Page 42 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Health and Physical Education
comments or even by general information shared in large-group settings. Educators may wish to consult with mental health staff for additional support, as needed, and for guidance on the suitability of the materials, resources, and approaches used in addressing this topic.
Supporting Minds: An Educator’s Guide to Promoting Students’ Mental Health and Well-being, 2013 (www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/reports/SupportingMinds.pdf) is a resource designed to help educators understand more about mental health in order to promote the mental health of all students. It provides information to help educators recognize students who may be experiencing distress, and strategies for supporting them on the path to receiving the care they need.
Health Topics
The health content in this strand is divided into four content areas: healthy eating; personal safety and injury prevention; substance use, addictions, and related behaviours; and human development and sexual health. These topics have been chosen because they are fundamentally connected to students’ daily lives. Concepts tied to mental health and emotional well-being are woven throughout all content areas across all grades.
Healthy Eating. This component of the Healthy Living strand equips students with the knowledge and skills they need to make the healthiest eating choices they can. Students learn to examine their own food choices and eating patterns and then make decisions and set appropriate goals, while working within parameters that they can control. Major topics include Canada’s Food Guide (and specialized versions of it, such as Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide: First Nations, Inuit and Métis), nutrition, food choices, factors influencing eating habits, skills for healthy eating, food trends, oral and dental health, food systems, and connections between eating choices, chronic disease prevention, and the health of the environment.
The learning in this topic area emphasizes the importance of student involvement in making food choices and preparing meals and snacks. The objective is to encourage students to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and their own lives and to develop a sense of personal responsibility for taking care of themselves and making healthy food decisions. Hands-on experiences with food help students make real connections between what they learn in the classroom and their own lives.10 This topic also provides a point of contact with healthy school policies relating to food.
Connections to the home are important. Students bring their learning home to their families, and they have variable amounts of control over the food they eat at home and the food they bring to school. Teachers need to consider these realities and be aware of issues such as poverty, food allergies and sensitivities, disordered eating, and social and
cultural practices in order to ensure that the learning is presented with sensitivity. Using a flexible and balanced approach and avoiding rigidity regarding food rules and guidelines can reduce potential triggers to body image and eating concerns. Sensitivity regarding weight and shape and personal values regarding “what is healthy” are important when considering instruction. What can always be stressed, however, is that healthy eating and regular physical activity are essential requirements for maintaining good health over the long term.
10. All food-related activities must adhere to school board anaphylaxis policies. See page 57 for further information.
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