• Elementary Health Curriculum - Family Life

    K-4 health is divided into three basic areas of study (Safety, Family Life, and Care of the Body) incorporating both factual knowledge and the development of positive attitudes and lifelong healthy behaviors.  

    The Family Life curriculum focuses on information, self-concept, interpersonal relationships and positive decision making.  

    Please note: A substitute to the Family Life curriculum is available upon parental request. 

    Family Life Topics: 

    Kindergarten: Recognizing Similarities and Differences in Boys and Girls, Growth of a Child, and Families.  
    1st Grade: Identifying Different Kinds of Families, Growth of a Baby Before and After Birth, Understanding Heredity and Inherited vs. Acquired Traits
    2nd Grade: Families and Changes, Stereotypes and Family Roles, Heredity/Environment, Heredity/Genes 
    3rd Grade: Families: Types and Changes, Heredity and Environment, Influence of Gender on Personal Feelings and Behaviors, Similarities and Differences Between Boys and Girls as They Grow and Develop
    4th Grade: Ground Rules for Discussions, Female Reproductive System, Male Reproductive System, Puberty, Hygiene.  School districts in Pennsylvania are required by the State Board of Education to provide instruction about AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at the elementary, middle, and senior high school levels.   

    Teachers will teach the lessons exactly as they are written with no supplemental lessons or instruction.  However, parents/guardians should be aware that teachers cannot anticipate what questions will be raised by students in class when the lessons are taught.  Teachers will tell students who raise questions, which go beyond the specified curriculum, that those questions will be answered in a later grade, or in the middle school.  If students still have questions, the teacher will tell the student to discuss the questions at home with their parent/guardian.  Parents/guardians should be prepared for possible questions related to the specific lessons.  In addition, parents/guardians will receive information letters or family packets at each grade level during the Family Life unit.  For more information, please contact your child’s teacher.