Science Teaching Series

Internet Resources

I. Developing Scientific Literacy

II. Developing Scientific Reasoning

III. Developing Scientific Understanding

IV. Developing Scientific Problem Solving

V. Developing Scientific Research Skills

VI. Resources for Teaching Science

Health Science Standards

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Standard 7

The student will understand individual differences in growth and development.

Middle School | High School | Heath Standards Home

Middle School

Students in middle school who meet this standard will be able to:

  • Understand that each individual changes at his or her own pace.
  • Understand the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, including performance-altering substances, on the body.
  • Identify consequences of not having a realistic body image, such as dieting and eating disorders. Health Education Standards

The following tasks and assignments might be used to determine whether the student is meeting the standard:

  • Students will collect images of “ideal” bodies from the media and will compare those images with class observations of what reality is.
  • After hearing speakers on eating disorders and the negative consequences of inappropriate dieting and eating disorders, students will write reflective comments and discuss the topic.
  • Students will develop and conduct interviews with teens and adults to elicit strategies for coping with physical, mental, emotional, and social changes.
  • Students will attend a presentation (or be shown video clips) about individuals negatively affected by steroid use and create posters depicting the hazards of steroid use.

High School

Students in high school who meet this standard will be able to:

  • Explain how individuals experience physical, mental, emotional, and social changes at their own pace.
  • Explore how body image is affected by many outside influences.
  • Evaluate problems associated with body image, including steroid/ drug use, eating disorders, and dieting.

The following tasks and assignments might be used to determine whether the student is meeting the standard:

  • Students will describe the different rates of growth and maturation among individuals at various stages of life (e.g., middle grade, high school, adulthood).
  • Students will create a collage that shows how body image is portrayed by advertisements.
  • Students will describe how steroid/drug use, eating disorders, and dieting are behaviors that may result from unrealistic body images.