In Our Voice A culturally responsive curriculum for students in grades 7 – 12 incorporates the research on preventing CVD, uses state-of-the art instructional practices, is ‘user-friendly’ for teachers, reinforces language arts and health standards, and provides accurate and culturally appropriate information.

Topics Grade 7: Tobacco Grade 8: Body Image Grade 9: Exercise Grade 10: Weight and Nutrition Grade 11: CVD Grade 12: Healthy for Life

Structure Guided by teachers, powered by students. Gives students information. Provides opportunities to learn from their and other people's experiences.

Discussions Students share their opinions and ideas in small- and large- group discussions.

Content Students learn relevant content about each topic including the ways in which the media promotes unhealthy behavior.

Skills Students learn a skill step by step by seeing it modeled, practicing it among themselves, and transferring it to situations outside the classroom.

Projects Students become health activists; designing and implementing projects to take what they learned and apply it to make a positive change in their school community.

Videos Videos of Native students their own age: discussing the topic they’ll cover in the lessons, modeling relevant skills in realistic situations, and making a healthy difference in their communities. Produced by Native Voices, the premier Native American media training center in the United States, at the University of Washington

Articles and Stories Native characters act out the topic issue or skill Personalizes the topic so that students can relate the issue or skill to their own experience Dr. Lori Lambert, enrolled member of the Abenaki Nation and a descendent of Mi’kmaq tribal members and French Acadians Native Art

7 th Grade Example Introduction (video) Content Media Consequences Prevalence and the Perception of Use Family Position Refusal Skills Projects (video)

Cherokee Wisdom