tools : curricula : dets

Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) Curriculum

This new curriculum for use by teachers in grades K–12 is part of a national effort to decrease the incidence and improve the care of type 2 diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The curriculum was developed through collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Indian Tribal Colleges and the IHS Division of Diabetes (DDTP).

The DETS Curriculum was developed using a multidisciplinary approach. Information about the different teaching and learning components of the DETS curriculum can be found at the Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools: Health Is Life in Balance website.

View and Order

View and download copies of the curriculum at the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College website.

If you are a teacher (K–12), you can order a printed copy of the curriculum and related materials from the IHS Division of Diabetes Online Catalog.

For others interested in the curriculum, a DVD will be made available soon.

Overview

The DETS curriculum includes K–12 multidisciplinary units with lessons that are designed to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the problems of diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, to empower students to make healthy lifestyle choices, and to stimulate general student interest in diabetes-based science careers. The curriculum is based on national education standards for the respective subject area, along with Native American cultural content.

A circular theme is used throughout the DETS curriculum to illustrate the contextual content of Native culture. Threading Native cultural themes and concepts into the K–12 curriculum provides a meaningful approach for students of all cultural backgrounds to understand their self-identity and expand it in ever-widening circles to include others. As students become engaged with their own cultural backgrounds, beliefs, attitudes, and ways of life, their engagement allows for connectedness and an understanding of “health is life in balance”.

Content

Grades K–2 Health Is Life in Balance	Units include: Exploring Health and Foods What Is a Healthy Balance? Exploring the Food Groups Diabetes Is an Imbalance in the Body Balancing the Body's Needs to Prevent Diabetes	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Eagle Book Series [4 books and DVD] Diabetes Animations Round Dance Video Round Dance Audio Samples Posters - Balance Image, Health Is Life in Balance, and Pyramid Posters Power to Prevent Diabetes Handout Round Dance Video [separate DVD]
Grades 3–4 Health Is Life in Balance	Units include: Exploring a Healthy Balance Being Smart about Being Healthy Exploring Digestion and Diabetes Healthy Harvests from Our Mother Earth	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Eagle Book Series [4 books and DVD] Diabetes Animations Round Dance Video Round Dance Audio Samples Posters - Balance Image, Health Is Life in Balance, and Pyramid Posters Power to Prevent Diabetes Handout Round Dance Video [separate DVD]
Grades 5–6 Social Studies All Life Is Connected: Lifestyle, Environment and Diabetes	Unit includes: Letter from Down Under Change and Choices Anna's Questions about Diabetes Connections	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Diabetes Animations Test Bank Documents [questions and answers]
Grades 7–8 Science A Balancing Act: Preventing Diabetes	Unit includes: History in the Making Focus on Diabetes Health Is Life in Balance The Diabetes Health Care Clinic Taking the Message Home	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Diabetes Animations Test Bank Documents [questions and answers]
Grades 7–8 Social Studies Life in Balance	Unit includes: Civic Action and Health Helping Our Town A Community Seeks Balance Your Community Needs You	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Diabetes Animations Test Bank Documents [questions and answers]
Grades 9–12 Health Diabetes and American Indian/Alaska Native Health	Unit includes: Diabetes and the Community The Facts of Diabetes Health Risks in Diabetes History: Changes in Environment and Diet The Diabetes Prevention Program Letting Others Know about Diabetes	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Diabetes Animations Test Bank Documents [questions and answers]
Grades 9–12 Science Life in Balance: Understanding Homeostasis and Diabetes	Unit includes: What Is Diabetes? What Is Blood Glucose? Keeping Blood Glucose in Balance How Does Insulin Work? Diabetes–Why Does It Matter? Sharing Your Knowledge of Type 2 Diabetes Pursuing a Career Related to Diabetes Education	Materials include: Teacher strategies, student lessons, and copymasters Diabetes Animations Test Bank Documents [questions and answers]