Health concepts and personal habits
Students start the year by learning how the body works and what keeps it well. They look at sleep, food, movement, and stress, and tie daily choices to how they feel.
What does a student learn in
This is the stretch when health class shifts from learning rules to making real decisions students will carry into adulthood. They learn to spot what shapes their choices, from social media to friend groups to stress, and how to find sources they can actually trust. They practice talking through hard conversations, setting goals, and speaking up for themselves and the people around them. By spring, students can walk through a real decision, name the pressures on it, and explain a plan they would follow.
- Decision making
- Healthy relationships
- Mental health
- Trusted sources
- Goal setting
- Standing up for yourself
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Influences on health choices
Students examine what shapes their decisions, from friends and family to ads and social media. They learn to spot pressure and notice when a message is selling something instead of helping.
- 3
Finding trustworthy information
Students practice tracking down reliable health information instead of guessing or trusting the first search result. They compare sources and learn which adults, clinics, and websites actually help.
- 4
Communication and decisions
Students work on saying what they mean in hard conversations, including refusing, asking for help, and setting limits with friends or partners. They walk through a step-by-step way to make decisions they can stand behind.
- 5
Goals, behaviors, and advocacy
Students set a real health goal, track progress, and adjust when life gets in the way. They also speak up for healthier choices at school and at home, from safer driving to mental health support.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 9.
Health Education
Health Education
- High School
Use functional knowledge of health concepts to support health and well-being of…
Students apply what they know about health, like how sleep, nutrition, or stress affect the body, to make real decisions for themselves and the people around them.
- High School
Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others
Students examine how advertising, social media, family habits, and peer pressure shape the health choices people make. They learn to spot which influences push toward healthier decisions and which ones work against them.
- High School
Access valid and reliable resources to support health and well-being of self…
Students learn to find trustworthy sources of health information, like a doctor's website or a government health page, and use those sources to make better decisions for themselves and the people around them.
- High School
Use interpersonal communication skills to support health and well-being of self…
Students practice the conversations that matter for health: asking for help, setting a boundary, or checking in on a friend. Good communication is a skill, and this standard treats it like one.
- High School
Use a decision-making process to support health and well-being of self and…
Students practice a step-by-step process for making real health decisions, like whether to seek help, set a boundary, or support a friend. The goal is choices that hold up under pressure.
- High School
Use a goal-setting process to support health and well-being of self and others
Students pick a real health goal, then map out the steps to reach it, tracking progress and adjusting when plans hit a snag. The focus is on goals that help both themselves and the people around them.
- High School
Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self…
Students practice habits that protect their own health and look out for others. This includes choices like getting enough sleep, managing stress, and stepping in when someone around them needs support.
- High School
Advocate to promote health and well-being of self and others
Students identify a health issue, take a clear position on it, and try to persuade others to act. That might mean writing a letter, making a poster, or speaking up for a school policy change.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Use functional knowledge of health concepts to support health and well-being of… High School | Students apply what they know about health, like how sleep, nutrition, or stress affect the body, to make real decisions for themselves and the people around them. | NH-HE.1.9-12 |
| Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others High School | Students examine how advertising, social media, family habits, and peer pressure shape the health choices people make. They learn to spot which influences push toward healthier decisions and which ones work against them. | NH-HE.2.9-12 |
| Access valid and reliable resources to support health and well-being of self… High School | Students learn to find trustworthy sources of health information, like a doctor's website or a government health page, and use those sources to make better decisions for themselves and the people around them. | NH-HE.3.9-12 |
| Use interpersonal communication skills to support health and well-being of self… High School | Students practice the conversations that matter for health: asking for help, setting a boundary, or checking in on a friend. Good communication is a skill, and this standard treats it like one. | NH-HE.4.9-12 |
| Use a decision-making process to support health and well-being of self and… High School | Students practice a step-by-step process for making real health decisions, like whether to seek help, set a boundary, or support a friend. The goal is choices that hold up under pressure. | NH-HE.5.9-12 |
| Use a goal-setting process to support health and well-being of self and others High School | Students pick a real health goal, then map out the steps to reach it, tracking progress and adjusting when plans hit a snag. The focus is on goals that help both themselves and the people around them. | NH-HE.6.9-12 |
| Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self… High School | Students practice habits that protect their own health and look out for others. This includes choices like getting enough sleep, managing stress, and stepping in when someone around them needs support. | NH-HE.7.9-12 |
| Advocate to promote health and well-being of self and others High School | Students identify a health issue, take a clear position on it, and try to persuade others to act. That might mean writing a letter, making a poster, or speaking up for a school policy change. | NH-HE.8.9-12 |
Common Questions
What does health class actually cover at this level?
Students learn how to take care of their own health and look out for the people around them. That covers eating, sleep, exercise, mental health, relationships, substance use, and online life. The focus shifts from memorizing facts to making real decisions.
How can I help my teenager at home without making it awkward?
Short car conversations work better than big sit-downs. Ask what they think about something in the news, a show, or a friend's situation, then listen more than you talk. Students at this age are practicing how to think things through, not waiting to be told the answer.
What should students be able to do by the end of the year?
Students should be able to spot what is pushing them toward a choice, find a trustworthy source instead of the first search result, and walk through a decision before they make it. They should also be able to set a realistic goal and check their own progress.
How should the year be sequenced?
A common pattern is to start with skills like decision-making, goal-setting, and finding reliable information, then apply those skills to specific topics across the year. That way mental health, substance use, relationships, and physical health each become practice with the same core skills.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Evaluating sources and refusing or redirecting a conversation are the two that need the most practice. Students can name the steps quickly but freeze in a real moment. Short role-plays and quick source comparisons spread across the year help more than one big unit.
How do I know if my teen is learning anything useful?
Listen for small shifts. They question a TikTok claim, push back on a friend's plan, or mention a goal they set for sleep or screen time. Those are signs the skills are sticking, even if the gradebook does not show it.
My teen will not talk about health topics with me. What should I do?
Keep the door open without forcing it. Share what you read or watched, mention how you handled something at their age, and let them know who else they can go to, an aunt, a coach, a doctor. Being one of several trusted adults is the goal.
How can advocacy be assessed without it feeling like a poster project?
Ask students to pick a real audience and a real ask. A letter to a coach about water breaks, a short pitch to a club, or a script for talking to a younger sibling shows more than a poster. Grade the clarity of the message and the fit for the audience.