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Learn how far coughs, sneezes, and vomit travel, in this episode of Gross Science from NOVA. Scientists can use technology to track the liquids that fly out of noses and mouths and study how far germs can travel. Researchers at MIT used high-speed cameras to reveal that the droplets in a cough or sneeze travel in an invisible gas cloud, which can carry germs much farther than people previously thought.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Childhood obesity is a crippling crisis of supersized proportions. During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all ages, but no more so than in children ages 6 to 11. Today, nearly a third of our children and adolescents are overweight or obese. And the numbers continue to rise.

This is a producible worksheet that students can use to analyze advertisements. 

This is a free video resource from PBS LearningMedia.  In the video, Penny and the KidVision VPK Kids visit the playground.  They learn playground safety rules and how to pump on the swing, climb the monkey bars and play hopscotch. Ready, Set, GO! It’s Playground Time!

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Learn about the work of speech pathologists and what they do to help children with communicative disorders. This video was produced on-site at CP Rochester Augustin Children's Center.

Young people will gain an understanding of the harmful effects of tobacco on the body, recognize some of the poisonous chemicals found in cigarettes, and analyze advertisements for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco to explain the influence they may have on young people.

In this activity, students learn how mutations in a gene can cause disease. They simulate the inheritance patterns of several different diseases caused by recessive genes. They learn how some recessive genes confer an advantage in the heterozygous state in certain environments. Finally, they identify and research five genetic disorders they would like to know more about and present their findings to the class.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Katerina discovers that she really likes bell peppers! She even tries carrots, but doesn't like them. Teach kids to understand that trying foods is important. After they have tried a new food, they can decide if they like it or not.

The crisis services center team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. People are encouraged to reach out if they are in crisis. This would be a good resource for teachers to make their students aware of issues facing secondary students.

Want to get in shape? Don’t let out-dated advice hold you back. Too many teens (and adults) still believe hand-me-down advice that’s been repeated over and over but never proved by science. In this article, two fitness pros help you separate exercise fact from fiction.

ReadWorks requires teachers to set-up a free account to access and print their passages. 

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Chloe-Olivia is 14 years old and is an anti-bullying advocate. She has a strong sense of self-confidence.  Ever since she has been in school other students would call her names and constantly put her down. She used music and writing as a way to express her feelings when others were trying to hurt her.  She assured herself that she is beautiful and talented. 

How does water pollution happen? Water pollution happens when trash, chemicals, or other substances enter a body of water, like a lake or ocean. It makes the water unsafe for plants and animals that need the water.

This resource includes talking points and three videos about the implications of water pollution.

This activity is designed to be taught at the beginning of the year and re-visited throughout the first half of the school year as needed. The goal is to help students learn how to speak and listen to each other. There are 6 posters included with this lesson and you will go over each poster and discuss what an active listener is then practice the different varations of sharing and pairing.

Poster Titles

•  Accountable Talk
•  Active Listening
•  Pair & Square
•  Physical Learner Look Like
•  Think. Pair. Share
•  Turn & Talk

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

What does the word healthy mean? What are some things we do to stay healthy? Teach language, vocabulary and listening comprehension with Celebrity Vocab clips from Sesame Street!

Although this article is written for parents, it can be helpful for teachers planning a lesson about identifying appropriate and inappropriate touches. This article also highlights the names and authors of books that could be used for this topic. 

This resource is informational material about reading Nutrition Facts Labels. The information is needed to teach students about health literacy to have a higher health status by choosing the right foods. The information breaks down the Nutrition Facts Label to better understand the different parts.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

For reasons concerning public health, states all over the country are beginning to ban smoking in public places. For example, in 2003, New York State became the third state to stamp out cigarette smoking in virtually all businesses. The legislation ended smoking in certain restaurants, bars, and other public places. Smokers describe when they began to smoke and why, how they feel about smoking and how they are viewed as smokers by others. This video can be played during a lesson on health policies against public smoking and disease prevention.

This resource shows that income and health go hand in hand. People live longer in richer countries. Countries are richer where people live longer. There are no high-income countries with a short life expectancy and no low-income countries with a long life expectancy. Still, there’s a huge difference in life expectancy between countries on the same income level, depending on how the money is distributed and how it is used. 

Drinking in high school doesn’t just put students at risk; it threatens the ability of schools to achieve their educational objectives. AlcoholEdu® for High School takes a public health approach to alcohol education in schools, incorporating evidence-based prevention methods to create meaningful results.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Explore how students recognize and work with their emotions, learning to care for themselves and others. This video is from Kindness in the Classroom, is designed to give educators insight into the positive impacts of teaching mindfulness in a classroom setting. This video is intended to train educators to teach students mindfulness on recognizing and responding to their emotions.

Vaping has become a health epidemic for our kids. Nearly 8,000 kids start vaping every day, but parents can play an important role in preventing their kids from using e-cigarettes. Did you know that one vape pod can contain as much nicotine as one pack of cigarettes, which can harm the attention, memory, and brain development of children? With 5.4 million American kids already vaping, it’s important that parents talk to their children about the dangers of trying e-cigarettes.

“Talk About Vaping” drives parents to TalkAboutVaping.org so they can Get Their Head Out of the Cloud and learn the facts about youth vaping so they can have proactive and ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of vaping.

This resource includes videos and printable visuals that promote conversation about this topic. 

This TED-Ed learning activity guides students through the explanation of how exercise improves brain health and function.

What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood and memory -- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

The activity includes a video, multiple choice and open-ended questions, additional resources to dig deeper, and a guided discussion.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Mr. Eagle is sad because he no longer sees children playing and because they spend too much time sitting. He tells the boys how many people are now sick with diabetes and explains that there are ways to prevent the disease. Together, they discuss fun ways to move their bodies and become healthier.

This article is written for teenagers to understand the dangerous effects of using ecstasy or molly. It discusses the effects on the brain and body, the prevalence of teen use, and what to do if someone needs help. 

Join the fun as Penny and the KidVision kids go to the beach! They learn sun safety, meet lifeguards, learn to read beach safety signs, find seashells, splash in the ocean, and end the day with a game of beach ball.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Personal information identifies who we are, where we live, and how family, friends and others can find us to talk to us or come over and visit us. Personal information can help us communicate with others, but we have to be careful with that information when on the computer. Help students stay safe on the internet. This video helps students determine what "personal" information they should not share with internet strangers.

Learn about the importance of eating healthy foods. In this video, a group of students present and explain the types of foods that are good for our bodies, the nutrients they provide, and how these benefit our bodies. They then explain what processed foods are, why some people like them, and why they are unhealthy.

Most students know that bullying is bad, and yet bullying still happens in our schools every day.

When we say hurtful things to other people, we often can’t see the damage that we’re doing on the inside. Our classmates may appear fine, but they’re really hurting. On the other hand, our kind words can be used to build someone else up, and make them feel beautiful on the inside.

These bullying lessons use apples to provide a memorable, visual to show the damage that can be done with harsh, unkind words.

This resource describes and discusses carbohydrates. Written in student-friendly language, this resource could be used for assigned reading or as part of student-led research. Additionally, links to other relevant material and resources are included. 

The Skin Cancer Foundation has developed the free Sun Smart U education program to help teachers expose students to the importance of sun protection and give them the tools they need to prevent skin cancer.

Sun Smart U is consistent with the CDC’s National Health Education Standards for middle school and high school students. The interactive lesson plan features true stories from young skin cancer survivors, medically reviewed Prevention Guidelines, handouts and activities, and can be taught in one or two class periods. Sun Smart U is available in a variety of formats.

This alignment results from the ALEX Health/PE COS Resource Alignment Summit.

Learn to help students develop key skills for successful relationships: communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. Educators can help students develop these skills by working together in groups and discussing roles. Parents can support their children by spending time with them and encouraging communication.

CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) developed this presentation to educate youth on e-cigarettes, including the health risks, the factors that lead to e-cigarette use, and what youth can do to avoid all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. This resource is intended for adults who educate or serve youth ages 11 – 18 (teachers, youth ministers, coaches, scout leaders, etc.). Utilizing the talking points and information for users document, the presenter does not require additional information, nor permission to deliver the presentation.

It’s time to let your creativity shine with the Mood & Mindfulness Journal from On Our Sleeves! These fun activities for grades 3-5 will help you better understand why you feel emotions like happiness and sadness, and help you describe how you are feeling.

This journal includes the following:

• A page to identify words that describe emotions.
• A mood meter to help students identify ranges of emotions as positive/negative and high energy/low energy.
• A page to create a drawing of themselves experiencing an emotion related to a recent event.
• Emotional conversation cards that support the discussion and demonstration of cooperating with others in a positive manner.
• A fill-in-the-blank page for students to develop positive strategies to enlist when experiencing a negative emotion.