Physical and Health Education Department
Physical Education
The middle school physical education program focuses on health-related fitness, movement skills and concepts, and personal and social responsibility. Each physical education unit challenges students to better understand the benefits of physical activity toward fitness, fundamentals of efficient movement in physical activity and sport, and the essentials of responsibility in a movement setting. The learning tasks in physical education emphasize and teach problem-solving and decision-making skills. Students participate in games and activities that promote fitness, develop tactical awareness, and indoctrinate social qualities. By the end of Grade 6, students should know and be able to do the following:
Health-related fitness:
- Define and compare the health-related fitness components, including aerobic capacity/cardiorespiratory fitness,
- muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility.
- Define the exercise principles of overload, specificity, and progression.
- Develop a personal fitness plan using the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (F.I.T.T.) formula.
- Define and calculate target heart rate.
- Movement Skills and Concepts
- Perform fundamental movement skills essential to physical activity and sport.
- Demonstrate creative skill combinations, such as tumbling sequences and dances.
- Create a personal movement (practice) plan.
Personal and Social Responsibility:
- Perform tasks effectively with others in physical activity settings.
- Acquire and maintain relationships that develop a sense of community in physical activity settings.
- Establish and modify personal goals.
Comprehensive Health Education
Comprehensive Health Education promotes positive health- related attitudes and behaviors that support self-reliance andself-regulation, while developing health literacy and lifelong wellness. The life skills emphasized throughout the program include setting goals; making decisions; identifying beliefs, attitudes, and motivations; assessing information; and advocating for personal, family, and community health. This nine-week course includes prevention; family life and human sexuality; and disease prevention and control. Parents of Grade 6 students will receive information about the family life and human sexuality unit and the disease prevention and control unit of instruction prior to the start of classroom instruction. Parents who object to the content of the instruction may request that their child be excused from that unit. If excused, the student will complete an independent-study alternative unit of health education that does not include information about human sexuality or disease prevention, including HIV/AIDS.
Physical Education/Health 7
The middle school physical education program focuses on health-related fitness, movement skills and concepts, and personal and social responsibility. Each physical education unit challenges students to better understand the development and implementation of long-term fitness and physical activity goals, the application of tactics and movement skills in physical activities and sport, and the relationship between teamwork and achievement. The learning tasks in physical education emphasize and teach problem-solving and decision-making skills. Students are challenged to utilize strategies that deepen understanding and promote self-efficacy in learning concepts of movement, fitness, and responsibility.
By the end of Grade 7, students should know and be able to do the following:
Health-related fitness
- Apply exercise principles to the health-related fitness components to develop and modify a personal fitness plan.
- Calculate and apply methods for measurement of target heart rate and healthy fitness zone.
- Compare the relationship between nutrition and physical activity.
Movement Skills and Concepts
- Apply basic movement concepts related to defense and offense in personal development and tactical games activities.
- Design and demonstrate creative skill combinations.
- Develop and modify a personal movement (practice) plan.
Personal and Social Responsibility
- Identify conflict-resolution skills and negotiation tactics to promote a healthy physical activity setting.
- Perform tasks effectively with others in physical activity settings.
- Apply effective time-management strategies to improve movement skills and fitness levels.
Comprehensive Health Education 7
Comprehensive Health Education promotes positive health- related attitudes and behaviors that support self-reliance and self-regulation while developing health literacy and lifelong wellness. The life skills emphasized throughout the program include setting goals; making decisions; identifying beliefs, attitudes, and motivations; assessing information; and advocating for personal, family, and community health. Comprehensive health education includes the following seven units: mental and emotional health; tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; nutrition and fitness; safety and injury prevention; family life and human sexuality; and disease prevention and control. Parents of Grade 7 students will receive information about the family life and human sexuality unit and the disease prevention and control unit of instruction prior to the start of classroom instruction. The disease unit includes information about sexually transmitted diseases and infections, including HIV/AIDS. Parents must sign a permission form checking “Yes” for their child to participate in these units of instruction. Parents who object to the content of this instruction will check “No” on the parent permission form and the student will be excused from that unit. If excused, the student will complete an independent-study alternative unit of health education that does not include information about human sexuality or disease prevention, including HIV/AIDS.
Physical Education/Health 8
The middle school physical education program focuses on health-related fitness, movement skills and concepts, and personal and social responsibility. Each physical education unit challenges students to adhere to their personalized fitness and practice plans, apply strategic movement concepts in game settings, and engage in collaborative activities that foster a sense of membership and affiliation. By the end of Grade 8, students should know and be able to do the following:
Health-related fitness
- Apply exercise principles to the health-related fitness components to develop, analyze, and refine a personal fitness plan.
- Apply and analyze methods for measuring target heart rate.
- Distinguish between nutritional needs that maintain the average healthy body and those for athletic performance.
Movement Skills and Concepts
- Apply and analyze concepts related to defense and offense in personal development and tactical games activities.
- Develop, perform, and analyze creative skill combinations.
- Create, analyze, and refine a personal movement (practice) plan based on a variety of feedback.
Personal and Social Responsibility
- Resolve conflicts and make healthy decisions that promote a sense of community and respect for others in physical activity settings.
- Apply, analyze, and refine effective time-management strategies to improve movement skills and fitness levels
Comprehensive Health Education 8
Comprehensive Health Education promotes positive health-related attitudes and behaviors that support self-reliance and self-regulation while developing health literacy and lifelong wellness. The life skills emphasized throughout the program include setting goals; making decisions; identifying beliefs, attitudes, and motivations; assessing information; and advocating for personal, family, and community health. Comprehensive health education includes the following seven units: mental and emotional health; tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; nutrition and fitness; safety and injury prevention; family life and human sexuality; and disease prevention and control. Students in Grade 8 receive nine weeks of health education. Special emphasis on prevention of depression is included in Grade 8 through Red Flags, a collaborative project with the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County. Parents of Grade 8 students will receive information about the family life and human sexuality unit and the disease-prevention and control unit of instruction prior to the start of classroom instruction. Information about teen pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted diseases is included in Grade 8 health education. Parents must sign a permission form checking “Yes” for their child to participate in these units of instruction. Parents who object to the content of this instruction will check “No” on the parent permission form and the student will be excused from that unit. If excused, the student will complete an independent-study alternative unit of health education that does not include information about human sexuality or disease prevention, including HIV/AIDS.
Current students and parents may access complete course overviews via Edline.