The National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is releasing The Science of Healthy Behaviors, the newest in a popular series of curriculum supplements available for free to teachers (grades K-12) who request them. The Science of Healthy Behaviors, for use by middle school teachers, introduces students to the scientific study of behavior and helps them explore how behavioral and social factors influence health.

The supplement is a self-contained teacher-ready guide to eight days of guided-inquiry science lessons that explore how behavioral and social factors influence health. This teacher-ready tool includes background information, lesson plans, take-home materials, and a Web-based component. Students build their scientific reasoning and critical thinking skills while investigating how research results help us understand disease.

The Science of Healthy Behaviorsis:

• A comprehensive, interactive, and easily incorporated resource.
• Consistent with the National Science Education Standards released by the National Academy of Sciences in 1996.
• Aligned to state standards for science, math, English language arts, and health.
• Developed by leading scientists and educators.

The NIH produced The Science of Healthy Behaviors in partnership with curriculum developers from Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) of Colorado Springs, CO. Within the NIH, the development of the supplement was supported by the Office of Science Education, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and the National Institute of Nursing Research. The supplement was field-tested by teachers and students across the country.

To request The Science of Healthy Behaviors or learn about other free supplements in the series, visit the NIH Office of Science Education Website at http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements.

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.