High School Health

Teacher:

Mr. Cobern

Semester(s):

1 semester

Email:

jcobern@pittsfieldnhschools.org

Phone:

435-6701 (ext 4131)

Course Description: Emphasis is placed on promoting wellness and positive behavior by encouraging students to evaluate
their choices and take responsibility for their own well-being. This course focuses on self-awareness and provides
opportunities for students to evaluate their present health situation and take measures to maintain and/or improve their health,
prevent disease, and reduce risky health behaviors. Topics include self-esteem, stress management, nutrition, drugs including
alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, identification and prevention of infectious and lifestyle diseases.

Students are able to demonstrate competency in a way that works for them. Below, the course assessments are
listed to give you an idea of the summative opportunities that will be provided within the course for students to
demonstrate competency.
Course Competencies
Students will understand that a variety
of factors will affect their health and
wellness.

Summative Assessments
Unit 1 summative: Create a poster with your SMART fitness goal, the activities you
plan to do to achieve that goal, and a way to track your progress.
Unit 2 summative: Using a collage or slideshow, find and compare some images of
current and historical ideal body shapes from the US and elsewhere to illustrate the
influence of culture, media, and technology. Investigate the medical, social, and
economic impact of beauty standards.

Students will understand that the use of

medicines and other drugs will influence
the quality of ones life.

Unit 6 summative: Make an advertisement for a fictional health product using the
persuasive techniques we investigate.
Unit 7 summative: Using research into drugs and treatment, write a letter to a state
representative to persuade them to take steps to curb the effects of drug addiction
in our state.

Students will understand that mental

and emotional health is influenced by
numerous factors.

Unit 4 summatives: Make a selfie poster to promote your self esteem. Use role
playing to demonstrate healthy communication strategies. Research and present
about a mental illness.
Unit 8 summative: Interview a person or group at school or in your community who
provides a health-related service, then write a newspaper article about them, or
present a radio or television interview with them.
Unit 5 summatives: Research and make a presentation on a lifestyle, genetic, or
environmental disease. Investigate how pathogens spread and investigate current
medical research that aims to combat them.

Students will understand that diseases

are classified by various factors.

Students will understand that

reproductive health and sexuality is a
dynamic, ongoing process.

Unit 3 summatives: Group research and presentations on healthy and unhealthy

reproductive systems. Write and present a skit about healthy relationships/dating
emphasizing the ability to say no. Research and present information about
sexually transmitted diseases.

Student Expectations: Students will be expected to participate maturely in class discussions, generate guiding questions,
research information independently, compile and present their findings, and give constructive feedback to their peers. They will
be expected to have their books with them for class, as well as be able to bring the books home for homework reading and
writing assignments. They should have their iPads ready and charged in class every day.
I prefer that assignments be completed using Google Docs and Google Slides, so that they may be shared with me and easily
presented in class.

Course Evaluation & Assessment Practices: Homework will count as formative assessments and and be used to
determine if the student is ready to demonstrate competency through a summative assessment. Rubrics for each competency
will emphasize depth of knowledge. As many of the assessments apply to multiple competencies, multiple assignments that
are connected to the competency will be averaged together. There will also be some assessments which are the only ones for
certain competencies, and the grade earned on those will be the grade for the competency.
If a student does not turn in an assignment on time, they will receive a mark in the grade book of NE for no evidence. Once
this happens, the student may meet with the teacher to make a plan to make up the missing work. If a plan to make up the
work is not made within 5 school days of the NE, the mark will change to a zero. Once work is returned according to the makeup plan, the grade will be changed to reflect what the student has earned on the assignment.

Additional Notes: Our discussion of reproductive health and sexuality will focus on abstinence, but include information on
other methods of STI and pregnancy prevention. If you have any objections to this, feel free to contact me with your concerns.
The following is from the Pittsfield School District Student and Family handbook regarding health education:
HEALTH EDUCATION AND EXEMPTION FROM INSTRUCTION (IHAM) Parents /guardians have the right to inspect
the health education curriculum and may do so by contacting the Dean of Instruction to make those arrangements.
Parents/guardians who wish to have their child opt-out of such instruction are required to make their request in writing
to the Dean of Instruction and state the particular unit of curriculum or lesson of instruction in which the student is not
to participate. Opt-out requests must be submitted annually and are valid only for the school year with they are
submitted. Please see Board policy IHAM for more information.

As signified by our signatures, we have received and read this course outline.

Student Signature

Date

Parent Signature

Date