Sri Lanka Grade 7 School Syllabus - Health & Physical Education

This outlines the Health and Physical Education curriculum for Grade 7 in Sri Lanka, drawing from the national syllabus and textbook.

Term 1

1. Building a Healthy Family Environment

This topic explores the concept of health and its promotion within the family context. It emphasizes the importance of a healthy physical, mental, and social environment for overall well-being.

• Physical Environment: A healthy physical environment includes access to fresh air, clean water, nutritious food, sanitary facilities, a clean and safe living space, sufficient living space, a tranquil atmosphere, and freedom from the danger of accidents. Practical tips are provided for maintaining such an environment, like proper ventilation, water purification, and accident prevention measures.
• Mental Environment: A healthy mental environment is characterized by love, protection, and opportunities for relaxation. These elements contribute to stress reduction and overall mental well-being. Suggestions for creating a positive mental environment include fostering strong family bonds, providing emotional support, and engaging in productive leisure activities.
• Social Environment: A healthy social environment involves positive interpersonal relationships, fulfilling duties and responsibilities, effective communication, discipline, and unity and respect within the family and community. Practical tips are offered for building strong family relationships, such as regular family discussions and shared responsibilities.
• Spiritual Environment: While not extensively detailed in the provided materials, a healthy spiritual environment is touched upon, encompassing engagement in religious activities, helping those in need, showing kindness to animals, practicing meditation and yoga, and protecting nature.
• Promoting Family Health: Five key themes are presented for promoting family health: establishing health policies within the family (e.g., waste management, healthy eating habits), developing health knowledge and skills, creating a supportive environment, seeking community support, and utilizing available health services. Practical exercises encourage students to apply these themes in their own families.

2. Experiencing Love and Protection

This topic delves into the psychological needs of love and protection, crucial for healthy development.

• Understanding Love and Protection: The importance of love and protection is highlighted through a relatable scenario of a child's apprehension about starting school. Love is defined as the bond, affection, and closeness among individuals, while protection refers to the feeling of security derived from the support and care of others.
• Sources of Love and Protection: Sources of love and protection are categorized as family members (parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family) and external individuals (neighbors, peers, teachers, school staff, religious leaders, community members). The roles and importance of each group in providing love and protection are discussed. Emphasis is placed on understanding and appreciating the diverse needs and perspectives of family members.
• Duties and Responsibilities: Students are encouraged to recognize their own roles in maintaining love and protection within their families and communities. This includes being obedient and respectful to parents and elders, observing school rules, treating peers with respect, helping others, being sensitive to others' problems, and fulfilling family responsibilities.
• Harmful Effects of Deprivation: The negative consequences of not receiving adequate love and protection are outlined, including family disunity, strained relationships, educational difficulties, social isolation, and potential involvement in harmful activities.
• Personal Safety: Students are reminded of the importance of protecting themselves from abuse and exploitation, emphasizing the role of trusted adults and support services.

3. Engaging in Folk Games

This topic explores the cultural significance and health benefits of traditional Sri Lankan games.

• Importance of Folk Games: Folk games are defined as traditional games passed down through generations, reflecting the social, religious, cultural, and economic values of a community. Their importance lies in promoting cultural identity, fostering joy and happiness, and providing accessible and affordable recreational opportunities.
• Common Features: Key features of folk games are highlighted, including simplicity, enjoyment, ease of participation, minimal equipment requirements, low competitiveness, group participation, cultural or religious connections, inclusivity, aesthetic value, relaxation, and community building.
• Types of Folk Games: Folk games are categorized into outdoor and indoor games, with further classifications based on equipment, participation style (individual, pairs, groups), and cultural associations (e.g., games associated with New Year celebrations, agriculture, religion). Examples of various folk games are provided.
• Specific Folk Games: Detailed descriptions and lyrics are provided for several folk games, including "Coppara Coppara Pipingya," "Iniweta Peralima," and "Mewara keliya," illustrating the diversity and cultural richness of Sri Lankan folk games.

4. Playing Volleyball

This topic introduces the fundamental skills of volleyball, focusing on serving and receiving.

• Skills in Volleyball: The six main skills in volleyball (serving, receiving, setting, spiking, blocking, and field defending) are introduced.
• Serving: The two main serving techniques (underarm and overarm) are mentioned, with a detailed explanation of the underarm serve. The technique is broken down into three stages: before touching the ball, touching the ball, and after touching the ball. Practical activities are suggested for practicing the underarm serve.
• Receiving: The two receiving techniques (underarm and overarm) are mentioned, with a detailed explanation of the underarm receive. The technique is broken down into three stages: before touching the ball, touching the ball, and after touching the ball. Practical activities are suggested for practicing the underarm receive.

5. Playing Netball

This topic focuses on developing footwork skills in netball.

• Skills in Netball: The five main skills in netball (ball handling, footwork, attacking, defending, and shooting) are introduced.
• Footwork: Footwork is defined as the correct movement of the feet with the ball, emphasizing its importance for balance, directional changes, and moving towards the goal. Specific footwork techniques (landing with one foot, landing with both feet, pivoting, and throwing while raising the landing foot) are explained. Various drills and activities are provided for practicing these techniques, both individually and in groups.

6. Playing Football

This topic introduces basic kicking and ball control techniques in football.

• Skills in Football: Several key skills in football (dribbling, kicking, ball controlling, heading, throw-in, field defending, and goalkeeping) are listed.
• Kicking: Two kicking methods are described: kicking with the inner side of the foot and kicking with the instep. Each method is explained with details on foot placement, body weight distribution, and follow-through.
• Ball Controlling: The importance of ball control is emphasized, and various body parts used for controlling the ball are listed. Three specific techniques are explained: controlling with the inner side of the foot, controlling with the instep, and controlling with the sole of the foot. Practical activities are suggested for practicing kicking and ball control.

7. Learning Correct Posture

This topic emphasizes the importance of maintaining correct posture for health and appearance.

• Sitting Correctly: Various sitting postures are described (on a chair, astride, crook sitting, kneeling, sitting on heels, cross-legged), with a detailed explanation of the correct posture for sitting on a chair. The advantages of correct sitting posture and disadvantages of incorrect posture are outlined.
• Walking Correctly: Different walking methods are described (on toes and balls of feet, on heels, with short strides, with long strides, sideways, backwards, zig-zag, along a straight line), along with the correct body positioning for walking. The advantages of correct walking posture are listed.
• Lying Down Correctly: Different lying down positions are described (face up, face down, sideways, crook lying), and key points for maintaining correct posture while lying down are listed. The advantages of correct lying down posture are mentioned.
• Causes of Wrong Posture: Factors contributing to poor posture are identified, including unsuitable environment and equipment, tiredness, habitual incorrect postures, unsuitable clothing and footwear, carelessness, congenital deformities, and mental imbalance.

This continues with further topics, including training for athletics, developing healthy eating habits, understanding body systems, managing emotions, respecting rules and ethics in sports, and preventing non-communicable diseases. Due to the length limitations, I've focused on the initial topics. Please let me know if you would like the remaining sections.