Thursday 8th & HS Elective (AM1A) – Health

New one-semester class – Description from publisher’s website:

Health is about stewardship: managing what you have as well as you can. This 15-module course covers the physical, nutritional, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual aspects of growing into a healthy adult. Students will study the human body systems, senses, genetics, temperaments, and physical influences on thoughts and feelings. The course respectfully covers mental illness and emotional stability, as well as the inestimable value of another human being, our culture, our biological sex as related to our gender roles, our families, socialization, communication skills, and conflict resolution skills. Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of both macronutrients and micronutrients, including the importance of exercise and proper diet.

Recommended grade level: 9th-12th, or mature 8th grader – This is a full health textbook. Some students may not be mature enough to discuss some of the topics. The reproductive systems are covered in detail, including accurate, yet respectful, illustrations and descriptions. We respectfully discuss the act of marriage, sexual misconduct, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. We discuss alcohol and drug abuse, depression, pornography, and other topics that also require maturity. We recommend that parents preview the table of contents to decide if their student is ready. Please use your knowledge of your students to decide if this course is appropriate for their maturity levels. This is a course that can fulfill the health course some states require for high school graduation.

General Topics Include:

• Practical topics include information on the things that students encounter every day, such as hydration and sleep. Realistic nutritional advice is presented in a form that allows students to take charge of their eating habits. And while most high school health courses only deal with physical health, Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition,2nd edition recognizes that health is just as dependent on social, emotional, mental, and spiritual vitality.
• Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition,2nd edition covers the difficult topics too. We live in a culture polluted by sexual dysfunction. Apologia designed this health curriculum to tell the truth to teens about the beauty of married sex, the developing baby, and the joy of being parents. We warn teens about the dalliance into immodesty, pornography, and casual sexual activity.
• Apologia also recognizes that some teens struggle, so we tackled the topics in a way that is gentle on the young person who struggles with mental illness, with a disability, or a poor prognosis. We emphasize that each person must do the best he or she can with what is given to them by God, who numbers our days. We even included a chapter on peace. We don’t seek peace as Americans; we distract and entertain ourselves and miss the rewards of simple living. Too often we have to get old before we discover the secret to peace. Apologia wants students to know the importance of peace in their day-to-day lives.