Free curricula for grades K–12 on eating disorders and health body image

Many curricula and lesson plan resources are available for teachers to use about healthy body image and eating disorders for each school age group. This list is not intended to be comprehensive but provides a broad sample of credible lesson plan resources for teachers.

BrainPop Educators is one of a group of educational websites providing resources (movies, quizzes, lesson plans) for educators grades K–12. BrainPop also provides resources to parents and students. Resources include several lesson plan ideas with materials on eating disorders.

Dying to Be Thin: PBS Video available from PBS. This includes a free video (first debuted on television on the NOVA program) that typically takes at least two class periods. PBS also provides a lesson plan Ideal Weight, Cultural Stereotypes, and Eating Disorders. Lessons are tied to National Science and Health Education standards.

Discovery Education website is part of the Discovery Channel and provides all kinds of curriculum, including some free lesson plans for grades 9–12 on eating disorders and healthy body image and nutrition. Other resources are also provided at a nominal cost. Lessons are tied to National Science and Health Education standards.

Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue lists current and classic books, and other resources on eating disorders is available from Gurze Books.

Entering Adulthood: Looking at Body Image and Eating Disorders curriculum for grades 9-12. Contemporary Health Series. 1991. Susan Giarratano. Available for free on the federal Institute of Education Sciences website.

KidsHealth in the Classroom by the Nemours Foundation offers a free teacher’s guide on eating disorders grades 9 – 12 and grades 6 to 8 in its “Health Problems Series.” The guides include standards, discussion questions, activities for students, reproducible materials, and links to other information resources.

Resources outside the U.S.

The Butterfly Foundation Education (Australia)

The Butterfly Foundation delivers a range of Positive Body Image workshops to schools and workplaces through its education program, including BodyThink, an Eating Disorder health promotion and prevention school-based workshop for children aged 11 to 14 years. It has a strong media presence to raise awareness of Butterfly’s perspective in community debates about body image and eating disorders.