Miss Milkowski's Blog

It’s hard to believe we are getting close to the end of the year.  Students finished the chronic disease unit this week by turning in their brochure projects and taking a quiz.  Students will be getting their quizzes back today or Monday and we will review them in class.

The final exam for health is scheduled for Friday, May 25th for ODD classes and Thursday, May 31st for EVEN classes (my testing days are 1 and 4).  We are currently preparing for the final in class with some review activities.  There are games posted in Moodle that students can play to prepare for the final and students also got a review sheet.  The review sheet can be submitted for extra credit towards the final (due date is the final testing date for each class).  The final will only contain questions from units 5-8 (second semester).

Last week we finished the Human Sexuality Unit by playing a review game in class and then taking the unit 6 test.  Students also turned in their notebooks for unit 6.  After the test, students read an article about social networking, which ties in with our next unit on Relationships.  In the first lesson of the unit, we discussed the risks and responsibilities involved in communicating via digital technology.  Also in this unit we will cover cyberbullying, communication, healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, and dating abuse.

Students are now working in the Human Sexuality Unit.  In this unit, we cover the following topics:  reproductive systems, pregnancy & childbirth, teen pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases.  Students have been working on their contraception projects.  Students in the Odd classes were to share their projects with me in GoogleDocs by 3/12, while students in the Even classes need to share their projects by 3/13.  Presentations will begin in the next class.  As always, students should use Moodle to access any notes or handouts that they may be missing.

Last week in health, students finished reviewing commonly abused drugs, took notes on preventing drug abuse, and learned about the effects of tobacco use.  This week we will review for the unit test, which will cover alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.  Even classes will take the test on Thursday, February 23rd and Odd classes will take the test on Friday, February 24th.  Notebooks should be ready to be collected on testing days.

The following are some really good resources for parents on teenage drug abuse that I thought I would share:

http://www.drugfree.org/

http://theantidrug.com/

Last week in health, students reviewed the short and long term effects of alcohol use and practiced refusal skills by developing and participating in a role play.  Students also took a quiz on alcohol.  Finally, we discussed the impact of alcohol advertising, particularly on young people, as students analyzed a variety of alcohol ads.

Next week in health, students will be working on the “Above the Influence” Project in class.  For this assignment, students need to take a picture of a positive influence.  Also in the picture should be their ATI tag, with a negative influence written on it.  Students need to have their picture with them in class electronically (either on a digital camera, on a jump drive, or on email or google docs).  This part of the assignment is due on Tuesday, February 7th for Even classes and Wednesday, February 8th for Odd classes.

Above the Influence photo example

We’ve started the Substance Abuse unit with a focus on alcohol.  As a homework assignment, students are to research the websites listed in my Moodle to answer questions related to the effects of alcohol.  The sites listed are teen-friendly and some even include interactive activities.  This assignment is due on 1/26 for Even classes and 1/27 for Odd classes.  Also this week in class, students experienced alcohol simulation activities.  Each activity was related to some short-term effect of alcohol use.  The students enjoyed the activities, but more importantly, the hands-on nature of the activities allowed them to see first-hand some of the dangers related to drinking.  Next, we will take a look at the long-term effects of alcohol use, including alcoholism.  Students will also be practicing refusal skills related to alcohol, tobacco, and drug use.  Students can expect a quiz on alcohol next week.

Midterms are finally over and second marking period grades have been posted.  This week in health class, students will get their midterms back and we will review them in class.  Overall, I was very pleased with the results.  Students will also be working on an open-ended writing response to the film, Super Size Me.  Finally, we will start the next unit, Substance Abuse, with a few introductory activities.  This is such an important topic that needs to be addressed both in school and in the home and I encourage parents to have a conversation with their son or daughter about the risks related to drug and alcohol use.

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.  Students took their Unit 4 (Nutrition) tests before the break and will be getting them back this week.  Students are currently preparing for the mid-term exam — they have been given a review sheet to work on and we’ve been playing some review games in class.  Even classes will have their mid-term on Monday, January 9th, while Odd classes will have their mid-term on Thursday, January 12th.  Students should check the Moodle for any notes they may need, as well as some other helpful resources.

Also starting this week students will be viewing the documentary “Super Size Me” to examine how the fast food industry has affected the health of Americans.  Following the viewing of the documentary, students will be completing an open-ended writing response, in an effort to help students improve on their writing skills.

We’ve been working in the Nutrition Unit and so far, we’ve covered the following topics: MyPlate food guide; portion distortion and serving sizes; the 6 essential nutrients and other basic nutrition information; and reading food labels.  Students also completed a 1-day food diary to evaluate their own nutritional habits.  Next up, we’ll take a look at safely managing one’s weight as well as the dietary needs for specific populations.  Finally, students will be evaluating menu items for their nutritional value from various fast food restaurants.  The Unit 4 test will be Wednesday, December 21st for even classes and Thursday, December 22nd for odd classes.  Students should check Moodle for any handouts or notes they may be missing.

The unit we are currently in is Physical Fitness.  In addition to reviewing the importance of physical activity and the components of fitness, students are working on developing their own fitness goals.  They will then apply the principles of training to their goal and create a 1-month fitness calendar (Unit 3 project).  Calendars will be due on December 5th for Even classes and December 6th for odd classes.  Students should check the Moodle for a sample calendar, as well as a blank calendar that they can download and type into.