Healthy habits and the body
Students start the year with the basics of staying well. They learn how sleep, food, exercise, and hygiene shape how a growing body feels and works each day.
What does a student learn in
This is the year health class shifts from following rules to making real decisions. Students learn how friends, family, social media, and ads shape the choices they make about food, sleep, stress, and their bodies. They practice spotting reliable health information and saying hard things out loud, like setting a limit with a friend or asking an adult for help. By spring, students can walk through a tough choice, name the influences on it, and explain a plan they would actually follow.
- Decision making
- Peer and media influence
- Reliable health information
- Communication skills
- Goal setting
- Personal and family health
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Spotting influences on choices
Students look at what pushes them toward or away from healthy choices. That includes friends, family, ads, social media, and the messages they see every day.
- 3
Finding trustworthy health info
Students practice telling solid health information from junk online. They learn where to go for real help, from a doctor to a school counselor to a reliable website.
- 4
Talking through tough situations
Students work on saying what they mean in hard moments. They practice asking for help, saying no, handling conflict, and speaking up when something feels off.
- 5
Making decisions and setting goals
Students walk through how to think before they act and how to plan for something they want to change. They set a personal health goal and track small steps toward it.
- 6
Standing up for health at home and school
Students close the year by putting it all together. They practice habits that lower real risks and look at ways to support healthier choices for family, friends, and the wider community.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.
Health Education
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Health basics that improve your life | Students learn the core facts behind health choices: how sleep, food, stress, and physical activity affect the body and mind at this age. | CA-HE.1.7 |
| What shapes your health choices | Students look at what shapes their health choices, from feelings and personal values to friends, family, ads, and social media. They practice spotting which influences push toward healthier decisions and which ones don't. | CA-HE.2.7 |
| Finding and checking health information | Students practice finding trustworthy health information and figuring out whether a source, product, or service is actually reliable. This skill helps them make smarter choices about their own health. | CA-HE.3.7 |
| Talking to others about your health | Students practice skills like listening, asking for help, and setting boundaries in conversations about health. These everyday communication habits help students make safer choices and build stronger relationships. | CA-HE.4.7 |
| Making health decisions | Students practice a step-by-step process for making choices that protect their health, like deciding how to respond to peer pressure or handle a stressful situation. The focus is on thinking through consequences before acting. | CA-HE.5.7 |
| Setting health goals that stick | Students practice setting a specific health goal, like getting more sleep or being more active, and map out the steps to reach it. The focus is on making the plan realistic and tracking progress over time. | CA-HE.6.7 |
| Habits that protect your health | Students learn to make everyday choices that lower health risks, like getting enough sleep, staying active, and managing stress. The focus is on habits they can actually build and keep. | CA-HE.7.7 |
| Promoting health for yourself and others | Students learn to take real steps that support their own health and the health of people around them, from daily habits at home to choices that affect their school or neighborhood. | CA-HE.8.7 |
Common Questions
What does health class actually cover this year?
Students learn how to take care of their body and mind, and how the choices around them shape their health. Topics include nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mental and emotional health, friendships, and avoiding risky behaviors. They also practice spotting reliable health information online.
How can families support healthy habits at home?
Eat a meal together a few times a week and talk about what is on the plate. Keep a regular bedtime and put phones outside the bedroom at night. Walking, biking, or a quick game in the yard counts as activity and gives time to talk.
How should puberty, dating, and peer pressure be handled at home?
Expect honest questions about bodies, feelings, friendships, and dating. Short, calm answers work better than one big talk. Sharing family values out loud helps students think through pressure from friends before they are in the moment.
How should the year be sequenced across so many topics?
Start with core skills like decision-making, goal-setting, and analyzing influences, then apply those skills to one health topic at a time. Nutrition, physical activity, and mental health work well early. Save sensitive units like substance use and growth and development for after classroom trust is built.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Analyzing influences and accessing valid health information are the hardest. Students can name peer pressure but struggle to spot marketing, social media, and family habits as influences. They also accept the first search result as fact, so practice with evaluating sources pays off.
What should parents do if their student is asked uncomfortable questions in class?
Ask what the topic was and what the lesson actually said. Most units cover sensitive material with clear ground rules and a chance to opt out of certain lessons. Reaching out to the teacher early gets a straight answer about what is coming up.
How does mental health fit into the year?
Students learn to name emotions, manage stress, and notice warning signs in themselves and friends. They practice asking a trusted adult for help and knowing which hotlines or school staff to go to. This is treated as a skill, not a one-time talk.
What does a strong end-of-year student look like?
Students can set a realistic health goal, list steps to reach it, and name two people or resources who can help. They can read a food label, question an ad, and walk through a decision with pros and cons. They also know where to go for accurate health information.
How can a tough conversation about drugs, alcohol, or vaping start at home?
Bring it up during something else, like a car ride or while cooking, so it feels less like a lecture. Ask what students have heard at school or seen online before sharing a view. Keep the door open by ending with a clear offer to talk again anytime.