Health and Physical Education

In this unit you will think about what makes being active fun for you and the benefits of moving every day, and take part in daily physical activity (DPA). You will learn what cardiorespiratory fitness means and what new things your body can do as it gets fitter, how to check your effort using the talk test and your heartbeat, and how to set, track and reach a fitness goal. You will learn ways to lower the risk of injury, including concussion, and what to do if someone gets hurt, including when to call 911.

Then you will build your movement skills: smooth transitions between balances, jumping for distance and height with one-foot and two-foot take-offs, travelling at different levels, pathways and directions with equipment and partners, sending, receiving and retaining objects (passing, striking, dribbling), and using game components, fair play and tactics. You will also learn about lacrosse, first played by First Nations peoples, and Inuit and Dene games at the Arctic Winter Games. Along the way you will practise social-emotional skills: using activity to cope with stress, persevering toward goals, managing feelings when you win or lose, and working well with partners.

Most practice is Do it and check: try the move, then compare it with what a good attempt looks like. You will need some open space (a yard, a park or a cleared room), a soft ball, a skipping rope, a measuring tape and a grown-up to play with.

Curriculum expectations covered: A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5, A1.6, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2 (Ontario Health and Physical Education, Grades 1–8, 2019, Grade 3).

In this unit you will learn where food comes from and how local foods and foods from many cultures give you more healthy choices, and how food choices affect your teeth and your whole body. You will learn how to protect your brain from concussions, how to make your own safety guidelines for places outside the classroom and online, and how pretend violence in shows and games is different from real life. You will learn about legal and illegal substances and use a decision-making strategy to make healthy choices. You will practise healthy relationships, responding to bullying, and consent; learn what helps you grow and have a healthy body image; and respect visible and invisible differences. Finally, you will learn how your brain's alarm works and how to manage strong feelings like worry.

Some topics in this unit are sensitive. Each lesson has a note for parents. Lessons 7 and 8 are part of Ontario's human development and sexual health expectations; they follow the Grade 3 wording and are kept simple, and parents may request an exemption from this instruction at school.

Curriculum expectations covered: D1.1, D1.2, D1.3, D1.4, D1.5, D1.6, D2.1, D2.2, D2.3, D3.1, D3.2, D3.3, D3.4, plus social-emotional learning skills A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5 and A1.6 (Ontario Health and Physical Education, Grades 1–8, 2019, Grade 3).