Fifth Grade Curriculum Resources
Standard of Learning
5.2 The student will demonstrate responsibility for developing personal health habits and practicing the behaviors that promote an active, healthy lifestyle. Key concepts/skills include:
- the relationship between health promotion and disease prevention;
- the connection between nutritional guidelines and weight management;
- strategies for managing stress;
- the importance of exercise and recreation;
- the effects of personal health habits on cardiovascular fitness;
- the importance of developing and maintaining a positive self-image.
Understanding the Standard
The student will understand the connection between a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention.
Essential Knowledge and Skills
The student will:
- define healthy lifestyle. (choosing healthy, safe behaviors that improve mental and physical health)
- determine how regular physical activity, proper diet, proper amounts of sleep, reducing stress, and abstaining from the use of alcohol and other drugs affect the body's ability to prevent diseases.
- list types of chronic diseases that can be prevented or delayed as a result of a healthy lifestyle. (heart, lung, diabetes, liver, etc.)
Sample Lessons
About All You Can Eat: A Feast at Plimoth Plantation
Grades 3-5
Compares foods eaten in 1627 with high fat foods eaten today. Also looks at 500 BC.
Sponsor: PBS
Two class periods
Contact: http://www.pbs.org/teachersource (select Health & Fitness - Grades 3-5 - Fitness & Nutrition)
Free
Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
Grades 3-5 (Hearty Heart and Friends - 3rd grade; Go For Health - 4th and 5th grades; and Facts for 5 - 5th grade)
*Evaluated program with mixed results
Coordinated effort between classroom, cafeteria, and physical education to decrease fat, saturated fat, and sodium in students' diets; increase physical activity; and prevent tobacco use.
Sponsor: Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/chppr/catch/ and http://www.flaghouse.com
+Cost
Discovering Foods of Mexico
Grades 5-6
Compares nutritional and wellness practices between cultural groups.
Sponsor: PBS
One-two class periods
http://www.pbs.org/foodancestors/midplan.html
Free
Dole's Five A Day Lesson Plans
Covers food journals, new fruits and vegetables, measuring portions, and where plants grow. Linked with reading/language arts, math, history, social science, science, geography, health, art/music/dance, agriculture, technology, home school, community service learning, and recognition curricula standards.
Sponsor: Dole
http://www.dole5aday.com/index.jsp
Free
Eat Well and Keep Moving
Grades 4-5
*Evaluated program
Comprehensive program to increase physical activity, increase fruits and vegetables, decrease fat, and decrease television viewing. Children learn as they move. Includes 44 lessons, CD-ROM to customize lessons, worksheets, school campaigns, and reproducible materials.
Sponsor: Harvard University
http://www.humankinetics.com
+Cost
Elementary Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Every Day, Lots of Ways (EDLOW)
Grades: K-1, 5 A Day for Better Health (focus - five fruits and vegetables a day)
Curriculum to promote healthy food choices.
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Department of Education
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/food_nutrition/cwp
5 A Day The Color Way - "There's a Rainbow on My Plate"
Grades K-6 (K-3, 4, 5, 6)
Encourages students to eat more fruits and vegetables each day through a variety of lessons and activity sheets. Teacher's guide, take home literature, recipes.
Sponsor: Dole Food Company
http://www.5aday.com
Free
The Food Groups: Food Pyramid
Grades 3-5
Students learn about the five food groups and how to use the food pyramid as their guide.
Sponsor: Ask ERIC Lesson Plan
Two classes
http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – nutrition)
Free
Food Works
Grades 3-5
Activity-based program to build skills and motivate students to make healthy food choices. Each kit includes teaching guide, videos, magazines, family newsletter, posters, and worksheets. Produced in 1995.
Sponsor: USDA
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/educators/scholastic.html
+Cost
Germs Experiment
Students observe the growth of germs on three germ-covered potato slices and one "control" potato slice.
Sponsor: Education World
Contact: http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2189.shtml
Free
Germs and the Body
To illustrate where germs exist, how they can get into and affect the body, and how the body defends itself against them.
Sponsor: Science NetLinks, AAAS and Marcopolo
Contact: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=6&DocID=66
Free
Graphing a Healthy Lifestyle
Grade(s): 5
Students will, over a week, record the amount of time they spend sleeping, attending school, watching T.V., exercising and doing homework. At the end of the week the students will graph all of their information and discuss how sleep impacts their learning. The graphs will be used to discuss daily habits and ways to improve overall health.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=66
Free
The Great Body Shop
Grades preK-6
Evaluated program
Encourages students to make life-long healthy choices including healthy nutrition and physical activity. Comprehensive health education program. Topics include:
--Critical thinking
--Life skills
--Health values
Available in English and Spanish; parent bulletins in seven languages
Sponsor: The Children's Health Market
http://www.thegreatbodyshop.net
+Cost
Health Database
Grades 2-5
Students analyze the content of school lunches to see if the lunches are balanced.
Sponsor: Ask ERIC Lesson Plan
Five class periods
http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – nutrition)
Free
HeartPower
Grades 3-5
Teaches students about the heart and how to keep it healthy. Includes physical activity, nutrition, and living tobacco-free. Science-based.
--Healthy-Heart Menus Quick Activity (Children create a one-minute television feature called "The Healthy-Heart Minute.")
--Target: No Smoking Game
--A Bunch of Reasons Not to Smoke Quick Activity
--Stand and Deliver Game
--What Does the Heart Do? - lesson idea
--How Does Blood Circulate? - lesson idea
--How Do Foods Help Our Bodies? - lesson idea (Encourages students to eat a variety of healthy foods. Describes various nutrients.)
--How Do You Choose Snacks and Other Foods? - lesson idea (Discusses factors influencing why students choose the foods they do. Activity sheets.)
--How Does Physical Activity Help You? - lesson idea (Discusses factors that influence students' choices about physical activity.)
--How Can You Stay Fit? - lesson idea (Discusses peer influences on personal health decisions related to fitness. Discusses heart-healthy fitness. Activity sheet. "What's Your Activity IQ?")
--"Smoking in the Cellar" - lesson idea
--Label the Heart's Parts - activity sheet
--What's in Foods? - activity sheet
--Be Choosy! - activity sheet
--Rate that Snack! - activity sheet
Sponsor: American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org (select HeartPower!)
Free
LOAFS – Learning on a Full Stomach
Grades 5-12
Students look at hunger problems within their own communities and are encouraged to implement a LOAFS program.
Sponsor: Ask ERIC Lesson Plan
Three classes
http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – nutrition)
Free
Mission Nutrition
Grades K-5 (K-1; 2-3; 4-5)
Three units related to promoting healthy body image, healthy eating, and physical activity. Includes lesson plans and student activities.
Sponsor: Dietitians of Canada and Team from Kellogg Canada, Inc.
http://www.missionnutrition.ca/missionnutrition/eng/educators
Free
Nutrition – Food Pyramid Book and Game
Grades 2-6
Students create a food pyramid and classify foods.
Sponsor: Ask ERIC Lesson Plan
One class period.
http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – nutrition)
Free
Nutrition Education - Balance Benefits
Grade(s): 5
Students will understand how a healthy diet and exercise can increase the likelihood of physical and mental wellness.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=956
Free
Nutrition Education - Dietary Guidelines
Grade(s): 5
Students will learn about suggested dietery guidelines and from that will understand how a healthy diet and exercise can increase the likelihood of physical and mental wellness.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=955
Free
Nutrition Education - Evaluate Your Eating Habits
Grade(s): 5
Through this lesson students will learn that their eating habits can improve by evaluating their choices.
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=957
Free
Oral Health Education: Saving Smiles Series- “Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body”
Grades: 4 & 5
Lesson Plan (1) Identify the components of a balanced meal and describe
carbohydrates and their impact on oral health. (SOL 4.1b, d ; 5.2b)
Lesson Plan (2) Develop an awareness of community health resources available
(SOL 4.5a,b ; 4.6a ; 5.4a,b ; 5.5c,d,e,f)
Lesson Plan (3) Describe the causes of dental diseases including the role of
bacterial plaque, and describe how dental diseases can be
prevented. (SOL 4.4b,d ; 5.2a)
Lesson Plan (4) Identify laws related to the purchase of tobacco products and describe the effects of tobacco on oral health and the body. (SOL 4.4b,d ; 5.2a)
Sponsor: Virginia Department of Health, Division of Dental Health
Contact: http://www.vahealth.org/teeth/OralHealthEducation.asp (curriculum resources)
Free
Planning a Healthy Menu Using the Food Pyramid
Grades 3-8
Students use the food pyramid to plan a healthy meal.
Sponsor: Ask ERIC Lesson Plan
One class period
http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – nutrition)
Free
Popcorn Nutrition
Grade(s): 3-8
Students will compare nutrition levels of snack foods and correctly calculate differences in nutritional value.
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp324-04.shtml
Free
Pyramid Explorations
Grade Four
Program to teach students about good eating habits, sound nutrition, and the Food Guide Pyramid. Lessons based on aliens coming to earth to learn about nutrition. Each activity is one act of a six-act plan. Includes activity sheets, teacher guide, workbook for each student, food pyramid poster, handouts, and additional activities.
Sponsor: National Dairy Council
http://www.nutritionexplorations.org
Free
Additional Instructional Resources
- American Diabetes Association - http://web.diabetes.org/youthzone/
- American Museum of Natural History - http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/infection/
- Center for Disease Control - http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/healthyheart/healthyheart.html
- Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Programs at Health and Human Services - http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - http://kids.jdrf.org/
- Kansas Department of Health and the Environment - http://www.kdheks.gov/wash_em/ideasforeducators.html
- National Heart Blood and Lung Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof
- Nemours Foundation - http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/index.html
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/
Assessment Ideas
The student will:
- interview two family members about diseases that are prevalent in the family.
- list 10 health-promoting physical activity and nutrition behaviors.
- design a health-behavior contract to promote health and prevent disease.

