Our Curriculum › PE & Health › 8th Grade

PE & Health 8

The last year of the PE & Health sequence before high school: ball handling and game tactics, heart-rate training, rest and recovery, fitness technology, stress management, leadership, refusal skills, boundaries and consent, a personal fitness and nutrition plan, and a community health advocacy project.

180 lessons

One a day for a school year

10 units

Each opens to its lessons

7-part advocacy project

Choose a topic, act, reflect, share

Standards

SHAPE America PE & health standards

What's taught, unit by unit

  1. Capstone goal and ball handlingDays 1–20

    A SMART fitness goal with weekly action plan, then hand-dribbling under pressure, changing pace and direction, dribbling with head up, dribbling with an implement, shooting on goal with and without an implement, and combining dribble and shot.

    • 1 · Welcome to Your Capstone Year: PE & Health 8
    • 2 · Your Wellness Toolkit: A Capstone Preview
    • 3 · SMART Goals for Your Own Fitness
    • 4 · Building Your Weekly Action Plan
    • 5 · Committing to Your Goal
    • 6 · Hand-Dribbling Under Pressure: Raising the Challenge
    • 7 · Change of Pace and Direction
    • 8 · Dribbling with Your Head Up
    • 9 · Small-Sided Keep-Away: Hands
    • 10 · Hand-Dribbling Review: Putting It All Together
    • 11 · Introducing Implement Dribbling
    • 12 · Control and Cushioning the Object
    • 13 · Changing Direction with an Implement
    • 14 · Implement Dribbling Under Pressure
    • 15 · Implement Dribbling Small-Sided Challenge
    • 16 · Introducing the Shot on Goal
    • 17 · Shooting for Accuracy Without an Implement
    • 18 · Shooting with an Implement
    • 19 · Shot on Goal Under Pressure
    • 20 · Combining Dribble and Shot
  2. Health influences and access to careDays 21–30

    How individual choices, community and environment shape health, mapping your own influences, why access to health care matters and the barriers to it, plus recaps of the motor skills and health concepts from the block.

    • 21 · How Individual Choices Shape Your Health
    • 22 · Community and Environment: The Bigger Picture
    • 23 · Mapping Your Own Health Influences
    • 24 · When Factors Interact: A Case Study
    • 25 · Why Access to Health Care Matters
    • 26 · Barriers to Health Care Access
    • 27 · Health Care Access and Outcomes: Connecting the Dots
    • 30 · Block Wrap-Up: Ready for What's Next

    Plus 2 review days, not listed.

  3. Game tactics, water safety, heart-rate zones and restDays 31–60

    Creating open space with fakes, speed and direction changes and off-ball movement, defensive stance and lateral shuffles, water safety and dangerous conditions, resting and target heart rate zones, everyday and active-hobby movement, and why rest and sleep matter.

    • 31 · Creating Open Space: Combining Multiple Techniques
    • 32 · Faking and Feinting to Fool a Defender
    • 33 · Change of Speed: Using Acceleration to Break Away
    • 34 · Change of Direction: Cutting Sharply Away from Defenders
    • 35 · Off-Ball Movement: Creating Space for Teammates
    • 36 · Small-Sided Game: Putting All Your Space-Creation Skills Together
    • 37 · The Defensive Ready Position: Stance Basics
    • 38 · Lateral Shuffles: Moving Sideways Without Crossing Your Feet
    • 39 · Reading and Reacting: Defense Against Fakes and Cuts
    • 40 · Defense in Action: Small-Sided Game Practice
    • 41 · Water Competency: Knowing Your Own Swimming Ability
    • 42 · The Buddy System: Why You Never Swim Alone
    • 43 · Recognizing Dangerous Water Conditions
    • 44 · Water Safety Knowledge: Putting It All Together
    • 45 · Finding Your Resting and Maximum Heart Rate
    • 46 · Calculating Your Target Heart Rate Zone
    • 47 · Intensity Zones: Light, Moderate, and Vigorous
    • 48 · Pacing a Workout Using Heart Rate Zones
    • 49 · Heart Rate and Workout Log
    • 50 · Beyond Sports: Everyday Movement Counts
    • 51 · Active Hobbies: Finding Movement You Actually Enjoy
    • 52 · Active Transportation: Getting There Under Your Own Power
    • 53 · Categorizing Activity: Aerobic, Strength, and Flexibility
    • 54 · Building Your Personal Activity Menu
    • 55 · Why Rest Days Matter
    • 56 · What Happens Inside Your Body During Rest
    • 57 · Sleep: The Body's Recovery Powerhouse
    • 58 · Active Recovery vs. Complete Rest
    • 59 · Recognizing the Signs You Need More Rest
    • 60 · Block Review: Space, Defense, Water Safety, Heart Rate, and Rest
  4. Skill analysis, fitness tech and outdoor safetyDays 61–76

    Breaking down a throw, a landing and a striking motion and making a self-coaching checklist, judging fitness trackers and apps, how food fuels movement, the health triangle, a wellness case study, and outdoor weather, terrain and gear checks.

    • 61 · Breaking Down the Overhand Throw: Critical Elements
    • 62 · Analyzing the Jump-Landing: Absorbing Force Safely
    • 63 · Critical Elements of a Striking Motion
    • 64 · Self-Coaching: A Checklist for Any Skill
    • 65 · Wearable Fitness Trackers: Strengths and Limits
    • 66 · Evaluating a Fitness App Before You Trust It
    • 67 · Heart-Rate Tech vs. Perceived Exertion
    • 68 · Matching Fitness Technology to Your Goal
    • 69 · How Food Fuels Movement
    • 70 · Physical Activity's Ripple Effect on Health
    • 71 · The Health Triangle: Nutrition, Activity, and Balance
    • 72 · Case Study: Diagnosing a Wellness Routine
    • 73 · Reading the Weather Before You Head Outside
    • 74 · Scouting the Terrain: Spotting Hazards Early
    • 75 · Gear Check: Preparing Equipment for the Outdoors
    • 76 · Building an Outdoor Activity Safety Checklist
  5. Stress managementDays 77–90

    Breathing, movement, time management and talking it out as stress tools, a stress-strategy log, building a personal toolkit, matching strategies to situations, knowing when stress is too much, scenarios and a unit review.

    • 77 · Breathing Techniques to Calm Your Body
    • 78 · Moving Your Body to Manage Stress
    • 79 · Time Management as a Stress-Reduction Tool
    • 80 · Talking It Out: Why Communication Helps
    • 81 · Stress-Strategy Log: Breathing and Movement
    • 82 · Stress-Strategy Log: Planning and Talking It Out
    • 83 · Which Strategy Worked Best for You?
    • 84 · Building Your Personal Stress-Management Toolkit
    • 85 · Matching the Strategy to the Situation
    • 86 · When Everyday Stress Becomes Too Much
    • 87 · Scenario: Managing a Packed Week
    • 88 · Scenario: Working Through a Friend Conflict
    • 89 · Wellness Skills Review: Analysis to Stress Management
    • 90 · Unit Review: 30 Days of Wellness Skills
  6. Conflict, etiquette, leadership and refusal skillsDays 91–120

    Resolving conflicts with teammates and opponents, mediating, unwritten rules of conduct, leadership styles, then refusal skills for substances, copying homework, group-project shortcuts, excluding someone and requests that conflict with your values, ending with a personal refusal script.

    • 91 · When Teammates Disagree: Resolving Conflict Mid-Game
    • 92 · Handling Disagreements With Opponents: Fair Play Under Pressure
    • 93 · The Pause-and-Perspective Technique for In-Game Conflict
    • 94 · When You're Losing: Managing Frustration Without Blaming Teammates
    • 95 · Mediating a Conflict Between Two Teammates
    • 96 · What Is Etiquette in Physical Activity? Unwritten Rules of Good Conduct
    • 97 · Etiquette Toward Opponents: Respect Without Officials Watching
    • 98 · Etiquette Toward Teammates and Equipment: Small Acts, Big Impact
    • 99 · Why Etiquette Matters Even When No One Is Watching
    • 100 · From Etiquette to Leadership: What Ties Them Together
    • 101 · Leadership Thread #1: Communicating Clearly Under Pressure
    • 102 · Leading by Example: Cooperation in Action
    • 103 · Leadership Styles in Physical Activity Settings
    • 104 · Building Your Leadership Profile
    • 105 · Refusal Skills Refresher: The Skill You Already Have
    • 106 · Applying Refusal Skills to an Unwanted Offer
    • 107 · Refusal Skills and Reading the Room: Group Pressure
    • 108 · Walking Away With Confidence
    • 109 · Refusal Skills Beyond Substances: When a Friend Wants to Copy Your Homework
    • 110 · The Cost of 'Just This Once': Academic Integrity Under Pressure
    • 111 · Refusing to Cheat Without Losing the Friendship
    • 112 · Group Project Pressure: When Others Want You to Cut Corners
    • 113 · When Friends Pressure You to Exclude Someone
    • 114 · The Bystander Choice: Refusing to Join In on Exclusion
    • 115 · Standing Firm When Pressure Comes From a Group You Value
    • 116 · Repair and Refusal: What to Do If You Went Along With Exclusion Before
    • 117 · When a Request Conflicts With Your Own Values
    • 118 · Refusal Toolkit: The Same Skill, Many Situations
    • 119 · Practicing Your Refusal Plan: A Personal Script
    • 120 · Unit Review: Leadership and Refusal Skills
  7. Emotions, activity plans and goal check-inDays 121–137

    Building an emotion-management toolkit, mapping opportunities and barriers for activity outside PE and making a realistic weekly plan, looking back at years of PE with a letter to future self, and a goal check-in to revisit, adjust and set a new checkpoint.

    • 121 · Building Your Personal Emotion-Management Toolkit
    • 122 · Choosing the Right Strategy for the Moment
    • 123 · When Frustration Peaks: Self-Directed Reset Techniques
    • 124 · Teaching Your Strategy to Someone Else
    • 125 · Mapping Opportunities for Activity Beyond PE Class
    • 126 · Naming the Barriers That Get in the Way
    • 127 · Planning Around a Barrier: A Worked Example
    • 128 · Your Realistic Weekly Activity Plan
    • 129 · Looking Back: How Movement Has Changed for You
    • 130 · The Activities That Stuck With You
    • 131 · What Movement Means to You Now
    • 132 · Carrying This Forward: A Letter to Future You
    • 133 · Revisiting Your Goal: Where Do You Stand?
    • 134 · What's Working and What Isn't
    • 135 · Adjusting Your Plan
    • 136 · Setting a New Checkpoint
    • 137 · Reflecting on the Goal-Setting Process Itself
  8. Boundaries, consent and healthy relationshipsDays 138–150

    What a boundary is, finding words and practicing scripts, boundaries in different relationships, consent as everyday communication (asking first, respecting a no, and that consent can be withdrawn), signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, supporting a friend, and a review.

    • 138 · What Is a Boundary?
    • 139 · Finding the Words: Boundary Language That Works
    • 140 · Boundaries in Different Relationships
    • 141 · Practicing Boundary Scripts
    • 142 · When a Boundary Is Tested
    • 143 · Consent as Everyday Communication
    • 144 · Reading and Respecting a 'No'
    • 145 · Consent Can Change: Understanding Withdrawal
    • 146 · Asking First: Consent in Action
    • 147 · Signs of a Healthy Relationship
    • 148 · Warning Signs: Control, Pressure, and Disrespect
    • 149 · Supporting a Friend
    • 150 · Unit Review: Communication, Boundaries, and Lifetime Movement
  9. Showcase, personal plan and advocacy projectDays 151–170

    Seven showcase days across ball handling, shooting, space, defense, water safety and fitness. Then a six-step personal fitness and nutrition plan and a seven-part community health advocacy project: choose, research, plan, make materials, act, reflect and share.

    • 151 · Skills Showcase: Ball-Handling and Dribbling, From First Steps to Now
    • 152 · Skills Showcase: Shooting and Throwing Accuracy
    • 153 · Skills Showcase: Creating and Using Space
    • 154 · Skills Showcase: Defensive Positioning
    • 155 · Skills Showcase: Water Safety Knowledge, Applied to Real Places
    • 156 · Skills Showcase: Heart Rate, Activity Types, and Rest
    • 157 · Skills Showcase Finale: Analysis, Etiquette, and Leadership
    • 158 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 1: Where You Are Right Now
    • 159 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 2: Setting Real Goals
    • 160 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 3: Building a Real Weekly Activity Schedule
    • 161 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 4: Building a Real Weekly Nutrition Plan
    • 162 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 5: Adjusting the Plan Over Time
    • 163 · Your Fitness and Nutrition Plan, Step 6: Committing to It — And Looking Ahead
    • 164 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 1: Choosing Your Topic
    • 165 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 2: Learning Enough to Teach It
    • 166 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 3: Planning Your Action
    • 167 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 4: Preparing Your Materials
    • 168 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 5: Taking Action
    • 169 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 6: Reflecting on Impact
    • 170 · Community Health Advocacy Project, Part 7: Sharing What You Learned
  10. Cumulative review and PreK-8 reflectionDays 171–180

    Review days on body systems and fuel, stress and mental health, leadership and refusal, and relationships and safety, then looking back at the year's goal and the whole PreK-8 PE and health journey, setting a goal to carry forward, and a finale.

    • 171 · Cumulative Review: Your Body and What Fuels It
    • 172 · Cumulative Review: Managing Stress and Protecting Your Mental Health
    • 173 · Cumulative Review: Problem-Solving, Leadership, and Refusal Skills
    • 174 · Cumulative Review: Relationships, Safety, and Making Safe Decisions
    • 175 · Looking Back at Your Goal: What Actually Happened This Year
    • 176 · What You're Proud Of, and What Was Hard
    • 177 · Not Just This Year: Your Whole PreK-8 PE and Health Journey
    • 178 · Setting a Goal to Carry Forward
    • 179 · What You've Built: A Full Recap of Your PE and Health Journey
    • 180 · Course Finale: Your PE and Health Journey, and What Comes Next

By the end of the year, your child can

  • Dribble, pass and shoot with a ball or implement while under light pressure
  • Find resting and target heart rate zones and pace a workout with them
  • Use several stress-management strategies and choose the right one for the moment
  • Say no firmly to pressure to cheat, exclude someone or try substances
  • State a personal boundary and explain consent as asking first
  • Build a weekly fitness and nutrition plan and carry out a health advocacy project

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