This is the year health class shifts from learning the rules to running their own life. Students take what they know about food, sleep, stress, relationships, and substances and put it to work in real decisions they face now. They learn to spot what pulls them off track, find trustworthy sources instead of random posts, and speak up for themselves and their friends. By spring, they can walk through a real choice out loud: what they want, what could go wrong, and what they will actually do.
Students start the year learning how daily choices about sleep, food, exercise, and stress shape long-term health. They practice spotting reliable health information and ignoring sources that are trying to sell something.
Students look at what pushes teens toward risky or healthy choices, including friends, family, social media, and advertising. They learn to notice pressure as it happens instead of after the fact.
Students practice the words and tone used in real situations: saying no, asking for help, setting limits with a partner or friend, and talking with a parent or doctor about something hard.
Students walk through a step-by-step way to make decisions under pressure and set goals they can actually keep. Parents may hear teens talking through options out loud before acting.
Students put the year together by applying habits to topics like mental health, substance use, nutrition, and safety. The focus shifts from knowing the rules to using them when it counts.
Students end the year learning to advocate for themselves and others, whether that means supporting a friend, asking a school to change something, or sharing accurate information online.
Students apply what they know about health to make real decisions, like managing stress, supporting a friend, or choosing how to stay physically well.
Students look at what shapes their health choices, from family habits and friend groups to media and cultural norms, and explain how those outside forces push them toward or away from healthier decisions.
Students learn to find trustworthy sources of health information, like a doctor's website or a public health hotline, and use them to make informed decisions for themselves and the people around them.
Students practice real conversations, like setting limits with a friend or talking through a hard decision, that protect their own health and help the people around them.
Students practice a step-by-step process for making real choices about their health, like whether to see a doctor or how to respond to peer pressure. The goal is decisions that protect both their own well-being and the people around them.
Students practice setting a real health goal, mapping out steps to reach it, and tracking progress over time. The focus is on goals that improve their own well-being and support the people around them.
Students practice real habits, like getting enough sleep, managing stress, and looking out for peers, that protect their own health and the health of people around them.
Students learn to speak up for healthier choices, whether for themselves or someone else. That might mean researching a health issue, building a case for change, and presenting it to a real audience.
| 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 to make real decisions, like managing stress, supporting a friend, or choosing how to stay physically well. | MD-HE.1.9-12 |
| Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others High School | Students look at what shapes their health choices, from family habits and friend groups to media and cultural norms, and explain how those outside forces push them toward or away from healthier decisions. | MD-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 public health hotline, and use them to make informed decisions for themselves and the people around them. | MD-HE.3.9-12 |
| Use interpersonal communication skills to support health and well-being of self… High School | Students practice real conversations, like setting limits with a friend or talking through a hard decision, that protect their own health and help the people around them. | MD-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 choices about their health, like whether to see a doctor or how to respond to peer pressure. The goal is decisions that protect both their own well-being and the people around them. | MD-HE.5.9-12 |
| Use a goal-setting process to support health and well-being of self and others High School | Students practice setting a real health goal, mapping out steps to reach it, and tracking progress over time. The focus is on goals that improve their own well-being and support the people around them. | MD-HE.6.9-12 |
| Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self… High School | Students practice real habits, like getting enough sleep, managing stress, and looking out for peers, that protect their own health and the health of people around them. | MD-HE.7.9-12 |
| Advocate to promote health and well-being of self and others High School | Students learn to speak up for healthier choices, whether for themselves or someone else. That might mean researching a health issue, building a case for change, and presenting it to a real audience. | MD-HE.8.9-12 |
Students learn how to make decisions about their bodies, relationships, and daily habits. They cover topics like nutrition, sleep, mental health, substance use, safety, and how to find trustworthy information when something feels off. The work is less about memorizing facts and more about practicing real choices.
Short car rides and shared meals work better than sit-down talks. Ask what they think about something in the news, a show, or a friend's situation, and listen before reacting. Students are practicing how to weigh influences and make decisions, and your honest take is one of those influences.
Point them toward a doctor's office site, a hospital site, or a government health site, and away from random social media advice. A good habit is to check two reliable sources before believing a claim. This is a skill students practice all year.
Most teachers anchor each unit in one or two skills rather than teaching the skills in order. A mental health unit might lead with accessing resources and interpersonal communication. A nutrition unit might lead with goal-setting and decision-making. Revisit each skill in several contexts so it sticks.
Analyzing influences and accessing valid resources tend to need repeated practice. Students can name peer pressure or pick a good website once, then struggle to apply either skill to a new topic like vaping or sleep. Plan to revisit both skills in every unit, not just one.
By the end of the year, students should be able to set a realistic health goal, find reliable information on their own, and talk through a tough decision with a parent, friend, or doctor. If they can do those three things, they have what they need to keep growing.
Set clear ground rules early, share the topic list with families before each unit, and give students a private way to ask questions. Stick to the skills: what influences this choice, what does the evidence say, what would a healthy decision look like. The skill frame keeps hard topics steady.
A student picks a real health issue at school or in the community, backs up a position with reliable information, and presents it to an audience that can act on it. That might be a letter to a coach, a short talk to a club, or a post for a school newsletter. The audience matters as much as the message.