This Week in Health (10/6-10/10)

It is hard to believe we are already winding down with term 1. We move on to term 2 in just a few short weeks. The school year is already flying!

6th Grade: We recently finished up our unit on physical fitness and nutrition. I am hoping the students learned plenty about the importance of exercise and what eating a "healthy" diet really means for them. With the upcoming cold and flu season we have spent some time this week talking about infectious diseases and how germs spread. Hopefully we will be seeing plenty of hand washing this fall and winter as a result! :)

7th Grade: We have been discussing nutrition in 7th grade. When the students are in 6th grade we focus on the 5 food groups and what a balanced plate looks like. In 7th grade we get more into detail about the food groups, discussing benefits of each, the nutrients they provide, and serving sizes. We also start to look at calories and how many calories different foods provide us with. We also talk about how many calories are too much, too little, or just right. We took on one of my favorite lessons to teach this week in which we examine food advertising and how it impacts our food choices. Hopefully the students are now more aware of some of the "tricks" advertisers use, and  will use this to make healthier, more informed decisions.

8th Grade: We have been talking about a variety of mental illnesses, warning signs related to these illnesses, as well as treatment. The general purpose of this unit is to provide awareness of mental illnesses and talk about ways to help if they are ever impacted, directly or indirectly. The students generally take a lot of interest in this unit and we have many valuable discussions in class. Currently we are discussing addiction, and watching Chris Herren's story to look at the dangers of drug addiction and the impact drug abuse has on one's brain. Visit this web page for more information about Chris Herren and his project: http://www.theherrenproject.org/,