Massachusetts K–6 health standards

Identify situations when a nutrition-related decision needs to be made (e.g., when trying new foods, choosing snacks and beverages, eating breakfast). [HPE]

Articulate, with adult guidance, nutrition options in common situations, and identify decisions that can be made independently (e.g., asking for healthier options) or when assistance is needed (e.g., managing a food allergy). [HPE]

Identify that food is the preferred way of obtaining nutrients (as opposed to supplements) and provides energy for the body, identify the primary contribution of each food group to the body, and provide examples of foods within food groups to support informed decision-making. [HPE]

Explain food and health-promoting eating habits in equitable terms (e.g., all people need food access, clean water is necessary, grocery stores are important to communities and their health, access, needs, and preferences vary). [HPE]

Explain benefits of health-promoting eating choices and habits (e.g., balanced eating, staying hydrated, eating fruits and vegetables, eating nutrient-rich foods, eating a variety of foods, limiting foods high in added sugar, awareness of hunger and thirst signals). [HPE]

Describe how the foods students eat may reflect the area in which they live and/or their cultural backgrounds, ways students’ families use or produce food, how family meals and food traditions benefit them, different dietary needs (e.g., food allergies, dietary restrictions) and how they contribute to nutrition-related decisions. [HPE]

Recognize that media (e.g., cartoons, characters, advertisements, product placement) can impact food-related decisions. [HPE]

Demonstrate self-control (e.g., delay gratification, wait your turn) alone or with the support of adults in a variety of typical settings (e.g., on the playground, in the classroom, during physical education, at an assembly). [HPE; SE]

Define stress and demonstrate strategies for managing stress (e.g., positive self-talk, belly breathing, talking with a trusted adult, listening to calming music, play, physical activity) alone or with the support of adults. [HPE; SE]

Identify what it means to be responsible and list personal responsibilities. [HPE; SE]

Utilize simple positive self-talk for the purpose of self-motivation and behavior modification. [HPE; SE]

Identify simple goals for health, physical activity, academic success, and classroom behavior. [HPE; SE]

Identify a variety of habits that can promote children’s health (e.g., brushing teeth, proper nutrition, going to the doctor, getting enough sleep, being physically active, limiting screen time, washing hands, etc.). [HPE]

Explain how a young person can maintain or enhance the health of both their body and mind. [HPE, SE]

Demonstrate independence in health-promoting practices such as hand washing, appropriate teeth brushing motions, sneezing and coughing into elbow, engaging in physical activity, and appropriate use and disposal of tissues. [HPE]

Set a simple goal related to physical health habits and monitor progress toward the goal with assistance from an adult. [HPE]

Apply strategies for staying safe in a variety of situations (e.g., on the playground, during physical education, around water, when using wheeled recreation, as a pedestrian, around cooking elements or fire, on the bus, when online, around weapons or in situations of gun violence) and determine when to report unsafe situations to an adult. [HPE]

Provide examples of how rules can keep children safe and identify rules to help children stay safe in various situations (e.g., related to medicines, playground safety, physical education, threats of violence, personal space, and boundaries). [HPE]

Demonstrate how to respond (e.g., yell, get away, tell an adult, seek help) and get help in a variety of emergency situations including when and how to call 9-1-1. [HE]

Identify safe adults to confide in and places to go if feeling personally threatened (e.g., someone says they will hurt or harm you). [HE]

Demonstrate the ability to ask a trusted adult for help (including for problem-solving) in a variety of situations. [HPE; SE]

Recognize safe, unsafe, and inappropriate touching and demonstrate how to tell a trusted adult if this happens. [HE]

Identify and practice behaviors for personal safety: say no, get away, tell a grown-up. [HE]

Define bullying and teasing, explain similarities and differences, and how both can be harmful. [HPE; SE]

Define and demonstrate simple ways to communicate personal boundaries and respect the boundaries of others, including physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional boundaries (e.g., explain why it is important to tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched and why it is important to stop touching someone when they indicate the touch is unwelcome). [HPE]

Explain how no one has a right to violate personal boundaries, and demonstrate an appropriate refusal (e.g., tell a trusted adult, say NO, leave the situation) when someone says or does something that does not respect personal boundaries. [HPE]

Identify groups to which one belongs and reflect on similarities and differences with others. [HPE; SE]

Recognize the benefits of and strategies for cooperation in a variety of settings (including physical education). [HPE; SE]

Discuss stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, equality, and inequality and how these can affect relationships and situations. [HE; SE]

Discuss gender-role stereotypes and their potential impacts on people of all genders. [HPE]

Acknowledge diversity, including (but not limited to) racial, ethnic, religious, dis/ability and cultural differences and traditions, and demonstrate respect for others, and demonstrate empathy and ways to treat all people with dignity and respect. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate awareness of, and ways to show respect for, different family structures (e.g., families with heterosexual parents, families with same-gender parents, single parent families, intergenerational families, adoptive families, foster families). [HE; SE]

Predict how someone else may feel in a variety of situations and display compassionate and empathetic behaviors. [HPE; SE]

Identify reasons why it is important to have positive social relationships (e.g., positive emotions, support and help, someone to play with). [HPE; SE]

Identify and practice strategies to make and keep friends, and develop positive peer relationships (e.g., identify and acknowledge other people’s feelings, communicate effectively, ask for help). [HPE; SE]

Identify and practice talking to trusted adults, parents/guardians, and/or family members about feelings. [HPE; SE]

Effectively express needs, wants, and feelings through both verbal and non-verbal actions. [HPE; SE]

Show respect for the feelings, rights, and property of others. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate effective listening and communication skills, including giving and accepting a compliment and feedback, individually and in group settings. [HPE; SE]

Recognize and appreciate individual differences in others. [HPE; SE]

Describe positive qualities in self and others. [HPE; SE]

Identify reasons conflict and disagreements may arise in various situations and strategies for resolving misunderstandings and managing conflict. [HPE; SE]

Recognize and accurately label simple emotions (e.g., happy, sad, mad, worried, lonely). [HPE; SE]

Explain that emotions are information and that personal emotions may be the same or different from the emotions of others. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate emotional regulation strategies to support mental and emotional health alone or with support from adults. [HPE; SE]

Accept failure and demonstrate the ability to persevere despite real or perceived failures. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate growth-oriented practices by attempting, repeating, and experimenting with a variety of experiences and activities. [HPE; SE]

Describe personal strengths and the ways that those strengths support mental health. [HPE; SE]

Articulate and celebrate the individual characteristics that make a person unique, and explain that how a person views themselves can be influenced by different factors (e.g., peers, media, culture, family, phase of life). [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies that help all students feel welcome and valued as a part of the school community (e.g., cooperative playing, listening, showing you care, sharing). [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate the ability to access help for self or others (e.g., school nurse, counselors, health and physical educators) to support physical health and hygiene. [HPE; SE]

Identify school and community health helpers and community resources. [HPE; SE]

Identify individuals who can assist with health-related issues and potentially life-threatening health conditions (e.g., asthma episodes, allergic reactions, seizures, concussions). [HPE]

Explain why it is important to use prescription and over-the-counter medicines correctly and safely, and the risks of ingesting household poisons (e.g., bleach, laundry detergent) and incorrectly using household products. [HE]

Identify trusted adults at home and school (e.g., school nurse, guidance counselor) who can discuss rules and practices related to medicine use (e.g., only taking medicine with an adult’s help, only taking prescriptions that are prescribed to you). [HE]

Identify the impact of personal activities that contribute, positively or negatively, to the environment. [HE]

Identify ways that the communities people live in can impact their health and well-being. [HPE]

Identify strategies to minimize impact on the environment (e.g., reduce, reuse, recycle). [HE]

Encourage peers and family members to make choices to help protect the environment (e.g., recycling, using less water, turning off the lights). [HE]

Encourage peers and family to help in the community (e.g., donate food to a food pantry, clean up litter). [HE]

Demonstrate personal hygiene habits and other behaviors that prevent the spread of illness (including foodborne illness) and infection. [HPE]

Describe personal health habits (i.e., brushing and flossing teeth, hygiene, hand washing, sufficient sleep, sun safety, physical activity, limiting screen time) that can prevent illness and promote self-care and overall health. [HPE]

Self-advocate in order to have personal health needs met (e.g., needing to wash hands, asking for sun protection, access to bathrooms). [HPE]

Recognize how the actions of others can impact physical health (e.g., spreading germs) and encourage peers to make positive choices about physical health habits and prevention strategies. [HPE]

Identify principles of balanced eating to meet nutritional needs (e.g., moderation, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, consuming nutrient-rich foods, limiting processed foods and foods high in added sugar, drinking water, limiting sugary beverages) when making nutritionrelated decisions. [HPE]

Identify and describe hunger and satiety cues and how these can inform nutrition-related decision-making. [HE]

Discuss the benefits of balanced eating on physical health (e.g., supporting growth and development, ability to engage in physical activity), social health, and emotional and mental health (e.g., ability to manage stress, positive emotions) when making nutrition-related decisions. [HPE]

Demonstrate how to use food labels as part of nutrition-related decision-making. [HE]

Describe how cultivation, trade routes, and regions affect food supply, and how food production affects nutrition-related decisions. [HE]

Identify circumstances (e.g., budget, food access and availability, time management) that help or hinder decisions about nutrition and determine when assistance is needed in order to make a health-promoting decision. [HPE]

Explain a variety of factors that can influence decisions about nutrition (e.g., food during celebrations, food preferences, media advertising, celebrity endorsements and product placement, access and availability, financial resources, physical activity levels). [HPE]

Recognize that individuals have different food related needs, preferences, and traditions. [HE]

List options, predict potential outcomes of decision options, make a health-promoting choice, and analyze the outcome of decisions in common nutrition situations. [HE]

Identify different feelings and emotions (e.g., anger, fear, grief, sadness, anxiety, stress, hopelessness, gratitude, love, excitement, contentedness, hope, pride, happiness) that people may experience and how people might express those emotions (including individual and cultural differences in expression). [HPE; SE]

Discuss how feelings and emotions can impact behavior. [HPE; SE]

Recognize that all feelings and emotions are information that individuals can use to support mental and emotional health. [HPE; SE]

Identify how a person’s brain and body influence mental and emotional well-being. [HPE; SE]

Describe and demonstrate strategies for expressing and regulating emotions in healthpromoting ways. [HPE; SE]

Identify characteristics of and practices to support mental and emotional well-being within various cultures and diverse perspectives. [HE; SE]

Set a goal to use one or more health-promoting practices or behaviors (e.g., being aware of your own feelings and the feelings of others, safe online behaviors, engaging in physical activity, limiting screen time) and track progress towards its achievement in order to maintain or improve mental and emotional well-being. [HPE; SE]

Apply self-monitoring strategies, alone or with support, to regulate emotions (e.g., breathing techniques, appropriate sleep, proper nutrition) in varied settings. [HPE; SE]

Identify personal stressors and demonstrate effective stress management techniques, alone or with support. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies and behaviors (which may include getting help) to help meet personal responsibilities and identify strategies to overcome barriers to meeting personal responsibilities. [HPE; SE]

Identify strategies for planning, prioritizing, and managing time. [HE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies that support a growth mindset in and out of school. [HPE; SE]

Recognize and respect that all bodies are different. [HPE]

Describe personal behaviors and strategies that promote health and/or avoid health risks (e.g., pedestrian safety, sun safety, protecting oneself from infectious diseases, adequate sleep, good nutrition, ergonomics, protective equipment, appropriate amounts of screen time, hearing protection, being physically active). [HPE]

Discuss influences on and barriers to maintaining or enhancing physical health and hygiene. [HPE]

Set a goal related to personal health (e.g., tooth brushing, sleep, hydration, ergonomics, sun safety, limiting screen time, hearing protection, physical activity, wearing protective equipment), identify resources to assist in achieving it, and track progress toward its achievement. [HPE; SE]

Describe ways to promote personal safety and reduce the risk of unintentional injuries in a variety of situations (e.g., at home, at school, during physical activity, around motor vehicles, around firearms, around water, fire prevention, during a fire, as a pedestrian). [HPE]

Recognize aspects of the environment (e.g., whether or not crosswalks are clearly marked, presence of sidewalks, access to healthy foods, access to green space, levels of violence in a community) that can positively or negatively impact safety. [HPE]

Explain safety precautions for playing outdoors in different kinds of weather. [HPE]

Identify and demonstrate how to contact appropriate resources when someone is poisoned or injured and needs help (i.e., calling poison control and 9-1-1). [HPE]

Apply strategies to be and stay safe when using the Internet, and other digital technology, and social media, including addressing and preventing media overuse. [HE]

Demonstrate the ability to set and maintain developmentally-appropriate boundaries (including physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional boundaries) and how to respond if those boundaries are violated. [HPE]

Distinguish among safe, unsafe, and inappropriate touch and demonstrate strategies for getting help including how to tell a trusted adult if this happens. [HE]

Demonstrate the use of assertive behavior, refusal skills, and actions intended for personal safety. [HPE; SE]

Identify characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships with a variety of individuals (i.e., family, peers, trusted adults, teachers). [HE; SE]

Define and demonstrate ways to determine and respect the boundaries of self and others. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies for addressing one’s own feelings and the feelings and perspectives of others in order to support positive relationships. [HPE; SE]

Differentiate between conflict and bullying and articulate the importance of the difference to avoid escalating conflicts into bullying or violence. [HE; SE]

Identify and respond to bullying situations in a variety of settings. [HPE; SE]

Identify and practice non-violent communication skills. [HPE, SE]

Identify and practice conflict prevention, management and resolution strategies. [HPE; SE]

Describe how personal experiences, peers, family, media, society, community, and culture influence ways people interact in relationships and social situations. [HPE; SE]

Describe ways that stereotypes, perceived stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, inequality and injustice can impact relationships, and demonstrate strategies to address these factors. [HPE; SE]

Develop an awareness that emotions may be expressed in different ways (e.g., through body language, intensity of expression) by various groups and in different cultures. [HPE; SE]

Explain the importance of talking with friends, parents, guardians or other trusted adults about feelings and emotions. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate how to ask for assistance with mental health questions, issues or concerns (e.g., challenges with friends, feeling anxious). [HE; SE]

Demonstrate how to discuss mental health and mental health conditions in culturally responsive ways and in ways that reduce stigma. [HE; SE]

Identify signs and symptoms of mental distress in self and others, and how to get help for self or others. [HE; SE]

Distinguish between the use and misuse of legal (e.g., prescription medications prescribed to you, over-the-counter drugs, and (at a certain age) nicotine, electronic vapor products, alcohol, and marijuana) and illegal drugs (e.g., prescription medicines not prescribed to you, cocaine, alcohol and nicotine use before legal age), and identify potential effects of each on the body. [HE]

Identify possible reasons (e.g., media, peer pressure, stress, culture) why individuals might use legal and illegal drugs and discuss health-promoting strategies to avoid illegal drug use and prevent unsafe or potentially harmful use of legal drugs. [HE]

Analyze data related to use of nicotine, alcohol or other legal drugs that are prohibited for minors. [HE]

Effectively communicate personal feelings or perspectives about substance use and misuse. [HE]

Demonstrate effective refusal of alcohol, nicotine, electronic vapor products, marijuana, inhalants, and other substances that can negatively impact health. [HE]

Describe personal and cultural identities and assets, their importance and value, and explain how they support mental and emotional health. [HE; SE]

Describe personal interests and the skills needed to pursue those interests in ways that support personal growth. [HPE; SE]

Identify personal strengths and opportunities for growth and improvement in a variety of contexts (including physical activity). [HPE; SE]

Describe supports needed to achieve success for a difficult activity or task in varied contexts. [HPE; SE]

Describe how peers, media, family, society, community, and culture can influence ideas about body image, and the impact on self-esteem and behaviors. [HE; SE]

Demonstrate how media, including social media, and technology can influence mental and emotional well-being (e.g., stress levels, happiness, mood). [HE; SE]

Locate trusted adults (including parents/guardians) from whom to get help if boundaries are being violated or one is being physically, emotionally, or sexually harassed or assaulted. [HE]

Analyze the relationship between personal health and the health of the community. [HPE]

Discuss that people may experience health disparities and health inequities (unfair and avoidable differences in health) due to factors such as socioeconomic status, disability, race, ethnicity, and access to resources. [HPE]

Analyze issues of health inequities and injustices locally, nationally, and internationally. [HE]

Describe ways that the community can impact the health of people within that community. [HE]

Describe the ways that rules and laws can affect community health and health disparities. [HE]

Use accurate information when discussing environmental health issues (e.g., littering, deforestation, recycling, climate change, clean water) that impact people’s health. [HE]

Propose and support classroom policies and behaviors that promote dignity and respect. [HPE; SE]

Compare and contrast the continuum of relationship behaviors (including identifying healthier and less healthy behaviors, and the potential impacts of power differences such as age, gender, status or position within relationships) and how these impact health and well-being. [HE; SE]

Identify warning signs of potential danger in a relationship and strategies to get help. [HE; SE]

Evaluate options and strategies a person might use to end an unhealthy relationship, including involving a trusted adult who can help. [HE; SE]

Describe the role of individual versus shared responsibility in staying safe in a variety of situations (e.g., outdoor recreation, motor vehicle safety, digital safety, threats of violence). [HPE]

Discuss how systemic and other factors (e.g., home rules, school connectedness, environment, available supports, available equipment, weather, gender-based violence, racism, and discrimination) help or hinder an individual’s ability to remain safe in a variety of situations. [HPE]

Define exploitation, human trafficking and sex trafficking, and describe strategies used for and warning sign behaviors of exploitation and recruitment of youth. [HE]

Explain the potential consequences of requesting, sending, or digitally posting sexually explicit pictures or messages (e.g., on social media sites, chat groups, e-mail, texting, websites, phone and tablet applications, and other digital forms) and demonstrate the ability to make health-promoting decisions related to safe and legal activity in online and digital spaces. [HE]

Evaluate a variety of non-violent responses to address conflict and demonstrate the ability to use these responses to act on health-related decisions. [HPE; SE]

Analyze barriers that may prevent someone from reporting unsafe situations and child maltreatment to adults and identify strategies to overcome these barriers. [HE]

Demonstrate the ability to use a decision-making process to thoughtfully and effectively address personal safety in a variety of situations. [HPE]

Describe strategies that can be used to make decisions that adhere to personal values, beliefs, and limits. [HE]

Thoughtfully apply a decision-making process in situations or to problems related to legal (e.g., prescription drugs prescribed to you, over-the-counter drugs, [at a certain age] nicotine, electronic vapor products, alcohol, and marijuana) and illegal drug (e.g., prescription drugs not prescribed to you, cocaine) use. [HE]

Identify circumstances that enable or encourage the use and misuse of legal and illegal drugs (in regard to age of legal use or type of substance), determine when situations or problems related to illegal drugs might require assistance, and identify possible options in how to respond. [HE]

Access valid and reliable information (from home, school, and community) about legal and illegal drugs (in regard to age of legal use or type of substance) and use it to understand and communicate the risks and dangers of drug use and misuse. [HE]

Analyze factors (e.g., personal beliefs, source of substance, purpose of use) that may affect a decision to use of legal or illegal substances. [HE]

Analyze the potential negative effects of legal and illegal drug use on personal safety, physical activity, relationships with friends and families, school success, brain development, and attainment of present and future goals. [HPE]

Develop positive norms regarding substance use (e.g., most people (including teens) do not use illegal drugs, most teens do not use nicotine or regularly consume alcohol, and most teens refrain from even trying marijuana). [HE]

Explain the role of individual and collective responsibility for maintaining and enhancing mental and emotional well-being and describe environmental and contextual factors that affect mental and emotional health and well-being. [HPE; SE]

Describe and demonstrate strategies to effectively manage changing emotions during adolescence. [HPE; SE]

Describe how emotions can impact one’s behaviors and experiences and how this might vary in differing contexts. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate techniques to independently manage emotions in a variety of settings. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate behaviors that will maintain or improve the mental and emotional well-being of self and others. [HPE; SE]

Explain possible outcomes of expressing or repressing emotions. [HPE; SE]

Examine how various coping strategies may help or harm health. [HPE; SE]

Apply health-promoting coping and stress management strategies. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies to persevere when facing adversity. [HPE; SE]

Create and monitor personal goals to meet identified emotional and mental health needs or wants and identify people or resources to assist in meeting those goals. [HPE; SE]

Analyze and demonstrate strategies for planning, prioritizing, and managing time. [HPE; SE]

Identify characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships and ways to seek help in unhealthy or unwanted relationships. [HE; SE]

Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills (e.g., listening, conflict resolution, negotiation, refusal) that foster healthy relationships, communicate boundaries, and show respect in a variety of situations (e.g., familial relationships, peer relationships, romantic relationships). [HPE; SE]

Articulate how respectful behaviors may vary among populations and how those behaviors contribute to positive social interaction in various settings [HPE; SE].

Explain why consent and respecting a person’s boundaries are important. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate effective approaches to boundary setting (e.g., acknowledge feelings, communicate the boundary, target alternative), maintenance of a variety of boundaries (e.g., related to technology use, emotional, physical). [HPE; SE]

Recognizing when boundaries are being violated and identify tactics used to coerce or pressure someone to change a personal boundary (e.g., to have sex, to share a password, to send an explicit photo, break a rule). [HE; SE]

Demonstrate techniques and assertive responses to counter coercive tactics in order to maintain boundaries. [HE; SE]

Analyze the impact of technology and social media on relationships (e.g., use of smartphones, sharing relationship information, GPS tracking). [HE; SE]

Analyze ways that prejudice, discrimination (e.g., sexism), and injustice can impact relationship health and describe ways to address these issues to support health of self and others. [HPE; SE]

Apply conflict resolution strategies in a variety of situations (e.g., interpersonal, intrapersonal, intragroup, intergroup). [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate positive ways to communicate differences of opinion in a variety of relationships (e.g., familial, peer, teacher) and situations (e.g., in class, outside of school, on a team). [HPE; SE]

Compare and contrast bullying, harassment, and abuse and demonstrate ways to support and seek help for someone who is being bullied, harassed, or abused, or who is the target of unhealthy or coercive behaviors. [HPE; SE]

Discuss how adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress as well as resilience and positive childhood experiences can impact mental and emotional health and demonstrate ways to communicate effectively about these factors and ways to support people who have experienced or are experiencing trauma. [HE; SE]

Identify how emotions can influence communication (e.g., anger or anxiety may affect the ability to listen well) and demonstrate strategies (e.g., ask for time to calm down, go to a peace corner, take deep breaths) to communicate effectively when experiencing a range of emotions and in a variety of situations. [HPE; SE]

Accurately recognize and effectively respond to emotions, thoughts, values, and perspectives when communicating with others and when resolving interpersonal conflicts. [HPE; SE]

Analyze how people from diverse groups can learn from each other and how this can enhance emotional well-being. [HPE; SE]

Apply refusal or negotiation skills in ways that support or improve mental health and minimize health risks. [HPE; SE]

Advocate for oneself by creating ‘I’-messages to express feelings and needs in appropriate ways. [HPE; SE]

Identify signs and symptoms of mental and emotional distress, in self and others, that may require assistance from adults. [HE; SE]

Demonstrate how to respond (e.g., calling 9-8-8, telling a trusted adult) when there is a concern about one’s own or someone else’s mental well-being or where someone is considering harming or killing themselves. [HE; SE]

Effectively express needs, wants, emotions, and feelings (including affection, love, friendship, concern, anger) in respectful and health-promoting ways. [HPE; SE]

Analyze social situations in multiple settings (e.g., at home, at school, out with friends, at a party) that could lead to the use of nicotine, electronic vapor products, alcohol, or other illegal (in regard to age, use, or type) and potentially harmful substances. [HE]

Analyze influences (e.g., culture, peers, media, perceptions of norms) that could lead to the use of nicotine, electronic vapor products, alcohol, or other illegal (in regard to age, use, or type) and potentially harmful substances. [HE]

Describe the ways that social characteristics (i.e., socioeconomic status, culture, gender) can impact risk and protective factors for substance use and misuse. [HE]

Summarize and communicate the effects of using legal (e.g., prescription drugs prescribed to you, over-the-counter drugs, and [at a certain age] nicotine, electronic vapor products, alcohol and marijuana) and illegal drugs (e.g., prescription drugs not prescribed to you, cocaine) on brain development and multiple dimensions of health (e.g., physical, social, occupational, mental/emotional). [HE]

Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills (including refusal) to keep self or others safe in substance use- and misuse-related situations (e.g., avoiding riding with a driver who is under the influence, seeking help, leaving a situation) in order to protect individuals from risk or injury. [HE]

Analyze how a variety of social determinants of health (e.g., education, social environment, socioeconomic conditions, food availability, public safety, discrimination) may impact health at different levels (e.g., individual, family, and community). [HPE]

Analyze how stigma and public perception can influence access to health and health care (e.g., menstrual health care, mental health services and supports, preventative screenings). [HE]

Explain how public health policies and government regulations influence health promotion and disease prevention in both positive and negative ways. [HE]

Analyze how environmental factors (e.g., air quality, trash and litter, availability of clean drinking water) and types of pollution (e.g., air, noise, chemical, water) affect health. [HPE]

Encourage others to improve health outcomes. [HPE]

Analyze how various influences (e.g., peers, family, culture, society, school, and community policies) impact the safety of adolescents in a varied of situations (including during physical activity). [HPE]

Analyze how sharing or posting personal information electronically about self or others (e.g., chat groups, email, texting, sexting, websites, social media, phone and tablet applications) can impact the safety of self or others. [HE]

Describe situations where professional health services are necessary to support or improve mental and emotional well-being. [HE]

Demonstrate the ability to access professional health services if needed. [HE; SE]

Locate valid and reliable products and services to enhance mental and emotional well-being, manage stress and emotions, and treat mental health conditions. [HE]

Determine the accessibility of public, community, and environmental products, resources and services that enhance health and identify supports or barriers to accessing the products or services. [HPE]

Access personal health products (e.g., deodorant, hair care, menstrual products, sunscreen, dental care products) based on individual needs, and evaluate the ease of accessibility and use. [HPE]

Locate a variety of personal health-related digital resources and assess each for reliability and validity. [HPE]

Identify sources of support such as parents or other trusted adults to whom students can go if they or someone they know is being bullied, harassed, abused, assaulted, or exploited. [HPE; SE]

Explain why a person who has been bullied, exploited, sexually harassed, sexually abused, sexually assaulted, or has been a victim of incest, rape, domestic violence, dating violence, or gender-based violence is not at fault. [HPE]

Analyze how stereotyping, bias, prejudice, and discrimination can impact mental and emotional health. [HPE; SE]

Analyze influences on body image and the relationship between body image, disordered eating, and mental health. [HPE; SE]

Analyze the effects of social media on mental and emotional health. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies for supporting healthy body image in youth and adolescents. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma related to mental health. [HPE; SE]

Utilize positive peer and societal norms when formulating a health-promoting position related to eliminating discrimination, injustice, and challenge negative norms. [HPE; SE]

Evaluate strategies for opposing, reducing, or eliminating stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and injustice. [HPE; SE]

Encourage others to refrain from teasing or bullying others based on personal characteristics (e.g., race, national origin, disability, body shape or weight), or personal values and beliefs. [HPE; SE]

Demonstrate the importance of food to all people and how food is used to keep us healthy, return us to health, and connect us (e.g., soup when you are ill, comfort food, food after major events). [HE]

Analyze a variety of influences (e.g., media, peers, family, culture, stigmas, school, economics, food access, food production and cultivation) on nutrition-related beliefs and behaviors, and today’s society. [HE]

Discuss a variety of perspectives on health-promoting eating practices (e.g., food guidelines from other countries and cultures, USDA Guidelines and Harvard’s Healthy Eating plate, cultural food practices, buying locally grown or produced foods) and describe the health benefits of and strategies for implementing these practices. [HE]

Articulate a health-promoting position on a nutrition-related topic and support the claim with accurate information. [HPE]

Identify personal dietary needs (e.g., dietary allergies, food preferences) and goals, and advocate to address the identified needs and goals. [HPE]

Collaborate effectively to support nutrition-related practices or behaviors that maintain or enhance health. [HPE]

State a position, supported by accurate information, that encourages peers to adopt or continue practices that maintain or enhance personal safety. [HPE]

Demonstrate how to influence and support others to make choices that maintain or enhance personal safety. [HPE]

Work cooperatively to support the safety of individuals, families, and communities. [HPE; SE]

Identify reasons that harassment is harmful and illegal along with warning signs for when to report it and seek help from a safe/trusted adult or health professional. [HE]