11th grade – Deepening Understanding of Health Science

The 11th grade curriculum focuses on major public health issues. The modules are designed to deliver complex concepts in engaging, understandable and entertaining ways – recent student surveys have suggested that the most successful lessons are when medical students do minimal talking. Thus, through active learning, the main objective of the curriculum is to integrate basic scientific principles with relevant social issues that the students may face.

Health student mentors provide an introductory session to get to know the high school students and introduce the concept of public health. After breaking into groups, health student mentors take a walking tour of the high school led by the high school students to identify “public health” at work in the school – or possibly areas where public health is needed. Following sessions will include the public health modules and preparation of the final project, a video public health message.

The public health modules include:

  1. Trauma/Violence Prevention
  2. Cancer screening
  3. Nutrition/Obesity/Diabetes
  4. HIV/STIs
  5. Hypertension/Heart Disease

Each scientific module consist of PowerPoint presentations in conjunction with hands on activities and group discussions. Through the website – healthcareeracademy.com – medical students can download lesson plans, required material, and video tutorials.

As a final project, with the support of medical student mentors, 11th grade classes will select one public health topic of their own choosing (either from one of the modules or a different topic) and create a 2-3 minute informational video message aimed at teens and focused on prevention.  Additionally, the 11th grade class will need to create an academic presentation describing the process of creating the video (how and why topic was selected, how relevant health information was chosen (including sources), how and why the video is relevant for teens, how the class worked together to create the video, and challenges faced in the process).  High school students will present both their academic presentation and video at a formal finale event.

The  video below demonstrates some of the teaching approaches from two of the 11th grade modules: Cancer & Cancer screening and Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes.