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K–12 Standards

Grade 1

Other Maryland Health sets

Mental and Emotional Health: Functional knowledge about mental and emotional health enables students to recognize the importance of mental well-being, manage emotions effectively, build resilience, and address challenges. All instruction related to mental and emotional health should come with a content warning for students and include instruction on how to seek help for mental and emotional health support. Mental and emotional health education helps students cultivate positive relationships, reduce stigma, and foster a sense of safety in schools and communities. Grounded in trauma-informed practices and public health approaches, this standard aligns with Maryland Education Articles §§7-401, 7-443, and 7-501—7-506, which emphasize student well-being and behavioral health supports.MD1a

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    Emotions, Feelings, and Relationships

    1. 1

      Identify when help is needed to cope with emotions.MD1a.1.1

    2. 2

      Describe various coping strategies in the classroom, home, and school.MD1a.1.2

    3. 3

      Describe appropriate ways to express one’s emotions and practice coping strategies.MD1a.1.3

    4. 4

      Describe ways to express affection, love, friendship, and concern.MD1a.1.4

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    Self and Social Awareness

    1. 5

      Identify skills and activities that are done well and those that require help.MD1a.1.5

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    Seeking Help

    1. 6

      Explain how having a trusted adult can support one’s emotional health and well-being.MD1a.1.6

Substance Use and Misuse: Functional knowledge around substance use and misuse empowers students to understand the short-and long-term impacts of substance use on the brain and body and to be able to take health-promoting actions related to substance use prevention. This standard supports prevention and early intervention efforts outlined in Maryland Education Article §§7-411 and 7-413, which require instruction on drug addiction and controlled dangerous substances. By addressing risk and protective factors, including media influences, community norms, and access to support services, students develop the health literacy necessary to navigate their environments and reduce the likelihood of use and misuse.MD1b

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    Medicine

    1. 1

      Describe the steps of using medicine safely, which includes the involvement of a trusted adult.MD1b.1.1

Family Life and Human Sexuality: Family life and human sexuality instruction provide students with age-appropriate, scientifically based, and medically accurate information about relationships, consent, treating others with dignity and respect, and sexual and reproductive health. It also helps students gain the functional knowledge that they need to apply health-related skills to their sexual and reproductive health. It supports bodily autonomy and the ability to delay pregnancy and reduce the likelihood of sexually transmitted infections. In Maryland, this component is governed by Education Article §7-445, which mandates instruction that reflects the values of equity, inclusivity, and informed choice. Furthermore, the Code of Maryland Regulation (COMAR) 13A.04.18.01 requires local education agencies to establish policies, guidelines, and/or procedures for student opt-out regarding instruction related to family life and human sexuality objectives. Additionally, the indicators related to puberty must be taught, beginning in grade four, by a licensed teacher with a health education endorsement or one who has received specialized training.MD1c

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    Family Relationships

    1. 1

      Describe the strengths of families.MD1c.1.1

    2. 2

      Identify supportive behaviors within family relationships.MD1c.1.2

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    Dignity and Respect

    1. 3

      Recognize ways to treat all people regardless of gender with dignity and respect.MD1c.1.3

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    Boundaries and Consent

    1. 4

      Identify the medically accurate names for parts of the body that are private.MD1c.1.4

    2. 5

      Analyze appropriate privacy practices and setting and respecting boundaries in healthcare settings.MD1c.1.5

    3. 6

      Explain that everyone has the right to tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched and to have those boundaries respected by others.MD1c.1.6

Safety and Violence Prevention: This component develops students’ capacity to recognize, prevent, and respond to unsafe situations, including bullying, harassment, violence, and abuse. Students learn to apply functional knowledge related to physical safety, technology safety, safety around others, discrimination and violence prevention, and upstander intervention. Aligned with Maryland Education Articles §§7-411.1, 7-439, 7-445, and 7-501—7-506, this area supports the creation of safe and supportive school environments. By combining the functional knowledge of safety and violence prevention with health-related skills, students are empowered to foster a culture of nonviolence and mutual respect in their communities.MD1d

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    Physical Safety

    1. 1

      Identify situations that are emergencies and if adult help is needed.MD1d.1.1

    2. 2

      Identify safety rules in the community.MD1d.1.2

    3. 3

      Describe the appropriate use of household cleaning products to prevent the harmful effects of inhaling, absorbing, or ingesting them.MD1d.1.3

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    Technology Safety

    1. 4

      Identify that personal information should not be shared online.MD1d.1.4

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    Trusted Adults

    1. 5

      Demonstrate verbal and nonverbal ways to ask trusted adults for help, including how to report unsafe, scary, or harmful situations in the home, school, or community.MD1d.1.5

    2. 6

      Identify sources of support that a student can go to if they or someone they know is being abused or assaulted.MD1d.1.6

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    Safety around People

    1. 7

      Demonstrate actions that help one to stay physically and/or emotionally safe around people.MD1d.1.7

    2. 8

      Recognize that a person who makes a child feel unsafe or uncomfortable may be someone they know or someone in a position of authority.MD1d.1.8

    3. 9

      Demonstrate how to respond if someone is making you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or disrespected.MD1d.1.9

    4. 10

      Explain the importance of telling a trusted adult when someone touches you in an uncomfortable or confusing way.MD1d.1.10

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    Boundaries and Consent

    1. 11

      Identify the medically accurate names for parts of the body that are private.MD1d.1.11

    2. 12

      Analyze appropriate privacy practices and setting and respecting boundaries in healthcare settings.MD1d.1.12

    3. 13

      Explain that everyone has the right to tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched and to have those boundaries respected by others.MD1d.1.13

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    Teasing, Bullying, and Harassment

    1. 14

      Identify why it is hurtful to tease or bully others.MD1d.1.14

    2. 15

      Demonstrate ways to express kindness and respect.MD1d.1.15

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    Upstanders and Compassion for Survivors of Abuse

    1. 16

      Demonstrate ways to support a peer who feels unsafe, including listening, offering help, and involving a trusted adult.MD1d.1.16

    2. 17

      Explain that it is never a person’s fault if someone causes them to feel unsafe.MD1d.1.17

Nutrition: Understanding the role of nutrition in overall health equips students with the knowledge and skills to support physical growth, cognitive development, and disease prevention. Instruction in this area promotes health literacy around nutrient density, eating patterns, food claims and marketing, and food access, and the social and environmental factors influencing nutrition. Maryland Education Article §7-501 emphasizes student wellness, including nutrition standards in schools. Functional knowledge of nutrition prepares students to evaluate food value, access nutrition-related resources, and advocate for equitable access to nutrient-dense foods in their homes, schools, and communities.MD1e

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    Foods, Beverages, and Water

    1. 1

      Describe why drinking water helps the body.MD1e.1.1

    2. 2

      Identify that foods and beverages provide nutrients.MD1e.1.2

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    Eating Patterns

    1. 3

      Summarize the signals that a person feels when they are hungry and full.MD1e.1.3

    2. 4

      Identify eating patterns that provide energy and help the body grow, develop, and perform different jobs.MD1e.1.4

Disease Prevention and Control: Knowledge of disease prevention and control enables students to adopt behaviors that minimize the risk of chronic and infectious diseases. Topics such as oral health, sun safety, chronic and infectious diseases, and public health strategies are foundational to lifelong health and community disease prevention and well-being. This component is supported by Maryland Education Articles §§7-413 and 7-501–7-506, which address school health services, health education, and student wellness policies. By understanding the functional knowledge around disease prevention, students become informed participants in public health efforts and responsible stewards of personal and collective health.MD1f

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    Allergies

    1. 1

      Identify potential non-foods that are common causes of allergic reactions.MD1f.1.1

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    Food and Illness

    1. 2

      Identify food safety practices at home.MD1f.1.2

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    Oral Health

    1. 3

      Describe why brushing teeth helps keep the mouth clean and prevents cavities and other oral health problems.MD1f.1.3

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    Sun

    1. 4

      Describe how sun safety actions help protect the body.MD1f.1.4

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    Sleep and Rest

    1. 5

      Describe how sleep and rest support health.MD1f.1.5

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    Chronic and Infectious Disease

    1. 6

      Describe the importance of handwashing and covering a cough or sneeze to prevent the spread of germs.MD1f.1.6

Analyze Influences: Health and well-being are affected by many diverse influences within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying and evaluating internal and external factors influencing health practices and behaviors. Influences on health and well-being may include, but are not limited to, family, peers, communities, media, culture, technology, schools, personal values/beliefs, school-based policies, social determinants of health, perceived and social norms, and the environment. This standard recognizes that the factors affecting health behaviors and outcomes, such as social determinants of health, are complex and impact people and communities differently. It also supports the individual’s ability to identify and use skills to recognize the types of influences, analyze the role of influences across various wellness dimensions, and manage influences on health and well-being in digital and in-person settings. This skill contributes to a better understanding of the connections between individual health, community health, and health disparities, which can strengthen the use of other health skills, such as accessing information and advocacy.MD2

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    Analyze Influences: Health and well-being are affected by many diverse influences within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying and evaluating internal and external factors influencing health practices and behaviors. Influences on health and well-being may include, but are not limited to, family, peers, communities, media, culture, technology, schools, personal values/beliefs, school-based policies, social determinants of health, perceived and social norms, and the environment. This standard recognizes that the factors affecting health behaviors and outcomes, such as social determinants of health, are complex and impact people and communities differently. It also supports the individual’s ability to identify and use skills to recognize the types of influences, analyze the role of influences across various wellness dimensions, and manage influences on health and well-being in digital and in-person settings. This skill contributes to a better understanding of the connections between individual health, community health, and health disparities, which can strengthen the use of other health skills, such as accessing information and advocacy.MD2

Identify various influences that affect health and well-being, including family, peers, community, and media.MD2.2.1

  • 1

    Identify various influences that affect health and well-being, including family, peers, community, and media.MD2.2.1

Determine the ways various influences affect personal health and well-being.MD2.2.2

  • 2

    Determine the ways various influences affect personal health and well-being.MD2.2.2

Determine how various influences affect the health and well-being of others.MD2.2.3

  • 3

    Determine how various influences affect the health and well-being of others.MD2.2.3

Access Valid and Reliable Resources: Access to valid and reliable health information, products, services, and other resources is essential to promoting health and well-being, and preventing, detecting, managing, and treating health issues and conditions. Access to valid and reliable information, products, services, and other resources promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying, accessing, and evaluating valid and reliable resources, including managing misinformation and disinformation, within digital and in-person settings. Media and technology play a significant and increasing role in the way individuals learn about and connect with themselves, others, and the world. This standard engages students in critical thinking around media messages and resources, including how they are accessed, evaluated, and used to support health and well-being.MD3

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    Access Valid and Reliable Resources: Access to valid and reliable health information, products, services, and other resources is essential to promoting health and well-being, and preventing, detecting, managing, and treating health issues and conditions. Access to valid and reliable information, products, services, and other resources promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying, accessing, and evaluating valid and reliable resources, including managing misinformation and disinformation, within digital and in-person settings. Media and technology play a significant and increasing role in the way individuals learn about and connect with themselves, others, and the world. This standard engages students in critical thinking around media messages and resources, including how they are accessed, evaluated, and used to support health and well-being.MD3

Identify characteristics of trusted adults and other individuals who support health and well-being.MD3.2.1

  • 1

    Identify characteristics of trusted adults and other individuals who support health and well-being.MD3.2.1

Demonstrate when and how to seek help from others at home, at school, or in the community.MD3.2.2

  • 2

    Demonstrate when and how to seek help from others at home, at school, or in the community.MD3.2.2

Locate school and community health helpers.MD3.2.3

  • 3

    Locate school and community health helpers.MD3.2.3

Interpersonal Communication: Effective communication promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on expressive and receptive communication in digital and in-person settings. Combined with perspective-taking, communication skills help to recognize and strengthen interpersonal interactions, create and maintain relationships, express and interpret messages, and manage conflict. Developing communication skills helps individuals to see how they communicate and the ways in which their communication affects those around them.MD4

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    Interpersonal Communication: Effective communication promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on expressive and receptive communication in digital and in-person settings. Combined with perspective-taking, communication skills help to recognize and strengthen interpersonal interactions, create and maintain relationships, express and interpret messages, and manage conflict. Developing communication skills helps individuals to see how they communicate and the ways in which their communication affects those around them.MD4

Express thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs to support the health and well-being of self and others.MD4.2.1

  • 1

    Express thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs to support the health and well-being of self and others.MD4.2.1

Use active listening skills in a variety of situations.MD4.2.2

  • 2

    Use active listening skills in a variety of situations.MD4.2.2

Demonstrate communication skills and strategies to use if uncomfortable, unsafe, or harmed.MD4.2.3

  • 3

    Demonstrate communication skills and strategies to use if uncomfortable, unsafe, or harmed.MD4.2.3

Recognize ways to communicate and respect the boundaries of self and others.MD4.2.4

  • 4

    Recognize ways to communicate and respect the boundaries of self and others.MD4.2.4

Demonstrate ways to show kindness and compassion.MD4.2.5

  • 5

    Demonstrate ways to show kindness and compassion.MD4.2.5

Decision-Making: Effective decision-making is needed to identify, adopt, and maintain health-promoting behaviors. This standard includes skills and steps integral to the process of effective decision-making to support health and well-being. The decision-making process enables collaboration to improve the quality of life within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD5

  • 5

    Decision-Making: Effective decision-making is needed to identify, adopt, and maintain health-promoting behaviors. This standard includes skills and steps integral to the process of effective decision-making to support health and well-being. The decision-making process enables collaboration to improve the quality of life within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD5

Identify when a health-related decision is needed to maintain or improve health and well-being.MD5.2.1

  • 1

    Identify when a health-related decision is needed to maintain or improve health and well-being.MD5.2.1

Recognize when help is needed for a health-related decision.MD5.2.2

  • 2

    Recognize when help is needed for a health-related decision.MD5.2.2

Describe options and potential outcomes for a health-related decision.MD5.2.3

  • 3

    Describe options and potential outcomes for a health-related decision.MD5.2.3

Choose an option that supports health and well-being.MD5.2.4

  • 4

    Choose an option that supports health and well-being.MD5.2.4

Goal-Setting: Goal setting is a process to support short- and long-term health and well-being goals. In addition to achieving a goal, goal setting includes using practices, habits, and routines in daily life. This standard includes the processes needed to plan, reach, and reflect on health goals. Setting goals is a flexible process and considers personal and social factors affecting health and well-being. Goal setting supports aspirations and future planning for health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD6

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    Goal-Setting: Goal setting is a process to support short- and long-term health and well-being goals. In addition to achieving a goal, goal setting includes using practices, habits, and routines in daily life. This standard includes the processes needed to plan, reach, and reflect on health goals. Setting goals is a flexible process and considers personal and social factors affecting health and well-being. Goal setting supports aspirations and future planning for health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD6

Determine a health behavior to change or reinforce.MD6.2.1

  • 1

    Determine a health behavior to change or reinforce.MD6.2.1

Identify a goal that supports health and well-being.MD6.2.2

  • 2

    Identify a goal that supports health and well-being.MD6.2.2

Determine who can help when assistance is needed to achieve a health-related goal.MD6.2.3

  • 3

    Determine who can help when assistance is needed to achieve a health-related goal.MD6.2.3

Describe actions that support reaching a health-related goal.MD6.2.4

  • 4

    Describe actions that support reaching a health-related goal.MD6.2.4

Take action to achieve a health-related goal.MD6.2.5

  • 5

    Take action to achieve a health-related goal.MD6.2.5

Reflect on the results of goal-setting.MD6.2.6

  • 6

    Reflect on the results of goal-setting.MD6.2.6

Practices and Behaviors: Developing health practices and behaviors can promote health and well-being over the lifespan and reduce risk to self and others. Practicing health behaviors is critical to incorporating health-promoting habits and routines into all dimensions of wellness. Due to the increasing influence of technology, it is crucial to develop and apply practices and behaviors that support media balance and digital wellness. This standard promotes individual and collective responsibility by encouraging the exploration and practice of skills and processes that support health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD7

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    Practices and Behaviors: Developing health practices and behaviors can promote health and well-being over the lifespan and reduce risk to self and others. Practicing health behaviors is critical to incorporating health-promoting habits and routines into all dimensions of wellness. Due to the increasing influence of technology, it is crucial to develop and apply practices and behaviors that support media balance and digital wellness. This standard promotes individual and collective responsibility by encouraging the exploration and practice of skills and processes that support health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts.MD7

Identify practices and behaviors that support the health and well-being of self and others.MD7.2.1

  • 1

    Identify practices and behaviors that support the health and well-being of self and others.MD7.2.1

Demonstrate practices and behaviors that support the health and well-being of self and others.MD7.2.2

  • 2

    Demonstrate practices and behaviors that support the health and well-being of self and others.MD7.2.2

Advocacy: Advocacy skills are critical for promoting health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard helps learners develop and apply skills and strategies to increase agency and advocacy for themselves and others. Practicing advocacy helps students be informed, civic-minded members of their community who are inclusive of individual, cultural, historical, and other differences.MD8

  • 8

    Advocacy: Advocacy skills are critical for promoting health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental contexts. This standard helps learners develop and apply skills and strategies to increase agency and advocacy for themselves and others. Practicing advocacy helps students be informed, civic-minded members of their community who are inclusive of individual, cultural, historical, and other differences.MD8

Make requests to support personal health and well-being.MD8.2.1

  • 1

    Make requests to support personal health and well-being.MD8.2.1

Identify a variety of ways to support others in making health-promoting choices.MD8.2.2

  • 2

    Identify a variety of ways to support others in making health-promoting choices.MD8.2.2

Encourage others to make health-promoting choices.MD8.2.3

  • 3

    Encourage others to make health-promoting choices.MD8.2.3

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 1
Where can I read the official document?
Maryland’s Comprehensive Health Education Framework

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