What your child is learning

In grade 8 your child develops knowledge, skills and attitudes for being active and healthy in five areas:

Movement
Your child understands rules, terms and ethics and performs and analyzes movement skills in a variety of physical activities.

Fitness
Your child learns about the effects of exercise, personal fitness planning and other aspects of fitness for health. He or she participates in fitness activities and evaluates the progress made toward personal fitness goals.

Safety
Your child participates safely in physical activities and learns about safety related to cycling, exercise and other activities. Your child also learns about laws for safe communities, basic first-aid, and how to find community health information.

Personal and Social Management
Setting and reaching goals, appreciating diversity, dealing with grief and anxiety and managing stress are some areas of focus in Grade 8.

Healthy Lifestyle Practices
Your child learns about healthy lifestyle practices for personal hygiene, active living and healthy eating and makes a personal plan for active and healthy living.

To find out more about what your child is learning, talk to the teacher.
You may also refer to the Manitoba curriculum documents.

How your child is assessed

Your child’s progress in Physical Education/Health Education will be reported in three areas:

Physical Education

• Movement:  How well does your child use basic and combinations of movement skills and show an understanding of games/activities during physical activities?
• Fitness management: How is your child able to keep track of and keep up personal effort during energetic physical activities?

Health Education

• Healthy lifestyles: How well does your child understand personal daily habits and ways to relate with others that promote healthy living?

Resources

At the Heart of Education: A Parent Report on What's New in Physical Education/Health Education This parent report highlights the concept of physically active and healthy lifestyles for all students as shown in the new combined K-12 PE/HE Curriculum.

Healthy Schools is Manitoba’s school health initiative designed to promote the physical, emotional and social health of school communities. It is based on the belief that good health is important for learning and that schools are in a unique position to have a positive influence on the health of children, youth and their families. Healthy Schools has identified six health topics as priorities within the school community: Active role models. Active kids. Find out how you can get “in motion” with your family.

Frequence Asked Question

Does my child need to be an athlete to succeed in physical education? No. While some children are particularly gifted in certain sports or physical activities, the focus of physical education is not to develop athletes. During Middle Years (Grades 5 to 8) students learn to combine and vary basic movement skills and learn ways to keep fit while taking part in a variety of games, physical activities and environments. Through guided practice, they improve at their own rate and learn to get along with others.

My child is generally inactive and doesn’t seem to be very fit. How can I get him/her to be more active? You might try organizing family outings such as biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, bowling and skating. You can also play games with your child. Cycle, play catch, shoot hoops with him/her.

Do we have a choice to whether our child receives instruction on topics such as human sexuality or is it mandatory? Yes, you have a choice. You may choose to have your child participate in the school-based program or choose an alternative delivery (e.g., home, church, professional counselling) when the content is in conflict with family, religious and/or cultural values.