What I Taught in Health Class This Week (First Day of Class)
Let’s take a look at what I taught in health class this week! Our focus for the first day of class was on getting to know each other, introducing the BEST Model, and seeing how health class connects to our real lives!
Table of Contents
✨ Member Access ✨ If you have a license for the Project School Wellness Health Curriculum, simply click the member link for easy access to each resource and lesson plan.
First-Day-of-Class - The BEST Model
Yay for the first week of school! I’m so excited to be back in the classroom. This year, I’ll be teaching preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school health.
For the first day of class, we focused on exploring the BEST model (our signature holistic health framework) and helping students see how health class relates to their everyday lives.
Let’s take a closer look at what I taught in each class, starting with preschool.
Preschool Health
Most weeks, I read them a book (I try to keep the theme connected to my elementary health lesson plan). Occasionally we’ll do a health art project. And since this was our first health lesson of the year, I decided to do a fun craft: a “We All Belong” puzzle (Free Access for Members). This activity went along perfectly with this week’s book: Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen.
Elementary Health
Next up, elementary health. Here are the three activities I did with my elementary students this week:
BEST Model Scavenger Hunt
BEST Model Learning Stations - Free Access for Members
Coloring Sheet: BEST Model Puzzle - Free Access for Members
Activity 1: BEST Model Scavenger Hunt
We kicked off elementary health class with a BEST Model Scavenger Hunt Activity. Most of these students worked with the BEST Model last year, so this was more of a refresher than an introduction.
How the BEST Model Scavenger Hunt Worked: This activity was quite simple. As I introduced each letter of the BEST Model, I asked students to find an object in the classroom that represented the dimension of health. This ended up working great with a small class. If the class was a bit bigger, I would’ve brought my own teaching artifacts and asked students to sort/match them to the elements of the BEST Model.
Activity 1: BEST Model Learning Station
Next, students worked at the BEST Model Learning Stations. In small groups, they rotated around the classroom to the stations. Each health station had a simple activity to help familiarize them with four core aspects of health:
B - Body
Activity: Fitness Fortune Teller
E - Environment (their surroundings and spaces they live their lives in)
Activity: Classroom Scavenger Hunt
S - Self (their inner being - their identity, mental and emotional health, and value system)
Activity: Emotion Matching
T - (Social) Ties
Post-It advice for being a kind classmate
BEST Model Learning Stations - Free Access for Members
Activity 3: Coloring Sheet: BEST Model Puzzle
We wrapped up class with students designing their BEST model puzzle. The goal of this activity was to help students see how the different parts of the BEST Model show up in their life and work together to create a full picture of their life/well-being. (Don’t worry the printable feature the correct questions and labels😜)
When they were done, we glued them in their health composition books (that’s what I’m using this year to keep all of their health work organized).
Middle School Health
Now, let’s take a look at middle school. We started with an entry task whiteboard activity and then we moved on the these two resources:
BEST Model Stations - Free Access for Members
BEST Backpack - Free Access for Members
Middle health started off by discussing what it means to be healthy. Students jotted down ideas in their composition notebooks, then discussed them as a class. After the entry task, we went right into the BEST Model Stations as an introduction to the BEST Model and holistic health.
When they were done with the learning station activity, we returned to the entry task question. Equipped with the BEST Model framework, they examine a more holistic approach to the idea of being “healthy.”
BEST Model Backpack Project - Free Access for Members
Their last activity was the BEST Backpack. The goal of this health worksheet was to help students connect the BEST model to their real lives.
High School Health
Lastly, we have high school health. My high school set up is a once week, two hour class. We’ve only met once but so far I like the extended time together! Here’s a look at day one:
Entry Task: Brain Dump
BEST Model Stations - Free Access for Members
Daily BEST Health Worksheet - Free Access for Members
Health Pennant - Free Access for Members
ABCs Game - The ABCs Game Instant Download
This week’s class started off with a brain dump (students answered independently in their composition books). First, I just asked them to write down everything that comes to mind when they think of “health” or being healthy. Then, I asked them to write down 15 things that make them happy and bring them joy.
Then, they did the BEST Model Learning Station Activity. Last year, I only taught these students few sex ed lessons, so this was a new concept for them. They enjoyed the stsations and quickly understood the concept of the BEST model.
BEST Model Learning Stations - Free Access for Members
Once they were done, I introduced them to their Daily BEST check-in sheet. I am super excited for them to use this worksheet. The hope is that it will help them build a habit of self-reflection. Not only self-reflection, but by using the BEST Model as the framework for the check-in, I am hoping they will increase their level of self-awareness. So not only will they understand what they are feeling/experiencing, but they are also understanding the why.
Daily BEST Health Worksheet - Free Access for Members
Now that students better understand the BEST Model, I asked them to go back to their brain dump and sort through their lists and identify aspects of their life that related to each element of the BEST Model. Once they sorted through (and added to) their list, they designed health flags. Inside their flag, they added icons/symbols of core aspects of their well-being.
Blank Health Flag - Free Access for Members
For our final activity, students did the ABCs of health game. Since it was their first time playing, we kept it simple. The first round was food, and the second was healthy habits.
The ABCs Game Instant Download
Well, health friends, that’s it for this week! Tune in next week for teaching ideas on introducing the health skills!