Grade 2 Health Curriculum
Family-facing version of the grade 2 health curriculum
Quarterly Overview of Grade 2 Health
The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.
Lessons and Details
NOTE: Lessons with * are part of the Emotional and Social Health (ESH) unit of the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum and will be included within the health grade. Parents or guardians may choose to opt their child out of any or all lessons in the ESH unit.
Students will:
- Identify structures that form body systems, including
- The heart and lungs (cardiorespiratory system)
- The bones (skeletal system)
- The muscles (muscular system)
- How the systems work together.
- Identify possible consequences of not caring for cardiorespiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems.
- Explain how daily physical activity and healthy eating habits and healthy eating habits contribute to healthy cardiorespiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems.
Students will:
- Describe the correct posture for sitting, standing, and walking.
- Practice correct posture for sitting, standing, and walking.
- Demonstrate proper lifting and carrying techniques for handling backpacks and book bags.
Students will:
- Identify that germs cause colds and flu and define communicable as something that can be spread from person to person.
- Explain why it is important to cover the mouth and nose when sneezing.
- Demonstrate techniques for reducing or preventing the spread of germs and communicable diseases.
- Identify emergency resources, services, and healthcare professionals in the community that influence health, safety, and wellness.
Students will:
- Identify where and how fruits and vegetables are grown.
- Describe why fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy lifestyle.
- Identify ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into food choices.
Students will:
- Describe the harmful effects of medicine, alcohol, and tobacco, including poor concentration, impaired balance, vision, and memory; shortness of breath; cancer; lung and heart disease; and changes in the way a person feels, thinks, and acts.
- Explain the differences between prescription and nonprescription medications.
- Identify consequences of not caring for the body systems.
- Identify how medicines should be taken.
- Conduct an assessment of harmful substances in the home.
- Identify situations where trusted friends and adults can help.
Students will:
- Describe the harmful effects of medicine, alcohol, and tobacco, including poor concentration, impaired balance, vision, and memory; shortness of breath; cancer; lung and heart disease; and changes in the way a person feels, thinks, and acts.
- Identify refusal skills.
- Identify that tobacco smoke is harmful.
- Describe the use of refusal skills based on good decisions.
- Explain why ingesting or sniffing unknown substances is unsafe.
- Demonstrate refusal skills in situations involving harmful substances.
Students will:
- Identify physical affection as an expression of friendship, celebration, and a loving family.
Students will:
- Identify inappropriate approaches from family members, neighbors, strangers, and others and identify trusted adults to go to for help and how to say “no.”
Students will:
- Describe characteristics of a trusted friend and a trusted adult.
- Identify trusted adults at school and at home.
- Identify situations where trusted friends and adults can help.
Students will:
- Describe personal strengths and identify how individuals are unique.
- Discuss how empathy, compassion, and acceptance helps one understand others.
- Identify and discuss respect for others.
Students will:
- Define conflict and describe situations in which conflict may occur.
- Describe how to work and play cooperatively and resolve conflict.
- Demonstrate the use of nonviolent strategies to resolve conflict.
Students will:
- Identify feelings associated with loss and grief.
- Explain ways to express feelings.
- Identify adults who can help with loss and grief.
Students will:
- Explain differences between joking, teasing, and bullying.
- Identify ways to respond to joking, teasing, and bullying.
- Use strategies to safely stand up to teasing, and report bullying.
Students will:
- Explain the importance of personal safety.
- Identify ways students can take personal responsibility for personal safety.
- Identify emergency resources that influence health, safety, and wellness.
Students will:
- Describe how the environment influences health.
- Describe ways to protect the environment.
- Identify emergency services that influence health, safety, and wellness.
- Promote a strategy to protect the environment.
Students will:
- Identify why community helpers carry guns.
- Identify differences between safe and unsafe situations if a gun is discovered.
Assessments
Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.
- Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
- Check for understanding
- Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
- Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for the next steps in instruction.
For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.
In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), second grade tests focus on basic literacy and numeracy development.
