NEWTON, Mass., Aug 28, 2008 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- With teenage obesity a
continuing concern across America, a new curriculum specially created for middle
schools is being introduced nationally to promote healthy choices among
pre-teens. The curriculum, Getting Active and Eating Well, was developed by
health and literacy experts at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), with
funding from MetLife Foundation.
Divided into four units, the curriculum combines reading and health to equip
middle school students with information about making healthy food choices and
being physically active.
The units include: physical activity, foods of the world, influences on food
choices, and setting and reaching goals related to nutrition and physical
activity. Each curriculum unit includes a key message related to nutrition or
physical activity, as well as a reading or writing task.
"With this program, young people not only learn about food, nutrition, and
physical activity, but also develop and practice critical literacy skills, still
a much-needed focus in the middle grades," said EDC's Leslie Hergert.
The curriculum is designed to be used by health education, physical education,
and family and consumer sciences classes. Three units also meet the curriculum
standards in other subject areas including social studies and science, with
opportunities for interdisciplinary instruction.
"The curriculum is flexible," said EDC's Chris Blaber. "A physical education
teacher might use 'Moving for Health' while a social studies teacher uses
'Healthy Eating Around the World,' and a reading teacher uses 'Influences on
Food Choices,'" she said.
"Middle school is a time when young people reach a crossroads," said Sibyl
Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. "The new curriculum helps motivate
students to make informed decisions for healthy lives."
Getting Active and Eating Well is part of the Read for Health series, funded by
MetLife Foundation. Drawing on EDC's Supported Literacy(tm) program, it
contributes to EDC's Teenage Health Teaching Modules, a comprehensive school
health education curriculum for grades 6-12. For more information, or to order,
contact Erica Macheca at 617-969-7100.
ABOUT EDC
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is an international nonprofit
organization that conducts and applies research to advance learning and promote
health. Celebrating its 50th year, EDC creates and manages more than 300
projects in 35 countries. Visit http://www.edc.org/ .
ABOUT METLIFE FOUNDATION
MetLife Foundation supports education, health, civic and cultural organizations.
Education is a major focus of the Foundation, informed by findings from the
annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. For more information, visit
http://www.metlife.org .
Contact: Alison Cohen, 617-618-2109, acohen@edc.org
