Book Preface

Tell me, I forget.

Show me, I remember.

Involve me, I understand.

Comprehensive School Health Education: Totally Awesome Strategies for Teaching Health™ has been the leading teacher resource book used to prepare future and current elementary school, middle school, and secondary school teachers to teach health since the publication of the first edition in 1991. It also has been the most widely used teacher resource book selected by state departments of education, school districts, and departments of health for in service and train the-trainers programs. As you read about its contents, you will learn why teachers who purchase it find it the most teacher-friendly resource book available for health education.

Section 1. Comprehensive School Health Education includes four chapters and is designed to provide you with a framework for comprehensive school health education. In Chapter 1, you will learn about the six categories of risk behaviors that affect today's students, guidelines for promoting school health, and the eight components in the coordinated school health program. Chapter 2 prepares you for your role in school health services and explains how to provide a healthful and safe school environment. Chapter 3 teaches you how to design comprehensive school health curricula, implement the National Health Education Standards, and effectively assess students, teachers, and school health programs. Chapter 4 describes instructional strategies and technologies you might use in the classroom.

Section 2. Health Content contains up-to-date health knowledge in the ten areas of health: Chapter 5, Mental and Emotional Health; Chapter 6, Family and Social Health; Chapter 7, Growth and Development; Chapter 8, Nutrition; Chapter 9, Personal Health and Physical Activity; Chapter 10, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; Chapter 11, Communicable and Chronic Diseases; Chapter 12, Consumer and Community Health; Chapter 13, Environmental Health; and Chapter 14, Injury Prevention and Safety.

Section 3. Totally Awesome Teaching Strategies explains the format and how to use Totally Awesome Teaching Strategies to help students develop and practice life skills and achieve health goals. Chapter 15 includes Totally Awesome Teaching Strategies™ for each grade level from K to 12 for each of the ten content areas.

Section 4. The Meeks Heit K–12 Health Education Curriculum Guide is a state-of-the art curriculum guide focusing on the National Health Education Standards using the ten content areas. The Curriculum Guide in Chapter 16 can be used as is or can be adapted for a specific school district.

Appendix A. National Health Education Standards: Teaching Masters provides reproducible masters with steps for teaching each of the National Health Education Standards at age appropriate grade levels: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Appendix B includes The Teacher's Encyclopedic Guide for Health Concerns of School-Age Youth . . . from A to Z. Appendix C includes Health Resources , a listing of the names and contact information for agencies and organizations in the ten health content areas.

We are committed to helping teachers with the awesome task of providing quality health education.

Linda Meeks

Philip Heit

Randy Page