, and culture in making informed

health-related decisions as a consumer of health products and services.

• Practices effective cross-cultural communication, problem solving, negotiation,

and conflict resolution skills.

• Is accepting and respectful of individual and cultural differences.

• Advocates for personal, family, community, and global wellness and is

knowledgeable about national and international public health and safety issues.

Intent and Spirit of the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards

All students participate in a comprehensive, sequential, health and physical education program

that emphasizes the natural interdisciplinary connection between wellness and health and

physical education. The standards provide a blueprint for curriculum development, instruction,

and assessment that reflects the latest research-based platform for effective health and physical

education programs. The primary focus of the standards is on the development of knowledge and

skills that influence healthy behaviors within the context of self, family, school, and the local and

global community. The 2014 revised standards incorporate the current thinking and best

practices found in health and physical education documents published by national content-

specific organizations as well as public health and other education organizations and agencies.

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Revised Standards

The Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards provide the foundation for

creating local curricula and meaningful assessments. Revisions to the standards include

cumulative progress indicators that reflect:

o Recently enacted legislation outlined in the section below

o An emphasis on health literacy, a 21st century theme

o Global perspectives about health and wellness through comparative analysis of

health-related issues, attitudes, and behaviors in other countries

o Inclusion of additional skills related to traffic safety, fire safety, and accident and

poison prevention

o Increased awareness of and sensitivity to the challenges related to individuals

with disabilities

The 2014 standards continue to incorporate New Jersey Legislative Statutes related to the

health and well-being of students in New Jersey public schools, including those enacted from

2009-2014:

• Dating Violence Prevention Bill: N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.23 a (2010) requires instruction in

dating violence prevention.

Health Literacy includes:

• Obtaining, interpreting, and understanding basic health information and services and using such information and services in ways that are health enhancing.

• Understanding preventive physical and mental health measures, including proper diet, nutrition, exercise, risk avoidance, and stress reduction.

• Using available information to make appropriate health-related decisions. • Establishing and monitoring personal and family health goals. • Understanding national and international public health and safety issues

(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009)

New Jersey Legislative Statutes Summary

• Accident and Fire Prevention (N.J.S.A. 18A:6-2) requires instruction in accident and fire prevention. Regular courses of instruction in accident prevention and fire prevention shall be given in every public and private school in this state. Instruction shall be adapted to the understanding of students at different grade levels.

• Breast Self-Examination (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-5.4) requires instruction on breast self-examination. Each board of education which operates an educational program for students in grades 7 through 12 shall offer instruction in breast self-examination. The instruction shall take place as part of the district’s implementation of the Core

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Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, and the comprehensive health and physical education curriculum framework shall provide school districts with sample activities that may be used to support implementation of the instructional requirement.

• Bullying Prevention Programs (N.J.S.A. 18A:37- 17) requires the establishment of bullying prevention programs. Schools and school districts are encouraged to establish bullying prevention programs and other initiatives involving school staff, students, administrators, volunteers, parents, law enforcement, and community members. To the extent funds are appropriated for these purposes, a school district shall: (1) provide training on the school district’s harassment, intimidation, or bullying policies to school employees and volunteers who have significant contact with students; and (2) develop a process for discussing the district’s harassment, intimidation, or bullying policy with students. Information regarding the school district policy against harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be incorporated into a school’s employee training program.

• Cancer Awareness (N.J.S.A. 18A:40-33) requires the development of a school program on cancer awareness. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the State school boards, shall develop a cancer awareness program appropriate for school-aged children.

• Dating Violence Education (N.J.S.A. 18A: 35-4.23a) requires instruction regarding dating violence in grades 7-12. Each school district shall incorporate dating violence education that is age appropriate into the health education curriculum as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education for students in grades 7 through 12. The dating violence education shall include, but not be limited to, information on the definition of dating violence, recognizing dating violence warning signs, and the characteristics of healthy relationships.

• Domestic Violence Education (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.23) allows instruction on problems related to domestic violence and child abuse. A board of education may include instruction on the problems of domestic violence and child abuse in an appropriate place in the curriculum of elementary school, middle school, and high school pupils. The instruction shall enable pupils to understand the psychology and dynamics of family violence, dating violence, and child abuse; the relationship of alcohol and drug use to such violence and abuse; and the relationship of animal cruelty to such violence and abuse; and to learn methods of nonviolent problem-solving.

• Gang Violence Prevention (18A:35-4.26) requires instruction in gang violence prevention for elementary school students. Each board of education that operates an educational program for elementary

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school students shall offer instruction in gang violence prevention and in ways to avoid membership in gangs. The instruction shall take place as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, and the comprehensive health and physical education curriculum framework shall provide school districts with sample materials that may be used to support implementation of the instructional requirement.

• Health, Safety, and Physical Education (N.J.S.A.18A:35) requires that all

students in grades 1 through 12 participate in at least two and one-half hours of health, safety, and physical education in each school week. Every pupil, except kindergarten pupils, attending the public schools, insofar as he or she is physically fit and capable of doing so, as determined by the medical inspector, shall take such courses, which shall be a part of the curriculum prescribed for the several grades, and the conduct and attainment of the pupils shall be marked as in other courses or subjects, and the standing of the pupil in connection therewith shall form a part of the requirements for promotion or graduation. The time devoted to such courses shall aggregate at least two and one-half hours in each school week, or proportionately less when holidays fall within the week.

• Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, Controlled Dangerous Substances, and Anabolic Steroids (N.J.S.A. 18A:40A-1) requires instructional programs on drugs, alcohol, anabolic steroids, tobacco, and controlled dangerous substances and the development of curriculum guidelines. Instructional programs on the nature of drugs, alcohol, anabolic steroids, tobacco, and controlled dangerous substances, as defined in section 2 of P.L.1970, c.226 (C.24:21-2), and their physiological, psychological, sociological, and legal effects on the individual, the family, and society shall be taught in each public school and in each grade from kindergarten through 12 in a manner adapted to the age and understanding of the pupils. The programs shall be based upon the curriculum guidelines established by the Commissioner of Education and shall be included in the curriculum for each grade in such a manner as to provide a thorough and comprehensive treatment of the subject.

• Lyme Disease Prevention (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-5.1) requires the development of Lyme disease curriculum guidelines. The guidelines shall emphasize disease prevention and sensitivity for victims of the disease. The Commissioner of Education shall periodically review and update the guidelines to insure that the curriculum reflects the most current information available.

• Organ Donation (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-4.3) requires information relative to organ donation to be given to students in grades 9 through 12. The goals of the instruction shall be to:

o Emphasize the benefits of organ and tissue donation to the health and well-being of society generally and to individuals whose lives are saved by organ

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and tissue donations, so that students will be motivated to make an affirmative decision to register as donors when they become adults.

o Fully address myths and misunderstandings regarding organ and tissue donation.

o Explain the options available to adults, including the option of designating a decision-maker to make the donation decision on one’s behalf.

o Instill an understanding of the consequences when an individual does not make a decision to become an organ donor and does not register or otherwise record a designated decision-maker.

The instruction shall inform students that, beginning five years from the date of enactment of P.L.2008, c.48 (C.26:6-66 et al.), the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission will not issue or renew a New Jersey driver’s license or personal identification card unless a prospective or renewing licensee or card holder makes an acknowledgement regarding the donor decision pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2008, c.48 (C.39:3-12.4). The Commissioner of Education, through the non-public school liaison in the Department of Education, shall make any related instructional materials available to private schools educating students in grades 9 through 12, or any combination thereof. Such schools are encouraged to use the instructional materials at the school; however, nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require such schools to use the materials.

• Sexual Assault Prevention (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.3) requires the development of a

sexual assault prevention education program. The Department of Education in consultation with the advisory committee shall develop and establish guidelines for the teaching of sexual assault prevention techniques for utilization by local school districts in the establishment of a sexual assault prevention education program. Such program shall be adapted to the age and understanding of the pupils and shall be emphasized in appropriate places of the curriculum sufficiently for a full and adequate treatment of the subject.

• Stress Abstinence (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.19-20), also known as the “AIDS Prevention Act of 1999,” requires sex education programs to stress abstinence.

Any sex education that is given as part of any planned course, curriculum, or other instructional program and that is intended to impart information or promote discussion or understanding in regard to human sexual behavior, sexual feelings and sexual values, human sexuality and reproduction, pregnancy avoidance or termination, HIV infection or sexually transmitted diseases, regardless of whether such instruction is described as, or incorporated into, a description of “sex education,” “family life education,” “family health education,” “health education,” “family living,” “health,” “self esteem,” or any other course, curriculum program, or goal of education, and any materials including, but not limited, to handouts, speakers, notes, or audiovisuals presented on school property concerning methods for the prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), other sexually transmitted diseases, and of avoiding pregnancy, shall stress that abstinence from sexual activity is the only completely reliable means of eliminating

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the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and of avoiding pregnancy.

• Suicide Prevention (N.J.S.A. 18A: 6-111) requires instruction in suicide prevention in public schools. Instruction in suicide prevention shall be provided as part of any continuing education that public school teaching staff members must complete to maintain their certification; and inclusion of suicide prevention awareness shall be included in the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.

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Resources

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2014). The whole child. Online:

http://www.wholechildeducation.org/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Health Education curriculum analysis tool.

Atlanta, GA: Author.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Physical Education curriculum analysis

tool. Atlanta, GA: Author.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Health Education Standards. National

Health Education Standards: Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society. Online:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sher/standards/

Lohrmann, D. K. (2005). Creating a healthy school. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.

National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2014). The Road to a lifetime of

Physical Activity: National standards for Physical Education. Reston, VA: American

Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

National Association of State Boards of Education. (2014). Center for Safe and Healthy Schools.

Online:

http://www.nasbe.org/project/center-for-safe-and-healthy-schools/

New Jersey State Department of Education. (2009). Core curriculum content standards in

comprehensive health and physical education. Online:

http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/index.html

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2014). Framework for 21st century learning. Online:

http://www.p21.org/

Hyperlinks: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

http://www.ascd.org/programs/THE_WHOLE_CHILD.as

http://www.ascd.org/programs/THE_WHOLE_CHILD.as

http://www.wholechildeducation.org/

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sher/standards/

http://www.nasbe.org/project/center-for-safe-and-healthy-schools/

http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/standards/2/index.html

http://www.p21.org/

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

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New Jersey Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Core Curriculum Content Standards*

Frequently Asked Questions: Health and Family Life Education 1. What are the requirements regarding health education in New Jersey schools?

All students are required to participate in health education classes which include a family life education component. The N.J.S.A.18A:35-7 and 8 requires that all students in grades 1-12 take at least 150 minutes of health, safety, and physical education per week each year. In high school, students must complete at least 3¾ credits in health and physical education for each year of attendance in order to receive a state-endorsed diploma. In order for students to meet the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS), schools must provide instruction in both health education and physical education.

2. Must students take family life education classes?

Content in this area is outlined in Standard 2.4: Human Relationships and Sexuality and must be included in the district’s health education curriculum. However, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.7, any child whose parent or guardian presents to the school a signed statement that any part of instruction in health, family life education, or sex education is in conflict with his or her conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs shall be excused from that portion of the course. Students excused from instruction should be provided alternative instructional content and activities aligned with the New Jersey Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS) and the local health education curriculum.

3. If a parent wants a child excused from family life education, what process should be used?

Local school districts must have policies in place to notify parents about their right to excuse a child from such instruction without penalty, however, no specific procedures are specified in N.J.S.A.18A:35-4.7. All parents/guardians should be notified of the excusal process. State law does not require active consent; however, every effort should be made to notify parents in advance of their right to have their child excused. Schools may use formal letters, information in parent-student handbooks, school Web sites and other means to inform parents of this process.

The law requires the parent/guardian to present a written, signed statement to the principal explaining how instruction in health, safety, family life education, or sex education is in conflict with his or her conscience or sincerely held moral or religious education beliefs. Once the letter has been received by the school administration, a discussion should take place with the parent/guardian to clarify any misconceptions about the school’s program. The student can then be

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excused without penalty from the content of the course found in conflict; however, the student must still complete mutually agreed upon instructional activities that support achievement of the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Core Curriculum Content Standards. For example, in lieu of a human sexuality class, a student could be placed in a physical education class, take a foods and nutrition course, or complete an independent project to fulfill the requirements.

4. Must the school provide a copy of the health education curriculum upon request?

The school must make available a copy of the curriculum for review upon request. Typically, review copies of the curriculum and all related instructional materials are made available by the health/physical education teacher, school nurse, or curriculum office and may also be available at parents night or a school open house. Many schools hold special events to inform parents of the content and expectations of the health curriculum.

5. Can schools contract with outside organizations to provide health and family life education during school hours?

While schools may contract with outside organizations to provide specialized instruction during school hours, an appropriately certified school employee must be present during the delivery of instruction. The school has a responsibility to ensure that such instruction is medically accurate, unbiased, not promoting a particular religion, and aligned to the NJCCCS in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education and the district’s health education curriculum. Local school districts should carefully review the organization and instructors’ credentials, check references, and if possible, attend a presentation(s) made for a similar audience before engaging an outside provider.

6. Are schools required to provide professional development to teachers to ensure that they possess current information regarding instruction in health and family life education?

New Jersey teachers are required to complete 100 hours of professional development within a five-year cycle. There is no specific requirement regarding teacher training in health or family life education. A professional development plan (PDP, formerly PIP) should be negotiated and agreed upon between the teacher and his/her supervisor. Professional development must align with the New Jersey Professional Development Standards for Teachers, and have the goal of improving teacher content knowledge and pedagogy in health education. Because health information is constantly changing, it is important that educators take responsibility for staying current in their field.

7. Who provides professional development for family life education?

New Jersey has a database of registered providers of professional development in health education and family life education that may be accessed on the New Jersey Department of Education Web site at http://www.nj.gov/education/njpep/.

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8. How can a school ensure that a program is gender sensitive?

The N.J.A.C. 6A:7-1.7(b) requires that schools provide curriculum and instruction that is free of bias and offers the opportunity for positive interaction among students, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or belief. Broad community representation on a curriculum advisory committee can help to ensure that the program reflects community culture and norms.

9. How can schools garner community support for health and family life education?

N.J.A.C. 6A:8-3.1 requires that school districts encourage community involvement in the development and review of all curricula that include health education programs. A Curriculum Advisory Committee that represents the community and periodically reviews curricula in all content areas is likely to maintain committee member interest and build community support. Committee members may consist of parents, family members, teachers, administrators, community and religious leaders, and students. Members should represent diverse community values and beliefs in order to ensure that information regarding instructional programs is shared across the community. Curriculum Advisory Committees that focus on a single content area or school issue often find it difficult to maintain the support and interest of school staff and the broader community, since members are likely to have temporary or personalized agendas.

10. Are New Jersey’s schools required to provide abstinence-only programs?

No. New Jersey schools are not required to provide abstinence-only programs. However, N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.19 et seq., known as the “stress abstinence law,” requires schools to stress abstinence as the one completely reliable method of prevention when discussing contraception. It also requires schools to address the failure rates of various contraceptive methods (Adult failure rate data is the only information currently available.). The NJCCCS require instruction regarding multiple methods of contraception; therefore, a school that chooses an abstinence-only curriculum as its only instructional program is not in compliance with the standards that specifically require students to understand abstinence, as well as contraception and disease prevention. In addition, the standards require students to carefully compare and contrast risk reduction and risk elimination methods and strategies to address internal and external pressures to remain abstinent.

11. What does stress abstinence mean?

N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.19 et seq., the AIDS Prevention Act of 1999, is commonly referred to as the stress abstinence law. The law requires school-based programs and materials to emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity is the one completely reliable means of eliminating the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and of avoiding pregnancy. The law requires local boards of education to include in their curriculum the

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reasons, skills, and strategies for remaining or becoming abstinent. It also requires that any instruction on methods of contraception, including the use of condoms, contain information on their failure rates in actual use. The law also requires that materials stress the importance of avoiding intravenous (needle injection) drug use as a method of HIV prevention.

12. Where can teachers and curriculum developers find state and local data to support program development?

The New Jersey Department of Education and other state agencies provide data and reports concerning selected student behaviors related to health and health outcomes such as pregnancy, live births, infant mortality, HIV and STD infection, and admissions to addiction treatment. The links to access reports and data are listed below: New Jersey Student Health Survey New Jersey Middle School Substance Use Survey New Jersey County Chartbook Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Black Infants Better Survival Statistics New Jersey Sexually Transmitted Disease Program New Jersey HIV/AIDS Services New Jersey Center for Health Statistics

13. What criteria should be used to select a proposed family life education program?

The program must be aligned with the most recent version (2009) of the NJCCCS for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. The program and related instructional materials should be current, medically accurate and supported by extensive research with similar student populations, if available. The materials should also be developmentally appropriate, gender and culturally sensitive, and bias-free. This includes bias/proclivity towards a particular religious or political viewpoint. Other questions to consider in choosing a program and instructional materials are as follows: Does the program have accompanying instructional materials or will other materials be necessary to address the standards? Does the program address skills and behavior change or just content? How much training will teachers need to use the program? Does the program address the needs of students in the school community, based on public health data and community norms? Does the program stress abstinence, yet provide a balanced approach to instruction? What is the cost per pupil? Are the materials available in languages other than English?

14. How can schools be sensitive to religious and cultural beliefs about family and sexuality?

While the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards provide a framework for local school districts, it is the responsibility of the district to align its curriculum with the standards while still addressing the diverse needs of its

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students. New Jersey community demographics are constantly changing, and it would be unreasonable to expect a single teacher to be fully aware of the various cultural norms of each represented group. Therefore, the task of building cultural and religious sensitivity must be an ongoing effort, conducted by the local school district with the assistance of local cultural and religious organizations. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has established a network to assist in the identification of organizations with specific expertise in this area. The New Jersey Statewide Network for Cultural Competence can be accessed at http://www.state.nj.us/njsncc/index.shtml.

15. How can teachers and curriculum developers ensure that materials are developmentally appropriate?

The Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards are organized into small grade level bands (K-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12) so that teachers can easily identify what should be taught across grade levels. Schools need to provide time for teachers to discuss when and how the cumulative progress indicators will be addressed. Teachers also need to be sensitive to the social, emotional, and physical developmental levels of students in their classrooms and adjust instruction accordingly. Instruction cannot always be individualized to meet every student’s immediate needs. There is no doubt, however, that in any classroom, there will be students at various developmental stages who will use the information presented in different timeframes in accordance with their developmental levels of readiness.

16. What factors should schools consider when engaging a speaker/presenter for students and/or parents?

Knowledgeable speakers/presenters may benefit a particular course and/or overall instructional program by virtue of their expertise on a given topic(s) that may enhance awareness and learning. Some questions to consider when choosing a guest speaker/presenter for students or parents include the following:

• Is the speaker’s message and delivery method grade-level appropriate?

• Is there an opportunity to observe the speaker and review his/her presentation materials to ensure they are aligned with the district curriculum and are developmentally appropriate?

• Is the speaker’s information medically accurate?

• Is the presentation (including method and materials) inclusive of all students’ needs?

• Does the speaker and the message model positive behavior?

• Is there certainty that the speaker does not use fear-based motivational techniques?

• Is the philosophy of the agency/message aligned with the local curriculum and the NJCCCS?

• Can a set of clear goals and objectives for the presentation that will reinforce the lessons that occur prior to and after the speaker’s presentation be negotiated?

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17. School policy does not allow teachers to discuss certain topics that continually surface during class. How should teachers handle this situation?

There is the likelihood that if students continually focus on certain topics, they are already discussing them with peers. Teachers need to be sensitive to these issues and raise the awareness of school administrators, parents, and the district curriculum committee to ensure that the curriculum addresses the current and pressing needs of students. Student behavior, classroom conversations, and student interests have changed - teachers need to make sure that school officials and parents are aware of these changes. Teachers should adjust instruction accordingly so that students have accurate information from an informed adult, rather than misinformation from other sources. It is important to note that local school districts must address the content and skills at the designated grade levels found in the standards. Staff cannot deviate from designated grade-level instruction because they may be uncomfortable with the content. If staff, parents, students and community members work together in developing a curriculum that meets the needs of all students, this situation is less likely to occur. If a teacher, parent or concerned citizen discovers that a local school district curriculum is not aligned with the standards, he/she should discuss the issue with the teacher responsible for health instruction and with supervisors responsible for the development and implementation of the health curriculum.

18. How can schools ensure that a program is medically accurate?

Assuring that content is medically accurate is of critical importance and is the reason all instructors should be provided with content-specific professional development. To assist in reviewing content for medical accuracy, school medical inspectors (school physicians) and school nurses may be involved in the curriculum review process along with substance awareness coordinators, school counselors, social workers, and health education instructors and supervisors. Community medical experts and healthcare providers may also be of assistance. If the instructional program was developed by school district staff, the curriculum committee should provide a list of reputable resources to assist in reviewing program materials. If the program was developed by a major publisher, the material may have already been reviewed for accuracy by a national agency. Specific facts cited in instructional materials can be compared with facts published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (http://www.state.nj.us/health/).

19. How can schools obtain greater parent involvement in health and family life education?

Some local districts offer a workshop for parents to review curriculum materials prior to beginning the family life education program. Such a workshop is an excellent opportunity to make parents aware of normal sexual development in children, to address their concerns and offer advice when answering common

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questions children of various ages might ask regarding sexuality. Alternatively, teachers can assign adult-child homework assignments that provide an opportunity for parents/caregivers and children to discuss issues related to sex education such as values, family beliefs, culture, history and need for good communication. Interviews and discussion questions are a common technique used in creating these assignments that may be a formal part or a supplement to the curriculum. The New Jersey Parent Teacher Association encourages its members to become involved in supporting health education and a coordinated approach to school health programs through committees that address HIV/AIDS, character education, student health and welfare, and nutrition. A number of high school peer education groups have successfully conducted workshops that provide parents with an opportunity to talk to students, other than their own child, about sexuality-related issues and concerns. The Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP) is an example of such a workshop program. Teen PEP is the result of collaboration with the Princeton Center for Leadership Training, HiTops Inc., and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and is supported by the Prudential Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Human Services (http://www.princetonleadership.org/highschool.html).

20. Does the New Jersey Department of Education approve health and family life education materials (e.g., textbooks, videos, software) or require schools to use specific materials?

No. The department does not approve instructional materials such as textbooks, software, or videos in any content area. Material adoption is a local district decision, based on the local curriculum development and review process. All locally adopted instructional materials should be aligned to the district curriculum and the NJCCCS and be current, medically accurate, and developmentally appropriate. The department does provide supplemental resources, such as curriculum frameworks, scope and sequence models, and frequently asked questions to assist with the development, alignment, and implementation of district health curricula. These resources can be accessed online at http://www.nj.gov/njded/aps/cccs/chpe/.

21. Does the department require schools to teach about same-sex families?

Yes. The department requires that students learn about all kinds of families, including same-sex families. Most New Jersey classrooms have a myriad of family support systems and structures that reflect the social, cultural, economic, ethnic, and religious diversity of our state. Schools must be sensitive to the many family structures represented in classrooms and in society today, including, but

http://www.nj.gov/njded/aps/cccs/chpe/

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not limited to, traditional or two-parent families, blended families, single-parent families, multiracial and multigenerational families, and same-sex families. The NJCCCS for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education require all students to understand the role of life-long relationships and the contributions that healthy relationships make to wellness. In grades K-4, students learn that: there are different kinds of families; family members have different roles and responsibilities; and families share love, values, and traditions, provide emotional support for each other, and set boundaries and limits. In the middle grades, students learn about healthy relationships, the role of families in meeting human needs, and the historical role of marriage and family in community and society. In high school, students investigate how different family structures, values, rituals, and traditions meet human needs and begin to understand how young adulthood will impact their role as a family member. High school students address factors to consider when choosing a life partner and learn how to enhance and maintain mature, loving, and respectful relationships.

22. Does the department require schools to teach about sexual orientation?

Yes. The standards require that by the end of grade eight, students discuss topics about sexual orientation. Issues might include tolerance and sensitivity, harassment and name-calling, stereotyping, and the development of gender identity and its relationship to puberty and adolescence. Similar topics might be addressed in more depth at the secondary level.

* Retrieved July 18, 2016 from New Jersey Department of Education website: http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/faq/faq_hfle.htm

http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/faq/faq_hfle.htm

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New Jersey Student Learning Standards Comprehensive Health and Physical Education*

Frequently Asked Questions In order to ensure that all students are able to achieve the health and physical education core standards, the following guidance is provided.

1. Are all students required to participate in the health and physical education program?

Yes. N.J.S.A. 18A:35-7 requires every pupil, except kindergarten pupils, attending public schools to take such courses. However, the core standards establish requirements for students in grades K-12.

2. How many minutes per week must students have health and physical education?

N.J.S.A. 18A:35-7&8 requires that students in grades 1-12 receive 150 minutes (or two and one-half hours) of health, safety, and physical education per week, prorated for school holidays. Local school districts decide how many minutes per week are necessary in each area in order to achieve the core standards.

3. Can recess count towards those minutes?

Schools may be able to use recess to fulfill the 150 minute requirement if the following elements are met:

• The activities/lessons are taken from the locally developed health and physical education curriculum and are linked to classroom instruction and assessment;

• The activities/lessons are designed to meet the health and physical education core standards;

• The activities/lessons are designed, supervised, and assessed by an appropriately certified teacher;

• The student-teacher ratio is aligned with accepted district policies for instructional programs;

• All students participate.

• 4. Can students be denied access to recess?

If recess is used to fulfill the 150 minutes as required by law, then students cannot be denied access to recess since it is instructional. If recess is used to fulfill the requirement, students should not be permitted to substitute other instructional programs (e.g. music lessons, gifted programs, ESL instruction) for recess.

5. Can a student with a medical condition be exempted from health and

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physical education?

No. The law requires that the medical inspector determine the child’s fitness for participation in such courses. However, the law was originally written in 1917 and amended in 1967, before the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). All students must have meaningful access to curriculum and instruction based on the core standards.

6. If a student has a medical condition that limits his/her ability to participate in the regular physical education program, what must the school do?

N.J.A.C. 6A:14-4.1(f) states that physical education services, specially designed if necessary, shall be made available to every student with a disability ages 5 through 21, including those students in separate facilities. Individual student needs should be addressed through the student’s Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan. The child’s program should be modified to reflect activities that the child can participate in, even if some modifications are necessary. Modifications may be similar to those described in the next questions. Additionally, Chapter 9 of the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum Framework (1999) provides guidance in this regard.

7. If a student has a temporary disability (e.g. fractured leg, recent surgery) and cannot participate in the regular physical education program, what should the school do?

First, the school should communicate with the child’s family and attending physician to determine how long the child will need accommodations. Once this is determined, the school has a number of options based on the grade and age of the child. In school, the student can:

• Participate in the regular physical education class with restrictions based on the severity and nature of his/her disability;

• Participate in an adaptive physical education class that provides individualized instruction based on the type and severity of his/her disability;

• Substitute health instruction for physical education for that marking period, semester, or school year with the student returning to physical education when medically appropriate; or

• Substitute a health-related class that meets a number of the core standards and local curricular objectives such as foods and nutrition or parenting and child care.

Out-of-school the student can:

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• Participate in a physician-ordered program with a licensed physical therapist (e.g. therapeutic exercise programs that improve range of motion or strength); or

• Complete an approved independent study project in an area related to the physical education course objectives.

For high school students, alternative programs of study fulfill the health and physical education graduation requirements as part of "Option II". The principal must ensure that the student has met local district curricular objectives and should carefully document the student’s achievement. For elementary students, schools must design programs that address appropriate activity levels and behaviors not only during physical education but during recess, after-school programs, and class trips.

8. If a student plays on a school athletic team, can he/she be excused from Physical education? Pursuant to N.J.A.C.6A:8-5.1 adopted in June 2009, district boards of education shall establish a process to approve individualized student learning opportunities that meet or exceed the Core Curriculum Content Standards. This new regulations requires all high school to adopt “option II” policies and procedures that permit a student or group of students to meet or exceed the core standards in any subject area through alternative activities. These activities may be school sponsored or accomplished outside the school. Documentation of the student’s achievement of the curricular objectives is required.

9. If a student participates in athletic activities outside school, can the child be excused from physical education?

The local board of education would have to approve the child’s participation as an alternative means of achieving the core standards. The procedure would be much the same as outlined above.

10. Can a student be excused from family life and sexuality education?

Yes. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.7, any child whose parent or guardian presents to the school a signed statement that any part of instruction in health, family life education or sex education is in conflict with his conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs shall be excused from that portion of the course.

11. If a child is excused from instruction under these provisions, how can the child meet the core standards?

The school should provide alternative ways for the child to meet the health and physical education core standards. The child could be assigned to participate in physical education during that time that his/her class is receiving health instruction. The child could be given an alternative health project to complete as

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a substitute for the family life unit. Parents and teachers should work together to ensure that the student achieves curricular objectives that are not of concern to the parent.

12. High school students need to complete 3¾ credits of health, physical education, and safety in order to graduate. Over 4 years, that equals 15 credits. Can a student take health and PE 5 days a week for three years to fulfill the requirement?

No. State law and regulations stipulate that students must take 3¾ credits for each year of attendance in order to graduate.

13. Must students receive a grade in health and physical education?

Yes. N.J.S.A. 18A:35-7 requires that the conduct and attainment of the pupils shall be marked as in other courses or subjects, and the standing of the pupil shall form a part of the requirements for promotion or graduation.

14. We require students to take three marking periods of physical education and one marking period of health each year. We average the four grades for a final grade for the year. Should we keep the grades separate?

That is a local decision. Some schools keep the grades separate because they require a mid-term or final exam in each of the two areas. Others prefer to average the four grades and record one final grade on the student record.

15. Must the health and physical education grade be used to calculate class rank and/or grade point average?

That is a local decision.

16. Who is authorized to teach health and physical education?

A certified elementary school teacher in grades kindergarten through five can teach any of the CCCS subjects (including health and physical education). In grades 6-12, teachers must be considered a content specialist and be certified to teach health and physical education. Certified school nurses are permitted to provide classroom health instruction in grades K-12. Teachers who are K-12 certified in health education can only teach health. Similarly, teachers who hold a K-12 physical education license may only teach PE. Dually certified health and physical education teachers are permitted to teach both subjects K-12. For more information go to Professional Licensure and Standards: www.nj.gov/njded/code/title6a/chap9 or www.njgov/njded/educators/license

17. Can teachers punish students by withholding physical education?

http://www.nj.gov/njded/code/title6a/chap9

http://www.njgov/njded/educators/license

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Local school board policy should not permit a teacher to discipline a student by restricting his/her access to other instructional programs like art, music, or physical education. Such decisions should be subject to administrative review.

18. Can students be pulled from physical education for music lessons, basicskills, science lab, or gifted programs?

By law, students are required to participate in 150 minutes of health, safety, and physical education per week. If the school’s program exceeds the required number of minutes, the school administration should discuss with both teachers how to accommodate the child’s participation in both programs without penalty to the child. At the high school level, many schools provide four days per week of instruction in health and physical education to accommodate a fifth day for lab sciences.

19. Can parent volunteers or classroom aides supervise recess? If non-certified personnel supervise recess, it cannot be considered instructional for the purpose of fulfilling the 150 minute requirement. 20. When will students be assessed on the health and physical education standards?

No dates have been set for statewide testing in this area.

21. What is the AIDS Prevention Act and how does it impact family life education?

N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.19-22, the AIDS Prevention Act of 1999, is commonly referred to as the stress abstinence law. The law requires that school-based programs stress that abstinence from sexual activity is the only completely reliable means of eliminating the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and of avoiding pregnancy. The law requires local boards of education to include in its curriculum the reasons, skills, and strategies for remaining or becoming abstinent. It also requires that any instruction on methods of contraception, including the use of condoms, include information on their failure rates in actual use with adolescents. The law also requires that programs and materials stress the importance of avoiding intravenous drug use as a method of HIV prevention.

22. Does this mean we must implement an abstinence-only program?

No. The law clearly states that schools can discuss contraception and risk reduction as long as abstinence is stressed as the only completely reliable method of prevention. The Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Core Curriculum Content Standards require students to understand both abstinence and contraception.

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23. Do we have to teach about breast self-examination?

Yes. Enacted in 1999, N.J.S.A. 18A:35-5.4 requires each board of education which operates programs for students in grades 7-12 to offer instruction in breast self-examination as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.

24. Our school has a separate family life curriculum, a separate HIV/AIDS curriculum, a separate drug and alcohol curriculum, and a separate PE curriculum? Shouldn’t we have one comprehensive health and physical education curriculum?

While this is a local decision, the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards are combined and include all of these areas. The standards use "wellness" as the thread that links the two content areas into one cohesive document.

* Retrieved July 18, 2016 from New Jersey Department of Education website: http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/faq/faq_chpe.htm

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Glossary*

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Core Curriculum Content Standards

Character refers to the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Oxford Dictionary-Oxford University Press 2014 Different kinds of families refers to the many family structures represented in classrooms and in society today, including, but not limited to: traditional two-parent (i.e., mother and father) families, blended families, single-parent families, multi-racial families, multi-generational families, and same-sex-parent families. Essential elements of movement means the knowledge and demonstration of mechanically correct technique when executing a movement skill. FITT stands for the basic philosophy of what is necessary to gain a training effect from an exercise program.

The FITT acronym represents: 1. Frequency – How often a person exercises 2. Intensity – How hard a person exercises 3. Time – How long a person exercises 4. Type – What type of activity a person does when exercising

Additional Training Principles: Overload principle Is a training method designed of greater intensity (weight, time) than the participant is accustomed to. Progressive principle Is a training method that uses an optimal level of overload for an optimal amount of time. A gradual increase in overload over time will lead to increased wellness benefits. Specificity principle Is a training method used to produce a desired adaptation or training outcome for a specific body part or component of the body. Definitions adapted from The Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning: National Strength and Conditioning Association, Human Kinetics (2010): Baechle, Thomas R., Earle, Robert W. Health Is the overall condition of one being free from disease, illness, and injury. Health Data is data that may be comprised of height/weight, BMI, diet, nutrition, health conditions, and physical activity that may be used to help improve a student’s mental, physical and social wellness. Health-related fitness incorporates the five major components of fitness related to improved health:

1. Cardio-respiratory endurance is the ability of the blood vessels, heart, and lungs to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen. This is a critically important component

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of fitness because it impacts other components of fitness and decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

2. Muscular strength is the maximum amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert.

3. Muscular endurance is the length of time a muscle or muscle group can exert force prior to fatigue.

4. Flexibility refers to the range of motion in the joints. 5. Body composition shows the amount of fat versus lean mass (bone, muscle,

connective tissue, and fluids). While some fat is essential for insulation and providing energy, too much fat can cause serious health problems.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that infects the skin and mucous membranes. There are about 100 types of HPV, and approximately 30 of those are spread through genital contact (typically sexual intercourse). Around 12 types – called “low-risk” types of HPV – can cause genital warts. In addition, there are approximately 15 “high-risk” types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. Infection with the common types of “genital” HPV can be prevented with the HPV vaccine. However, vaccination is only fully effective if administered before a girl or young woman has been exposed to those types of HPV through sexual contact. In addition, the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. Intentional injuries are injuries arising from purposeful action (e.g., violence and suicide). Unintentional injuries are injuries arising from unintentional events (e.g., motor vehicle crashes and fires). Movement skills encompass locomotor, nonlocomotor, and manipulative movement:

1. Locomotor movement occurs when an individual moves from one place to another or projects the body upward (e.g., walking, jumping, skipping, galloping, hopping, leaping, jumping, sliding, running).

2. Nonlocomotor movement occurs when an individual moves in self-space without appreciable movement from place to place (e.g., twisting, bending, stretching, curling).

3. Manipulative movement occurs when an individual controls a variety of objects with different body parts (e.g., throwing, catching, kicking, striking, dribbling, volleying).

Personal assets refer to individual strengths and weaknesses regarding personal growth. Protective factors refer to the skills, strengths, and resources that help individuals deal more effectively with stressful situations. Resiliency is the ability to overcome the negative effects of risk exposure.

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Rhythm is a strong, regular, and repeated pattern of movement or sound. Oxford Dictionary- Oxford University Press-2014 Service projects are initiatives that represent relevant social and civic needs. Sexually transmitted infection (STI), also known as sexually transmitted disease (STD), is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. Skill-related fitness refers to components of physical fitness that contribute to the ability to successfully participate in sports:

1. Agility is the ability to rapidly and accurately change the direction of the whole body while moving in space.

2. Balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium while stationary or moving. 3. Coordination is the ability to use the senses and body parts in order to perform

motor tasks smoothly and accurately. 4. Power is the amount of force a muscle can exert over time. 5. Reaction time is the ability to respond quickly to stimuli. 6. Speed is the amount of time it takes the body to perform specific tasks while

moving. Wellness is a positive state of well being in which a person makes decisions that lead to a healthy and physically active lifestyle. This includes an understanding of the healthy mind, body, and spirit. Traffic safety system refers to the concept of traffic (moving people safely and efficiently), the specific components of the traffic safety system (e.g., laws, safety, signs, travel modes, routes, and responsibilities), and the people who are part of the traffic safety system (e.g., walkers, bicyclists, police, and automobile, bus, and train operators). * Extracted from New Jersey Department of Education website: “Entire Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standard Document” found at http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2014/chpe/

Adaptive Physical Education:

1. Adaptive PE programming for student will be addressed as per the student’s IEP with respect to individualized objectives/goals.

2. Programming maybe integrated into the Standard PE class or a separate program based on student needs as per the IEP.

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Dating Violence ~ Excerpted from Board Policy 6142-4 For students in grades 7 and 8, physical education and health curriculum will include the topic of dating violence. “Dating violence” means a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control a dating partner. The dating violence education shall include information on the definition of dating violence, recognizing dating violence warning signs, and the characteristics of healthy relationships. The purpose of the dating violence information is to help prevent dating situations from becoming unsafe and to help educate young people on constructive ways to resolve conflicts in personal relationship.

Subject: Health Education

2016

Grade Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June MP1 MP2 MP3 MP4

PK Wellness & Integrated Skills

The concepts are introduced and reinforced over the course of the year.


K Choices Body Systems Drugs/Medicine Relationships Social/Emotional Health Integrated w/Social Studies Unit 3


1 Body Systems Choices Drugs/Tobacco/Alcohol Friendships & Functions


2 Nutrition Dependency/Addiction Healthy Baby


3 Nutrition Safety Drugs & Medicine Families


4 Integrated Skills Drugs/Medicine Health Conditions Body Systems/Puberty Integrated w/Social Studies Unit 1


2016


5 Personal Growth Nutrition & Fitness Integrated Skills Drugs & Medicine Relationships Health Conditions

Personal Growth Nutrition & Fitness Integrated Skills Drugs & Medicine Relationships Health Conditions




6 Personal Growth/ Health Conditions Nutrition & Fitness Choices Drugs & Medicine Relationships

Personal Growth/ Health Conditions Nutrition & Fitness Choices Drugs & Medicine Relationships




2016


8 Wellness/Public Health Resources Disease & Health Conditions Social/Emotional Health Health Services & Information Human Relationships, Sexuality & Pregnancy Health Services & Information

Wellness/Public Health Resources Disease & Health Conditions Social/Emotional Health Health Services & Information Human Relationships, Sexuality & Pregnancy Health Services & Information




7 Personal Health/Fitness Personal Growth Nutrition Safety Social/Emotional Health Substance Awareness Medicine Alcohol, Tobacco and other drugs Dependency, Addiction & Treatment

Personal Health/Fitness Personal Growth Nutrition Safety Social/Emotional Health Substance Awareness Medicine Alcohol, Tobacco and other drugs Dependency, Addiction & Treatment



Mount Laurel Township Schools Health Curriculum Guide

Pre-School

Stage 1 – Desired Results

NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Personal Growth & Health Services and Information

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions:

Students will understand that… The choices people make with nutrition and safety practices affect their wellness.

What is wellness? How are you living a healthy life?

Students will know that… Developing self-help skills and personal hygiene skills promotes healthy habits. Developing the knowledge and skills necessary to make nutritious food choices promotes healthy habits. Developing self-help skills and personal hygiene skills promotes healthy habits. Developing an awareness of potential hazards in the environment impacts personal health and safety.

Students will be able to… 2.1.P.A.1: Develop an awareness of healthy habits (e.g., use clean tissues, wash hands, handle food hygienically, brush teeth, and dress appropriately for the weather). 2.1.P.A.2: Demonstrate emerging self-help skills (e.g., develop independence when pouring, serving, and using utensils and when dressing and brushing teeth). 2.1.P.B.1: Explore foods and food groups (e.g., compare and contrast foods representative of various cultures by taste, color, texture, smell, and shape). 2.1.P.B.2: Develop awareness of nutritious food choices (e.g., participate in classroom cooking activities, hold conversations with knowledgeable adults about daily nutritious meal and snack offerings) 2.1.P.C.1: Develop an awareness of healthy habits (e.g., use clean tissues, wash hands, handle food hygienically, brush teeth, and dress appropriately for the weather). 2.1.P.D.1: Use safe practices indoors and out (e.g., wear bike helmets, walk in the classroom, understand how to participate in emergency drills,

Developing an awareness of potential hazards in the environment impacts personal health and safety.

and understand why car seats and seat belts are used). 2.1.P.D.2: Develop an awareness of warning symbols and their meaning (e.g., red light, stop sign, poison symbol, etc.). 2.1.P,D.3: Identify community helpers who assist in maintaining a safe environment. 2.1.P.D.4: Know how to dial 911 for help. 2.2.P.E.1. Identify community helpers who assist in maintaining a safe environment.

Interdisciplinary Connections The New Jersey Department of Education Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, 2014 includes a variety of “preschool standards, along with optimal teaching practices, are provided for the following content areas: Social/Emotional Development, Visual and Performing Arts, Health, Safety, and Physical Education, English Language Arts, Approaches to Learning, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Family, and Life Skills, World Languages, Technology” (p. 1). Teachers will select a minimum of 2-3 standards from the following list to support this unit: English Language Arts - Speaking & Listening: SL.PK.1.a,b Participate in conversations and interactions with peers and adults individually and in small and large groups. a) Follow-agreed upon rules for discussions during group interactions. b) Continue a conversation through several back and forth exchanges. SL.PK.2 Ask and answer questions about a text or other information read aloud or presented orally. SL.PK.3 Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or follow directions. SL.PK.4 Begin to describe familiar people, places, things, and events and sometimes with detail. SL.PK.5 Use drawings or visual displays to add to descriptions to provide additional detail. SL.PK.6 With guidance and support, speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Approaches to Learning: 9.1.1 Make plans and decisions to actively engage in learning (e.g., two children greet each other as they arrive to school and decide that they will finish counting all the bottle caps they collected during choice time.) 9.1.2 Show curiosity and initiative by choosing to explore a variety of activities and experiences with a willingness to try new challenges (e.g., choosing harder and harder puzzles).

9.1.3 Focus attention on tasks and experiences, despite interruptions or distractions (e.g., working hard on a drawing even when children nearby are playing a game). 9.1.4 Show persistence when faced with challenging tasks and uncertainty, seeking and accepting help when appropriate (e.g., saying to a friend, ‘This is hard. Can you help me figure it out?). 9.1.5 Bring a teacher-directed or self-initiated task, activity or project to completion (e.g., showing the teacher, “Look—I finished it all by myself!”). 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Required Performance Assessment: Refer to Early Childhood Programming/Pre-school Disabled Classes Curriculum, Adopted by the Mt. Laurel Board of Education August, 2000

Other Evidence: Teacher observation Self-assessment Peer-assessment Quiz/checklist on key terms, concepts, skills … Oral response Written response

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Suggested Learning Activities: Refer to Early Childhood Programming/Pre-school Disabled Classes Curriculum, Adopted by the Mt. Laurel Board of Education August,

2000

Unit Strategies/Modifications: Special Education Students:

• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,

charts, graphs, slide shows, videos, etc.) to demonstrate student’s learning; • Modifying tests to reflect selected objectives; • Using true/false, matching, or fill in the blank tests in lieu of essay tests; • Reducing the number of answer choices on a multiple choice test; • Allowing the use of note cards or open-book during testing;

Gifted Students:

• Guided Reading materials (classroom teachers and/or reading specialist can assist with selections)

• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended

reasoning) Students at Risk of Failure:

• Utilize real world/cultural learning situations • Strategic pairing (“buddy”) • Offering checklist to guide tasks

English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language

Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:

• Newsela Website (https://newsela.com) for various levels of texts/articles • Refer to “Suggested Learning Activities” below for titles of songs, books etc to support

the unit. The school reading specialist and/or library media specialist may assist you with additional titles/offerings.


Kindergarten


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Choices

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… The choices people make with nutrition and safety practices affect their wellness.

What is wellness? How are you living a healthy life?

Students will know that… Health-enhancing behaviors contribute to wellness. Using personal safety strategies reduces the number of injuries to self and others. Effective decision-making skills foster healthier lifestyle choices.

Students will be able to… 2.1.2.A.1: Explain what being “well” means and identify self-care practices that support wellness. 2.1.2.A.2: Use correct terminology to identify body parts, and explain how body parts work together to support wellness. 2.1.2.D.1: Identify ways to prevent injuries at home, school, and in the community (e.g., fire safety, poison safety, accident prevention). 2.1.2.D.3: Identify procedures associated with pedestrian, bicycle, and traffic safety. 2.2.2.B.1. Explain what a decision is and why it is advantageous to think before acting. 2.2.2.B.2. Relate decision-making by self and others to one’s health.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Kindergarten: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text:

Key Ideas and Details RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Progress Indicators for Writing: Text Types and Purposes W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. Production and Distribution of Writing W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, strengthen writing through response and self-reflection using questions and suggestions from peers (e.g., adding details). W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and

publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: The Great Wall of Wellness - Divide the class into small groups. Have each group list five things that make him/her healthy. Have each group present their list to the class and develop a master list. From the ideas on that list, have the entire class creates a mural illustrating the healthy behaviors. Display the mural in the hallway, and encourage other classes to contribute to the continuation of the “wellness wall.”



Suggested Learning Activities: Sing “I’m a Clean Cowboy” and discuss the term “wellness.” List and pantomime “The Hand Washing Steps” with the students. Predict consequences of not keeping clean. Follow the same directions for brushing teeth, washing hair, taking a bath, etc. Summarize strategies to prevent the spread of common diseases and health conditions. Read Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear and discuss. List ways to keep one’s body and environment clean. Chart: “How to Keep Clean and Healthy.” Sing “A Party in Cool Dude’s Tummy.” Make a T-Chart and have students distinguish between healthful and less-healthful foods. Have students explain why some foods are healthier than others.

Read Stone Soup and discuss. Create a “Favorite Soup Graph” and compare results. Read I need a Lunch Box and/or Lunch and discuss. Students draw their favorite lunch and write, “My favorite lunch is…” Sing “Fifteen Ways to Stay Out of Trouble” and discuss the term “safety.” Brainstorm a list of places in the home where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Brainstorm a list of places in the school where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Brainstorm a list of places in the community where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Make sure fire safety, poison safety, accident prevention, pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and traffic safety are discussed.




Gifted Students:

• Guided Reading materials (classroom teachers and/or reading specialist can assist with

selections) • Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended



English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Kindergarten


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Body Functions/Systems

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… It is important to know and use the correct name of your body part.

What does it mean to be well? How do your body parts support wellness?

Students will know that… Health-enhancing behaviors contribute to wellness.

Students will be able to… 2.1.2.A.2: Use correct terminology to identify body parts, and explain how body parts work together to support wellness.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Kindergarten: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a

text. RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Progress Indicators for Writing: Text Types and Purposes W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. Production and Distribution of Writing W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, strengthen writing through response and self-reflection using questions and suggestions from peers (e.g., adding details). W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee.

CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Students create posters of themselves doing a self-care practice. Each student presents their poster to the class and explains why the self-care practice supports wellness and identifies which body parts are used to perform the self-care practice.



Suggested Learning Activities: Sing “I’m a Clean Cowboy” and discuss the term “wellness.”

List and pantomime “The Hand Washing Steps” with the students. Predict consequences of not keeping clean. Follow the same directions for brushing teeth, washing hair, taking a bath, etc. Summarize strategies to prevent the spread of common diseases and health conditions. Read Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear and discuss. List ways to keep one’s body and environment clean. Chart: “How to Keep Clean and Healthy.” Sing “A Party in Cool Dude’s Tummy.” Make a T-Chart and have students distinguish between healthful and less-healthful foods. Have students explain why some foods are healthier than others.

Read I need a Lunch Box and/or Lunch and discuss. Students draw their favorite lunch and write, “My favorite lunch is…” Sing “Fifteen Ways to Stay Out of Trouble” and discuss the term “safety.” Brainstorm a list of places in the home where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Brainstorm a list of places in the school where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Brainstorm a list of places in the community where safety hazards can occur. Then discuss how these hazards can be prevented. Make sure fire safety, poison safety, accident prevention, pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and traffic safety are discussed.

Read Stone Soup and discuss. Create a “Favorite Soup Graph” and compare results. Suggested Learning Activities: Ask first Essential Question Create a class list of self-care practices and discuss how they lead to wellness. Sing “My Body is Special” and introduce the terms “special” and “unique.” Read I Like Me and discuss. Using a T-Chart, have students share how they are alike and different from each other. Sing and Dance “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”

Ask students to identify other body parts. Discuss why it is important to use the correct name for each body part. Ask 2nd Essential Question. Discuss how body parts work together to support wellness. Discuss how a non-functioning body part affects wellness (i.e., broken hand, blindness, concussion, etc) Complete Performance Task/End of Unit Assessment




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation

• Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended







Kindergarten


NJCCCS: 2.3 Drugs & Medicines: All students will learn and apply information about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines to make decisions that support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (3) Drugs/Medicine

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Medicines can have positive and negative effects on their health.

How do medicines improve your health? How would life be different if we didn’t have medicines?

Students will know that… Medicines come in a variety of forms (prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, medicinal supplements), are used for numerous reasons, and should be taken as directed in order to be safe and effective.

Students will be able to… 2.3.2.A.1. Explain what medicines are and when some types of medicines are used. 2.3.2.A.2. Explain why medicines should be administered as directed.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Kindergarten: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the

ideas or information in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Progress Indicators for Writing: Text Types and Purposes W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. Production and Distribution of Writing W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, strengthen writing through response and self-reflection using questions and suggestions from peers (e.g., adding details). W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready

skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Medicine Puppet Show – After discussing medicine, how it can be helpful/harmful, and its proper usage; have students create a puppet show that demonstrates the proper use of medicine. Divide the class into small groups. Have each group develop a puppet show where they demonstrate the following: what is medicine, how medicine can help, how medicine can hurt, and the proper usage of medicine. After practicing their shows, have students present them to their classmates.



Suggested Learning Activities: Sing “No Drugs! No Way!” and introduce terms “medicine” and “drugs.” Have students vote (thumbs up/thumbs down) to the following questions: Do you think medicines are drugs? Do you think medicines are OK for everyone to take whenever they want? Do you think it is OK to give yourself medicine?

Sing “I Don’t Feel So Good” and introduce the idea that medicines are drugs. Students sort through pictures that are/are not medicine. Brainstorm and list what would happen if we took medicines when we are not sick. Explain why medicines should be administered as directed.

Using a KWL Chart, students share what they know, want to know, and learned about the purpose/use of medicines. “People, Places, Things Chart” – Make a list of the people, places, and things where we can go to well.




Gifted Students:









Kindergarten


NJCCCS: 2.4 Human Relationships and Sexuality: All students will acquire knowledge about the physical, emotional, and social aspects of human relationships and sexuality and apply these concepts to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (4) Relationships ~ Integrate with Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… I am an important part of my family, school and community. (From Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family)

How are we alike and how are we different? (From Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family) What roles do each of my family members play (including me)?

Students will know that… The family unit encompasses the diversity of family forms in contemporary society.

Students will be able to… 2.4.2.A.1. Compare and contrast different kinds of families locally and globally. 2.4.2.A.2. Distinguish the roles and responsibilities of different family members.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Kindergarten: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the

ideas or information in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Progress Indicators for Writing: Text Types and Purposes W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. Production and Distribution of Writing W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, strengthen writing through response and self-reflection using questions and suggestions from peers (e.g., adding details). W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3)

21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: (From Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family) We are learning about our kindergarten families. Your job is to teach us about your family. You need to create a poster and present it to your classmates. Your poster must include the following: a photograph of you and your family members (including pets), names and ages of your family members, favorite things to do with your family, traditions and holidays celebrated. You should also include details about yourself, ie. your connection to your family, your school, your neighborhood/community (place of worship, sports teams, clubs, etc.)

Other Evidence: See Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family for samples


Suggested Learning Activities: See Social Studies Unit 3 – Me and My Family – be sure to select activities that support the Health indicators found in Stage One of this unit




Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students

English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Kindergarten


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (5) Social/Emotional Health

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Some needs are shared by all people.

What social needs and emotional needs do all people have in common regardless of where they live or their culture?

Students will know that… Many factors at home, school, and in the community impact social and emotional health.

Students will be able to… 2.1.2.E.1: Identify basic social and emotional needs of all people. 2.1.2.E.2: Determine possible causes of conflict between people and appropriate ways to prevent and resolve them.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Kindergarten: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.2. With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.K.3. With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. RI.K.5. Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book. RI.K.6. Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.K.7. With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

RI.K.8. With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. RI.K.9. With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Progress Indicators for Writing: Text Types and Purposes W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. Production and Distribution of Writing W.K.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.K.5. With guidance and support from adults, strengthen writing through response and self-reflection using questions and suggestions from peers (e.g., adding details). W.K.6. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.K.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.K.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.K.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list:

CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Role-play “What If” situations dealing with expressing wants and needs and feelings in various situations. Student performance to be evaluated by a teacher-developed rubric.



Suggested Learning Activities: Ask/discuss essential question(s). Pair/share using a Venn diagram to record similarities and differences.

Present their own culture to the class by bringing in a bag of five items that represent their own cultural interests. Classmates will ask questions about each other’s cultures.


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes;

• Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards, charts, graphs, slide shows, videos, etc.) to demonstrate student’s learning;

• Modifying tests to reflect selected objectives; • Using true/false, matching, or fill in the blank tests in lieu of essay tests; • Reducing the number of answer choices on a multiple choice test; • Allowing the use of note cards or open-book during testing;

Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm

WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade One


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: Students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Body Systems/Function

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… There are appropriate ways to communicate their wants, needs, and emotions.

What are appropriate ways to express your wants, needs, and emotions? How does an understanding of your wants, needs, and emotions lead to a healthy, active lifestyle?

Students will know that… Knowledge about diseases and disease prevention promotes health-enhancing behaviors. Many factors at home, school, and in the community impact social and emotional health.

Students will be able to… 2.1.2.C.3: Determine how personal feelings can affect one’s wellness. 2.1.2.E.3. Explain ways of coping with common stressful situations experienced by children.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for First Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.1.4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text. RI.1.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries,

electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. RI.1.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text and explain the application of this information with prompting as needed. RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.1.10. With prompting and support, read informational texts at grade level text complexity or above. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.1.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and self-reflection, and add details to strengthen writing and ideas as needed. W.1.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.1.10. (Begins in grade 3)



Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Create a personal book that expresses the feelings of happy, sad, angry, and scared and how to deal with those emotions appropriately.



Suggested Learning Activities: Begin with the entry question: What is the difference between a need, a want, or an emotion? Introduce Essential Questions Activity: Students draw a line down the center of their drawing paper. On one side they draw an example of when they might feel sympathetic and on the other side an example of when they might feel empathetic. Give skills-based assessment on categorizing wants, needs, and emotions.

Introduce feelings – what do feelings look like? Sort pictures of various feelings. Label feelings – use magazine images that may express the feeling. Language Arts connection – consider characters and dialogue in stories… Independent Reading Responses: identify emotions of characters. Chart feelings throughout the week (use tally marks) Discuss feelings of characters in book

Create a mobile. The hanging rectangle on the mobile will have a want, need, or emotion written on one side and a drawing of the appropriate way to communicate that wants, need, or emotion on the other side. Conclude unit by student presentations of mobiles and display presentation in classroom. Happy, Sad and In-Between Talking Helps me Feel Better Begin with Today I feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis.

(sympathy/empathy) Morning Meeting – How are you feeling today? Sort into groups (happy, anxious, etc.) Discuss. Role playing – How would you act if you were in this situation? Introduce Performance Task. Students complete Performance Task, and book share on Performance Task.




Gifted Students:









Grade One


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: Students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Choices

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Physical contact and social interaction affects safety. There are different characteristics of strangers, acquaintances, and trusted adults and safe and appropriate behaviors/touches.

Who has the right to touch you? What kind of touch is appropriate? What is a stranger?

Students will know that… Using personal safety strategies reduces the number of injuries to self and others.

Students will be able to…

2.1.2.D.2: Differentiate among the characteristics of strangers, acquaintances, and trusted adults and describe safe and appropriate behaviors/touches.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for First Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.1.4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text. RI.1.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries,

electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. RI.1.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text and explain the application of this information with prompting as needed. RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.1.10. With prompting and support, read informational texts at grade level text complexity or above. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.1.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and self-reflection, and add details to strengthen writing and ideas as needed. W.1.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.1.10. (Begins in grade 3)



Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Students create a How-To manual to demonstrate the appropriate ways to interact including physical contact with strangers, acquaintances, and trusted adults.

Other Evidence: Informal verbal quiz using pictures of interactions – students tell if the interaction is appropriate between strangers, acquaintances, and with trusted adults.


Suggested Learning Activities: Begin with entry question: What would life be like without anyone ever touching you? Students consider the importance of touch. Follow with the questions: When is a touch unsafe? When can a touch be dangerous? Introduce Essential Questions. Discuss Key vocabulary terms. Key concept lesson on safe/appropriate social interaction. Informal quiz on safe/appropriate social

Responsive Classroom – Rule Making – discuss helpful vs. harmful hands and feet. Responsive Classroom chart and role-play what keeping your body safe looks like and sounds like. Teacher and student generated words written on “good/bad” hands and feet Discuss stranger vs. trusted adult. Read novels about community helpers. List how to identify police officers, firemen (uniform), teacher (ID badge). Invite parent volunteers to class that are

interactions and touching (see Other Assessments) Introduce Performance Tasks. Students work on Performance Task. Conclude with student presentation of How-To manual. Students provide feedback to others.

community helpers.




Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website)

http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade One


NJCCCS: 2.3 Drugs and Medicines: All students will learn and apply information about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines to make decisions that support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (3) Drugs, Tobacco, Alcohol and Medicine

Enduring Understandings:

Essential Questions:

Students will understand that… Knowledge about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines informs decision making related to personal wellness and the wellness of others. Research has established that alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines have harmful effects on the human body.

How do drugs, tobacco, alcohol use and other substances contribute negatively to a healthy, active lifestyle? Why do people choose to use alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines when they are aware of the detrimental effects? How do I make the “right” decisions about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines when faced with peer, media and other pressures?

Students will know that… Use of drugs in unsafe ways is dangerous and harmful.

Students will be able to… 2.3.2.B.1. Identify ways that drugs can be abused. 2.3.2.B.2. Explain effects of tobacco use on personal hygiene, health, and safety. 2.3.2.B.3. Explain why tobacco smoke is harmful to nonsmokers. 2.3.2.B.4. Identify products that contain alcohol. 2.3.2.B.5. List substances that should never be inhaled and explain why.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for First Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit:

Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.1.4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text. RI.1.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. RI.1.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text and explain the application of this information with prompting as needed. RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.1.10. With prompting and support, read informational texts at grade level text complexity or above. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.1.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and self-reflection, and add details to strengthen writing and ideas as

needed. W.1.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.1.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Be-An-Expert Project: Student choose either alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines to create a poster that depicts a person who is using drugs has impaired judgment.

Other Evidence: Create a class set (one done by each student) of warning signs – i.e. a picture inside a red circle with a red diagonal line going across. Students would pick a substance that should not be consumed or inhaled. These could include varying forms of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, cough syrup, hand sanitizer, drug look-alikes, glue, poisons, and cleaning fluids. Pretend to a doctor and explain to the class

the negative effects of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines. Make a TV commercial or create a magazine advertisement demonstrating the harmful effects of drugs, tobacco, other drugs and medicines.


Suggested Learning Activities: Begin with the entry question: What does it mean to have impaired judgment? Some examples are walking around when you wake up in the middle of the night, going to the grocery store hungry, etc. Introduce the Essential Questions. Define the word “drug” and give examples of harmful and/or illegal drugs. Identify substances that should never be consumed or inhaled such as drug look-alikes, cough syrup, hand sanitizer, etc. Identify different kids of medicines.

Explain that medicines can be helpful or harmful and that when used correctly, medicines can help keep people healthy. Identify the dangers of tobacco and the harmful effect of tobacco smoke to nonsmokers. Discuss how tobacco smoke impacts the environment and the health of nonsmokers Report on how tobacco use affects personal hygiene, health and safety. Identify other products that contain alcohol. Discuss substances that should never be inhaled and explain.




Gifted Students:







the unit. The school reading specialist and/or library media specialist may assist you with

additional titles/offerings.


Grade One


NJCCCS: 2.4 Human Relationships and Sexuality: Students will learn and apply health promotion and social aspects of human relationships and sexuality and apply these concepts to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (4) Friendships

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Friendships are a key part of a healthy life. Appropriate expressions of caring/affection lead to and help maintain friendships.

What is friendship? How has being caring and showing affection helped you to make and keep friends?

Students will know that… The family unit encompasses the diversity of family forms in contemporary society. Gender-specific similarities and differences exist between males and females.

Students will be able to… 2.4.2.A.3. Determine the factors that contribute to healthy relationships. 2.4.2.B.1. Compare and contrast the physical differences and similarities of the genders.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Students will make a “friend” flower. They will write the word, friend, or the name of a friend in the center of their flower –each petal will identify why that friend is a good friend.

Other Evidence: Answers to open-ended questions Picture activity. Students will make a friendship web. Students will draw pictures of themselves and their friends all around the page and draw or write ways that friends lead to a healthy life. Students will make stick puppets of themselves and their friends. Students will put on a puppet show about caring and affection.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for First Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit:

Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.1.1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.1.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. RI.1.3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Craft and Structure RI.1.4. Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text. RI.1.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. RI.1.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.1.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. RI.1.8. Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text and explain the application of this information with prompting as needed. RI.1.9. Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.1.10. With prompting and support, read informational texts at grade level text complexity or above. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.1.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. W.1.3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.1.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.1.5. With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and self-reflection, and add details to strengthen writing and ideas as needed.

W.1.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.1.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.1.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Suggested Learning Activities: Begin with an entry question. What would your life be like without friends. Introduce Essential Questions. Read friendship books such as Brand New Kid, Owen and Mazee and Little Blue and Little Yellow.

Write small moments about sharing time with friends. Lesson on body parts from Great Body Shop. Read No David by David Shannon. Complete Performance Tasks.

Students draw a picture to depict “What is a friend?” on one side and pictures of themselves showing affection and caring for one another. Unit Strategies/Modifications: Special Education Students:



Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-

language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Two



Unit/Big Idea: (1) Nutrition, Disease & Health Conditions and Health Services & Information

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Identification of a disease can lead to proper treatment. Knowledge of food, medicine, and other product labels can promote health and safety. There are a variety of sources for health information, and not all are created equal.

How can you prevent disease? What can you learn from a food, medicine, or other product labels? Where can I go to access good information about health services?

Students will know that… Choosing a balanced variety of nutritious foods contributes to wellness. Knowledge about diseases and disease prevention promotes health-enhancing behaviors. Effective communication may be a determining factor in the outcome of health- and safety-related situations. Knowing how to locate health professionals in

Students will be able to… 2.1.2.B.1: Explain why some foods are healthier to eat than others. 2.1.2.B.2: Explain how foods on MyPlate differ in nutritional content and value. 2.1.2.B.3: Summarize information about food found on product labels. 2.1.2.C.1: Summarize symptoms of common diseases and health conditions. 2.1.2.C.2: Summarize strategies to prevent the spread of common diseases and health conditions. 2.2.2.A.1: Express needs, wants, and feelings in health- and safety-related situations. 2.2.2.E.1. Determine where to access home, school, and community health professionals.

the home, at school, and in the community assists in addressing health emergencies and obtaining reliable information. Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Second Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. RI.2.3. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. Craft and Structure RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. RI.2.6. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. RI.2.7. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.2.7. Explain how specific illustrations and images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. RI.2.8. Describe and identify the logical connections of how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.2.10. Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at grade level text complexity proficiently with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about,

state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a conclusion. W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use evidence-based facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a conclusion. W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.2.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed through self-reflection, revising and editing. W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.2.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.2.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: My Plate: Students will create a depiction of a well balanced “My Plate” and one that is contrary. He/she will explain why the nutritional value of one is superior to the other. Student work will be evaluated using a teacher-generated rubric.

Other Evidence: Teacher observation of activity Go..No Go Skill Check – Give students a list of items they might find on a food, medicine, or other product label. See if they can determine which might be found on a label and which might not.


Suggested Learning Activities: Introduce unit with entry question to gain student interest: Can we do things to avoid getting sick? Introduce the essential questions and discuss the final performance tasks. Go..No Go: Before this activity begins place a red ‘stop’ sign in one corner of the room, a yellow ‘caution’ sign in another corner, and a green ‘go’ in another corner. Introduce the lesson by asking which color on a traffic light means stop, which means caution (slow down) and which means go. Using situations from the link below read one situation at a time. Students decide if germs can be spread. If so, students move to the red stop corner, if the situation is a healthy one students move to the green corner, if they are unsure students move to the yellow ‘caution’ corner (too many students up for caution, take it away and have student make a choice). http://www.ntuaft.com/njcccs/Webpage/contents/ Standard%202.1DGrade0202.htm Why do I need Shots: Ask the students “How many of you really like to go to the doctor and get a shot?”, “Do you know what shots are for?” “Why are they so important?” Put their responses on the chalkboard. Explain to the class that most people in our country are protected against many serious diseases because they have had shots or immunizations

Divide the class into 4 groups and give each group a stuffed animal (have groups give the animal a name). Each group writes or illustrates 5 ways that the doll or animal can protect itself from germs. Groups develop a story about the animal or doll and how it is protected from germs and share their stories with classmates. Invite the school nurse in to discuss treatments for common school aged illnesses. Introduce key vocabulary (product label, ingredients, recommended use/warnings). Have students explore empty boxes. Then present information detailing the information found on food, medicine, and other product labels and the importance of labels. Make a class chart on common things found on these items. Give quiz where students are asked to pick which things would/would not belong on a food, drug, or other product label. Have students work on their ‘What’s Outside is Inside?’ – Provide students with an empty food, medicine or other product container. Have students record label information that details the following: product name, product description, ingredients, and suggested uses/warnings.

(write that word on the board in parenthesis). Explain that most children are immunized as infants because babies are very susceptible of germs. Sometimes as children and adults grow older they need a booster shot. This shot boosts or pushes the body defense system to work better. Use a PACman or type video game to illustrate how the body defense systems literally eats germs in our systems. Explain that immunizations help the body by creating better PACMan to fight off the bad germs that enter our bodies. Next, use a doll to show students the many ways germs can enter our bodies. Point out the most common ways children become exposed in through the mouth and cuts in the skin.

Have students work on their “Wellness Pamphlet.”- students create a pamphlet. Students must use the following headings: “I know I am feeling well when…”, “I know I am not feeling well when….”, “If I feel sick, this is what I should do…”. Have students present their ‘Wellness Pamphlet.’ To conclude the unit, have the students discuss the importance of disease prevention and food, medicine, and other product labels in relationship to their health and well-being. Have them discuss how the two topics are connected.




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind

• Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended reasoning)

Students at Risk of Failure:






Grade Two


NJCCCS: 2.3 Drugs and Medicines: All students will acquire knowledge about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and medicines and apply these concepts to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Dependency, Addiction, and Treatment

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Although people can have trouble with dependency, there is help for them.

How can the choices you make with drugs, tobacco, and alcohol affect your body and mood?

Students will know that… Substance abuse is caused by a variety of factors. There are many ways to obtain help for treatment of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse problems.

Students will be able to… 2.3.2.C.1. Recognize that some people may have difficulty controlling their use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. 2.3.2.C.2. Explain that people who abuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can get help

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Second Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. RI.2.3. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. Craft and Structure RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

RI.2.6. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. RI.2.7. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.2.7. Explain how specific illustrations and images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. RI.2.8. Describe and identify the logical connections of how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.2.10. Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at grade level text complexity proficiently with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a conclusion. W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use evidence-based facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a conclusion. W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.2.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed through self-reflection, revising and editing. W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.2.9. (Begins in grade 4)

Range of Writing W.2.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Wish Star – Tell the class to think what they might want to be when they grow up. Discuss how the use of substances might interfere with obtaining that dream. Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a career. For example: pilot, teacher, police officer, race care driver, and dancer. Ask each group to think how the career might be affected if the person uses drugs. Provide students with trigger questions such as the following: Will the person be on time for work? Why or why not? Will the person be able to do the job safely? Will the person have friends at the job? Why or why not? Reconvene the entire class and make a list on the chalkboard of all the problems identified. Summarize and restate how drugs can interfere with dreams. Then have each student develop a “wish star” for his/her chosen career. Display the star with a class or school contract not to use drugs.

Other Evidence: Oral Response – Give students an example of a situation where someone is dependent. Have them respond by identifying problems, and solutions to the dependency.


Suggested Learning Activities: Introduce unit with entry questions to gain student interest: What does it mean to be dependent on something? If you do become dependent, can you get help? Introduce the essential question and discuss the final performance task (Wish Star). Introduce key vocabulary (dependency, treatment). Present information detailing the definition of dependency, effects of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco and what to do for help. Have an oral response session where students are given a situation involving dependency and are asked to suggest the possible effects, and solutions for the dependency. Write the words “Too Much” on the chalkboard. Explain and demonstrate the concept of “too much” using containers of various sizes and overfilling some of the containers with water. Use a chart to brainstorm how “too much” can cause problems. Discuss how too much of something might be harmful or unhealthy. See attached link for examples to help brainstorm topics for this activity: http://www.ntuaft.com/njcccs/Webpage/contents/ Standard%202.3CGrade0201.htm

Create a t-chart as a class to help understand the difference between physical and emotional effects of dependency. Have students work on the ‘Wish Star’ performance task. Explain that there are times when everyone even adults need help. Brainstorm a list of community helpers. Give each student a teacher made chart with pictures and words as headings, which categorizes health helpers (school nurse, hospital, police officer, guidance counselor). Students complete the chart with the names and phone numbers of the health helpers. Place large posters with the name and pictures with health helpers in areas around the classroom. Read aloud various situations in which a student might need help. Students move to the area under the appropriate health helper and justify their choice. Be sure to include 911 emergency services and the poison control center as part of this activity. Give quiz where students have to match the dependency to the helper. To conclude the unit, have students present their ‘Wish Star!’ and explain how that knowledge and the choices they make will help them live a healthy life.



charts, graphs, slide shows, videos, etc.) to demonstrate student’s learning;

• Modifying tests to reflect selected objectives; • Using true/false, matching, or fill in the blank tests in lieu of essay tests; • Reducing the number of answer choices on a multiple choice test; • Allowing the use of note cards or open-book during testing;

Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-

ells/technology-english-language-learners

Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Two



Unit/Big Idea: (3) Healthy Baby

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Mothers’ habits can affect the wellness of their baby.

What factors must pregnant women know regarding the choices they make during pregnancy?

Students will know that… The health of the birth mother impacts the development of the fetus.

Students will be able to… 2.4.2.C.1. Explain the factors that contribute to a mother having a healthy baby.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Second Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. RI.2.3. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. Craft and Structure RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

RI.2.6. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. RI.2.7. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.2.7. Explain how specific illustrations and images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. RI.2.8. Describe and identify the logical connections of how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.2.10. Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at grade level text complexity proficiently with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a conclusion. W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use evidence-based facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a conclusion. W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.2.4. (Begins in grade 3) W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed through self-reflection, revising and editing. W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. W.2.9. (Begins in grade 4)

Range of Writing W.2.10. (Begins in grade 3) 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Students will develop a flyer that will be available in doctor’s offices to remind pregnant women of the factors that contribute to a healthy child. Student will be evaluated by a teacher generated rubric and/or point distribution guide.



Suggested Learning Activities: Introduce key babies needs vocabulary (nurturing, safety, hygiene). “Where do I come from?” Explain that all living things start very small, in safe protected places where they grow and become very special.

Using the prompt, ‘”What things do you need now, what did you need provided to you when you were born?” Have students discuss these needs in groups and complete Venn diagram. Extend discussion to include what moms’ can do while pregnant that contribute to the health or non-health of a baby.




Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions

English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Three



Unit/Big Idea: (1) Personal Growth/Development & Nutrition

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions:

Students will understand that… The choices people make with self-care practices, nutrition, and safety practices affect their wellness.

What are the levels of wellness? How do the choices people make affect their wellness?

Students will know that… The dimensions of wellness are interrelated and impact overall personal well-being. Choosing a balanced variety of nutritious foods contributes to wellness.

Students will be able to… 2.1.4.A.1: Explain the physical, social, emotional, and mental dimensions of personal wellness and how they interact. 2.1.4.B.1: Explain how healthy eating provides energy, helps to maintain healthy weight, lowers risk of disease, and keeps body systems functioning effectively. * 2.1.4.B.2: Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy eating practices. 2.1.4.B.3: Create a healthy meal based on nutritional content, value, calories, and cost. 2.1.4.B.4: Interpret food product labels based on nutritional content. * Item in bold text is to be addressed in this unit.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Third Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions, and make relevant connections to demonstrate understanding

of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect Craft and Structure RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.3.7 Use information gained from text features (e.g., illustrations, maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence) to support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.3.9 Compare, contrast and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Complexity of Text *RI.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

A. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. B. Provide reasons that support the opinion. C. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. D. Provide a conclusion

W.3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

A. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include text features (e.g.: illustrations, diagrams, captions) when useful to support comprehension. B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. C. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas

within categories of information. D. Provide a conclusion.

W.3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using narrative echnique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

A. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. B. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. C. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. D. Provide a sense of closure.

Production and Distribution of Writing W.3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.3.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. W.3.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.3.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Plan a healthy meal. Have boxes, cans, and jars of various foods displayed in the room. Students go on a “shopping trip” to determine the contents of their planned meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Draw pictures of their selections onto a paper plate. Students write why they chose the foods that they did after reading the food label. Display on a bulletin board. Student work will be evaluated using a teacher generated rubric and/or grading score cover sheet.

Other Evidence: Venn Diagram of safe vs. unsafe situations (how they make you feel, who is involved in them, where they take place, etc.) Design a game for placing foods in their proper group. Students cut out or draw foods of their choice. The pictures are then placed in the proper section of MyPlate.


Suggested Learning Activities: Key terms/concepts – wellness, nutrition, food groups, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sugars, sodium, vitamins, minerals, calories, assessment, wound, acquaintances, abuse and… Types of foods in each food group and their nutritional values. The USDA food My Plate guidelines. Introduce unit with these entry questions to gain student interest: When someone asks you “How are you?” and you answer, “I’m well.” what does that really mean?

Introduce the essential questions for the unit and discuss final performance tasks you would like the student to complete. Introduce key terms. Present concept attainment lessons on food groups and food labels… Administer selected forms of assessment. Reflect on essential question(s) and enduring understanding.


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers

• Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm

Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Three



Unit/Big Idea: (2) Safety & Interpersonal Communication & Health Services and Information

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… The choices people make with self-care practices and safety practices affect their wellness. Being consistently aware of the environment and taking safety precautions can reduce the risk of injury to oneself and others. There are numerous health and fitness programs that provide a variety of services. Not all are created equal.

How do the choices people make affect their wellness? What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy risks? Where do I go to access information about good health and fitness services?

Students will know that… Identifying unsafe situations and choosing appropriate ways to reduce or eliminate risks contributes to the safety of self and others. Applying first-aid procedures can minimize injury and save lives.

Students will be able to… 2.1.4.D.1: Determine the characteristics of safe and unsafe situations and develop strategies to reduce the risk of injuries at home, school, and in the community (e.g., fire safety, poison safety, accident prevention). 2.1.4.D.2: Summarize the various forms of abuse and ways to get help. 2.1.4.D.3: Examine the impact of unsafe behaviors when traveling in vehicles, as a pedestrian, and when using other modes of transportation. 2.1.4.D.4: Demonstrate simple first-aid procedures for choking, bleeding, burns, and poisoning.

Effective communication may be a determining factor in the outcome of health- and safety-related situations. Communicating health needs to trusted adults and professionals assists in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of health problems.

2.2.4.A.1. Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication in health- and safety-related situations. 2.2.4.E.1. Identify health services and resources provided in the school and community and determine how each assists in addressing health needs and emergencies. 2.2.4.E.2. Explain when and how to seek help when experiencing a health problem.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Third Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions, and make relevant connections to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect Craft and Structure RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.3.7 Use information gained from text features (e.g., illustrations, maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence) to support specific points the author makes in a text.

RI.3.9 Compare, contrast and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Complexity of Text *RI.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.



A. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include text features (e.g.: illustrations, diagrams, captions) when useful to support comprehension. B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. C. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information. D. Provide a conclusion.



Production and Distribution of Writing W.3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.3.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. W.3.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.3.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Students role-play scenes where a participant is “hurt.” The caregiver administers proper first aid for the injuries sustained by their partner. (Teacher gives the partners an index card with listed injuries. The injuries could be a cut, a burn, broken bone, etc.) Student will be assessed via a teacher-generated rubric and/or grading criteria cover sheet.

Other Evidence: Venn Diagram of safe vs. unsafe situations (how they make you feel, who is involved in them, where they take place, etc.) Students teach members of a different class the difference between strangers, acquaintances, and trusted adults. Student should create their plan, visual props, and assessment to assure their buddy understands the differences.


Suggested Learning Activities: Key terms/concepts:

Introduce key terms.

The difference between safe and unsafe situations. Basic first aid procedures. They types of abuse and how to obtain help if suspected. The differences between strangers, acquaintances, and trusted adults.

Introduce the essential questions for the unit and discuss final performance tasks you would like the student to complete. Present concept attainment lessons on first aid, and personal safety around strangers. Administer selected forms of assessment. Reflect on essential question(s) and enduring understanding.




Gifted Students:



reasoning)

Students at Risk of Failure: • Utilize real world/cultural learning situations • Strategic pairing (“buddy”) • Offering checklist to guide tasks





Grade Three



Unit/Big Idea: (3) Drugs and Medicines

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Choices you make with drugs (including medicines), tobacco, and alcohol determine the quality of your life.

When is it good to use a drug? When is it not good to use a drug? Why do so many people use and abuse drugs and alcohol?

Students will know that… Medicines come in a variety of forms (prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, medicinal supplements), are used for numerous reasons, and should be taken as directed in order to be safe and effective. Use of drugs in unsafe ways is dangerous and harmful.

Students will be able to… 2.3.4.A.1. Distinguish between over-the-counter and prescription medicines. 2.3.4.B.1. Explain why it is illegal to use or possess certain drugs/substances and the possible consequences. 2.3.4.B.2. Compare the short- and long-term physical effects of all types of tobacco use. 2.3.4.B.4. Summarize the short- and long-term physical and behavioral effects of alcohol use and abuse. 2.3.4.B.5. Identify the short- and long- term physical effects of inhaling certain substances.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Third Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions, and make relevant connections to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect Craft and Structure RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.3.7 Use information gained from text features (e.g., illustrations, maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence) to support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.3.9 Compare, contrast and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Complexity of Text *RI.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

A. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an

organizational structure that lists reasons. B. Provide reasons that support the opinion. C. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. D. Provide a conclusion





Production and Distribution of Writing W.3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.3.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. W.3.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.3.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready

Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Provide students with a three-column chart. Each column w/the following of three labels: Illegal Drugs, Legal Drugs - prescription, Legal Drugs – over-the-counter. Students are to provide a minimum of three examples per column, and will provide a written explanation at the bottom of the chart detailing why some are/aren’t illegal.

Other Evidence: he following will be provided as suggested learning activities as well. You can use as either an assessment and/or activity. Make a model that shows the path cigarette smoke and second hand smoke takes as it travels through the body. (Student traces a partner’s body. Draw a nose, mouth, throat, and lungs inside the traced body. Use black crayon to show the path cigarette smoke takes as it goes through the body. Use a brown crayon to show the path second hand smoke takes [usually enters through the nose]). Discuss the risks of smoking. Generate a list of effects of prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and illegal drugs. Identify prescription and over-the-counter medications on a teacher created list or poster. Create a PSA (public service announcement) urging people not to use cigarettes, alcohol or illegal drugs. Announcements can be jingles, posters, skits, etc.


Suggested Learning Activities:

Administer selected forms of assessment. Reflect

Key concepts/terms: The differences between prescription and over-the-counter medications. What drugs and substances are illegal. The effects of using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs (such as solvents, propellants, and medicinal gases). The effects of certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Introduce unit with these entry questions to gain student interest: What are some choices you make every day? Are there any choices that are made for you? Introduce the essential questions for the unit and discuss final performance tasks you would like the student to complete. Introduce key terms. Present concept attainment lessons on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Have students work in pairs or groups to create PSA (see sample activity below). Invite the principal or school nurse in to view their presentations.

on essential question(s) and enduring understanding. The following are included in the “Other Assessments” section as well. You can use any/all either as an assessment and/or activity. Make a model that shows the path cigarette smoke and second hand smoke takes as it travels through the body. (Student traces a partner’s body. Draw a nose, mouth, throat, and lungs inside the traced body. Use black crayon to show the path cigarette smoke takes as it goes through the body. Use a brown crayon to show the path second hand smoke takes [usually enters through the nose]). Discuss the risks of smoking. Generate a list of effects of prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and illegal drugs. Identify prescription and over-the-counter medications on a teacher created list or poster. Create a PSA (public service announcement) urging people not to use cigarettes, alcohol or illegal drugs. Announcements can be jingles, posters, skits, etc.




Gifted Students:









Health Curriculum Guide Grade Three



Unit/Big Idea: (4) Families

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… The health and welfare of a family unit is dependent upon all family members.

How does each family member help to create a healthy family unit?

Students will know that… The family unit encompasses the diversity of family forms in contemporary society.

Students will be able to… 2.4.4.A.1. Explain how families typically share common values, provide love and emotional support, and set boundaries and limits. 2.4.4.A.2. Explain why healthy relationships are fostered in some families and not in others.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Third Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions, and make relevant connections to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect Craft and Structure

RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.3.7 Use information gained from text features (e.g., illustrations, maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence) to support specific points the author makes in a text. RI.3.9 Compare, contrast and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. Range of Reading and Complexity of Text *RI.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.3.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.





A. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. B. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. C. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.

D. Provide a sense of closure. Production and Distribution of Writing W.3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.3.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.3.6. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. W.3.9. (Begins in grade 4) Range of Writing W.3.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Role-play – student groups are given a “family situation” (vary situations to include healthy and non-healthy family situations) and each group member is given a “part” to play in the situation. (Students may even script the scene to act out). Student scenes must demonstrate a family value, an example of emotional support and an example of a boundary/limit (either positive or negative depending on the situation the group is assigned). Students will be evaluated using a teacher generated rubric and/or grading cover sheet.



Suggested Learning Activities: Key concepts/terms: Types of families. Roles/responsibilities/rights of family members. Family values and traditions. Appropriate boundaries/limits within a family. Changes can occur in the nature/structure of a family. Introduce the unit with these entry questions to gain student interest: What makes your family special? How might your family be different from my family? Introduce the essential questions and discuss the final performance tasks you will be assigning. (How does each family member help to create a healthy family unit?)

Introduce key vocabulary. Administer quiz on vocabulary. Write a letter to an imaginary pen pal and tell them who is in your family. In your letter, include examples of: your family’s values, how they show love and emotional support, and boundaries and limits established in your family. Have students create a “FAMILY” acrostic poem. Have students interview parents/grandparents/other family members about the family values and boundaries they remember as youngsters. Students can then compare and contrast their families to their older generations. Assess students using the Performance Tasks. Reflect on essential question(s) and enduring understanding.


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides.

• Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:










Grade Four


NJCCCS: 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Integrated Skills ~ An Integrated unit w/Gr. 4 Social Studies Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Refer to Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Guide: Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity.

Refer to Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Guide: Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity.

Students will know that… Character building is influenced by many factors both positive and negative, such as acceptance, discrimination, bullying, abuse, sportsmanship, support, disrespect, and violence. Service projects provide an opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of self and others.

Students will be able to… 2.2.4.C.2. Explain why core ethical values (such as respect, empathy, civic mindedness, and good citizenship) are important in the local and world community. 2.2.4.C.3. Determine how attitudes and assumptions toward individuals with disabilities may negatively or positively impact them. 2.2.4.D.1. Explain the impact of participation in different kinds of service projects on community wellness.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fourth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text,

including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. RI.4.9. Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

A. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose. B. Provide reasons that are supported by facts from texts and/or other sources. C. Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition). D. Provide a conclusion related to the opinion presented


A. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, text evidence , or other information and examples related to the topic. C. Link ideas within paragraphs and sections of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). D. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Provide a conclusion related to the information or explanation presented.

W.4.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using narrative technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

A. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. B. Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. C. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. D. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. E. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Production and Distribution of Writing W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

A. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions].”). B. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text”).

Range of Writing W.4.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list:

CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Refer to Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Guide: Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity.

Other Evidence: Refer to Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Guide: Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity.


Suggested Learning Activities: Refer to Grade 4 Social Studies Curriculum Guide: Unit 1 Citizenship & Cultural Diversity.



charts, graphs, slide shows, videos, etc.) to demonstrate student’s learning; • Modifying tests to reflect selected objectives; • Using true/false, matching, or fill in the blank tests in lieu of essay tests;

• Reducing the number of answer choices on a multiple choice test; • Allowing the use of note cards or open-book during testing;

Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners





Grade Four


NJCCCS: 2.3. Drugs & Medicines: All students will learn and apply information about alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and medicines to make decisions that support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Drugs/Medicine

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Choices you make with drugs (including medicines), tobacco, and alcohol can affect the quality of your life. Using drugs and alcohol can lead to abuse and/or addiction.

How do peers, the media, adults and home environment influence children and teenagers in trying alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs? Why do people choose to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs when they are aware of the detrimental effects?

Students will know that… Medicines come in a variety of forms (prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, medicinal supplements), are used for numerous reasons, and should be taken as directed in order to be safe and effective. Use of drugs in unsafe ways is dangerous and harmful. Substance abuse is caused by a variety of factors.

Students will be able to… 2.3.4.A.2. Determine possible side effects of common types of medicines. 2.3.4.B.3. Identify specific environments where second-hand/passive smoke may impact the wellness of nonsmokers. 2.3.4.C.1. Identify signs that a person might have an alcohol, tobacco, and/or drug use problem. 2.3.4.C.2. Differentiate between drug use, abuse, and misuse. 2.3.4.C.3. Determine how advertising, peer pressure, and home environment influence children and teenagers to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fourth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. RI.4.9. Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

A. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure

in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose. B. Provide reasons that are supported by facts from texts and/or other sources. C. Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition). D. Provide a conclusion related to the opinion presented





Production and Distribution of Writing W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and

research. A. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions].”). B. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text”).

Range of Writing W.4.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Write a story that illustrates what your life would be like if you tried and became addicted to tobacco, alcohol or an illegal drug. Detail how/why you first tried the substance, what physical, social and emotional changes occurred to you once you became addicted, how/where you found help. Include how your life changes physically, socially and emotionally once you are in recovery. Assess story using a rubric.

Other Evidence: Prompt- differentiate between drug use, abuse and misuse Role-play scenarios in which a peer, adult and the media might try to influence you to try drugs


Suggested Learning Activities: Post Essential Questions in a prominent location in the room. You can also ask each question in a morning message (responsive classroom). Introduce key terms. Using laptops, have students go to the website www.lung.ca to find facts about smoking, tobacco and second hand smoke and www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/ marijuana.html to find facts about marijuana use/abuse. Assign each student a different fact and have them create a small poster that displays their fact and illustrates it. Signs of abuse can be assigned separately at another time.

Teach the options available for help for addiction (AA, NA, treatment centers, etc.) and people who are resources to help find these options (guidance counselor, school nurse, family doctor, and other trusted adults). Discuss how peers, advertising, and adults can influence children to try drugs (look at www.mediafamily.org for ideas).




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects

• Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended







Grade Four


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: Students will learn and apply the health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (3) Health Conditions & Health Issues

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… The choices people make with self-care practices, nutrition, and safety practices affect their wellness. Emotions can affect communication, choices, and behavior.

How do the choices people make affect their physical wellness (consider before and after leaning of a health issue)? How do the choices people make affect their mental/emotional wellness (consider before and after leaning of a health issue)? To what extent can we keep ourselves disease free?

Students will know that… The use of disease prevention strategies in home, school, and community promotes personal health. Many factors at home, school, and in the community impact social and emotional health.

Students will be able to… 2.1.4.C.1: Explain how most diseases and health conditions are preventable. 2.1.4.C.2: Justify how the use of universal precautions, sanitation and waste disposal, proper food handling and storage, and environmental controls prevent diseases and health conditions. 2.1.4.C.3: Explain how mental health impacts one’s wellness. 2.1.4.E.1: Compare and contrast how individuals and families attempt to address basic human needs. 2.1.4.E.2: Distinguish among violence, harassment, gang violence, discrimination, and bullying and demonstrate strategies to prevent and resolve these types of conflicts.

Stress management skills impact an individual’s ability to cope with different types of emotional situations. Effective communication is the basis for strengthening interpersonal interactions and relationships and resolving conflicts. Many health-related situations require the application of a thoughtful decision-making process.

2.1.4.E.3: Determine ways to cope with rejection, loss, and separation. 2.1.4.E.4: Summarize the causes of stress and explain ways to deal with stressful situations. 2.2.4.A.2. Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication when responding to disagreements or conflicts with others. 2.2.4.B.1 Use the decision-making process when addressing health-related issues. 2.2.4.B.2. Differentiate between situations when a health-related decision should be made independently or with the help of others. 2.2.4.B.3. Determine how family, peers, technology, culture, and the media influence thoughts, feelings, health decisions, and behaviors.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fourth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. RI.4.9. Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.





A. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. B. Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. C. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.

D. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. E. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Production and Distribution of Writing W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.


Range of Writing W.4.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self-correction and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies.

CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Each student will write a reflection about incidents/events that illustrate choices he/she made that: 1. supported his/her physical health, and 2. supported his/her mental/emotional health.

Other Evidence: Use lists of symptoms researched and created by students for various conditions/diseases of childhood and have students list the possible courses of action they and their parents can take. Have the class try to identify each condition/disease.


Suggested Learning Activities: Discuss factors that contribute to healthy physical, social, and emotional growth. Discuss the importance of goal-setting skills. Describe how family, peers, technology, culture, and the media influences thoughts, feelings, health decisions, and behaviors. Describe how to differentiate between an independent health-related decision and decisions that needs the advice of others. Describe and demonstrate the use of effective use of communication skills. Have students research the symptoms for various conditions/diseases of childhood (i.e. splinter, fungal infection, common cold, pneumonia, scarlet fever, etc.) and have students determine the correct course of action/steps they and their parents should take (call 911, ask parent/school nurse/family doctor for help, etc.). In small groups, brainstorm and list conflicts

Students create a poster and/or use technology-related tools to describe factors that contribute to the decision-making process when addressing health-related issues. (See standards) Students critique advertisements in magazines and or TV commercials to determine the influence of media on feelings, health decisions, and behaviors. Play the 'If Only’ game (from www.unesco.org/education/fresh ). Present common accidents: Baby drinks a cleaning product from a bottle. My young bother is riding my bicycle and is knocked off it by a car near the market. My little sister grabs a pot in the kitchen and burns herself. I climbed a tree near the school. The branch was rotten. I fell off and broke my arm. Think of as many "if only" sentences as possible for each one. Here is the first example: " If only we had put the bottle out of baby's reach. " "If only we had screwed the top on tightly." " If only we did not use that kind of bottle to keep cleaning products in." " If only someone had been watching the baby." " If only…” (Can you think of more?) Now do the same for the next

that occur with peers, friends, siblings, and parents. Combine lists into a master list. Next, discuss various conflict resolution strategies. Using list of conflicts, practice using the conflict resolution strategies to role-play solving conflicts. Brainstorm various conflicts that occur with friends at different ages and explain how they could be resolved using conflict resolution strategies. Role-play various conflicts that occur with friends at different ages and demonstrate how these conflicts could be resolved using conflict resolution strategies.

three examples. Finally, think of more possible accidents, including ones that have happened in your own families and play the "if only " game with them. Then discuss how it would be possible for you and your families to think more about preventing accidents.




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation)

• Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended



English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website: http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Four


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: Students will learn and apply health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.4 Human Relationships & Sexuality: All students will learn the physical, emotional, and social aspects of human relationships and sexuality and apply these concepts to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (4) Human Relationships & Sexuality

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… People develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually at different rates. Health practices and behaviors impact the effectiveness of our body systems.

How do we keep our body systems healthy? How does knowing about puberty help me prepare for the experience? How does the health of a birth mother affect the health of her fetus?

Students will know that… The dimensions of wellness are interrelated and impact overall personal well-being. Choosing a balanced variety of nutritious foods contributes to wellness. Puberty is the period of sexual development, determined primarily by heredity, in which the body becomes physically able to produce children. Knowing the physiological process of how pregnancy occurs as well as development of the fetus leading to childbirth contribute to a greater understanding of how and why a healthy environment should be provided for the pregnant mother.

Students will be able to… 2.1.4.A.2: Determine the relationship of personal health practices and behaviors on an individual’s body systems. 2.1.4.B.1: Explain how healthy eating provides energy, helps to maintain healthy weight, lowers risk of disease, and keeps body systems functioning effectively.* 2.4.4.B.1. Differentiate the physical, social, and emotional changes occurring at puberty and explain why puberty begins and ends at different ages. 2.4.4.C.1. Explain the process of fertilization and how cells divide to create an embryo/fetus that grows and develops during pregnancy.

The health of the birth mother impacts the development of the fetus.

2.4.4.C.2 Relate the health of the birth mother to the development of a healthy fetus. * Bolded text is content to be delivered in this unit.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fourth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. RI.4.6. Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. RI.4.9. Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed.

Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.






Production and Distribution of Writing W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different

aspects of a topic. W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.




Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Divide the class into small groups assigning each group one of the body systems (Digestive, Circulatory, Respiratory, Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, Reproductive). Each group, assuming the role of doctors, needs to develop and present to the community some possible consequences to one’s body system if

Other Evidence: Create a poster titled “Changes During Puberty” that is divided into three sections: physical, social and emotional. Illustrate each section appropriately using words, phrases and/or drawings.

one does not make healthy choices. This panel of medical experts will appear on the local cable access channel.


Suggested Learning Activities: Refer to the more specific learning plan that follows for the puberty component. Post Essential Questions in a prominent location in the room. You can also ask each question in a morning message (responsive classroom). Chart the students’ responses using tally marks. Discuss results. Brainstorm appropriate ways to show affection and caring and then role-play Using laptops, have students go the website www.bam.gov and any other appropriate sites and have students take notes on the information about the various ages that begin/end puberty and the changes that occur during puberty. As a class, create a chart that divides the changes into physical, social and emotional. List the various ages that begin/end puberty on the chart.

Write letters to one friend at various stages of development (i.e. 1st grade, 4thgrade, 12th grade, 30 years old and 60 years old) in order to demonstrate that life circumstances change but the basics of friendship do not. Create a timeline that illustrates a boy/girl’s (pick your own gender) physical development from birth to age 18 detailing the physical changes that occur at each year. Include height, weight, and other physical changes such as those that occur during puberty as well as others such as growth of baby/permanent teeth.

Revised 3-27-15; 4-12-16

Fourth Grade - Reproductive System Vocabulary: Puberty, Hormones (Pituitary Gland, Testosterone, Estrogen), Reproductive System, Maturation, Growth Spurt, Hygiene, Genitals, Penis Testicles, Scrotum Sperm, Semen, Vagina, Ovaries, Ovulation, Breasts, Menstrual Cycle (Period), Body Image (Self Conscious) , Mood Swing,

Recommended learning activity plan:

STAGE 3 - LEARNING PLAN

AMT

Learning Activity

Day1

1. ) Introduce the Male Reproductive System. Male Reproductive System: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/male-repro.html?WT.ac=ctg#catchanging-body ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: Sexual changes for boys page 3. 2.) Introduce the Female Reproductive System. Female Reproductive System: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/female-repro.html?WT.ac=ctg#catchanging-body ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: Sexual changes for girls page 4. Mention that when an egg and sperm meet, fertilization occurs. Utilize the GoogleDrive video that shows the fertilization process. This 1.5-minute video is accessible to Mt. Laurel faculty at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwlzIDOivUCebFhrMXVQYjZUTjA&authuser=0.

Day2

Define “Puberty” as the period of sexual development, determined primarily by heredity, in which the body becomes physically able to produce children. ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: Puberty can feel like a rollercoaster ride page 1. Additional videos that are co-ed or just boy - just girl can be found at: http://www.pgschoolprograms.com/programs.php?pid=1

Revised 3-27-15; 4-12-16

Scroll to the middle of the page. The videos range from 25-minutes for co-ed, boys 17-minutes, and the girls = 19-minutes.

Day3 Puberty Changes: Describe physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty; e.g., menstruation, secondary sexual characteristics, changing identity and moods. Lesson / Activities: http://teachers.teachingsexualhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/Grade-4-Lesson-1-2015.pdf

Day4 Puberty Changes: Describe physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty; e.g., menstruation, secondary sexual characteristics, changing identity and moods. ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: Your Body is Changing page 2. Lesson / Activities: http://teachers.teachingsexualhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/Grade-4-Lesson-2-2105.pdf Digital resource: http://www.cdc.gov/bam/body/body-smartz.html

Day5 Puberty Changes: Describe physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty; e.g., menstruation, secondary sexual characteristics, changing identity and moods. Lesson / Activities: http://teachers.teachingsexualhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/Grade-4-Lesson-3-20151.pdf ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: Beware of Phony Physiques page 5

Day6 Personal Hygiene: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=289&id=2146#5 (Fill in gap story at bottom of page is a good review)

Revised 3-27-15; 4-12-16

Day7 Accepting and embracing the change that comes with growing up involves knowing one’s self and making a personal plan for the future. This lesson encourages students to answer some difficult questions about dealing with puberty and begin to create a positive self-image for the future. Lesson / Activities: http://teachers.teachingsexualhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/Grade-4-Lesson-5-2015.pdf ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart: More independence means more choices. Page 10




Gifted Students:









• ETR Associates Puberty Flip Chart


Grade Five



Unit/Big Idea: (1) Personal Growth & Development, Disease & Health Conditions, Safety, and Social & Emotional Growth

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Health choices and behaviors have a profound impact on personal, family, community, and global wellness. Understanding why a behavior or activity is unsafe or risky is only the first step towards preventing injuries and staying safe. Consistently employing safe and healthy behaviors helps to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries. Taking responsibility for one’s own health is an essential step towards developing and maintaining a healthy, active life style.

How do personal health choices impact our own health as well as the health of others? Why is it so difficult to educate people about risky behaviors? Why do some people still engage in unsafe behaviors despite knowing the inherent risks and possible outcomes? What is health and fitness, and what contributes toward a healthy/active lifestyle?

Students will know that… Staying healthy is a lifelong process that includes all dimensions of wellness. The early detection and treatment of diseases and health conditions impact one’s health. Identifying unsafe situations and choosing appropriate ways to reduce or eliminate risks contributes to the safety of self and others.

Social and emotional development impacts all components of wellness.

Students will be able to… 2.1.6.A.3 Determine factors that influence the purchase of healthcare products and use of personal hygiene practices. 2.1.6.C.1 Summarize means of detecting and treating diseases and health conditions that are prevalent in adolescents. 2.1.6.D.2 Explain what to do if abuse is suspected or occurs. 2.1.6.D.3 Summarize the components of the traffic safety system and explain how people contribute to making the system effective.

2.1.6.E.1 Examine how personal assets and protective factors support healthy social and emotional development.

Stress management skills impact an individual’s ability to cope with different types of emotional situations.

2.1.6.E.3 Compare and contrast ways that individuals, families, and communities cope with change, crisis, rejection, loss, and separation.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fifth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.5.1. Quote accurately from a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.5.3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. RI.5.5. Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts. RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.5.7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. RI.5.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). RI.5.9 Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.5.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed.


A. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure B. in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. C. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details from text(s), quote directly from text when appropriate. D. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically). E. Provide a conclusion related to the opinion presented.


A. Introduce a topic clearly to provide a focus and group related information logically; include text features such as headings, illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. C. Link ideas within paragraphs and sections of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially). D. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Provide a conclusion related to the information of explanation presented.

W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

A. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. B. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. C. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. D. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. E. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Production and Distribution of Writing W.5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. W.5.6. With some guidance and support from adults and peers, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different perspectives of a topic. W.5.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. W.5.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

A. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]”). B. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]”).



Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Deal With It – Have students role-play the importance of personal assets and protective factors in dealing with conflict, violence, harassment, vandalism, bullying, and abuse. In their role-play, have students demonstrate how factors like self-esteem, positive peer relationships, and parent involvement can help them deal with the aforementioned problems.

Other Evidence: Teacher observation Self-assessment Peer-assessment Quiz/checklist on key terms, concepts, skills … Oral response Written response Determine factors that influence the purchase and use of healthcare products and personal hygiene practices. Using the information collected, develop PSAs focusing on improving safety and reducing injuries. For example, topics might include purchasing and wearing a bike helmet, skateboard or bicycle safety, or sun safety activities. Post the PSAs and solicit feedback from students in other schools. The USA Safe Kids Website enables students and teachers to post materials and participate in discussion groups and social networking. Summarize the components of the traffic safety system and explain how people contribute to making the system effective.


Suggested Learning Activities: How Can I Affect My Own Wellness - Have students create a presentation that demonstrates how understanding the following attributes can contribute to a healthy, active lifestyle: the physical, social, emotional and intellectual dimensions of wellness during various life stages; the proper use of healthcare and personal hygiene products; and proper nutritional choices. For each attribute, students will create two parts, one to explain the importance of the attribute and one to explain how that knowledge can be used to affect their own lives. You’re the Doctor – Have students create an information brochure on diseases and health conditions. Explain that they are to write the pamphlet from the perspective of a doctor who is trying to make the public aware of various

Present key vocabulary and information concerning the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual dimensions of wellness during various life stages. Present key vocabulary and information concerning the appropriate use of healthcare and hygiene products. Present key vocabulary and information concerning diseases and health conditions. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of diseases and health conditions relates to living a healthy, active lifestyle. Have students present their ‘You’re the Doctor’ pamphlets.

diseases and health conditions. In the first part of their brochure, students should differentiate between communicable, non-communicable, acute, chronic, and inherited diseases and health conditions. In the second part of their brochure, students should compare/contrast different methods to diagnose and treat various diseases and health conditions. In the summation of their brochures, students should be able to describe why an understanding of the aforementioned topics is important to the leading of a healthy, active lifestyle. Research and analyze statistics on the types of injuries that frequently occur in young adolescents using data from local, state, national, and international sources. Categorize the kinds of injuries and determine the possible causes (e.g., faulty equipment, not using safety equipment or using it incorrectly, inattention, lack of experience, unsafe conditions).

Present key vocabulary and information concerning role of personal assets and protective factors in dealing with conflict, violence, harassment, vandalism. Literacy: Have students write weekly health journal entries indicating how they are taking responsibility for their own health and taking essential steps towards developing and maintaining an active healthy lifestyle.




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects

• Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended




• Your Health, 1999 Harcourt Brace • Choices, Scholastic • Newsela Website (https://newsela.com) for various levels of texts/articles • Refer to “Suggested Learning Activities” below for titles of songs, books etc to support



Grade Five


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.6 Fitness: All students will apply health-related and skill-related fitness concepts and skills to develop and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Nutrition & Fitness

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Food choices and eating patterns are developed at a young age, persist throughout one’s lifetime, and may impact one’s long-term health. It may be difficult to change unhealthy eating patterns that are rooted in family traditions, religious beliefs, or culture. Peers and the media also have a significant impact on food choices and the availability of healthy options. Making healthy eating choices is an important part of achieving and sustaining wellness.

How are food choices influenced by culture and tradition? What role does family, peers, and the media have on food choices now and throughout life? How do nutritional choices and physical activity support healthy development and your future?

Students will know that… Eating patterns are influenced by a variety of factors. Knowing and applying a variety of effective fitness principles over time enhances personal fitness level, performance, and health status.

Students will be able to… 2.1.6.B.1 Determine factors that influence food choices and eating patterns. 2.1.6.B.3 Create a daily balanced nutritional meal plan based on nutritional content, value, calories, and cost. 2.6.6.A.5 Relate physical activity, healthy eating, and body composition to personal fitness and health.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fifth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.5.1. Quote accurately from a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.5.3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. RI.5.5. Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts. RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.5.7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. RI.5.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). RI.5.9 Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.5.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

A. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure

B. in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. C. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details from text(s), quote directly from text when appropriate. D. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically). E. Provide a conclusion related to the opinion presented.





Production and Distribution of Writing W.5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. W.5.6. With some guidance and support from adults and peers, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different perspectives of a topic. W.5.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

W.5.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.




Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Each student will create a “Healthy Food Plate” illustrating the accurate percentages of food group requirements based on the new My Food Plate criteria.



Suggested Learning Activities:

Extend the survey to students in another school (local or in another country) using a blog or podcast.

Survey the student population about food choices and what influences those choices. Focus on breakfast, school lunches, snacks, fast food, or family meals.

Present key vocabulary and information concerning proper nutritional choices.




Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website)

http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Health Curriculum Guide Grade Five


NJCCCS: 2.2: Integrated Skills All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (3) Integrated Skills

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Knowing how and when to navigate the healthcare system is critical to maintaining wellness. The early detection of diseases and health conditions contributes to one’s health and helps reduce healthcare costs.

Why is it so difficult for some people to access healthcare? How do you know when you need help? What’s more important: prevention or cure?

Students will know that… Effective communication may be a determining factor in the outcome of health- and safety-related situations. Every health-related decision has short- and long-term consequences and affects the ability to reach health goals. Character building is influenced by many factors both positive and negative, such as acceptance, discrimination, bullying, abuse, sportsmanship, support, disrespect, and violence. Participation in social and health- or service-organization initiatives has a positive social impact.

Students will be able to… 2.2.6.A.1 Demonstrate verbal and nonverbal interpersonal communication in various settings that impact the health of oneself and others. 2.2.6.B.1 Use effective decision-making strategies. 2.2.6.B.4 Apply personal health data and information to support achievement of one’s short- and long-term health goals. 2.2.6.C.3 Develop ways to proactively include peers with disabilities at home, at school, and in community activities. 2.2.6.D.1 Appraise the goals of various community or service-organization initiatives to determine opportunities for volunteer service.

Communicating health needs to trusted adults and professionals assists in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of health problems.

2.2.6.E.2 Distinguish health issues that warrant support from trusted adults or health professionals.













Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Develop an online directory of school and community health and social services linking common adolescent problems with the appropriate provider.



Suggested Learning Activities: Examine the kinds of health problems that young adolescents might face and discuss appropriate actions to resolve the problems Organize health problems into categories (e.g., injuries, diseases, social and emotional).




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options

• Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended







Grade Five




Enduring Understandings: The use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs not only impacts the individual but may have a profound impact on others. Medicines must be used correctly in order to be safe and have the maximum benefit. Research has clearly established that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have a variety of harmful effects on the human body. There are common indicators, stages and influencing factors of chemical dependency.

Essential Questions: Why do people use and abuse alcohol, tobacco and other drugs despite warnings about the dangers to self and others? How do I determine whether or not a medication will be effective? How do I make the “right” decisions in the face of peer, media and other pressures? Why does one person become an addict and another does not?

Students will understand that…

Students will know that… Medicines come in a variety of forms (prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, medicinal supplements), are used for numerous reasons, and should be taken as directed in order to be safe and effective. There is a strong relationship between individuals who abuse drugs and increased intentional and unintentional health-risk behaviors.

Students will be able to… 2.3.6.A.1 Compare and contrast short- and long-term effects and the potential for abuse of commonly used over-the-counter and prescription medicines and herbal and medicinal supplements. 2.3.6.A.2 Compare information found on over-the-counter and prescription medicines. 2.3.6.B.2 Relate tobacco use and the incidence of disease. 2.3.6.B.3 Compare the effect of laws, policies, and procedures on smokers and nonsmokers. 2.3.6.B.4 Determine the impact of the use and abuse of alcohol on the incidence of illness, injuries, and disease, the increase of risky health behaviors, and the likelihood of harm to one’s health.

Substance abuse is caused by a variety of factors. There are many ways to obtain help for treatment of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse problems.

2.3.6.C.3 Determine the extent to which various factors contribute to the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by adolescents, such as peer pressure, low self-esteem, genetics, and poor role models. 2.3.6.C.4 Determine effective strategies to stop using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and that support the ability to remain drug-free.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts for Fifth Grade: Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts to support this unit: Progress Indicators for Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details RI.5.1. Quote accurately from a text and make relevant connections when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text. RI.5.3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. RI.5.5. Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts. RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.5.7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. RI.5.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). RI.5.9 Integrate and reflect on (e.g. practical knowledge, historical/cultural context, and background knowledge) information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.5.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction (see Appendix A) at grade level text-complexity (see Appendix A) or above, with scaffolding as needed. Progress Indicators for Writing Text Types and Purposes W.5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.






Production and Distribution of Writing W.5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. W.5.6. With some guidance and support from adults and peers, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;

demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge W.5.7. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different perspectives of a topic. W.5.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. W.5.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.




Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Please Stop! “I Care About Your Health” Letter– Have students write a letter urging someone to quit smoking or drinking. In the letter, make sure students point out the health, illness and injury risks associated with smoking/alcohol and how that person’s smoking/alcohol use effects those around them.

Other Evidence: Teacher observation Self-assessment Peer-assessment Quiz/checklist on key terms, concepts, skills … Oral response Written response Health journal to reflect on learning/answer teacher questions/pose questions Be Safe With Medicine – Have students create a multimedia presentation that demonstrates the safe use of medicine. In the presentation, make sure students touch on the following points: factors to consider when choosing a medicine, factors that impact the effectiveness of a medicine, the safe administration/storage of a medicine, and which medicines to use to treat common diseases and health conditions.


Suggested Learning Activities: Complete the following questions in preparation for an activity to evaluate the impact of smoking on the heart and lungs:

o What are two forms of physical activity you like to do?

o How might tobacco use affect your ability to participate in those activities?

o What are two facts about tobacco use and smoking?

o What is your resting heart rate? Your post exercise heart rate?

o How might tobacco use impact your heart rate?

Present key vocabulary and information concerning the factors to consider when choosing a medicine, the factors that impact the effectiveness of a medicine, the safe administration/storage of a medicine, and the medicines that are used to treat common diseases and health conditions. practice sessions where students demonstrate how their understanding of illness and injury risks associated with smoking/alcohol and how smoking/alcohol use affects those around

Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of the factors to consider when choosing a medicine, factors that impact the effectiveness of a medicine, the safe administration/storage of a medicine, and which medicines to use to treat common diseases and health conditions relates to a healthy, active lifestyle. Have students develop and present their ‘Be Safe With Medicine’ multimedia presentations. Present key vocabulary and information concerning the health, illness and injury risks associated with smoking/alcohol and how smoking/alcohol use affects those around them. Conduct a Be Safe With Medicine – Have students create a multimedia presentation that demonstrates the safe use of medicine. In the presentation, make sure students touch on the following points: factors to consider when choosing a medicine, factors that impact the effectiveness of a medicine, the safe administration/storage of a medicine, and which medicines to use to treat common

them relates to a healthy, active lifestyle. diseases and health conditions.




Gifted Students:










Grade Five



Unit/Big Idea: (5) Human Relationships & Sexuality

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Relationships are the connections people have with each other. The family provides the first opportunity for a person to develop relationship skills. Every family is different but all families provide the foundation for future relationships. As individuals mature, they seek out different relationships with peers, colleagues, and loved ones. Through social networking, people even establish relationships with individuals they have never met. We now live in a world where families and relationships are constantly changing and where global communication systems have extended friendships and relationships across the miles. Growth patterns during adolescence are individual.

How does your family influence the adult you will become? How do you develop and sustain relationships over time? Why is it so hard to have healthy relationships?

Students will know that…

Healthy relationships require a mutual

commitment.

Students will be able to… 2.4.6.A.1 Compare and contrast how families may change over time. 2.4.6.A.2 Analyze the characteristics of healthy friendships and other relationships. 2.4.6.A.4 Demonstrate successful resolution of a problem(s) among friends and in other relationships. 2.4.6.B.1 Compare growth patterns of males and females during adolescence.

Most significant physical, emotional, and mental growth changes occur during adolescence, but not necessarily at the same rates.













Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: A Guide to Healthy Relationships – Have students create a multimedia presentation that demonstrates how to create and maintain healthy family/peer relationships. The presentation should also explain why theses factors are important for a healthy, active lifestyle. Have student present their ‘A Guide to Healthy Relationships’ multimedia presentation.



Suggested Learning Activities: Examine changes in work, family and home life, popular culture, population and technology in the United States since 1950. Present key vocabulary and information concerning the creation and maintenance of healthy family/peer relationships. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of the creation and maintenance of healthy family/peer relationships relates to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Present key vocabulary and information concerning the growth patterns of males/females during adolescence. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of the growth patterns of males/females during adolescence relates to a healthy, active lifestyle. Have students write a speech from the perspective of a parent preparing their male/female children for the changes they will undergo during adolescence. Conduct a class discussion where students explain how an understanding of the topics covered in the presentation can help them to live a healthy, active lifestyle.



charts, graphs, slide shows, videos, etc.) to demonstrate student’s learning; • Modifying tests to reflect selected objectives;

• Using true/false, matching, or fill in the blank tests in lieu of essay tests; • Reducing the number of answer choices on a multiple choice test; • Allowing the use of note cards or open-book during testing;

Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners





Grade Six



Unit/Big Idea: (1) Personal Growth & Development, Disease & Health Conditions, Safety and Social & Emotional Health

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Health choices and behaviors have a profound impact on personal, family, community, and global wellness. Understanding why a behavior or activity is unsafe or risky is only the first step towards preventing injuries and staying safe. Consistently employing safe and healthy behaviors helps to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries. ’04 Taking responsibility for one’s own health is an essential step towards developing and maintaining a healthy, active life style.

How can a personal commitment to wellness influence the health of others and reduce ones’ risk for diseases, health conditions, and injuries that may impact the quality or duration of one’s life? Why is it so difficult to educate people about risky behaviors? Why do some people still engage in unsafe behaviors despite knowing the inherent risks and possible outcomes?

Students will know that… Staying healthy is a lifelong process that includes all dimensions of wellness. The early detection and treatment of diseases and health conditions impact one’s health. Identifying unsafe situations and choosing appropriate ways to reduce or eliminate risks

Students will be able to… 2.1.6.A.1 Explain how health data can be used to assess and improve each dimension of personal wellness. 2.1.6.A.2 Relate how personal lifestyle habits, environment, and heredity influence growth and development in each life stage. 2.1.6.C.2 Determine the impact of public health strategies in preventing diseases and health conditions. 2.1.6.C.3 Compare and contrast common mental illnesses (such as depression, anxiety and panic disorders, and phobias) and ways to detect and treat them. 2.1.6.D.1 Summarize the common causes of intentional and unintentional injuries in adolescents and related prevention strategies.

contributes to the safety of self and others. Applying first-aid procedures can minimize injury and save lives. Respect and acceptance for individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, religion, and/or culture provide a foundation for the prevention and resolution of conflict. Stress management skills impact an individual’s ability to cope with different types of emotional situations.

2.1.6.D.4 Assess when to use basic first-aid procedures. 2.1.6.E.2 Make recommendations to resolve incidences of school and community conflict, violence, harassment, gang violence, discrimination, and bullying. 2.1.6.E.3 Compare and contrast ways that individuals, families, and communities cope with change, crisis, rejection, loss, and separation.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or

table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

A. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. B. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources. C. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. D. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. E. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

WHST.6-8.2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

A. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information using text structures (e.g. definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) and text features (e.g. headings, graphics, and multimedia) when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. D. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. E. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.

Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Factors That Affect Wellness – Have students develop a multimedia presentation that addresses how the following components affect wellness: health knowledge and choices, body systems, physical/emotional/intellectual/social growth, nutritional choices, disease knowledge and prevention/treatment strategies, mental illness, injury knowledge and prevention/treatment strategies, and social/family/individual factors. For each component, have students create one slide that describes/explains the importance of the component and one slide that details how the student can use their understanding of each component to have a positive affect on their wellness.

Other Evidence: Teacher observation Self-assessment Peer-assessment Quiz/checklist on key terms, concepts, skills … Oral response Written response Summarize the common causes of intentional and unintentional injuries in adolescents and related prevention strategies.


Suggested Learning Activities: Research and analyze statistics on the types of injuries that frequently occur in young adolescents using data from local, state, national, and international sources. Categorize the kinds of injuries and determine the possible causes (e.g., faulty equipment, not using safety equipment or using it incorrectly, inattention, lack of experience, unsafe conditions). Present key vocabulary and information concerning health knowledge and choices. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate their understanding of how health knowledge and choices relate to wellness. Present key vocabulary and information concerning physical/emotional/intellectual/social growth. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of

Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of disease knowledge and prevention treatment strategies relates to wellness. Present key vocabulary and information concerning mental illness. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of mental illness relates to wellness. Present key vocabulary and information concerning injury knowledge and prevention/treatment strategies. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of injury knowledge and prevention/treatment strategies relates to wellness. Present key vocabulary and information concerning social/family/individual factors. Conduct a practice session where students

physical/emotional/intellectual/social growth relates to wellness. Present key vocabulary and information concerning disease knowledge and prevention/treatment strategies. Literacy: Have students write weekly health journal entries indicating how they are taking responsibility for their own health, and taking essential steps towards developing and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle.

demonstrate how their understanding of social/family/individual factors relates to wellness. Have students develop and present their ‘Factors That Affect Wellness’ multimedia presentations. Teacher will facilitate discussion at the conclusion of all presentation. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of relaxation contributes to individual wellness.




Gifted Students:



reasoning)







Grade Six


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.6 Fitness: All students will apply health-related and skill-related fitness concepts and skills.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Nutrition & Fitness and Physical Activity

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Food choices and eating patterns are developed at a young age, persist throughout one’s lifetime, and may impact one’s long-term health. It may be difficult to change unhealthy eating patterns that are rooted in family traditions, religious beliefs, or culture. Peers and the media also have a significant impact on food choices and the availability of healthy options. Making healthy eating choices is an important part of achieving and sustaining wellness.

How are food choices influenced by culture and tradition? What role does family, peers, and the media have on food choices now and throughout life? Could a diet that is healthy for one person be unhealthy Should all individuals have the same fitness goals?

Students will know that… Eating patterns are influenced by a variety of factors. Knowing and applying a variety of effective fitness principles over time enhances personal fitness level, performance, and health status.

Students will be able to… 2.1.6.B.2 Summarize the benefits and risks associated with nutritional choices, based on eating patterns. 2.1.6.B.4 Compare and contrast nutritional information on similar food products in order to make informed choices. 2.6.6.A.3 Develop and implement a fitness plan based on the assessment of one’s personal fitness level, and monitor health/fitness indicators before, during, and after the program.

2.6.6.A.4 Predict how factors such as health status, interests, environmental conditions, and available time may impact personal fitness. 2.6.6.A.5 Relate physical activity, healthy eating, and body composition to personal fitness and health. 2.6.6.A.6 Explain and apply the training principles of frequency, intensity, time, and type (FITT) to improve personal fitness. 2.6.6.A.7 Evaluate the short- and long-term effects of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances on personal health.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or

table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.




WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.

Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: (See Stage 3 Class Activity) Analyze the survey data and develop a multi-media presentation including interviews with students, information obtained from the blog or podcast with the other school and graphs of the data collected, as well as recommendations for improving healthy choices.



Suggested Learning Activities: Survey the student population about food choices and what influences those choices. Focus on breakfast, school lunches, snacks, fast food, or family meals. Extend the survey to students in another school (local or in another country) using a blog or podcast. (See End of Unit Assessment)

Present key vocabulary and information concerning nutritional choices.

Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of nutritional choices relates to wellness.




Gifted Students: • Guided Reading materials (classroom teachers and/or reading specialist can assist with

selections) • Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research • Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended




• Your Health, 1999 Harcourt Brace • Choices, Scholastic




Grade Six


NJCCCS: 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (3) Decision-Making/Choices

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… It is important to develop good personal and interpersonal life skills to become active participants in a healthy, active lifestyle. Decision-making can be affected by a variety of influences that may not be in a person’s best interest. Character is who you are when no one is looking. Leadership and advocacy to promote personal and community wellness can impact the immediate community and society as a whole. There are numerous health and fitness programs available that provide a variety of services. Not all are created equal.

How do I learn to stand for and communicate my beliefs to others without alienating them? Why might educated people make poor health decisions? How are character and health related? How can you inspire others to address health issues? Where do I go to access information about good health and fitness services? ‘04 What defines good character? When you demonstrate cooperation does that make you less competitive? Is the ability to work with others important?

Students will know that… Effective communication is the basis for strengthening interpersonal interactions and relationships and resolving conflicts. Every health-related decision has short- and long-term consequences and affects the ability to reach health goals.

Students will be able to… 2.2.6.A.2 Demonstrate use of refusal, negotiation, and assertiveness skills in different situations. 2.2.6.B.2 Predict how the outcome(s) of a health-related decision may differ if an alternative decision is made by self or others. 2.2.6.B.3 Determine how conflicting interests may influence one’s decisions.

Personal core ethical values impact the behavior of oneself and others. Participation in social and health- or service-organization initiatives have a positive social impact. Health literacy includes the ability to compare and evaluate health resources. Communicating health needs to trusted adults and professionals assists in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of health problems.

2.2.6.C.1 Explain how character and core ethical values can be useful in addressing challenging situations. 2.2.6.C.2 Predict situations that may challenge an individual’s core ethical values. 2.2.6.D.1 Appraise the goals of various community or service-organization initiatives to determine opportunities for volunteer service. 2.2.6.D.2 Develop a position about a health issue in order to inform peers. 2.2.6.E.1 Determine the validity and reliability of different types of health resources. 2.2.6.E.2 Distinguish health issues that warrant support from trusted adults or health professionals.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or

discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.




WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate

narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.

CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Develop an online directory of school and community health and social services linking common adolescent problems with the appropriate provider.

Other Evidence: Oral response Teacher observation Quiz/checklist on key terms/ideas Self assessment Peer assessment Record of participation


Suggested Learning Activities: Examine the kinds of health problems that young adolescents might face and discuss appropriate actions to resolve the problems. Organize health problems into categories (e.g., injuries, diseases, social and emotional). Foster positive learning environment through good sportsmanship, character and proper behavior. Demonstrate the ability to communicate within various activities. Implement cooperation skills within various activities. Review daily the Key Terms.

Use Fitness Journal throughout unit to write personal goals, reflect on goals, and respond to Standards listed in this UBD. Questioning/discussion of preliminary knowledge of specific skills within activity units Demonstration of specific skills for each unit Participation/practice of skills in isolation Discussion of rules/roles/sportsmanship responsibilities for each activity unit Debrief/review/discuss within individual lessons At the conclusion of these various activities the students will show evidence of demonstrating good sportsmanship, cooperation, communication, and leadership qualities within various activity settings


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information.

• Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm Websites for Teachers -

http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:




Grade Six




Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… The use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs not only impacts the individual but may have a profound impact on others. Research has clearly established that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have a variety of harmful effects on the human body.

Why do people use and abuse alcohol, tobacco and other drugs despite warnings about the dangers to self and others? How do I make the “right” decisions in the face of peer, media and other pressures? How can/does someone’s substance use and/or abuse affect others?

Students will know that… There is a strong relationship between individuals who abuse drugs and increased intentional and unintentional health-risk behaviors. Substance abuse is caused by a variety of factors.

Students will be able to… 2.3.6.B.1 Explain the system of drug classification and why it is useful in preventing substance abuse. 2.3.6.B.5 Determine situations where the use of alcohol and other drugs influence decision-making and can place one at risk. 2.3.6.B.6 Summarize the signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse. 2.3.6.B.7 Analyze the relationship between injected drug use and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. 2.3.6.C.1 Summarize the signs and symptoms of a substance abuse problem and the stages that lead to dependency/addiction. 2.3.6.C.2 Explain how wellness is affected during the stages of drug dependency/addiction. 2.3.6.C.3 Determine the extent to which

There are many ways to obtain help for treatment of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse problems.

various factors contribute to the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by adolescents, such as peer pressure, low self-esteem, genetics, and poor role models. 2.3.6.C.4 Determine effective strategies to stop using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and that support the ability to remain drug-free.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.




WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Live Without Substance Abuse Pamphlet – Divide students into groups. Have each group create a pamphlet that will be used to persuade others to lead a substance abuse-

Other Evidence: Teacher observation Self-assessment Peer-assessment Quiz/checklist on key terms, concepts, skills … Oral response

free life. The pamphlet will address the following: identification/classification/examples of illegal drugs/controlled substances, symptoms of an abuse problem, results of an abuse problem, and abuse help resources/strategies. Have students present their “Live Without Substance Abuse’ pamphlets.

Written response


Suggested Learning Activities: Complete the following questions in preparation for an activity to evaluate the impact of smoking on the heart and lungs: • What are two forms of physical activity you

like to do? • How might tobacco use affect your ability to

participate in those activities? • What are two facts about tobacco use and

smoking? • What is your resting heart rate? Your post

exercise heart rate? • How might tobacco use impact your heart

rate? Present key vocabulary and information concerning the identification/classification/examples of illegal drugs/controlled substances. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of the identification/classification/examples of illegal drugs/controlled substances relates to promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Present key vocabulary and information concerning the symptoms of an abuse problem. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of recognizing the symptoms of drug abuse relates to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Present key vocabulary and information concerning the results of an abuse situation. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of knowing the results of an abuse situation relates to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Present key vocabulary and information concerning abuse help resources/strategies. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate their understanding of how abuse help resources/strategies relates to promoting a healthy lifestyle.


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding);

• Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:










Grade Six



Unit/Big Idea: (5) Human Relationships and Sexuality

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Relationships are the connections people have with each other. The family provides the first opportunity for a person to develop relationship skills. Every family is different but all families provide the foundation for future relationships. As individuals mature, they seek out different relationships with peers, colleagues, and loved ones. Through social networking, people even establish relationships with individuals they have never met. We now live in a world where families and relationships are constantly changing and where global communication systems have extended friendships and relationships across the miles. Responsible behaviors along with medically-accurate information can reduce or eliminate the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.

How does your family influence the adult you will become? How do you develop and sustain relationships over time? Why is it so hard to have healthy relationships?

Students will know that… Healthy relationships require a mutual commitment. Responsible actions regarding sexual behavior impact the health of oneself and others.

Students will be able to… 2.4.6.A.3 Examine the types of relationships adolescents may experience. 2.4.6.A.5 Compare and contrast the role of dating and dating behaviors in adolescence. 2.4.6.B.2 Summarize strategies to remain abstinent and resist pressures to become sexually active. 2.4.6.B.3 Determine behaviors that place one

Knowing the physiological process of how pregnancy occurs as well as development of the fetus leading to child birth contribute to a greater understanding of how and why a healthy environment should be provided for the pregnant mother. Adolescent parents may have difficulty adjusting to emotional and financial responsibilities of parenthood.

at risk for HIV/AIDS, STIs, HPV, or unintended pregnancy. 2.4.6.B.4 Predict the possible physical, social, and emotional impacts of adolescent decisions regarding sexual behavior. 2.4.6.C.1 Summarize the sequence of fertilization, embryonic growth, and fetal development during pregnancy. 2.4.6.C.2 Identify the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. 2.4.6.C.3 Identify prenatal practices that support a healthy pregnancy. 2.4.6.C.4 Predict challenges that may be faced by adolescent parents and their families.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or

discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

F. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. G. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources. H. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. D. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. E. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.


A. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information using text structures (e.g. definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) and text features (e.g. headings, graphics, and multimedia) when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. I. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. J. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate

narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals.

CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Healthy Relationships – Divide students into the following groups: peer relationship and dating, sexual feelings/activity, and pregnancy. Have groups create a skit where the members role-play making healthy decisions concerning each topic. Have students present their ‘Healthy Relationships’ skits. At the conclusion of the presentations, conduct a class discussion where students explain how an understanding of the topics covered in the presentation can help them to live a healthy, active lifestyle.



Suggested Learning Activities: Examine changes in work, family and home life, popular culture, population and technology in the United States since 1950. Present key vocabulary and information concerning peer relationships and dating. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of peer relationships and dating are related to promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Present key vocabulary and information concerning sexual feelings/activity. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of sexual feelings/activity is related to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Present key vocabulary and information concerning pregnancy. Conduct a practice session where students demonstrate how their understanding of pregnancy is related to promoting a healthy lifestyle.


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify.

• Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides. • Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:





English Language Learners: (NJDOE Website) http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/ELL.htm) Academic Language for English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/academic-language Background Information on English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/getting-know-your-students English Language Development Standards Essential Actions - https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#essentialactions English Language Learners in the Mainstream Tutorial Videos - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/ell_mainstream/index.html Resources for Newcomers and SIFEs - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/newcomer.htm

Websites for Teachers - http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/websites/teachers.htm WIDA Can Do Descriptors - https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/ Technology and English Language Learners - http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-english-language-learners Core Instructional Materials:

• Your Health, 1999 Harcourt Brace • Choices, Scholastic • ETR Associates Display panel for The Stages of Pregnancy • Newsela Website (https://newsela.com) for various levels of texts/articles • Refer to “Suggested Learning Activities” below for titles of songs, books etc to support



Grade Seven


NJCCCS: 2.1. Wellness: (A, B, D, E) All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.6 Fitness: All students will apply health-related and skill-related fitness concepts and skills to develop and maintain a healthy

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Personal Health

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Current and future personal wellness is dependent upon applying health-related concepts and skills in everyday lifestyle behaviors. Individual’s health at different life stages is dependent on heredity, environmental factors and lifestyle choices. Current and emerging diagnostic, prevention and treatment strategies can help people live healthier and longer than ever before. Being consistently aware of the environment and taking safety precautions can reduce the risk of injury to oneself and others.

What are the consequences (especially unforeseen) of our choices in terms of wellness? What causes optimal growth and development? To what extent can we keep ourselves disease free? Why do we sometimes take risks that can cause harm to ourselves or others?

Students will know that… Developing and maintaining wellness requires ongoing evaluation of factors impacting health and modifying lifestyle behaviors accordingly.

Students will be able to… 2.1.8.A.1. Assess and apply Health Data to enhance each dimension of personal wellness. 2.1.8.A.2. Compare and contrast the impact of genetics, family history, personal health practices, and environment on personal growth and development in each life stage. 2.1.8.A.3. Relate advances in technology to maintaining and improving personal health. 2.1.8.A.4. Determine the impact of marketing techniques on the use of personal hygiene products, practices, and services.

Eating patterns are influenced by a variety of factors. Evaluating the potential for injury prior to engaging in unhealthy/risky behaviors impacts choices. Applying first-aid procedures can minimize injury and save lives. Social and emotional development impacts all components of wellness. Respect and acceptance for individuals regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religion, and/or culture provide a foundation for the prevention and resolution of conflict. Stress management skills impact an individual’s ability to cope with different types of emotional situations.

2.1.8.B.1. Analyze how culture, health status, age, and eating environment influence personal eating patterns and recommend ways to provide nutritional balance. 2.1.8.B.2. Identify and defend healthy ways for adolescents to lose, gain, or maintain weight. 2.1.8.B.3. Design a weekly nutritional plan for families with different lifestyles, resources, special needs, and cultural backgrounds. 2.1.8.B.4. Analyze the nutritional values of new products and supplements. 2.1.8.D.1. Assess the degree of risk in a variety of situations and identify strategies to reduce intentional and unintentional injuries to self and others. 2.1.8.D.2. Describe effective personal protection strategies used in public places and what to do when one’s safety is compromised. 2.1.8.D.3. Analyze the causes and the consequences of noncompliance with the traffic safety system. 2.1.8.D.4 Demonstrate first-aid procedures, including victim and situation assessment, Basic Life Support, and the care of head trauma, bleeding and wounds, burns, fractures, shock, and poisoning. 2.1.8.E.1. Analyze how personal assets, resiliency, and protective factors support healthy social and emotional health. 2.1.8.E.2. Determine the effectiveness of existing home, school, and community efforts to address social and emotional health and prevent conflict. 2.1.8.E.3. Explain how culture influences the ways families and groups cope with crisis and change.

Knowing and applying a variety of effective fitness principles over time enhances personal fitness level, performance, and health status.

2.1.8.E.4. Compare and contrast stress management strategies that are used to address various types of stress-induced situations 2.6.8.A.2. Use health data to develop and implement a personal fitness plan and evaluate its effectiveness.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.




WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: BE SAFE, NOT SORRY: SAY NO! - Students may find themselves in situations that pose a threat to their safety. Other situations may

Other Evidence: • Quiz/Test (Facts) • Oral Responses (Class Discussion) • Projects • Graphs – Safety/Nutrition • Diagrams – Body Systems

ultimately get them into trouble with authority figures (e.g., parents, school officials, police). Divide the class into small groups. Each group develops a role-playing situation that addresses one of the following: − You’re at a party where the parents serve alcoholic drinks to the teenagers. − You need a ride home from a party. The only person who offers you a ride is drunk. − You get a ride home with one of your brother’s friends. You notice several empty liquor bottles on the floor of the car. − At a party, you accidentally knock over a vase and find a stash of marijuana. Students rate each role-play for the effective use of decision-making, refusal, or negotiation skills or the appropriate use of assertiveness. (Students use a teacher designed rating chart for this part of the activity.) Each student writes a short story about a potentially threatening situation focusing on the character’s use of skills to safely diffuse or resolve the situation.

• Group Work/Presentations • Journal Writing/Log


Suggested Learning Activities: Personal Health • Place banner in front of class “Taking Responsibility for one’s own health is an essential step to live a healthy life.” • Begin with entry question: What is health? • Discuss first 3 essential questions. • Discuss who is impacted by your choices. • Create a chart consisting of 3 columns: List of choices good and bad, impact on you, and impact on family. • Discuss personal hygiene needed in 7th grade (products and use). • Discuss how the choices made in regard to personal hygiene impact your life. • Share current health data with class using print outs or overheads. • Make predictions as to the outcome of the data pertaining to wellness. Growth and Development • Create chart with 5 columns: In column 1 list

Nutrition: • Students make a personal eating patterns model. Within the model show how your own culture, health status, age, and eating environment influence your eating patterns. • Discuss ways to improve nutritional balance. • Break students into small groups to jigsaw healthy ways to gain, lose, or maintain weight. Each group becomes an expert on their topic and then teaches the other groups. • Give each person a nutrient or a part of the body in which nutrients effect to research. Also research what foods are good sources of each nutrient. When presenting students should mention what health conditions will less likely develop by getting enough of their nutrient on a daily basis. Safety • Have students list dangerous situations in different areas. • Give students a list of various injuries and in pairs or groups have them discuss and present

the life stages, in column 2 list physical changes for each life stage, in column 3 list social changes for each life stage, in column 4 list emotional changes for each life change, in column 5 list intellectual changes that occur during each life stage. • Discuss what makes you unique. Create a personal uniqueness profile showing how heredity, physiological changes, environmental influences, and varying social experiences contribute to your personal uniqueness.

how their injuries impact various individuals and groups. • Introduce first aid procedures and skills. • Provide students with scenario cards in groups. Groups take turns performing the card’s scenario. Class discusses alternate outcomes. Dating Violence (Content REQUIRED; adapt delivery as needed) “Dating violence” means a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control a dating partner. Discuss/present information regarding characteristics of healthy relationships.




Gifted Students:


• Flexible grouping in content areas • Independent projects • Differentiated product assignments • Student Choice • Multiple texts • Multiple intelligence options • Group investigation • Research

• Bloom’s Taxonomy - Higher order thinking skills (synthesis and evaluation) • Habits of Mind • Webb’s Depth of Knowledge - Emphasis on Level 3 and 4(Strategic and extended




• Totally Awesome Health, 1999 Meets/Heits (Course 1/Grade 7, Course 2/Grade 8) • Choices, Scholastic • Being Healthy, 1990 Harcourt Brace • Everyday Learning Titles, 1999 for: Genetics, Reproduction, Your Changing Body, and

Sexuality • Human Growth and Reproduction (8th grade), 1990 Harcourt Brace • Newsela Website (https://newsela.com) for various levels of texts/articles • Refer to “Suggested Learning Activities” below for titles of songs, books etc to support



Grade Seven



Unit/Big Idea: (2) Substance Awareness

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Medicines must be used correctly in order to be safe and have the maximum benefit. Research has clearly established that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have a variety of harmful effects on the human body. There are common indicators, stages and influencing factors of chemical dependency.

How do I determine whether or not a medication will be effective? How do I make the “right” decisions in the face of peer, media and other pressures? Why does one person become an addict and another does not?

Students will know that… Medicines come in a variety of forms (prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, medicinal supplements), are used for numerous reasons, and should be taken as directed in order to be safe and effective. There is a strong relationship between individuals who abuse drugs and increased intentional and unintentional health-risk behaviors.

Students will be able to… 2.3.8.A.1. Explain why the therapeutic effects and potential risks of commonly used over-the-counter medicines, prescription drugs, and herbal and medicinal supplements vary in different individuals. 2.3.8.A.2. Compare and contrast adolescent and adult abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and the consequences of such abuse. 2.3.8.B.1. Compare and contrast the physical and behavioral effects of commonly abused substances by adolescents. 2.3.8.B.2. Predict the legal and financial consequences of the use, sale, and possession of illegal substances. 2.3.8.B.3. Analyze the effects of all types of tobacco use on the aging process. 2.3.8.B.4. Compare and contrast smoking laws in New Jersey with other states and countries.

Substance abuse is caused by a variety of factors. The ability to interrupt a drug dependency/addiction typically requires outside intervention, a strong personal commitment, treatment, and the support of family, friends, and others.

2.3.8.B.5. Explain the impact of alcohol and other drugs on those areas of the brain that control vision, sleep, coordination, and reaction time and the related impairment of behavior, judgment, and memory. 2.3.8.B.6. Relate the use of alcohol and other drugs to decision-making and risk for sexual assault, pregnancy, and STIs. 2.3.8.B.7. Explain the impact of inhalant use and abuse on social, emotional, mental, and physical wellness. 2.3.8.B.8. Analyze health risks associated with injected drug use. 2.3.8.C.1. Compare and contrast theories about dependency/addiction (such as genetic predisposition, gender-related predisposition, and multiple risks) and provide recommendations that support a drug free life. 2.3.8.C.2. Summarize intervention strategies that assist family and friends to cope with the impact of substance abuse.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure

RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.



A. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information using text structures (e.g. definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) and text features (e.g. headings, graphics, and multimedia) when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. D. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. E. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form.

F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being.

CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: USE, ABUSE, OR DEPENDENCY? - Divide the class into three groups. Create one set of cards for each group describing the four phases of the progression of chemical dependency. Give each group a set of cards and have volunteers arrange themselves in the correct order from early to end stages. To make changes in the order, students must challenge the placement and those who arranged the line-up must defend the placement. Reconvene the class and review the definitions of use, abuse, and dependency. Relate the definitions of use, abuse, and dependency to the progression chart and address any misconceptions. Provide the small groups several situations, (see samples below) that involve substance use. Groups determine if the scenario constitutes use, abuse, or dependency. Students list questions to consider when making an appropriate decision and indicate where they might look to find answers to the questions.

Other Evidence: Quiz/Test Oral Responses Projects Group Work Charts Graphs Diagrams Videotaping Role Play Discussion Groups Journal Writing Scripting


Suggested Learning Activities: Describe what prescription and over-the-counter drugs are and how they are similar and different. In a chart, place commonly used drugs. Next to them place their potential side effects.

Chart different classifications of drugs. Do Now: How are these drugs similar and different? Discuss “sudden sniffing syndrome” and it’s prevalence among teenagers. Class discussion on risks associated with

Have students work in pairs to list ways to take prescription drugs safely. Have each pair take turns giving an example. Dependency/Addiction and Treatment Do Now: Why do people use and abuse alcohol, tobacco and other drugs? Discuss dependency and it’s stages. Brainstorm ways to quit a specific substance. Have students create a list of 5 places where you can purchase different drugs. Writing Assignment: What impact does substance abuse have on the person, family and community? Have students research different substances such as herbs, organics, and supplements. When each student presents their substance, compare and contrast. Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Discuss tobacco and it’s impact on the body. Groups present information on how tobacco affects a specific body part for both smokers and non-smokers. Discuss alcohol and it’s impact on the body. Discuss how alcohol contributes to a variety of illnesses.

injecting drugs. JOURNAL – Write about the day in the life of a drug abuser. Assign pairs to a specific drug to research legal and financial consequences for each including use, sale, and possession. SIDE EFFECTS - Define side effects. Invite a pharmacist or healthcare provider to discuss the most common side effects of medications to your class. Students prepare questions, in advance, for the presentation. After the visit, divide the class into small groups, and have each group select an occupation (i.e. pilot, racecar driver, professional athlete, doctor, carpenter.) Have each group discuss the responsibilities of its chosen occupation and predict the impact of medication side effects on job performance. After the presentations, discuss what a person can do to minimize medication side effects so he/she can function better at school or work. SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND CRIME – Have students gather and analyze statistical data on DUI arrests, car crashes related to substance use, and juvenile arrests. Have students compare the data over a 5 to 10 year period and draw conclusions. Next, have students compare data from other towns, counties, or states. Have students respond, in writing, to the following question: What can be done to decrease


• Development of target vocabulary • Scaffolding comprehension • Scaffolding content-area reading • Decreasing the amount of work presented or required; • Using videos, illustrations, pictures, and drawings to explain or clarify. • Offering graphic organizers • Teaching key aspects of a topic. Eliminating nonessential information. • Providing study guides.

• Allowing students to correct errors (looking for understanding); • Marking students’ correct and acceptable work, not the mistakes; • Allowing products (projects, timelines, demonstrations, models, drawings, poster boards,


Gifted Students:











Grade Eight


NJCCCS: 2.1 Wellness: All students will acquire health promotion concepts and skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active

Unit/Big Idea: (1) Public Health and Resources

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Knowing how and when to navigate the healthcare system is critical to maintaining wellness. The early detection of diseases and health conditions contributes to one’s health and helps reduce healthcare costs.

Why is it so difficult for some people to access healthcare? How do you know when you need help? What’s more important: prevention or cure?

Students will know that… The prevention and control of diseases and health conditions are affected by many factors. Potential solutions to health issues are dependent on health literacy and available resources.

Students will be able to… 2.1.8.C.1. Evaluate emerging methods to diagnose and treat diseases and health conditions that are common in young adults in the United States and other countries, including hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, HPV, and testicular cancer. 2.1.8.C.2. Analyze local, state, national, and international public health efforts to prevent and control diseases and health conditions. 2.1.8.C.3. Analyze the impact of mental illness (e.g., depression, impulse disorders such as gambling or shopping, eating disorders, and bipolar disorders) on physical, social, and emotional well-being. 2.2.8.E.1. Evaluate various health products, services, and resources from different sources, including the Internet.


2.2.8.E.2. Compare and contrast situations that require support from trusted adults or health professionals.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades

6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.




WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: Diseases and Health Conditions • Have students create a chart on diseases including, how they are transmitted, what causes them, where they are found on the body, and treatment.

Other Evidence: Quiz/Test (Facts) Oral Responses (Class Discussion) Projects Graphs Group Work/Presentations Journal Writing/Log

• Discuss how governmental agencies try to prevent and control diseases and health conditions.

Consider video taping end of unit assessment presentations for peer review and critique and shared with international ePals.


Suggested Learning Activities: Diseases and Health Conditions Define mental illness. Assign, as a project, an impulse disorder to each individual or to groups and have them present their research on their topic using a variety of multimedia. Students will include information about identifying the illness, and provide resources on when and where to seek appropriate help. Students will be assessed by way of teacher-generated rubric. Health Services & Information Conduct a survey of local healthcare providers (e.g., clinics, hospitals, physician’s offices) to identify the top ten problems of young adolescents. Students generate charts/graphs of data, and compare the local results to state, national, and international data.

Students rate each role-play for the effective use of decision-making, refusal, or negotiation skills or the appropriate use of assertiveness. (Students use a teacher-designed rating chart for this part of the activity.) Each student writes a short story about a potentially threatening situation focusing on the character’s use of skills to safely diffuse or resolve the situation.




Gifted Students:






• Totally Awesome Health, 1999 Meets/Heits (Course 1/Grade 7, Course 2/Grade 8)

• Choices, Scholastic • Being Healthy, 1990 Harcourt Brace • Everyday Learning Titles, 1999 for: Genetics, Reproduction, Your Changing Body, and




Grade Eight


NJCCCS: 2.2 Integrated Skills: All students will develop and use personal and interpersonal skills to support a healthy, active lifestyle. 2.4 Human Relationships and Sexuality: All students will acquire knowledge about the physical, emotional, and social aspects of human relationships and sexuality and apply these concepts to support a healthy, active lifestyle.

Unit/Big Idea: (2) Family, Relationships and Dating

Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that… Tolerance, appreciation and understanding of individual differences are necessary in order to establish healthy relationships. Relationships are the connections people have with each other. The family provides the first opportunity for a person to develop relationship skills. Every family is different but all families provide the foundation for future relationships. As individuals mature, they seek out different relationships with peers, colleagues, and loved ones. Raising a child requires physical, economic, emotional, social and intellectual commitment.

How do we learn to understand and respect diversity in relationships? How does your family influence the adult you will become? How do you develop and sustain relationships over time? How do you know when you are ready to have a child?

Students will know that… The values acquired from family, culture, personal experiences, and friends impact all types of relationships.

Students will be able to… 2.4.8.A.1. Predict how changes within a family can impact family members. 2.4.8.A.2. Explain how the family unit impacts character development. 2.4.8.A.4. Differentiate between affection, love, commitment, and sexual attraction. 2.4.8.A.6. Develop acceptable criteria for safe dating situations, such as dating in groups, setting limits, or only dating someone of the same age.

Personal lifestyle habits and genetics influence sexual development as well as overall growth patterns. Responsible actions regarding sexual behavior impact the health of oneself and others. Discussion of topics regarding sexuality requires a safe, supportive environment where sensitivity and respect is shown toward all. Early detection strategies assist in the prevention and treatment of illness or disease. Pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood are significant events that cause numerous changes in one’s life and the lives of others

2.4.8.A.3. Explain when the services of professionals are needed to intervene in relationships. 2.4.8.A.5. Determine when a relationship is unhealthy and explain effective strategies to end the relationship. 2.4.8.B.1. Analyze the influence of hormones, nutrition, the environment, and heredity on the physical, social, and emotional changes that occur during puberty. 2.4.8.B.2. Determine the benefits of sexual abstinence and develop strategies to resist pressures to become sexually active. 2.4.8.B.3. Compare and contrast methods of contraception used by adolescents and factors that may influence their use. 2.4.8.B.4. Relate certain behaviors to placing one at greater risk for HIV/AIDS, STIs, and unintended pregnancy. 2.4.8.B.5. Discuss topics regarding gender identity, sexual orientation, and cultural stereotyping. 2.4.8.B.6. Explain the importance of practicing routine healthcare procedures such as breast self-examination, testicular examinations, and HPV vaccine. 2.4.8.C.1. Summarize the signs and symptoms of pregnancy and the methods available to confirm pregnancy. 2.4.8.C.2. Distinguish physical, social, and emotional changes that occur during each stage of pregnancy, including the stages of labor and childbirth and the adjustment period following birth. 2.4.8.C.5. Correlate prenatal care with the prevention of complications that may occur during pregnancy and childbirth.


2.4.8.C.4. Predict short- and long-term impacts of teen pregnancy. 2.4.8.C.3. Determine effective strategies and resources to assist with parenting. 2.2.8.E.2. Compare and contrast situations that require support from trusted adults or health professionals.

Interdisciplinary Connections: New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards Grades 6 - 8 Teachers will select at minimum 2-3 standards from the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards (2016) for English Language Arts Companion Standards to support this unit: Progress Indicators Reading Science and Technical Subjects Key Ideas and Details RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics. RST.6-8.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic. RST.6-8.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text. RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video,

or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. Progress Indicators for Writing History, Science and Technical Subjects Text Types and Purposes WHST.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

F. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. G. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources. H. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. D. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. E. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.


A. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information using text structures (e.g. definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, etc.) and text features (e.g. headings, graphics, and multimedia) when useful to aiding comprehension. B. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. I. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. J. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. E. Establish and maintain a formal/academic style, approach, and form. F. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

WHST.6-8.3 (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement) Note: Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results. Production and Distribution of Writing WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on

how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Range of Writing WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, metacognition/self correction, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. 21st Century Life and Careers: Career Ready Practices (2014) describe the career-ready skills that all educators in all content areas should seek to develop in their students. They are practices that have been linked to increase college, career, and life success. Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. Teachers will select a minimum of 1-2 standards from the following list: CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.


Required Benchmark/Performance Assessment: After being assigned various lifetime scenarios, descriptions of various kinds of families undergoing changes (e.g., breadwinner loses job or gets a promotion and family has to move; single mother finds out she is pregnant with twins; parents divorce and one parent has to move out-of-state; family inherits a great deal of money; child is diagnosed with serious illness), conduct research to create a family budget, find suitable housing, employment, and transportation, address healthcare, locate schools and community services. Write the “story” of the family and create a family “album” that addresses how the family copes and deals with the problems and share the album with the class.

Other Evidence: Quiz/Test Oral Responses Projects Group Work/Presentations Diagrams Venn Diagrams Role Play Discussion Groups Journal Writing Debate Scripting


Suggested Learning Activities: Relationships Discuss types of relationships (peer, family, dating, marriage). Research how positive and negative change impacts families and relationships. Discuss what a family is and how they have changed over time (include a Discussion on sexual orientation when same-sex unions are brought up). Have each student create a family tree. Brainstorm and discuss why families change. Discuss how relationships change. Discuss dating including such things as: why people date, how do people date, how cultures differ. Have students list what might be signs of an unhealthy relationship.

Sexuality Have students list types of sexual pressures including internal and external. Discuss abstinence.

Have students in groups list benefits of abstinence (physical, social, emotional). Do Now: Why do adolescents engage in sexual activity? Work in pairs to list possible short and long-term effects of adolescent sexual behavior including socially, emotionally, and physically. Contraception Students will research various contraception methods and present those to the class. After presentations, students will work in groups to list from most effective to least effective and explain why. Do Now: What factors determine whether someone uses contraception? Discuss importance of routine healthcare

Have students define and discuss the difference between affection, love, commitment, and sexual attraction. Dating Violence (Content REQUIRED; adapt delivery as needed) “Dating violence” means a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control a dating partner. Discuss/present information regarding the warning signs of dating violence. The warning signs listed below are to educate the school community on the characteristics a pupil in an unhealthy or abusive relationship might exhibit. Warning signs may include, but are not limited to, the following: a. Name-calling and putdowns - Does one pupil in the relationship use name calling or putdowns to belittle or intimidate the other pupil? b. Extreme jealousy - Does one pupil in the relationship appear jealous when the other talks with peers? c. Making excuses - Does one pupil in the relationship make excuses for the other? d. Canceling or changing plans - Does one pupil cancel plans often, and at the last minute? Do the reasons make sense or sound untrue? e. Monitoring - Does one pupil call, text, or check up on the other pupil constantly? Does one pupil demand to know the otherʼs whereabouts or plans? f. Uncontrolled anger – Does one of the pupils in the relationship lose his or her temper or throw and break things in anger? g. Isolation - Has one pupil in the relationship given up spending time with family and friends? Has the pupil stopped participating in activities that were once very important?

(breast and testicular self-exams). Pregnancy & Parenting Discuss how pregnancy is detected.

Have students jigsaw the different stages of fetal development and report back to their group and prepare for a class discussion. Performance task – From My Perspective Discuss physical and emotional changes that occur during pregnancy. Research how different substances have an effect on pregnancy. Do Now: What does it mean to be a responsible parent? Discuss effective strategies of parenting and some of the difficulties that teen parents face. From My Perspective – Have students write a letter to their parent about what it is like to be in the womb. Have students write about parent behaviors (diet, exercise, pre-natal care, stress levels, etc.) and how they make them feel. Parent on a Budget – Students will be given a monthly salary and create a budget based on their needs. Be sure to include things such as rent, utilities, baby items (diapers, formula, baby food, etc.), car insurance, gas, food, childcare, etc. Have students reflect on what it really costs to be a parent financially. How much money did you have left at the end of the month? Were the costs of some items more expensive than you thought? Disease Prevention on Trial – Divide the class into 2 groups. One group is an attorney for a method of preventing disease and/or unintended pregnancy. They need to make an opening statement to group 2 (the jury) in which they will present information about their method. The jury will then rank in order from most to least reliable which method is the best for protecting against unintended pregnancy and then for preventing against disease.

h. Dramatic changes - Has the appearance of the pupil in the relationships changed? Has the pupil in the relationship lost or gained weight? Does the pupil seem depressed? i. Injuries - Does the pupil in the relationship have unexplained injuries? Does the pupil give explanations that seem untrue? j. Quick Progression - Did the pupilʼs relationship get serious very quickly? Unit Strategies/Modifications: Special Education Students:



Gifted Students:



reasoning)





