Tips for Using Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit Resources for Teaching Healthy Living

• Use Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit resources to engage students in small and large group respectful discussions, role plays, and related activities. These activities help students learn how to make informed decisions to care for their mental and physical health while developing their confidence to express their personal decisions and views about diverse healthy living concepts.  
• Use the sample questions contained in Ophea’s Inquiry-Based Learning Posters and Tips for Engaging in Respectful Discussions posters to facilitate discussions with students about transmission of viruses/infectious diseases, personal health decision-making or any other health topic. Engage students in one step, a few steps or all steps in the Inquiry-Based Learning process. 

• Download resources as part of your planning from Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit Resource Database for use with students.  For example:  
  • Download a poster from ELMER The Safety Elephant, Properly Cough and Sneeze, or Help Prevent COVID-19 and use the inquiry questions contained in the Vaccination Talks Toolkit activities and lesson plans to help students deconstruct the poster and gather information.  
  • Download and post paper copies of resources such as CAMH Vaccine Information Guide,  Vaccines Work , WHO: How do vaccines work?, or OMA: Vaccine Facts for groups to use to gather information to answer the inquiry questions contained in the Vaccination Talks Toolkit activities and lesson plans. 
• Access other available community resources (e.g., through trusted adults, local public health units, school/local libraries, reliable print resources) to gather available information related to student health-related questions or sample inquiry questions related to vaccinations contained in the Vaccination Talks Toolkit activities and lesson plans.   
• Engage students in actual or virtual excursions to a local public health unit or invite experts available within the community to speak with and answer student-generated questions.

Use sections of Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit Activities and Lesson Plans as stand-alone activities or as an introduction for learning about various healthy living topics.   

Primary 

• Use the discussion prompts in the “Minds On” section in Germs and Vaccinations for students to identify ways of showing respect for differing points of view.  
• Use the teacher and question prompts in the “Action” section in Germs and Vaccinations and/or the first section of the “Action” section in Safety Practices for Preventing Infectious Diseases to engage students in learning about germ transmission and safe practices to avoid getting or spreading a virus.  

Junior  

• Use the “Minds On” section in Vaccination, Media and Personal Health to engage students in a discussion about regular choices they can make to benefit their personal health.  
• Use the teacher prompt in the “Minds On” section in Vaccination Information and Personal Health for students to identify ways of making their classroom and school welcoming and accepting for all and respecting diverse points of view on a health topic.  
• Use the KWL Chart strategy in the “Action” section of Vaccination Information and Personal Health for students to identify what they know about a health topic such as vaccinations as one factor in caring for their personal health. Students identify what they want to know more about then invite community experts to answer student-generated questions. Use the “Consolidation” section for students to record what they have learned and additional questions they have.  

Intermediate 

• Use the “Minds On” section in Factors Influencing Vaccination Decisions to engage students in a discussion about ways they take care of their physical and mental health.  
• Use the Question Builder Chart in Factors Influencing Vaccination Decisions for students to create and record questions they would like to investigate to make informed decisions about their personal health. Have students access available resources or invite community experts to answer student-generated questions. 
• Use the “Consolidation” section in Factors Influencing Vaccination Decisions for students to generate a list of factors that influence their decision making related to caring for their personal health.  
• Use the “Minds On” section in Making Informed Decisions About Vaccinations to facilitate a discussion about strategies for effective decision making for one’s health.  

• Use components of Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit Activities and Lesson Plans in connection with: 
  • Local school or community events (e.g., public health vaccination clinics, flu season) 
  • “Learning moments” when impromptu discussions occur or are prompted by student questions and worries that are expressed related to vaccinations or other health topics.  
  • Learning about other Healthy Living topics (e.g., Sexual Health, Personal Safety and Injury Prevention) or cross-curricular learning (e.g., Language – Digital Media Literacy; Mathematics – Data; Social Studies - People and Environments: Canada’s Interaction with the Gobal Community).