GRADE BAND 6-8
PERSONAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has established the following Personal Health and Wellness Knowledge and Skills
Expectations to make clear to teachers, students and parents the functional knowledge, essential
understandings and health-related skills students need to acquire by the end of Grade Eight.
Personal Health and Wellness Application
The Personal Health and Wellness portion of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Health Education Curriculum is
designed to provide students with not only the functional knowledge, but also with the skills, beliefs and
attitudes essential to the development of optimal personal health and wellness behaviors. In order to ensure
continued performance, the body requires daily attention including basic hygiene, disease prevention strategies
as well as hearing, vision, and sun protection. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati supports their students in learning
the functional knowledge and skills inherent to maintaining and enhancing one’s health; and, furthermore
acknowledges this learning as critical to sustaining optimal health later in life.
SUMMARY
The 6-8 grade band focus is built and reinforced from grade level to grade level. Each year the students’ will use
their acquired personal health and wellness concepts and skills with more sophistication and independence.
Ultimately, with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s progressive scope and sequence of personal health and wellness
learning experiences, students will achieve the Healthy Behavior Outcomes (HBOs):
A pre-K–12 personal health and wellness curriculum should enable students to :
HBO 1. Brush and floss teeth daily.
HBO 2. Practice appropriate hygiene habits.
HBO 3. Get an appropriate amount of sleep and rest.
HBO 4. Prevent vision and hearing loss.
HBO 5. Prevent damage from the sun.
HBO 6. Practice behaviors that prevent infectious diseases.
HBO 7. Practice behaviors that prevent chronic diseases.
HBO 8. Prevent serious health problems that result from common chronic diseases and conditions among youth,
such as allergies, asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy.
HBO 9. Practice behaviors that prevent food-borne illnesses. (This is addressed in the Healthy Eating section.)
HBO 10. Seek out help for common infectious diseases and chronic diseases and conditions.
HBO 11. Seek out healthcare professionals for appropriate screenings and examinations.
SUMMARY (cont.)
Grade Six
Adding to their basic knowledge of body systems, sixth graders begin to understand the differences between
infectious and non-infectious diseases. They explore the transmission modes of various common infectious
diseases and analyze the behavioral and environmental factors associated with the development of chronic
diseases. To reinforce their understanding of infectious and non-infectious diseases, the students create an
advocacy campaign focused on the prevention of chronic diseases.
Grade Seven/ Eight:
Seventh/ eighth grade students examine specific health behaviors such as protecting their hearing, vision and
skin (from sun damage). Similarly, they learn the benefits of proper rest and sleep as well as the potential health
and social consequences body piercings and tattoos. After learning how to evaluate sources of health
information, students practice the skill of accessing valid, reliable health resources.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati stipulates the following personal health and wellness exit outcomes by the end
of grade eight:
National Health Education Standard 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Summarize the symptoms of someone who is sick or getting sick.
Summarize ways that common infectious diseases are transmitted.
Explain the difference between infectious, noninfectious, acute and chronic diseases.
Summarize health practices to prevent the spread of infectious diseases that are transmitted by food,
air, indirect contact, and person-to-person contact.
Summarize the benefits of good hygiene practices for promoting health and maintaining positive social
relationships.
Identify common causes of noise-induced hearing loss
Describe appropriate ways to protect vision and hearing
Summarize actions to take to protect oneself against potential damage from exposure to the sun.
Explain the behavioral and environmental factors that contribute to the major chronic diseases.
National Health Education Standard 3
1. Analyze the validity and reliability of personal health and wellness information.
2. Access valid and reliable personal health and wellness information from home, school or community.
National Health Education Standard 7
1. Explain the importance of being responsible for personal health and wellness-related behaviors.
2. Analyze personal health and wellness-related practices and behaviors that reduce or prevent health
risks.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati stipulates the following personal health and wellness exit outcomes by the end
of grade eight:
National Health Education Standard 8
1. State a health-enhancing position, supported with accurate information, to improve the personal health
and wellness of others.
2. Persuade others to make positive personal health and wellness-related choices.
3. Collaborate with others to advocate for individuals, families and schools to be healthy.