Grade 8 - Specific Outcomes: Choices To Maintain Health and To Promote Safety For Self and Others

! 2.
describe signs associated with suicidal behaviour, and

Grade 8 – Specific Outcomes identify interventional strategies
! 3. evaluate the relationship between risk management and
WELLNESS CHOICES–General Outcome stress management; e.g., managing risks effectively
Students will make responsible and informed reduces stress, managing stress can reduce impulsive
choices to maintain health and to promote safety behaviours
for self and others. ! 4. analyze the effects of self-concept on personal
communication
W–8 Interactions
Personal Health Students will:
Students will: ! 5. develop strategies for maintaining healthy relationships
! 1. examine the relationship between choices and resulting ! 6. describe and provide examples of ethical behaviour in
consequences; e.g., how choosing to smoke affects how relationships; e.g., integrity
one looks, feels and performs ! 7. develop and demonstrate strategies for promoting
! 2. analyze the impact of positive and changing choices on peaceful relationships; e.g., find common ground in
health throughout the life span; e.g., need for varying conflicts
amounts of sleep, calcium
! 3. recognize and accept that individuals experience Group Roles and Processes
different rates of physical, emotional, sexual and social Students will:
development ! 8. describe and explain the positive and negative aspects of
! 4. develop personal strategies to deal with pressures to conformity and dissent as they relate to individuals in a
have a certain look/lifestyle; e.g., accept individual look group or on a team
! 5. evaluate personal food choices, and identify strategies to ! 9. describe the characteristics of, and demonstrate skills of,
maintain optimal nutrition when eating away from an effective leader and group member
home; e.g., eating healthy fast foods
! 6. analyze possible negative consequences of substance use and LIFE LEARNING CHOICES–General Outcome
abuse; e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome, drinking and driving
Students will use resources effectively to manage
Safety and Responsibility and explore life roles and career opportunities
and challenges.
Students will:
! 7. determine the signs, methods and consequences of
various types of abuse; e.g., neglect, physical, L–8
emotional, sexual abuse Learning Strategies
! 8. identify potentially unsafe situations in the community, and
Students will:
begin to develop strategies to reduce risk; e.g., dark parking
lots, lack of railway crossing lights ! 1. determine and develop time management
! 9. describe rights and responsibilities of employers and strategies/skills to establish personal balance; e.g., the
employees in relation to workplace safety use of time and energy in family, school, leisure and
! 10. develop strategies to effectively access health volunteer activities, rest
information and health services in the community; e.g., ! 2. examine learning priorities, and implement a learning
health hot line, family doctor, public health unit plan
! 11. identify and develop personal resiliency skills; e.g., ! 3. identify components of ethical decision making, and
planning skills, social competence apply these concepts to personal decision making
! 12. identify and describe the responsibilities and ! 4. begin to develop goals and priorities related to learning
consequences associated with involvement in a sexual and future career paths, based on personal interests,
relationship aptitudes and skills
! 13. describe symptoms, effects, treatments and prevention
for common sexually transmitted diseases; i.e., Life Roles and Career Development
chlamydia, HPV, herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B/C, Students will:
HIV ! 5. update a personal portfolio to show evidence of a range
! 14. identify and describe basic types of contraceptives; e.g., of interests, assets and skills; and relate evidence to
abstinence, condom, birth control pills knowledge and skills required by various career paths
! 6. investigate, interpret and evaluate career information and
RELATIONSHIP CHOICES–General Outcome opportunities, using a variety of sources; e.g., Internet,
Students will develop effective interpersonal informational interviews, mentors, media
skills that demonstrate responsibility, respect and
caring in order to establish and maintain healthy Volunteerism
interactions. Students will:
! 7. relate personal knowledge and skills to potential
R–8 opportunities for volunteering and providing service to
others in the community
Understanding and Expressing Feelings ! 8. investigate the characteristics of a mentor, and practise
Students will: mentorship in a group setting
! 1. describe characteristics of persistent negative feeling
states; e.g., depression, mood disorders
Please note that bold and italicized outcomes contain topics related to human sexuality
and that parents reserve the right to exempt their children from this instruction.
Wellness
GRADE
The student will make responsible and
8 Teacher
Choices
informed choices to maintain health and to
promote safety for self and others.
Background
The student will examine the relationship between choices and resulting
CONTENT:
Home/School/ W–8.1
Community consequences; e.g., how choosing to smoke affects how one looks, feels
Connections
Student
and performs.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • In small groups, brainstorm 25 examples of healthy choices and 25 examples of unhealthy
choices.
Explore and apply

• Working with a partner, list three examples of positive health choices on one side of a
page and identify potential benefits of these choices. On the opposite side, list three
examples of poor health choices and the potential consequences of these negative choices.
Extend and commit

• Collect magazine articles, brochures and news clippings about health choices. Discuss the
potential consequences of the different choices.
Sample
Assessment • List five health choices that could positively affect the way you look, feel and perform.
Activities • List five health choices that could negatively affect the way you look, feel and perform.
Health and Life Skills Guide to Implementation (K–9) Grade 8 Illustrative Examples /517
©Alberta Learning, Alberta, Canada 2002
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
Home/School/ W–8.2 The student will analyze the impact of positive and changing choices on
CONTENT:
Community health throughout the life span; e.g., need for varying amounts of sleep,
Connections
calcium.
! Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Focus: Getting enough sleep

Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Use a T-chart to record positive health choices you made over the last six months and the
positive results of these choices.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm the positive consequences of getting enough sleep every night.
• Brainstorm the potential negative consequences of not getting enough sleep every night.
• Survey students in your class to find out how much sleep per night they average and how
they believe this affects their daily lives.
• Review Student information master 30: How much sleep do you need? on page B.40 in
Appendix B. Use this information to develop a one-minute public announcement
outlining the need for and benefits of adequate sleep.
• Research the average amount of sleep you need at different stages in your life. Display
this information on a timeline and discuss.
Extend and commit

• Research strange and interesting facts about sleep. Discuss why some individuals need
less sleep than others.
• Choose three positive health choices you could make to improve your personal health.
Write a plan that includes a goal and the steps you could take to achieve your goal. Log
your progress. Analyze the benefits of the choices you made, what you will continue to
do and what you might do differently.
Sample
Assessment • How have your sleep patterns changed over the years? Describe your typical sleep pattern
Activities during the school year. Describe what happens when you don’t get enough sleep. List the
choices you make that effect getting (or not getting) enough sleep.
518/ Grade 8 Illustrative Examples Health and Life Skills Guide to Implementation (K–9)
2002 ©Alberta Learning, Alberta, Canada
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will recognize and accept that individuals experience
CONTENT:
Community different rates of physical, emotional, sexual and social development.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Complete a timeline of significant physical and social milestones in your life.
Explore and apply

• Collect photographs of yourself at different ages, examples of assignments or awards from
different grades, or other items you have collected which relate to your interests over the
past several years.
• Examine the photos and collected items and discuss how they reveal changes in physical
appearance, interests and activities, and goals or achievements.
Extend and commit

• Identify a book or movie about a group of teens. Examine how the individual characters
experience different rates of physical, emotional, sexual and social development.
Sample
Assessment • List five examples of how you’ve changed in the last five years physically, emotionally
Activities and socially.
Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Note instruction by their parents, should not participate in any
learning activities that contain reference to sexuality.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will develop personal strategies to deal with pressures to have a
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
certain look/lifestyle; e.g., accept individual look.
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Brainstorm sources of pressure to look or act in a certain way. For example: peers,
media and parents.
• Discuss the degree of influence and the positive or negative effects these sources may
have.
Explore and apply

• Compile a variety of advertisements that contain messages about the way teens should
look or act. Cut out the advertisements, mount them on paper and write captions
describing the messages to conform. Display them in the classroom.
• Discuss the display of advertisements and their messages.
• Brainstorm strategies for resisting the pressure to conform to a particular message in a
specific advertisement. Write the strategy below the ad.
• Role-play scenarios in which teens resist pressure to conform to a certain look.
Discuss which strategies are most successful for dealing with pressure.
• For other activities that support this learning outcome, visit Physical Education Online
at www.learning.gov.ab.ca/physicaleducationonline/. Click on Teacher Resources,
go to General Outcome B and click on activities.
Extend and commit

• Are there pressures to have a certain look or lifestyle that may benefit teens? Discuss.
Sample
Assessment • Create a brochure offering tips on what teens can do to cope with pressures to have a
Activities certain look.
Connections Ideas for developing a positive body image

Students can:
• be aware of the variety of body types within family and groups of friends, and know
that all body types can be healthy
• look for varieties of body types among television and media personalities
• talk to their parents or older siblings about body image concerns
• appreciate their own physical talents and abilities, such as athletic abilities, musical
dexterity and artistic abilities
• be aware that their physical bodies make up only a part of who they are or can be.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Outcome W–8.4 (continued)
Parents can:
• be aware that the beginning of puberty can bring about changes which affect body image
• be aware that puberty changes begin gradually but often earlier than parents might expect
• make a conscious effort to have and model healthy behaviours and attitudes related to
body image
• be aware that negative comments about body size and type can be damaging to their
children’s developing sense of worth
• be available to listen and talk when children have questions or concerns about body image
• understand that feelings and concerns related to body image may surface in other ways,
such as through behaviours or attitudes
• help your child develop strategies to handle teasing
• ensure that siblings do not tease each other about body size or image
• make a conscious effort not to compare body types among family, friends and celebrities
in nonconstructive ways, such as “She would look much better if …”
• help your child understand that diversity in body shape and size is normal and natural—all
types deserve respect.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will evaluate personal food choices, and identify strategies to
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
maintain optimal nutrition when eating away from home; e.g., eating
Student
healthy fast foods.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Use the Internet to locate nutritional information on a variety of fast-food products
available at local restaurants.
• Investigate and evaluate the nutritional content of foods served in your school cafeteria,
hot lunch program and vending machines.
Explore and apply
• Design a fast-food guide based on the Internet information. Include information on the
number of servings from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, that each item
provides. Use colour, symbols and charts to make it user-friendly. Visit Health Canada’s
Web site at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/nutrition/index.html to order or download a copy of
this guide.
• Analyze the nutritional value of your favourite fast-food meal. Determine if your choices
are healthy or in need of improvement. Outline your plans for maintaining or improving
your eating habits away from home.
• For other activities that support this learning outcome, visit Physical Education Online
at www.learning.gov.ab.ca/physicaleducationonline/. Click on Teacher Resources,
go to General Outcome B and click on activities.
Extend and commit
• Discuss strategies for improving the nutritional food choices provided by the school
cafeteria and vending machines.
Sample
Assessment • Describe three healthy food choices you could make away from home.
Activities
Teacher
Background Eating out the healthy way
Eating out has become a way of life for many Canadians. Typically, Canadians eat out
several times a week. Teens, who often lead fast-paced lifestyles, are no exception.
Fast foods may be particularly appealing to teens because of the way that these foods
are advertised, their seemingly low cost and convenience.
Eating out on a regular basis has implications both for health and finances. Without
careful planning, frequent eating out can promote poor eating habits and obesity. Teens
need to understand the financial realities associated with buying prepared foods. They
need to learn how healthy eating, at home or away, can be inexpensive and enjoyable.
Serving size directly affects the caloric content of foods. Because fast food serving sizes
are often much larger than those eaten at home, the impact of these foods on an
individual’s diet is magnified. As a result, regularly relying on fast foods, such as soft
drinks, french fries, burgers and pizza, can increase the risk of excessive fat, sugar and
calorie intake. This, in turn, increases the risk for problems associated with being
overweight.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Becoming overweight is a significant health issue for teens. Today’s teens are at greater
risk for excessive body weight due to a variety of factors. Inactivity, an overreliance on
higher fat, higher calorie fast foods, and overly large portion sizes all contribute to weight
problems. Reversing this trend, while discouraging fad dieting, poses a challenge.
Supporting and practising the principles of balance, variety and moderation play a central
role in meeting this challenge.
In moderation, fast food items, such as hamburgers, french fries, ice cream and doughnuts,
can be part of a healthy diet. However, when these foods begin to replace other, more
nutritious foods in an individual’s overall eating plan, problems and nutrient deficiencies
can occur. Comparing typical fast-food items to home-prepared foods or school cafeteria
items can help people see the impact of these choices on their overall eating habits and can
encourage moderation.
Contributed by Alberta Milk in collaboration with registered dietitians and nutrition professionals from across the province.
Connections Ideas for encouraging healthy food choices

Students can:
• become informed consumers by analyzing nutritional information provided in restaurants,
cafeterias and on food labels
• make informed decisions about their food choices based on their knowledge of Canada’s
Food Guide to Healthy Eating and the concepts of balance, variety and moderation.
Parents can:
• discuss the important role healthy eating plays in a person’s overall well-being
• provide teens with the opportunity to become involved in purchasing food for themselves
and their families
• encourage teens to seek out reliable information on the nutrient content of their favourite
foods
• encourage and support teens in requesting nutritious foods when eating out.
Communities can:
• support student proposals aimed at increasing the number of nutrient-rich foods offered at
school
• strive to initiate or support adult efforts to increase the number of nutritious food choices
offered by school food services.
Contributed by Alberta Milk in collaboration with registered dietitians and nutrition professionals from across the province.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will analyze possible negative consequences of substance use and
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
abuse; e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome, drinking and driving.
! Student
Information
! Student Activity
Master
Focus: Alcohol and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss the questions, “Why do some people use alcohol?” and “Why do some
adolescents use alcohol?”
• Discuss similarities and differences in the answers for these two questions.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm potential negative consequences of alcohol use.
• Use Student activity master 39: Make room for males on page C.40 in Appendix C to
examine and discuss men’s roles in the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(FASD). Each student takes three to five minutes to complete the survey. There are no
right or wrong answers in this activity; it is an opinion poll, not a quiz. In small groups or
as a class, discuss the responses. Examine the differences, if any, between boys’ and
girls’ responses.
• Review and discuss Student information master 31: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
(FASD) on pages B.41–B.42 in Appendix B. Work with a partner to develop a one-
minute public service announcement to create an awareness of FASD and offer prevention
strategies.
• For other activities that support this learning outcome, visit Physical Education Online at
www.learning.gov.ab.ca/physicaleducationonline/. Click on Teacher Resources, go to
General Outcome B and click on activities.
Extend and commit

• Discuss why it is important to inform people that a drink contains alcohol. For example:
− religious restrictions
− personal choice not to drink
− to avoid combining medicine with alcohol
− pregnancy.
• Design drink coasters reminding patrons in bars and restaurants of the connection between
drinking alcohol and FASD. Develop positive messages encouraging people to make
healthy choices.
• Outline strategies a group of teens could use to promote abstinence from alcohol among
teens in your school and community.
Sample
Assessment • Imagine that you have been invited to be a guest columnist for a teen magazine. Your job
Activities is to write an open letter to students your age encouraging them to consider the potential
consequences of using alcohol while pregnant. Include basic information about what
FASD is, the consequences of FASD, and why and how it can be prevented.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Teacher
Background For more ideas, see Teaching for the Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(FASD): Grades 1–12: A Resource for Teachers of Health and Life Skills, and Career
and Life Management (Alberta Learning, 2002).
Connections Ideas for prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Students can:
• develop and use stress-management strategies
• develop effective decision-making skills
• develop strategies for expressing and managing feelings
• be aware of how exposure to alcohol could affect the development of an unborn baby.
Parents can:
• model stress-management skills
• provide opportunities and support for teens to develop effective decision-making skills
• use family meetings and discussions to model healthy expression and management of
feelings
• talk to teens about the risks and responsibilities of using alcohol.
Communities can:
• support early intervention programs
• encourage mentoring programs that support mothers of children with FASD.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will determine the signs, methods and consequences of
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
various types of abuse; e.g., neglect, physical, emotional, sexual abuse.
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss how abuse can affect children and their families.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm signs of abuse.
• Brainstorm and discuss consequences of various types of abuse.
• Invite a guest speaker from a local women’s shelter or youth service agency to discuss the
consequences of abuse and how communities can work together to break the cycle of
abuse.
• Ensure students know who to call if abuse exists in their own homes or in the home of
someone they know. Research local services and support resources. Discuss how,
without help and treatment, the cycle of abuse continues.
• Discuss how students would like to see the future they will live in as adults. What
qualities will they want to see in adults who are parents or who work with children? What
do they want life to be like for the children of the future?
Extend and commit

• Research child-abuse statistics for your community. Find out about local initiatives and
programs that prevent child abuse.
• Write a letter of support to a fictional friend who is in an abusive situation. Let your
friend know that the cycle of abuse can be stopped. What kind of advice and support
would you offer?
Sample
Assessment • In your own words, explain why child abuse is an important issue in your community.
Activities Discuss the signs and consequences of abuse, and actions communities can take to break
the cycle.

Note instruction by their parents, should not participate in any learning
activities that contain reference to sexual activity or sexual abuse.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Teacher
Background Child abuse
Types of child abuse
• Neglect: failure to provide a child with the necessities of life, including failure to
obtain needed medical, surgical or other treatment
• Physical abuse: intentional, substantial and observable injury to a child
• Sexual abuse: inappropriate exposure or subjection to sexual contact, activity or
behaviour
• Emotional abuse: the substantial and observable impairment of a child’s mental or
emotional functioning caused by such things as rejection, deprivation of affection
and/or cognitive stimulation, exposure to domestic violence or disharmony,
inappropriate criticism and humiliation, or chronic drug or alcohol use by anyone living
in the child’s home.
Adapted from Government of Alberta, Responding to Child Abuse: A Handbook (Edmonton, AB: Government of Alberta,
1999), pp. 5–9.
Abused children may encounter the following abusive behaviours from adults:
hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, pushing, choking, threatening violence as punishment
for bad behaviour, saying things over and over again that make children feel bad, forcing
children to touch them or be involved in adult sexual activities.
Children and adults who are abused may cope by:
• hiding feelings
• keeping it secret
• withdrawing
• reacting with anger and aggression
• using drugs or alcohol
• running away
• attempting suicide.
Adapted with permission from Red Cross Abuse Prevention Services, It’s Not Your Fault (Ottawa, ON: Canadian Red
Cross, 1998), p. 2.
Children and adults who are abused may:

• have unattended medical problems, such as infected sores, decayed or missing teeth,
lack of needed glasses
• have unexplained bruises or welts, perhaps in the shape of an object, scars in regular
patterns, cuts and scrapes, fractures, sprains, dislocations or head injuries
• have bald spots, human bite marks, unexplained burns (cigarette or iron-shaped)
• be underweight, dehydrated, have an emaciated or distended stomach
• have poor hygiene
• lack clean or appropriate clothing suitable for the weather
• have a sexually transmitted disease, genital discharge, infection or bleeding, physical
trauma or irritation in anal and genital areas
• have pain urinating or defecating, difficulty walking due to genital or anal pain
• have stomachaches, headaches
• have psychosomatic complaints.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Other signs of abuse

The child:
• demands constant attention or withdraws
• exhibits behavioural extremes, such as aggression, withdrawal
• is defensive about injuries, wears clothing to cover up injuries, is reluctant to undress in
front of others, fears showers or washrooms
• is wary or intolerant of touch or physical contact with adults
• reports injury by parent or guardian
• runs away often, is unable to form good peer relationships
• is depressed
• abuses alcohol or drugs
• attempts suicide
• displays self-destructive behaviour
• refuses to participate in sports or social activities
• is overly self-conscious about body
• fears or avoids being at home
• suddenly fears new things.
For further information regarding detecting and reporting child abuse, consult the Alberta
Government publication Responding to Child Abuse: A Handbook, 1999.
Handling disclosure
• Find a private, quiet place to listen.
• Listen in a calm, nonjudgemental way.
• Acknowledge the child’s feelings.
• Reassure the child that it’s okay to tell.
• Reassure the child that the situation is not his or her fault.
• Reassure the child that you will try to help.
• Write down what the child says in his or her own words.
• Describe how the child appears.
• Keep these notes and all information confidential and secure.
Reporting child abuse
Anyone who has reason to believe that a child has been abused or is at risk of being
abused has a legal duty under the Child Welfare Act to report the matter to the local office
of Alberta Children’s Services or the Child Abuse Hotline at 1–800–387–5437. A child
welfare worker will determine whether the child needs protective services, contact the
police if investigation is required and coordinate response with other agencies as needed.
Adapted from Government of Alberta, Responding to Child Abuse: A Handbook (Edmonton, AB: Government of Alberta,
1999), pp. 1, 5–8, 10.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Connections Ideas for preventing child abuse

Students can:
• create anti-violence and anti-abuse posters to put up in school
• organize peer support groups
• organize and participate in junior high Safe and Caring Schools assemblies with a focus
on abuse awareness or prevention
• be aware of teen help lines and support services within the community.
Parents can:
• talk to teens about abuse and prevention
• listen to and believe teens who reveal abuse or suspected abuse
• refuse to accept abusive behaviour in the home from friends or family members
• attend related presentations at school with their children
• be aware of help lines and local support services available to teens
• report known incidents of abuse in the community.
Communities can:
• provide guest presentations on abuse through local RCMP, police services, mental health
agencies, Red Cross
• facilitate anti-violence and anti-abuse presentations for schools and community
• organize public anti-violence forums with a guest panel from local community
• provide support groups and services through local mental health agencies
• organize and support volunteer help lines and crisis centres through local agencies.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will identify potentially unsafe situations in the community, and
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
begin to develop strategies to reduce risk; e.g., dark parking lots, lack of
Student
railway crossing lights.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Do a think–pair–share discussing an unsafe situation in the community that you
experienced within the last year.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm a list of potentially unsafe situations within five blocks of your school.
• Working with a partner, develop strategies for reducing these risks.
Extend and commit

• Choose one unsafe situation near your school and write a letter to the municipal or local
government outlining your ideas for how to reduce this risk.
Sample
Assessment • Identify three potentially unsafe situations near your home. Describe strategies you can
Activities use to reduce these risks.
Connections Ideas for promoting and enhancing safety in the community

Students can:
• use assertiveness skills in refusing rides from people they do not know
• refuse to let strangers enter the home when they are alone
• talk to their parents about safety issues
• be aware of Block Parent symbols and where Block Parent houses are located in the
immediate neighbourhood
• walk in groups in unfamiliar areas or after dark
• be aware of their surroundings when walking and be alert near parked cars and shrubbery
• carry change for an emergency phone call
• report suspicious activities or situations to proper authorities.
Parents can:
• acknowledge teens’ feelings of fear
• give practical suggestions for staying safe in specific circumstances
• get to know teens’ friends and their parents
• include friends in family activities
• point out Block Parent symbols when walking or driving in the neighbourhood
• set clear rules and consequences; monitor teens’ whereabouts
• foster independence by adjusting boundaries and curfews as teens mature.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Communities can:
• support Block Parent programs
• support Neighbourhood Watch programs
• support Rural Crime Watch programs
• encourage neighbours to take responsibility for monitoring youth behaviour in residential
and business districts
• require professionals and caregivers working directly with teens to be aware of custody
issues.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will describe rights and responsibilities of employers and
CONTENT:
Community employees in relation to workplace safety.
Connections
! Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Brainstorm a list of jobs (paid or volunteer) students may have or look forward to having
in the future.
• Discuss what rights students have when it comes to workplace safety. What rights do
employers have?
• Discuss responsibilities students have when it comes to workplace safety. What
responsibilities do employers have?
Explore and apply

• Generate a list of questions regarding workplace safety that you could ask before starting a
job.
• Role-play job interviews in which potential employees ask questions about job safety.
Extend and commit

• Survey newspapers over the past month to find stories and articles related to workplace
safety. Identify current trends and issues.
Sample
Assessment • Design a brochure or poster outlining teens’ rights and responsibilities regarding
Activities workplace safety.
Teacher
Background For additional information
For more information on potential safety questions, see Student information master 28:
Workplace health and safety on page B.37 in Appendix B.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will develop strategies to effectively access health information
CONTENT:
Community and health services in the community; e.g., health hot line, family doctor,
Connections
Student
public health unit.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Brainstorm sources of health information and services available to teens in the local area.
• Do an informal survey of the class to determine how many students know:
− their doctor’s name and the name and location of the clinic
− the location of the nearest public health unit
− where to go to get information on general health questions and concerns
− teen information hot line numbers.
Explore and apply

• Generate a list of strategies for accessing health information and services.
• Discuss things students can do to ensure the information they get is correct and safe. For
example, find out who is providing the information—a pharmaceutical company may have
different goals than a local health unit.
Extend and commit

• Design a health information directory bulletin board for your school library or counselling
area.
Sample
Assessment • Choose a health issue you are interested in. Create a mind map showing all the different
Activities strategies you could use to find out more information on this topic.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will identify and develop personal resiliency skills; e.g.,
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
planning skills, social competence.
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, review the definition and characteristics of resiliency. For example: resiliency
is the ability to spring back or recover from a restrictive or difficult life situation.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm a list of skills that can help a person lead a happy and satisfying life.
• Working with a partner, generate a list of opportunities you have to develop social
competence skills through classroom work, special assignments and school activities.
• Discuss how the more resiliency characteristics a person has, the greater the potential for
overcoming adversity.
Extend and commit

• Identify accomplished artists, writers and athletes who demonstrate strong personal
resiliency skills.
Sample
Assessment • Describe three ways you demonstrate personal resiliency skills in your life.
Activities • Describe one personal resiliency skill that you would like to strengthen.
Teacher
Background Resiliency
“Resiliency is the ability to recognize our personal power—to see ourselves and our lives
in new ways.”
Patricia O’Gorman
AADAC
Resiliency is a process of balancing protective factors against risk factors. It is the gradual
accumulation of emotional strength that gives people the ability to rise above difficult life
circumstances.
Risk factors Protective factors
• stress • ability to cope
• adversity • availability of support
• disadvantages
Resiliency researcher Bonnie Benard discovered that resilient individuals have social
competence. They attract positive attention from others, are empathetic and caring,
communicate well and can find humour in difficult situations.
Wellness
GRADE
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They have problem-solving skills. They can plan, think critically and creatively, and seek
help when they need it.
They develop a critical consciousness which allows them to be aware of the problems in
their family or society, and to know that they are not the cause of these troubles.
They have autonomy. They believe in their ability to influence events around them, and
have a strong sense of their own identity, which does not waiver in the face of neglect or
ridicule.
Resilient children have a sense of purpose and believe in a bright future. They have goals,
educational aspirations, optimism and faith.
Resilient children use the abilities they have effectively. They can take advantage of
opportunities that exist in their environment.
Resilient children tend to recruit support from friends, relatives, teachers and other elders.
They join organizations like 4-H or the YMCA. They take advantage of educational
opportunities at community colleges, churches and community service organizations.
Adapted from Deirdre Ah Shene, “Resiliency: A Vision of Hope,” Developments 18, 7 (1999), pp. 2–3. Adapted with
permission from the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC).
We are all born with innate resiliency, with the capacity to develop the traits of resiliency.
Resiliency is a capacity for self-righting, and for transformation and change.
Connections Ideas for promoting and enhancing the development of personal resiliency skills
Students can:
• develop caring relationships with adult mentors
• organize peer support groups within the school
• be aware of local counselling services
• seek help from adults or support services when facing difficulties
• recognize that it’s okay when things don’t go their way
• recognize that individuals can have control over most of the circumstances in life that
cause unhappiness
• develop autonomy by learning to depend on themselves
• recognize that attitudes, actions and values are what define them, and not their past
• set reasonable personal goals, work toward them and celebrate their achievements.
Wellness
GRADE
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Parents can:
• listen to their teens
• talk with their teens
• let their teens grow from their mistakes
• believe in their teens
• let their teens know that the world is a good place
• volunteer as mentors to teens in the school and community
• invite youth to join family outings and activities
• do something new together with their teens
• be aware that teens need meaningful relationships with at least three adults other than their
parents
• help teens find trusted adults who share similar hobbies or interests
• connect with other families
• encourage teens to find adult-led programs of interest
• be aware of local support services for at-risk teens
• help teens recognize the relationship between positive attitudes and success.
Communities can:
• provide volunteer mentors through programs such as Big Sisters and Big Brothers
• facilitate youth–adult relationships through support of initiatives for teen recreation
centres, coffee houses
• help teens organize drop-in centres through local agencies and chambers of commerce,
and provide access to a variety of mentors
• organize annual neighbourhood block parties
• increase awareness of resiliency and the factors that promote resiliency in youth
• provide inservices for community coaches, mentors and group leaders which focus on
promoting resiliency
• celebrate teen success within the community through local newspapers and newsletters.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will identify and describe the responsibilities and
CONTENT:
Community consequences associated with involvement in a sexual relationship.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss ground rules for talking about sensitive topics in the classroom.
Explore and apply

• List and discuss the responsibilities of being involved in a sexual relationship.
• Watch and discuss one or more videos dealing with the responsibilities and consequences
associated with involvement in a sexual relationship. See the list of authorized resources
for video suggestions.
Extend and commit

• Discuss reasons why individuals may choose not to be involved in a sexual relationship at
different points in their lives.
Sample
Assessment • Describe three potential consequences of involvement in a teen sexual relationship.
Activities

Note instruction by their parents, should not participate in these
learning activities.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will describe symptoms, effects, treatments and prevention for
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
common sexually transmitted diseases; i.e., chlamydia, HPV, herpes,
Student
gonorrhea, hepatitis B/C, HIV.
! Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss germ theory and develop a working definition of sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs). For example, STDs are a group of diseases mainly transmitted through sexual
contact, including intercourse and/or intimate contact with genitals, mouth and/or rectum.
Some STDs are also transmitted through blood.
• Discuss why it is important to learn about STDs.
Explore and apply

• As a class, compile a list of reliable sources of information related to health issues and
specifically STDs.
• Working with a partner, research a specific STD and develop a fact sheet that outlines:
− causes
− incubation period
− symptoms
− diagnosis
− treatment and management
− prevention strategies.
• Share fact sheets with the class.
• Review Student information master 32: Sexually transmitted diseases on pages
B.43–B.45 in Appendix B. Use this information to add to student-generated fact sheets.
Extend and commit

• Discuss the social and emotional impact of STDs.
Sample
Assessment • Write a paragraph describing at least three strategies for preventing sexually transmitted
Activities diseases.

Wellness
GRADE
8 Choices
Connections Ideas for reducing and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
Students can:
• commit to and practise abstinence in their relationships
• be aware of STDs and safer sex practices
• be aware of treatments and local health-care services available to teens.
Parents can:
• talk to teens about STDs and safer sex practices
• encourage and support abstinence by facilitating and supervising group dating activities.
Communities can:
• provide presentations by professional health-care workers through the local health unit
• provide confidential information and services to teens in the community.
Wellness
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will identify and describe basic types of contraceptives; e.g.,
CONTENT:
Community abstinence, condom, birth control pills.
Connections
! Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, discuss and define the word contraceptives.
• Brainstorm types of contraceptives.
Explore and apply

• Working with a partner, choose one method of contraception and identify:
− how it works
− main advantages
− main disadvantages and precautions
− estimated failure rates.
• Report findings to the class.
• Review Student information master 33: Four common methods of birth control on
pages B.46–B.47 in Appendix B. Discuss the information.
Extend and commit

• Brainstorm typical excuses sexually active people might have for choosing not to use
contraception. For example:
− the belief that “it won’t happen to them”
− embarrassment in purchasing a contraceptive
− the belief they are too young to get pregnant.
Sample
Assessment • Complete the following statements to show your understanding of the basic types of
Activities contraceptives:
− “Abstinence means …”
− “A condom …”
− “Birth control pills …”
− “Contraception is important because …”

Relationship
GRADE The student will develop effective
interpersonal skills that demonstrate
8 Choices
responsibility, respect and caring in order to
establish and maintain healthy interactions.
! Teacher
Background
The student will describe characteristics of persistent negative feeling
CONTENT:
Home/School/ R–8.1
! Community
Connections
states; e.g., depression, mood disorders.
! Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Create a triple T-chart of what depression looks, sounds and feels like.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm a list of signs of depression. Check Student information master 34:
Depression on pages B.48–B.49 in Appendix B. Add additional information to your
brainstormed list.
• Discuss strategies for dealing with persistent negative feelings. Working with a partner,
illustrate strategies on mini-posters and display them.
Extend and commit

• Compile a list of local agencies and professionals that assist people in dealing with stress,
depression and mood disorders.
Sample
Assessment • Design a tip sheet or brochure for recognizing and overcoming teen depression.
Activities
Teacher
For more information on depression and suicidal feelings, see the Depression section of
Teaching Students with Emotional Disorders and/or Mental Illnesses (Alberta Learning,
2000), Book 8 in the Programming for Students with Special Needs series. This teacher
resource was a collaborative project between Alberta Mental Health Board, The Alberta
Teachers’ Association and Alberta Learning. The resource is available for purchase from
the Learning Resources Centre.
Connections Ideas for supporting teens who are struggling with depression
Students can:
• organize a peer support group in the school
• talk with trusted mentors and school counsellors about personal concerns
• be aware of school and community support and counselling services available
• be aware of teen help and crisis lines
• reduce the impact of depression through exercise and physical activity
• get involved in physical activity programs.
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Outcome R–8.1 (continued)
Parents can:
• volunteer to be mentors within the school or community
• communicate openly about feelings with teens
• be aware that teens need to have their feelings acknowledged
• learn to listen in ways that encourage teens to discuss their personal concerns
• read and learn about depression
• encourage and reward growth and progress in teens’ personal goals
• be aware of school and community support services.
Communities can:
• provide presentations for students by health-care professionals through local agencies
• support student initiatives for youth drop-in centres or recreation centres
• facilitate volunteer help lines or peer support services run by local teens under adult
supervision
• support comprehensive suicide and depression programming and awareness.
Relationship
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! Teacher
Background
The student will describe signs associated with suicidal behaviour, and
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
identify interventional strategies.
! Student
Information
! Student
Master
Activity
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Generate a list of questions about suicide and suicide prevention.
• View an informational video or invite a local resource person in to speak on suicide
prevention.
Explore and apply
• Discuss reasons why people contemplate or die by suicide.
• Working in pairs, complete Student activity master 40: Facts and myths about suicide on
page C.41 in Appendix C. Discuss the answers in small groups or as a class.
• Review and discuss ideas contained in Student information master 35: Suicide on
pages B.50–B.51 in Appendix B.
• Survey community agencies to find out about suicide prevention and intervention
initiatives in your community.
Extend and commit
• Discuss your responsibilities, and the possible challenges posed, when someone you know
tells you he or she is considering suicide.
• Research suicide statistics for your community. Compare with other communities in the
province and across Canada. Are there any significant patterns?
Sample
Assessment • Design a brochure outlining what a person can do to cope with suicidal feelings and how
Activities someone can support a person who is thinking about suicide.
AAC … • To download the teacher-developed assessment activity I Never Knew Your Name, go
Everyday assessment to the Alberta Assessment Consortium’s Web site at www.aac.ab.ca, select
tools for teachers
Assessment material and then click on Public access: Assessment material
(public domain) and then go to Grade 8: I Never Knew.
[This assessment task can also be used with specific outcome R–8.5.]
Teacher
Background Talking about suicide
Discussing suicide with young people is difficult. Teachers need to balance being
understanding, empathetic and nonjudgemental, while also helping youth understand
suicide is not a solution to dealing with pain. We need to decrease the stigma associated
with talking about suicide while avoiding creating approval for suicide.
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Choose your language carefully. Avoid the use of the phrase “commit suicide” as suicide
is no longer a crime. An alternative, and more realistic term is “die by suicide.” We do
not want to imply suicide is success so avoid phrases such as “succeed in killing
themselves” or “successful suicide.”
Teachers must be prepared for the possible emotional effects of discussing this topic.
You cannot know ahead of time which students might have been affected by suicide or
thinking about suicide before the discussion in class. Be aware of the emotions the
students experience as they are sharing. This will give you an opportunity to identify
students who may be upset and may need extra support outside of class. If any students
in the class have recently attempted suicide or have experienced a loss, they should be
offered the opportunity to work elsewhere during these class activities. Whether they
choose to participate or opt out, you want to have someone work with them or be nearby,
in case the topic generates anxiety and they need support.
Teachers are often privy to information about their students and have opportunities to use
their existing rapport with students to ask questions about suicidal thoughts. Teachers
can serve as a link to resources that students may benefit from. We all need to work to
decrease the stigma of seeking help and model good self-care and wellness. Students
need access to information on local agencies and professionals where they can go if they
need more help.
Background information courtesy of Alberta Mental Health Board, Suicide Prevention Program.
Frequently asked questions about suicide

1. Why do people choose to die by suicide?
People who die by suicide have intense feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and
don’t see any other way out. They are often ambivalent about dying and
approximately 80 percent may be suffering from depression or other mental illnesses.
2. Is it true that people attempt suicide as a cry for help?
The suicide attempt is often a conscious or unconscious method of getting others to
recognize just how badly the individual is feeling.
3. Do people ever attempt suicide to get attention or to get others to feel sorry for them?
Anyone who attempts suicide in order to get attention desperately needs attention. It is
tragic when young people feel they need to bargain with their lives in order to have
their problems taken seriously.
4. Is it true that people who attempt to kill themselves really don’t want to die?
Most people who kill themselves are ambivalent about whether to live or die right up
to the moment of death. They want to live and die at the same time.
5. Will a person who is deeply depressed always become suicidal?
While it is true that suicidal feelings often develop in a person who is deeply
depressed, the fact that one is depressed does not mean that a person will become
suicidal.
6. Does taking drugs or alcohol increase one’s chances of becoming suicidal?
Taking drugs or alcohol in excess can exaggerate painful feelings to a point where the
feelings are intolerable. In that state, a person might attempt suicide who otherwise
would not go that far.
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7. If someone in the family has died by suicide, are others in the family more likely to die
by suicide when they have problems?
If someone in the family has died by suicide, other family members may be more
likely to contemplate suicide because that behaviour has been modelled for them.
8. How can one help a person who is suicidal?
A person who believes that life is too painful is usually feeling worthless and unloved.
Showing such individuals some real caring by listening and accepting feelings, staying
close and getting others to be supportive can really help individuals feel life may be
worth living. Seek the help of a trusted adult.
9. How does talking about suicide help prevent it?
Talking about suicide diffuses some of the intensity of these feelings. It helps the
person get connected to the help that is needed. It creates a climate of caring and
breaks through the loneliness the person is experiencing.
10. Do more men or women make attempts on their lives?
Although many more women than men make attempts on their lives, more men
actually die by suicide. This is due to the fact that men usually use more lethal
methods, such as guns. Women are more likely to use pills.
11. Is there a time of year when suicide is more common?
– Suicide is more common in spring and fall.
– Suicide can occur in clusters within the local area. An imitative or copycat effect is
possible for persons at risk who have similar stresses and are the same age, sex or
race.
– Suicide rates tend to drop prior to major holidays, including Christmas, but often
increase afterwards.
12. Is there a connection between suicide and alcohol?
Recent research indicates that a large percentage of people who die by suicide are
legally drunk at the time.
Factors that influence suicidal behaviour

In order to develop suicide prevention approaches, we need to consider what we know about
factors that influence suicidal behaviour. The suicide prevention literature typically
describes four types of factors to consider:
• Predisposing factors set the stage for a vulnerability to suicide and are typically
historical in nature (e.g., family history of suicide).
• Contributing factors act to increase the exposure of individuals to other predisposing
or precipitating conditions (e.g., substance abuse within the family). These may be
historical or sudden in nature.
• Precipitating factors act as a trigger for predisposed persons and are often acute or
sudden in nature (e.g., sudden loss or failure).
• Protective factors describe those conditions which act to lessen the risk for suicide
(e.g., availability of at least one significant adult who can provide warmth, care and
understanding).
The risk for suicide is increased by predisposing, contributing and precipitating factors.
The protective factors serve to decrease the risk for suicide. Refer to the table on the next
page for examples of factors across various levels.
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Factors that influence suicidal behaviour
PREDISPOSING CONTRIBUTING PRECIPITATING PROTECTIVE

FACTORS FACTORS FACTORS FACTORS
• Previous history of an • Rigid cognitive style • Personal failure • Easy temperament

attempt • Poor coping skills • Humiliation • Creative problem solving
• Depression/psychiatric • Substance abuse • Individual trauma • Personal autonomy
Individual
disorder • Sexual orientation issues • Developmental crisis • Previous experience with

• Prolonged or unresolved • Impulsivity self-mastery
grief • Hypersensitivity • Optimistic outlook
• Sense of humour
• Family history of suicidal • Substance abuse within • Loss of significant family • Family relationships
behaviour/completed suicide family member characterized by warmth and
• Family violence/abuse • Family instability • Death, especially by suicide belonging
• Family history of psychiatric • Ongoing conflict • Adults modelling healthy
Family
disorder adjustment
• Early childhood • High and realistic
loss/separation expectations
• Social isolation and • Negative youth attitudes • Teasing/cruelty • Social competence

alienation towards seeking adult • Interpersonal loss • Healthy peer modelling
assistance • Rejection • Acceptance and support
Peers
• Peer modelling of • Death, especially by suicide

maladaptive behaviours
• Longstanding history of a • Disruption during key • Failure • Presence of adults who

negative school experience transitional periods at school • Expulsion believe in them
• • • •
School
Lack of meaningful Reluctance/uncertainty about Disciplinary crisis Parent involvement

connection to school how to help among school • Encouragement of
staff participation
• Community “legacy” of • Sensational media portrayal • High profile/celebrity death, • Opportunities for
suicides of suicide especially by suicide participation
• Community marginalization • Access to firearms or other • Conflict with the • Evidence of hope for the
• Political disempowerment lethal methods law/incarceration future
• Reluctance/uncertainty about • Community self-
Community
how to help among key determination and solidarity

gatekeepers • Availability of resources
• Inaccessible community
resources
• Economic deprivation
From Jennifer White, Youth Suicide Prevention: A Framework for British Columbia (Vancouver, BC: Mental Health Evaluation and Community
Consultation Unit (MHECCU)–Suicide Prevention, The University of British Columbia, 1998), p. 8. Used with permission from MHECCU.
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Facts and myths about suicide

Consider the following information when discussing Student activity master 40: Facts
and myths about suicide.
1. MYTH Many people who attempt suicide tell someone, directly or indirectly. All
statements or threats must be taken seriously.
2. MYTH Suicide crosses all socio-economic strata.
3. MYTH Through behaviour changes, direct statements or nonverbal clues, most
people give some warning of potential suicide.
4. MYTH In fact, a dangerous myth. Sometimes this may be the only way to determine
the seriousness of the person or to confirm your suspicions. As well, it
indicates your willingness to discuss suicide and to help the person seek help.
5. MYTH Motives for suicide are as varied as the people who are involved.
6. MYTH Nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps as many as 80 percent of
completed suicides occurred after previous attempts. This is especially true
for young people.
7. MYTH Those considering suicide are usually ambivalent about death. Most simply
want to escape an intolerable situation and often change their minds about
suicide in a very short period of time.
8. FACT Suicide and drug or alcohol abuse often go together. Alcoholics are at much
higher risk than the average population and drugs or alcohol are often used
just prior to an attempt. Frequently people will do something (take risks,
attempt suicide, drive carelessly) under the influence of drugs or alcohol that
they might not do otherwise.
9. MYTH The improvement may just indicate that the person has made a decision to
end his or her life, and may temporarily feel better after making the decision.
10. FACT However, the ratio varies from age group to age group, and males are, on
average, three times more likely to complete suicide.
11. FACT Loss, especially loss of a relationship, may be one of the most significant
factors preceding the suicide of an adolescent. Other types of loss, such as
loss of a job, are also important factors.
12. FACT Lack of hope for the future, for example, is an important clue.
13. MYTH This is one secret you cannot keep. You may lose the friendship temporarily,
but may save your friend’s life.
From Special Educational Services, Alberta Education, Suicide Prevention and Coping: A Manual for Teachers,
Counsellors and Administrators (Edmonton, AB: Alberta Education, 1987), p. 3.
For additional information

For more information on depression and suicidal feelings, see the Depression section of
Teaching Students with Emotional Disorders and/or Mental Illnesses (Alberta Learning,
2000), Book 8 in the Programming for Students with Special Needs series. This teacher
resource was a collaborative project between Alberta Mental Health Board, The Alberta
Teachers’ Association and Alberta Learning. The resource is available for purchase from
the Learning Resources Centre.
Relationship
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Connections Ideas for promoting suicide prevention

Students can:
• seek out help from local counselling services
• engage in meaningful relationships with their parents, mentors, teachers or school
counsellors
• participate in the Yellow Ribbon campaign as part of a comprehensive suicide prevention
program
• be aware of crisis lines and local support services for self or others
• recognize that asking for help is acceptable.
Parents can:
• volunteer as mentors to teens in the school and community
• talk to teens about suicide
• maintain open communication with teens
• be aware of help lines and local support services available for teens and families.
Communities can:
• support programs, such as Big Sisters and Big Brothers, that use volunteer mentors
• support youth initiatives for teen drop-in centres, coffee houses or recreation centres
• provide presentations by health-care professionals through related agencies
• support and facilitate volunteer crisis lines
• ensure that community efforts focus on prevention of suicide
• promote mental health through workshops for stress management, communication
strategies, relationship building, asset building.
Relationship
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will evaluate the relationship between risk management and
CONTENT:
Community stress management; e.g., managing risks effectively reduces stress,
Connections
Student
managing stress can reduce impulsive behaviours.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Brainstorm ideas about what risks are and how they can create stress.
• Is there such a thing as a smart risk? Discuss.
• Brainstorm potential causes of stress for the typical Grade 8 student.
Explore and apply

• Discuss ways in which risks can be managed. For example:
− choose your risks
− set limits for risks
− choose positive risks that will increase your confidence.
• Discuss strategies for managing stress. For example: following a schedule, setting goals
and prioritizing, balancing recreation and work, getting adequate exercise and sleep.
General Outcome B and click on activities.
Extend and commit

• Brainstorm potential effects of not managing the stress in your life.
Sample
Assessment • Describe three kinds of risks you can manage so your stress is reduced. Explain how this
Activities kind of risk management could reduce stress.
Relationship
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
Home/School/ R–8.4 The student will analyze the effects of self-concept on personal
CONTENT:
Community communication.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, define and discuss self-concept and personal communication.
• Brainstorm examples of personal communication. For example: how you talk with
family members, how you respond to teachers, how you communicate with friends.
Explore and apply

• Work in small groups to complete the following chart.
If you don’t value yourself If you value yourself more If you value yourself and
much, your communication than others, your others, your communication
is characterized by: communication is is characterized by:
characterized by:
• Share findings with other groups and compile a class chart. Discuss.
• Generate scenarios of typical communication situations and role-play how communication
looks between people who value themselves and others.
Extend and commit

• Share examples of personal communication styles of people you admire. Discuss how
what they choose to say and how they choose to communicate says about how these
people feel about themselves and others.
Sample
Assessment • Complete the following sentences:
Activities − “When I’m feeling confident, my communication with others tends to …”
− “When I’m feeling respected, my communication with others tends to …”
− “When I’m feeling unsure of myself, my communication with others …”
Relationship
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will develop strategies for maintaining healthy relationships.
CONTENT:
Community
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • With a partner, complete a triple T-chart of what a healthy relationship looks, sounds and
feels like.
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm a list of strategies for maintaining healthy relationships. Code the strategies
“A” for actions, “W” for words and “T” for thoughts.
• Think of important relationships in your life. Write a journal entry describing things you
do or say to maintain these healthy relationships.
Extend and commit

• Identify three new strategies you’d like to use to maintain healthy relationships in your
life.
Sample
Assessment • Make a Top ten list of strategies you can use to maintain healthy relationships in your life.
Activities
AAC … • To download the teacher-developed assessment activity I Never Knew Your Name, go
Everyday assessment to the Alberta Assessment Consortium’s Web site at www.aac.ab.ca, select
tools for teachers
Assessment material and then click on Public access: Assessment material
(public domain) and then go to Grade 8: I Never Knew.
[This assessment task can also be used with specific outcome R–8.2.]
Relationship
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will describe and provide examples of ethical behaviour in
CONTENT:
Community relationships; e.g., integrity.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • List character virtues that ethical people demonstrate. For example: assertiveness, caring,
commitment, confidence, consideration, courage, courtesy, determination, diligence,
excellence, flexibility. Discuss the meaning of each and share examples of behaviours
which demonstrate these virtues.
Explore and apply

• Choose a word that describes or summarizes ethical behaviour and develop a T-chart of
what this quality looks, sounds and feels like. Share it with the class.
• With a partner, develop a role-play that demonstrates ethical behaviour in a relationship.
Ask the audience to identify what ethical qualities and behaviours were demonstrated.
Extend and commit

• Discuss specific ways in which ethical principles can assist individuals in making different
kinds of decisions ranging from choosing an outfit, to deciding on a career or choosing a
marriage partner.
Sample
Assessment • Describe three ways you demonstrate integrity in your relationships with others.
Activities
Teacher
Background Ethical behaviour
Ethics is the study of standards of conduct and moral judgement. Ethical principles guide
everyday conduct and decision making, and form the basis for personal standards.
Integrity is best defined in terms of action: practise what you preach; do what you said
you would do; live in accordance to your beliefs; keep promises; do what you know is
right. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is when a person says one thing and then does another.
Justice is the fair treatment of others.
How students can apply ethics
• Admit mistakes.
• Follow school and classroom rules.
• Choose to do good to others.
• Apply ethical principles in class meetings.
• Apply ethical principles to fair play in team sports and activities.
• Accept the consequences of their own actions.
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How teachers can model and reinforce ethical principles

• Admit mistakes.
• Model fair and ethical treatment of all students.
• Provide correction in a way that maintains students’ dignity, including giving
correction privately, dealing with behaviour rather than personality, and maintaining a
calm, fair and nonjudgemental attitude.
• Adhere to school and classroom rules.
• Include ethical principles when discussing reasons for choices or decisions.
• Provide consistent and logical consequences for negative behaviours.
• Point out character virtues in students, such as “That showed a lot of kindness” or “You
showed integrity in your decision to walk away from that conflict.”
Relationship
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will develop and demonstrate strategies for promoting
CONTENT:
Community peaceful relationships; e.g., find common ground in conflicts.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • List examples of typical conflicts Grade 8 students might have with peers, siblings,
parents and teachers.
Explore and apply

• Identify the things you do and say to keep the peace and prevent situations from getting
worse.
• Generate several scenarios in which two or more people are in conflict. Role-play the
situations, using strategies to maintain calm.
• Evaluate the successful strategies used in the role-plays. Discuss what the successful
strategies have in common. For example: mutual respect, willingness to listen, looking
for common ground, attempting to see others’ perspectives, avoiding blame, neutral body
language, calm quiet tone.
Extend and commit

• Research a current conflict in local or world politics and discuss how finding common
ground could help resolve this conflict.
Sample
Assessment • Write an advice column for teens on “How to keep peace in your relationships at home
Activities and school.”
Relationship
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will describe and explain the positive and negative aspects of
CONTENT:
Community conformity and dissent as they relate to individuals in a group or on a
Connections
Student
team.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, discuss and define conformity and dissent. For example: to conform is to act
or behave like everyone else; to dissent is to think differently or disagree with others.
Explore and apply

• In small groups, list situations in which conformity is a positive thing and situations in
which conformity is a negative thing.
• Do the same activity with the concept of dissent.
• Discuss the concept of the silent majority. Generate a list of situations in which the silent
majority reinforces a behaviour or a certain way of doing things.
Extend and commit

• Research a historical event in which dissent made a positive social change possible.
• List examples of situations in which conformity promotes a harmonious, safe
environment.
Sample
Assessment • Draw four cartoon panels, illustrating the following concepts:
Activities − conformity as a positive force
− conformity as a negative force
− dissent as a positive force
− dissent as a negative force.
• Write a paragraph describing what you learned about conformity and dissent that could
help you relate more positively with others.
Relationship
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will describe the characteristics of, and demonstrate skills of,
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
an effective leader and group member.
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss and define leadership.
• Brainstorm words that describe a good leader.
• Working with a partner, think of a skill or concept to teach the other person in three
minutes or less, such as counting to 10 in another language, a dance step or how to whistle
with your fingers. After partners have taught each other, discuss the skills used to teach
the new concept. Consider skills such as organizing thoughts, communicating clear
messages, providing opportunities for practice and giving constructive feedback.
Adapted from Risk Watch—Grades 7 and 8, Lesson 3: Choking, Suffocation and Strangulation Prevention (Quincy, MA:
National Fire Protection Association, 1998). The name and image of Risk Watch are registered trademarks of the National
Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02269.
Explore and apply

• As a class, complete a triple T-chart showing what an effective leader looks, sounds and
thinks like.
• Research leaders that you admire. Describe their leadership style and skills. Share your
findings with the class.
• Do a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the leadership styles and skills of two
different leaders.
• With a partner, discuss what kind of leader you would like to be. List five skills you will
need to develop to be a good leader.
• Write a job ad for a leader and include a description of the skills required.
• Discuss different styles of leadership and how different styles work best for different
groups in different situations. Think about what kind of leader you enjoy working with
and what style you feel is most effective at helping others reach their goals.
• Discuss the importance of contributing to the group, whether or not you are a leader.
Brainstorm the different ways people can contribute to a group.
General Outcome C and click on activities.
Extend and commit

• Research leadership training opportunities in your community.
• Discuss whether or not all students need access to leadership training.
Relationship
8 Choices
Sample
Assessment • Describe an opportunity you had to be a leader. Describe the kind of leadership style and
Activities skills you used. What are some additional leadership skills you would like to develop?
• Write a thank-you letter to a person who helped you reach a goal and whom you consider
to be a leader. Describe what this person did and said that made him or her an effective
leader. What did you learn from that person?
• Describe an opportunity you had to be a team member. Describe what skills you used to
be an effective team member.
Teacher
Background Leadership skills
Students need many opportunities to develop their leadership and group membership
skills. Encourage students to articulate qualities of a good leader so they can better
analyze leadership behaviour they see and be better able to develop these qualities
themselves. The “Getting Into Character” section of the Risk Watch Safety Program
(Grades 7–8) offers the following description of effective leaders.
Effective leaders:
• lead from the future
• communicate a clear vision and purpose
• persevere with strong passion
• act with courage, commitment and integrity
• empower followers
• engage conflict and controversy
• set out feedback and criticism
• keep commitments
• hold themselves accountable
• respect the dignity of others.
Adapted from Risk Watch—Grades 7 and 8, Getting Into Character (Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association,
1998). Adapted with permission of NFPA. The name and image of Risk Watch are registered trademarks of the National Fire
Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02269.
Connections Ideas for encouraging and enhancing student leadership

Students can:
• attend leadership conferences
• apply skills learned at conferences to the local school and community
• become involved in local government through youth councils and summits
• organize a peer education project—training student leaders and running the project within
the school
• participate in a students’ union or equivalent
• plan and participate in school-based activities, such as pep rallies, tournaments and fun
days
• plan and participate in community-based activities for teens, younger children or families.
Relationship
8 Choices
Parents can:
• assist and provide supervision for student-run activities
• model leadership in the home and community
• note leadership abilities in students
• accompany students on leadership conferences or retreats
• assume leadership roles in church youth groups, sports teams, youth clubs.
Communities can:
• provide opportunities for local youth to be involved in community government and
planning
• provide opportunities for volunteerism
• sponsor youth leadership conferences or retreats
• provide feedback for student leadership
• recognize student leaders through local media.
Life Learning
GRADE
The student will use resources effectively to
8 Teacher
Choices
manage and explore life roles and career
opportunities and challenges.
Background
The student will determine and develop time management strategies/skills
CONTENT:
Home/School/ L–8.1
Community to establish personal balance; e.g., the use of time and energy in family,
Connections
Student
school, leisure and volunteer activities, rest.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Define the word balance. Discuss how you know if your life is not in balance. What are
some clues?
• Use magazine pictures and your own illustrations to create a collage “How I create
balance in my life.”
Explore and apply

• Brainstorm a list of time-management strategies Grade 8 students can use to complete
major school projects.
• Choose one time-management strategy that you would like to learn more about. Set a goal
to use that strategy for a one-month period. Develop an action plan to achieve the goal
and a self-monitoring system to track progress.
Extend and commit

• Interview one or two adults and find out strategies they use to maintain balance in their
lives.
Sample
Assessment • Create a mind map illustrating how you manage your use of time and energy in family,
Activities school, leisure and volunteer activities.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will examine learning priorities, and implement a learning
CONTENT:
Community plan.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss the importance of goal setting for learning activities both in and out of school.
Explore and apply

• Develop three to five goals for a specific time period within the school year.
• Examine your academic goals and arrange them in order of priority from most important
to least important.
• Discuss strategies for achieving these goals.
Extend and commit

• Create a mind map of the goals you want to accomplish over the next two years.
• Using the mind map as a starting point, create a learning plan for yourself. At the
completion of the plan, evaluate your performance and the effectiveness of your plan. Did
you achieve your goals? What strategies worked well? What needs to be changed? How
will you make changes or improvements to your next learning plan?
Sample
Assessment • List three learning priorities you have this year and outline what you will do to ensure you
Activities are successful in these priorities.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will identify components of ethical decision making, and
CONTENT:
Community apply these concepts to personal decision making.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Review the definition of ethics and generate examples of ethical issues and ethical
implications in the decision-making process. For example: ethics are the rules of right
and wrong that form a system of behaviour. They form the basis for personal values that
people develop throughout their lives.
Explore and apply

• In small groups, brainstorm examples of ethical choices that a typical Grade 8 student
might face.
• Role-play possible solutions to ethical dilemmas, such as the following.
− Another student tells you about a Web site that is posting the questions from this year’s
final exam a week before the exam takes place.
− You have just bought a skateboard from a student in another class for a really good
price. The next day you hear a rumour that it was stolen merchandise.
− Your parents have assured you that you can phone home from a party if you need a
ride but you know they do not want you to attend social gatherings where alcohol is
served to underage teens. The friend who drove you has had three beers at the party.
Should you phone home for a ride? If your parents find out there was drinking at this
party, they will ground you and they may call the parents of other kids at the party.
Extend and commit

• Discuss favourite movies and novels in which the characters face major ethical decisions.
• Choose a current issue in the news and discuss the ethical implications for each of the
people involved.
Sample
Assessment • Imagine you have to make a personal decision about whether or not to tell your parents
Activities that your older sister is planning a big party when they go out of town for the weekend.
Describe the ethical issues you have to face as you decide how to handle this situation.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will begin to develop goals and priorities related to learning
CONTENT:
Community and future career paths, based on personal interests, aptitudes and skills.
Connections
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, define these work-related terms:
− career (a way of making a living, an occupation or profession)
− vocation (a strong feeling of dedication for a particular career or occupation)
− avocation (a secondary activity undertaken in addition to one’s main work)
− job (a paid position of employment).
• Discuss the difference between a career and a job.
Explore and apply

• In small groups, generate a list of factors which influence a person’s choice of occupation.
For example:
− skills
− talents
− interests
− education.
• Make a list of people and places for researching career and occupational choices.
• Collect current job ads from newspapers and trade magazines that reflect job opportunities
locally, provincially, nationally and globally.
• Design a mind map to illustrate a potential career path that would meet your goals, skills
and values.
• Design a second mind map to illustrate a career cluster related to your career path map.
• Research this occupational cluster and present your findings to the class.
Extend and commit

• Identify 10 careers that did NOT exist 10 years ago.
Sample
Assessment • Describe one career path that interests you and outline the goals you might set over the
Activities next few years in order to make that career a reality.
• Relate your own personal interests and skills to this career choice.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will update a personal portfolio to show evidence of a range of
CONTENT:
Community interests, assets and skills; and relate evidence to knowledge and skills
Connections
Student
required by various career paths.
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Discuss reasons to build a personal skills and interests portfolio.
Explore and apply

• Design a system for collecting material and organizing a portfolio. A three-ring binder
with tabs to divide each section is one economical choice.
• Design a system for reviewing a portfolio. Include criteria for selecting material to add
and choosing material to take out or replace.
Extend and commit

• Research the skills most in demand in the current market. How does this affect the
contents of your portfolio?
Sample
Assessment • List the five most important things you plan to put in your personal portfolio. Why do
Activities you believe they are important? What do they show evidence of?
Teacher
For more information on developing personal portfolios, see pages 76–80 and 124–126 of
this guide.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Choices
! Teacher
Background
The student will investigate, interpret and evaluate career information and
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
opportunities, using a variety of sources; e.g., Internet, informational
interviews, mentors, media.
! Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • As a class, discuss and define the terms:
− personal support network
− mentor
− career path
− occupational cluster.
• Brainstorm strategies for obtaining career information.
Explore and apply

• As a class, select a career cluster and research it in small groups, each group using a
different source and method. Share information with the class—including where and how
the information was identified.
• Analyze the class results to determine which research methods were most or least
effective, as well as what obstacles were encountered in the research process.
• Review Student information master 36: Career information interviews on page B.52 in
Appendix B.
Extend and commit

• Using what you learned from your class research experience, conduct research on your
own career cluster of interest. Summarize your findings in a report.
Sample
Assessment • Create a mind map of a plan for investigating career information.
Activities
Teacher
Background The career information interview
Information interviews may be conducted for many purposes. Students may wish to
interview people to establish connections or gather specific information in a field of
interest.
The student has to decide whom to interview, create a list of questions, contact the person
and conduct the interview. The student asks questions. Interviews are a good way to
become familiar with workplaces and people the student may see in future job interviews
or within the local business community.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Choices
Outcome L–8.6 (continued)
For more information

• Contact the Career Information Hotline, 1–800–661–3753.
• Look up community agencies in local business directories.
• Visit career planning centres at local universities, colleges, agencies and technical
schools.
Connections Ideas for promoting and sharing career information for teens
Students can:
• enroll in option courses related to future interests or courses that provide potential career-
related skills and knowledge
• ask parents, relatives, neighbours or community service providers about their careers
• participate in volunteer jobs within the school and community
• participate in job shadowing within the community
• invite members of the local community to speak at school
• organize and participate in a school-based career day
• attend open houses at nearby colleges, universities and technical institutes
• note the variety of careers and services connected to daily living
• read local and regional newspapers to be aware of employment trends and issues.
Parents can:
• encourage teens to pursue opportunities to develop their skills
• talk with teens about their own career training and choices
• talk with teens about their interests and dreams for the future
• support teens’ interest in skill-building activities
• help teens recognize that change is constant, learning is ongoing, and that learning takes
place both in and out of the classroom
• encourage teens to follow their interests and dreams
• help teens recognize that all decisions are career decisions, directly or indirectly; that all
decisions involve multiple levels and that there are no right decisions in the career-
planning process.
Communities can:
• provide volunteer opportunities for teens within local businesses
• provide opportunities for teen job shadowing
• provide career-related presentations in schools by local trades professionals, coaches or
entrepreneurs
• organize a local career fair for students and their parents
• host student tour groups in community businesses, plants or factories.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will relate personal knowledge and skills to potential
CONTENT:
Community opportunities for volunteering and providing service to others in the
Connections
Student
community.
Information
! Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • In small groups, generate a list of volunteer opportunities available in the home, school
and community.
• For each opportunity, identify knowledge, skills and attitudes you could bring to the
volunteer experience.
• Contact local volunteer organizations and find out what knowledge, skills and attitudes
they want from their volunteers.
Explore and apply

• Interview family and friends about their volunteer experiences. Ask them about what they
do, why they do it and how they got involved.
• Contact volunteer centres in your community and discuss volunteer opportunities. Most
volunteer centres operate like employment agencies, matching needs with people willing
to help meet needs. Job descriptions are available outlining specific duties, along with the
skills and time required.
• Complete Student activity master 41: Your skills and volunteering on page C.42 in
Appendix C. Discuss the results with a partner.
• Contact service clubs and groups that contribute to the community. Interview a
representative and create a list of projects these groups are involved in.
Extend and commit

• Collect stories, photographs, advertisements and announcements from your local
newspaper, radio or television stations about volunteer opportunities and volunteer
accomplishments in your community.
• Search Web sites of large nonprofit and charitable organizations for volunteer
information.
• Do a Web search using words like volunteer, nonprofit, not for profit.
Sample
Assessment • Describe one volunteer activity you would like to participate in. List the personal
Activities knowledge and skills that you could bring to that activity. Explain why you think this is a
worthwhile volunteer activity. How does it benefit the community? How could you
benefit from this type of experience?
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Teacher
Choices
Background
The student will investigate the characteristics of a mentor, and practise
CONTENT:
! Community
Connections
mentorship in a group setting.
Student
Information
Student Activity
Master
Sample
Learning Get ready
Activities • Review the term mentor. For example: an experienced and trusted advisor or guide.
• Brainstorm a list of ways people can act as mentors to others.
Explore and apply

• Discuss possible ways for Grade 8 students to act as mentors in a group.
• Create a list of strategies for developing caring relationships with younger children.
Extend and commit

• Choose an activity or project, such as paired reading or teaching computer skills, and
volunteer to work in an elementary class in your school or neighbourhood for a specific
activity during a specific time frame. At the end of the specified time, write a summary of
your mentoring experience. Use the following questions to analyze your learning.
− Who did you work with and what did your tasks include?
− What did you do to develop a good relationship with your younger buddy?
− What did your buddy learn from you?
− What did you learn from your buddy?
− What difficulties did you have?
− What can you take from this experience into your next mentoring opportunity?
Sample
Assessment • Describe a situation in which you were a mentor to another person. Describe at least three
Activities things you said or did to positively influence that person.
Connections Ideas for promoting and supporting mentoring relationships

Students can:
• volunteer to be mentors to younger students in the school
• work with adult mentors from school staff or the community
• organize or attend student mentorship conferences or retreats
• plan student activities in cross-graded groups within the school
• participate in peer education projects to make presentations to younger students within
their own and other schools
• recognize that they are mentors within their own families.
Life Learning
GRADE
8 Choices
Outcome L–8.8 (continued)
Parents can:
• volunteer to be mentors through agencies such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters or school-
based mentorship programs
• look for opportunities to share skills, talents or encouragement with other people who
have similar interests or abilities
• offer to speak to students about mentorship in schools
• volunteer to be youth career mentors
• encourage students to spend time with adults they respect and admire
• volunteer to teach or lead group activities related to their own abilities or talents
• accompany students on educational field trips as interested chaperones
• volunteer to coach sports or academic teams within the school.
Communities can:
• support community agencies, such as Big Sisters or Big Brothers, that use volunteer
mentors
• provide volunteer opportunities in specific placements for students with particular
interests or abilities
• organize or host mentorship conferences for adults and teens
• support student business and recreation initiatives.

Grade 8 - Specific Outcomes: Choices To Maintain Health and To Promote Safety For Self and Others

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! 2.

describe signs associated with suicidal behaviour, and

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Focus: Getting enough sleep

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Connections Ideas for developing a positive body image

Outcome W–8.4 (continued)

Outcome W–8.5 (continued)

Connections Ideas for encouraging healthy food choices

Focus: Alcohol and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Outcome W–8.6 (continued)

Connections Ideas for prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Outcome W–8.7 (continued)

Children and adults who are abused may:

Outcome W–8.7 (continued)

Other signs of abuse

Outcome W–8.7 (continued)

Connections Ideas for preventing child abuse

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Connections Ideas for promoting and enhancing safety in the community

Outcome W–8.8 (continued)

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Outcome W–8.11 (continued)

Outcome W–8.11 (continued)

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Outcome W–8.13 (continued)

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Please Students who have been exempted from human sexuality

Explore and apply

Extend and commit

Outcome R–8.1 (continued)

Outcome R–8.2 (continued)

Frequently asked questions about suicide

Outcome R–8.2 (continued)

Factors that influence suicidal behaviour