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Physical Education & Health Curriculum
The Health and Wellness department aligns its curriculum with the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework. The goal of the department is to encourage students to develop active lifestyles for overall health benefits. This will enable students to develop to their fullest potential through the acquisition of daily living skills and the behaviors necessary to make good decisions in life.
Through a diversified Physical Education program, students are encouraged to develop skills and positive attitudes toward lifelong participation in exercise.
Requirements & Offerings
Physical Education is a graduation requirement for all four years. The Health Education program offers freshmen health and electives for 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students.
All students will take part in physical education two periods in each seven-day cycle for the entire year unless excused by a physician.
Grade 9
Freshmen will automatically be scheduled for physical education. These activities encourage students to develop skills and positive attitudes toward lifelong participation in exercise. The ninth grade Physical Education program has students explore:
- Fitness
- Orienteering
- Recreational and cooperative activities
- Team and individual sports
In addition, during the ninth grade, a Fitness Center orientation program is included. This center is also available after school for student use.
Grade 10
Sophomore students are presented with a variety of team, individual and lifetime activities. Students will continue to build on the concepts and knowledge learned in the previous year. Daily participation will also include:
- Abdominal work
- Cardio fitness
- Flexibility exercises
- Upper body strengthening
An important objective of the Grade 10 program is to give students the background for entering the selection program in the junior and senior years.
Grades 11 & 12
Junior and Senior students have an opportunity to select many of their activities. Offerings include:
- Adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Archery
- Badminton
- Fitness walking
- Golf
- Lifetime fitness planning
- Ping pong
- Recreational games such as:
- Bocce
- Crochet
- Horseshoes
- Shuffle-board
- Team sports
- Tennis
- Weight training
- Yoga
Health Education, Grade 9
Freshmen will automatically be scheduled for health education. This course will meet two days each cycle for one semester. This skill-based course offers numerous opportunities for building personal, social and life skills. The curriculum is designed to aid the student in transitioning to the rigors and pressures of high school. Communication, decision making and goal setting skills are infused throughout the course.
Discussions and guided activities will be used to cover:
- Bullying and cyber-bullying
- Disease prevention
- Harassment
- Hazing
- Healthy food choices
- Relationships
- Stress management
- Substance abuse
Parents/guardians who do not wish to have their student enrolled in Health Education must notify the Headmaster’s office in writing during the programming cycle.
Contemporary Health Issues, Grades 10, 11, & 12
This course is designed to broaden the student’s understanding of wellness issues and its relevance to their personal lives. Discussions and guided activities will be used to discuss:
- Abstinence
- Alcohol and other drug misuse
- Balancing stress
- Body image and eating disorders
- Bullying and cyber-bullying
- Depression and suicide
- Evaluation of health information
- Healthy food choices
- Reproduction and birth
- Sexual harassment
Nutrition & Fitness, Grades 11, 12
Nutrition and Fitness emphasizes the critical role eating a nutritious diet play in overall health. It also stresses the importance of including physical activity in daily routines. Students will participate in fitness activities and will learn to control their state of wellness through the decisions they make.
Units of study include:
- Careers
- Eating disorders
- Food preparation activities
- Global hunger consumer issues
- Sources and functions of nutrients
- Weight management
Human Development & Parenting, Grades 10, 11, 12
This course focuses on the issues of:
- Abstinence
- Adolescence
- Birth
- Child development
- Family
- Human sexuality
- Interpersonal relationships
- Positive decision making
- Pregnancy
- Sexually transmitted infections
Included in the course are many contemporary issues that concern the adolescent. Students are provided with forthright information concerning their physical health and well-being. The course aims to improve decision making, advocate for positive health practices, and help students make responsible choices regarding their health and well being.
The Early Childhood Education (Preschool) Laboratory Program at Braintree High School provides an opportunity for 11th and 12th grade students to experience the exciting and rewarding challenge of working with and studying about children. Students learn and practice theory and methods of teaching while working in our on-site preschool.
Upon successful completion of the Preschool Laboratory 1 and Preschool Laboratory 2 courses, a 12th grade student will be eligible for Preschool Certification from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
Early Childhood Education - Preschool Laboratory 1, Grades 11 & 12
Preschool Laboratory 1 is a year-long course open to high school juniors and seniors with interest and fondness for children. It is designed to offer a hands-on opportunity to study child development while working with children in our on-site preschool program.
In addition to studying child development students:
- Learn about curriculum development
- Plan and teach lessons
- Develop learning materials
- Assist in the preparation of the classroom
- Develop a repertoire of strategies for managing young children
Students interested in pursuing careers in education or health are particularly encouraged to enroll in this course.
Early Childhood Education - Preschool Laboratory 2, Grade 12
Preschool Laboratory 2 is a yearlong course open to high school seniors who have successfully completed Preschool Laboratory 1.
The course has been designed to provide a more in-depth exploration into the fields of Early Childhood Education and other child-related services. There is an increased emphasis on teamwork, time management, and effective communication. Through their class and preschool activities students will develop an increased understanding of:
- Child development
- Developmentally appropriate preschool activities
- Educational practices
- Educational psychology
Students who maintain a C or better average in Preschool Lab 2 are qualified to apply for certification as a preschool teacher through the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
More Information
If you have questions, please contact Melonie Bennett, Director of Health and Wellness.