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Course Description — Grade 3

This is the Grade 3 section of the Health Education intelligent textbook. It is one of 8 parallel grade-band sections (see the site-wide Course Description); each band has its own concept list, learning graph, chapters, quizzes, MicroSims, and infographics at a matching reading level. Source: 2025 Minnesota K-12 Health Academic Standards, Commissioner Approved (see references.md). Benchmark codes below (e.g. 3.1.1.1) are <grade>.<strand>.<anchor>.<seq>.

Reading Level & Cognitive Demand

Elementary, independent readers. This band introduces the first evaluative benchmarks (e.g., "evaluate personal behaviors to prevent injuries") and the first explicit mention of puberty as a body-change topic, alongside continued describe/explain work.

Audience

Grade 3 students (age ~8-9) and their teachers.

Prerequisites

Grade 2 benchmarks across all 5 content strands, plus the Grade 2 skill benchmarks (explaining influences, using communication skills, describing decision options, goal-setting with reflection).

Bridging Concepts for Students New to This Band

A student arriving directly at Grade 3 without the K-2 sections should be briefly introduced to these ideas first:

  • Food groups and drink choices affect energy and growth; food safety practices exist for a reason.
  • Peer and family relationships can be healthy or unhealthy, and personal space/boundaries matter.
  • Emotions can be named, they influence behavior, and trusted adults or peers can help when someone is struggling.
  • Hygiene and environmental awareness (sun, noise, chemicals, water) protect the body; regular physical activity supports health.
  • Technology and touch both have safety rules, including saying no and knowing safe places/routines during emergencies.
  • A personal health goal can be set, acted on, and reflected on.

Topics

Food and Nutrition

  • Body signals for hunger and fullness (3.1.1.1)
  • Carbohydrates, protein, and fats on nutrition labels and how they help the body grow (3.1.1.2)
  • Why limiting caffeinated/sugary drinks matters; beverages that support energy, strength, and recovery for physical activity (3.1.1.3)
  • Food safety practices and preparation methods that promote healthy eating (3.1.1.4)

Human Growth and Development

  • Roles of family members and peers in healthy relationships (3.2.1.1)
  • Recognizing the stages of puberty and asking for help managing physical and emotional changes (3.2.1.2)

Mental and Emotional Health

  • Resilience and how personal choices affect mental/emotional wellbeing (3.3.1.1)
  • Coping with challenging situations and who to talk to (3.3.1.2)
  • Mental health challenges and their effects (3.3.1.3)
  • Empathy and how it supports friendships and care for others (3.3.1.4)
  • How emotions influence behavior, and how expressing emotions affects self and others (3.3.1.5)
  • How teasing, exclusion, or bullying affects individuals and community; treating all people of all abilities with kindness and respect (3.3.1.6)

Personal Health and Wellness

  • How different cultures/communities use traditional knowledge to protect the body from the environment (3.4.1.1)
  • Benefits of regular physical activity for health, mood, and learning; dressing appropriately for weather (3.4.1.2)
  • How cultural traditions and community practices prevent germ spread and why they work (3.4.1.3)

Personal Safety and Violence Prevention

  • How shared messages, images, or videos affect self/others; risks of sharing personal information (3.5.1.1)
  • Evaluating personal behaviors to prevent injuries across multiple environments (3.5.1.2)
  • How practicing safety procedures prepares students/staff for real emergencies; identifying trusted adults who can help (3.5.1.3)
  • The right to personal boundaries (3.5.1.4)

Skill Standards

  • Who can influence health practices and behaviors (3.7.2.1)
  • Determining the validity and reliability of health information, products, services, and other resources (3.7.3.1)
  • Verbal and nonverbal communication to express thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs, including in decision-making situations (3.7.4.1)
  • Expressing thoughts/feelings/wants/needs using I-statements, with support (3.7.4.2)
  • Identifying a personal health-related behavior to set a goal, and determining whether assistance/collaboration is needed (3.7.6.1)
  • Examining practices and behaviors that support health and wellbeing (3.7.7.1)
  • Identifying health topics relevant and meaningful to self/others (3.7.8.1)

Key Vocabulary

hunger/fullness signal, carbohydrate, protein, fat, nutrition label, puberty, resilience, empathy, mental health challenge, bullying, exclusion, personal boundary, validity/reliability of information, I-statement, injury prevention, safety procedure

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes below are grouped by Bloom's Taxonomy level and traced to their source benchmark codes. Grade 3 is the first band with genuine Evaluate-level benchmarks.

1. Remember

By the end of Grade 3, the student will be able to:

  1. Recall body signals for hunger and fullness (3.1.1.1).
  2. Recognize the stages of puberty (3.2.1.2).
  3. Recall ways to cope with challenging situations and who to talk to (3.3.1.2).
  4. Recall who can influence health practices and behaviors (3.7.2.1).
  5. Recall health topics relevant and meaningful to self and others (3.7.8.1).

2. Understand

  1. Explain how carbohydrates, protein, and fats on nutrition labels help the body grow (3.1.1.2).
  2. Describe why it's important to limit caffeinated and sugary drinks (3.1.1.3).
  3. Describe food safety practices and preparation methods that promote healthy eating (3.1.1.4).
  4. Describe the roles of family members and peers in healthy relationships (3.2.1.1).
  5. Describe resilience and how personal choices impact mental/emotional wellbeing (3.3.1.1).
  6. Describe mental health challenges and their effects (3.3.1.3).
  7. Describe empathy and how it supports friendships and care for others (3.3.1.4).
  8. Explain how emotions influence behavior, and how expressing emotions affects oneself and others (3.3.1.5).
  9. Explain how teasing, exclusion, or bullying impacts wellbeing, and why treating all people with kindness and respect matters (3.3.1.6).
  10. Describe how different cultures and communities use traditional knowledge to protect the body from the environment (3.4.1.1).
  11. Explain the benefits of regular physical activity, including dressing appropriately for weather (3.4.1.2).
  12. Explain how cultural traditions and community practices prevent the spread of germs and why these practices work (3.4.1.3).
  13. Describe how shared messages, images, or videos affect self and others, and the risks of sharing personal information (3.5.1.1).
  14. Explain how practicing safety procedures prepares students and staff to respond in real emergencies (3.5.1.3).
  15. Describe the right to personal boundaries (3.5.1.4).

3. Apply

  1. Demonstrate asking for help to manage physical and emotional changes during puberty (3.2.1.2).
  2. Demonstrate verbal and nonverbal communication skills to express thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs (3.7.4.1).
  3. Express thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs using I-statements, with support (3.7.4.2).

4. Analyze

  1. Identify a personal health-related behavior to set a goal, and determine whether assistance or collaboration is needed (3.7.6.1).
  2. Examine practices and behaviors that support health and wellbeing (3.7.7.1).

5. Evaluate

  1. Evaluate personal behaviors to prevent injuries across multiple environments (3.5.1.2).
  2. Determine the validity and reliability of health information, products, services, and other resources (3.7.3.1).

6. Create

Grade 3 benchmarks do not yet include a design/construct task. Setting a goal and determining whether help is needed (3.7.6.1, listed under Analyze above) is the closest precursor — true goal-plan construction begins at Grade 4.