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LIFE SKILLS STUDY GUIDE
Grade 6
A member of the FUTURELEARN group
Life Skills Study guide
1806-E-LFS-SG01
Í2&È-E-LFS-SG01;Î
Grade 6
CAPS aligned
LM van der Walt
Study Guide G06 ~ Life Skills
CONTENTS LESSON ELEMENTS ..........................................................................................................9 PREFACE ..........................................................................................................................10 YEAR PLAN ......................................................................................................................11 UNIT 1: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING ...........................................................14 Lesson 1: Positive self-image – body image .................................................................15 ACTIVITY 1 ...........................................................................................................16 ACTIVITY 2 ...........................................................................................................16 ACTIVITY 3 ...........................................................................................................17 ACTIVITY 4 ...........................................................................................................18 ACTIVITY 5 ...........................................................................................................19 ACTIVITY 6 ...........................................................................................................20 Lesson 2: Abilities, interests and potential ...................................................................22 ACTIVITY 7 ...........................................................................................................22 ACTIVITY 8 ...........................................................................................................23 ACTIVITY 9 ...........................................................................................................23 ACTIVITY 10 .........................................................................................................24 ACTIVITY 11 .........................................................................................................24 ACTIVITY 12 .........................................................................................................25 Lesson 3: Peer pressure .................................................................................................28 ACTIVITY 13 .........................................................................................................28 ACTIVITY 14 .........................................................................................................29 ACTIVITY 15 .........................................................................................................30 Lesson 4: Problem-solving skills in conflict situations................................................32 ACTIVITY 16 .........................................................................................................33 ACTIVITY 17 .........................................................................................................34 ACTIVITY 18 .........................................................................................................35 UNIT 2: PERFORMING ARTS ..........................................................................................38 Lesson 5: Warm-up and play ..........................................................................................39 ACTIVITY 19 .........................................................................................................39 ACTIVITY 20 .........................................................................................................40 ACTIVITY 21 .........................................................................................................41 ACTIVITY 22 .........................................................................................................42 ACTIVITY 23 .........................................................................................................43 Lesson 6: Improvise and create......................................................................................44 1
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Study Guide G06 ~ Life Skills
ACTIVITY 24 .........................................................................................................44 ACTIVITY 25 .........................................................................................................47 ACTIVITY 26 .........................................................................................................47 ACTIVITY 27 .........................................................................................................48 Lesson 7: Read, interpret and perform ..........................................................................48 ACTIVITY 28 .........................................................................................................49 ACTIVITY 29 .........................................................................................................52 ACTIVITY 30 .........................................................................................................52 ACTIVITY 31 .........................................................................................................52 Lesson 8: Appreciate and reflect ....................................................................................52 ACTIVITY 32 .........................................................................................................53 ACTIVITY 33 .........................................................................................................53 UNIT 3: Visual arts ...........................................................................................................54 Lesson 9: Visual literacy .................................................................................................54 ACTIVITY 34 .........................................................................................................56 ACTIVITY 35 .........................................................................................................56 ACTIVITY 36 .........................................................................................................57 Lesson 10: Create in 2D ..................................................................................................57 ACTIVITY 37 .........................................................................................................58 Lesson 11: Create in 3D ..................................................................................................59 ACTIVITY 38 .........................................................................................................59 UNIT 4: Physical education .............................................................................................60 Lesson 12: Safety measures during striking and fielding games................................61 ACTIVITY 39 .........................................................................................................62 ACTIVITY 40 .........................................................................................................64 Lesson 13: Performing movements in striking and fielding games ............................64 ACTIVITY 41 .........................................................................................................65 ACTIVITY 42 .........................................................................................................66 ACTIVITY 43 .........................................................................................................69 ACTIVITY 44 .........................................................................................................69 ACTIVITY 45 .........................................................................................................70 ACTIVITY 46 .........................................................................................................70 Lesson 14: Participating in striking and fielding games ..............................................70 ACTIVITY 47 .........................................................................................................71 ACTIVITY 48 .........................................................................................................71 ACTIVITY 49 .........................................................................................................71 2
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UNIT 5: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING ...........................................................73 Lesson 15: Self-management skills................................................................................74 ACTIVITY 50 .........................................................................................................74 ACTIVITY 51 .........................................................................................................75 ACTIVITY 52 .........................................................................................................76 ACTIVITY 53 .........................................................................................................79 Lesson 16: Bullying .........................................................................................................79 ACTIVITY 54 .........................................................................................................81 ACTIVITY 55 .........................................................................................................82 ACTIVITY 56 .........................................................................................................82 Lesson 17: Cultural rites of passage..............................................................................86 ACTIVITY 57 .........................................................................................................86 ACTIVITY 58 .........................................................................................................90 Lesson 18: Personal dignity in various south african religions ..................................93 ACTIVITY 59 .........................................................................................................94 ACTIVITY 60 .........................................................................................................96 ACTIVITY 61 .........................................................................................................97 UNIT 6: Performing arts .................................................................................................100 Lesson 19: Warm-up and play ......................................................................................100 ACTIVITY 62 .......................................................................................................101 ACTIVITY 63 .......................................................................................................101 ACTIVITY 64 .......................................................................................................102 ACTIVITY 65 .......................................................................................................102 Lesson 20: Improvise and create..................................................................................103 ACTIVITY 66 .......................................................................................................103 ACTIVITY 67 .......................................................................................................103 ACTIVITY 68 .......................................................................................................103 ACTIVITY 69 .......................................................................................................104 Lesson 21: Read, interpret and perform ......................................................................105 ACTIVITY 70 .......................................................................................................107 ACTIVITY 71 .......................................................................................................107 ACTIVITY 72 .......................................................................................................108 ACTIVITY 73 .......................................................................................................109 Lesson 22: Appreciate and reflect ................................................................................109 ACTIVITY 74 .......................................................................................................110 UNIT 7: Creative arts ......................................................................................................111 3
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Lesson 23: Visual literacy .............................................................................................111 ACTIVITY 75 .......................................................................................................112 ACTIVITY 76 .......................................................................................................113 ACTIVITY 77 .......................................................................................................114 Lesson 24: Create in 2d .................................................................................................114 ACTIVITY 78 .......................................................................................................115 ACTIVITY 79 .......................................................................................................115 ACTIVITY 80 .......................................................................................................116 ACTIVITY 81 .......................................................................................................116 Lesson 25: Design in 3d ................................................................................................117 ACTIVITY 82 .......................................................................................................117 UNIT 8: PHYSICAL EDUCATION ...................................................................................119 Lesson 26: Safety measures during physical fitness .................................................119 Lesson 27: Performing movements in a physical fitness programme to develop certain aspects of fitness ..............................................................................................120 ACTIVITY 83 .......................................................................................................120 ACTIVITY 84 .......................................................................................................121 ACTIVITY 85 .......................................................................................................121 ACTIVITY 86 .......................................................................................................122 ACTIVITY 87 .......................................................................................................123 ACTIVITY 88 .......................................................................................................124 ACTIVITY 89 .......................................................................................................124 ACTIVITY 90 .......................................................................................................125 Lesson 28: Sarticipation in a fitness programme .......................................................125 ACTIVITY 91 .......................................................................................................126 ACTIVITY 92 .......................................................................................................126 UNIT 9: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING .........................................................127 Lesson 29: Caring for animals ......................................................................................128 ACTIVITY 93 .......................................................................................................129 ACTIVITY 94 .......................................................................................................130 ACTIVITY 95 .......................................................................................................131 Lesson 30: Caring for people ........................................................................................132 ACTIVITY 96 .......................................................................................................133 ACTIVITY 97 .......................................................................................................134 ACTIVITY 98 .......................................................................................................135 Lesson 31: Nation-building and cultural heritage .......................................................139 ACTIVITY 99 .......................................................................................................139 4
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ACTIVITY 100 .....................................................................................................140 ACTIVITY 101 .....................................................................................................145 Lesson 32: Stereotyping of genders, sexism and abuse ...........................................148 ACTIVITY 102 .....................................................................................................149 ACTIVITY 103 .....................................................................................................150 ACTIVITY 104 .....................................................................................................152 UNIT 10: PERFORMING ARTS.......................................................................................154 Lesson 33: Warm-up and play ......................................................................................154 ACTIVITY 105 .....................................................................................................155 ACTIVITY 106 .....................................................................................................155 ACTIVITY 107 .....................................................................................................156 ACTIVITY 108 .....................................................................................................156 ACTIVITY 109 .....................................................................................................156 Lesson 34: Improvise and create..................................................................................156 ACTIVITY 110 .....................................................................................................157 ACTIVITY 111 .....................................................................................................157 ACTIVITY 112 .....................................................................................................158 ACTIVITY 113 .....................................................................................................158 ACTIVITY 114 .....................................................................................................158 Lesson 35: Read, interpret and perform ......................................................................159 ACTIVITY 115 .....................................................................................................161 Lesson 36: Appreciate and reflect (1 hour) .................................................................162 ACTIVITY 116 .....................................................................................................163 ACTIVITY 117 .....................................................................................................164 UNIT 11: CREATIVE ARTS .............................................................................................165 Lesson 37: Visual literacy .............................................................................................165 ACTIVITY 118 .....................................................................................................166 ACTIVITY 119 .....................................................................................................167 Lesson 38: Create in 2D ................................................................................................167 ACTIVITY 120 .....................................................................................................168 ACTIVITY 121 .....................................................................................................169 Lesson 39: Design in 3D................................................................................................169 ACTIVITY 122 .....................................................................................................169 UNIT 12: PHYSICAL EDUCATION .................................................................................170 Lesson 40: Safety measures when performing rhythmic patterns and movements 170
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Lesson 41: Performing rhythmic patterns of movement with coordination and control .............................................................................................................................171 ACTIVITY 123 .....................................................................................................171 ACTIVITY 124 .....................................................................................................172 ACTIVITY 125 .....................................................................................................172 ACTIVITY 126 .....................................................................................................172 ACTIVITY 127 .....................................................................................................172 ACTIVITY 128 .....................................................................................................172 ACTIVITY 129 .....................................................................................................173 ACTIVITY 130 .....................................................................................................174 ACTIVITY 131 .....................................................................................................174 ACTIVITY 132 .....................................................................................................175 ACTIVITY 133 .....................................................................................................175 ACTIVITY 134 .....................................................................................................175 Lesson 42: Participation in rhythmic patterns of movement with coordination and control ..................................................................................................175 ACTIVITY 135 .....................................................................................................176 UNIT 13: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING .......................................................177 Lesson 43: Basic first aid in different situations.........................................................178 ACTIVITY 136 .....................................................................................................183 Lesson 44: Food hygiene ..............................................................................................185 ACTIVITY 137 .....................................................................................................187 ACTIVITY 138 .....................................................................................................190 ACTIVITY 139 .....................................................................................................192 ACTIVITY 140 .....................................................................................................193 Lesson 45: Communicable diseases such as mumps, tuberculosis, colds, chickenpox and athlete’s foot ...................................................................194 ACTIVITY 141 .....................................................................................................195 ACTIVITY 142 .....................................................................................................197 ACTIVITY 143 .....................................................................................................198 Lesson 46: HIV and AIDS education.............................................................................201 ACTIVITY 144 .....................................................................................................202 ACTIVITY 145 .....................................................................................................203 UNIT 14: PERFORMING ARTS.......................................................................................206 Lesson 47: Warm-up and play ......................................................................................207 ACTIVITY 146 .....................................................................................................207 ACTIVITY 147 .....................................................................................................207 6
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ACTIVITY 148 .....................................................................................................207 Lesson 48: Improvise and create..................................................................................208 ACTIVITY 149 .....................................................................................................208 ACTIVITY 150 .....................................................................................................211 ACTIVITY 151 .....................................................................................................212 Lesson 49: Read, interpret and perform ......................................................................212 ACTIVITY 152 .....................................................................................................213 Lesson 50: Appreciate and reflect ................................................................................214 ACTIVITY 153 .....................................................................................................214 ACTIVITY 154 .....................................................................................................214 UNIT 15: CREATIVE ARTS .............................................................................................215 Lesson 51: Visual literacy .............................................................................................215 ACTIVITY 155 .....................................................................................................216 ACTIVITY 156 .....................................................................................................217 Lesson 52: Create in 2D ................................................................................................217 ACTIVITY 157 .....................................................................................................218 Lesson 53: Design and create in 3D .............................................................................219 ACTIVITY 158 .....................................................................................................219 UNIT 16: PHYSICAL EDUCATION .................................................................................220 Lesson 54: Safety measures during gymnastics and swimming activities ..............220 Lesson 55: Performing gymnastics or swimming activities ......................................221 ACTIVITY 159 .....................................................................................................221 ACTIVITY 160 .....................................................................................................221 ACTIVITY 161 .....................................................................................................222 ACTIVITY 162 .....................................................................................................223 ACTIVITY 163 .....................................................................................................223 ACTIVITY 164 .....................................................................................................224 ACTIVITY 165 .....................................................................................................224 ACTIVITY 166 .....................................................................................................226 ACTIVITY 167 .....................................................................................................226 Lesson 56: Participation in gymnastics or swimming activities................................227 ACTIVITY 168 .....................................................................................................227 ACTIVITY 169 .....................................................................................................227 BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................228 ADDENDUM A: COLOUR ACTIVITIES ..........................................................................229
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YEAR PLAN UNIT 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
LESSON
DATE STARTED
DATE COMPLETED
Lesson 1: Positive self-image – body image Lesson 2: Abilities, interests and potential Lesson 3: Peer pressure Lesson 4: Problem-solving skills in conflict situations Formal assessment Lesson 5: Warm-up and play Lesson 6: Improvise and create Lesson 7: Read, interpret and create Lesson 8: Appreciate and reflect Lesson 9: Visual literacy Lesson 10: Create in 2D Lesson 11: Design in 3D Formal assessment Lesson 12: Safety measures during striking and fielding games Lesson 13: Performing striking and fielding activities Lesson 14: Participating in striking and fielding activities Formal assessment Lesson 15: Self-management skills Lesson 16: Bullying – reasons for bullying Lesson 17: Cultural rites of passage Lesson 18: personal dignity in various South African religions Formal assessment Lesson 19: Warm-up and play Lesson 20: Improvise and create Lesson 21: Read, interpret and perform Lesson 22: Appreciate and reflect Formal assessment Lesson 23: Visual literacy Lesson 24: Create in 2D Lesson 25: Design in 3D 11
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Formal assessment Lesson 26: Safety measures during physical activities Lesson 27: Performing movements in a physical fitness programme to develop certain aspects of fitness Lesson 28: Participation in a fitness programme Formal assessment Lesson 29: Caring for animals Lesson 30: Caring for people Lesson 31: Nation-building and cultural heritage Lesson 32: Stereotyping of genders, sexism and abuse Formal assessment Lesson 33: Warm-up and play Lesson 34: Improvise and create Lesson 35: Read, interpret and perform Lesson 36: Appreciate and reflect Lesson 37: Visual literacy Lesson 38: Create in 2D Lesson 39: Design in 3D Formal assessment Lesson 40: Safety measures when performing rhythmic patterns and movement Lesson 41: Performing rhythmic patterns or movements with coordination and control Lesson 42: Participation in rhythmic patterns or movements with coordination and control Formal assessment Lesson 43: Basic first aid in different situations Lesson 44: Food hygiene Lesson 45: Communicable diseases such as mumps, tuberculosis, colds, chickenpox and athlete’s foot Lesson 46: HIV and Aids education Lesson 47: Warm-up and play Lesson 48: Improvise and create 12
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Lesson 49: Read, interpret and perform Lesson 50: Appreciate and reflect Formal assessment Lesson 51: Visual literacy Lesson 52: Create in 2D Lesson 53: Design and create in 3D Lesson 54: Safety measures during gymnastics and swimming activities Lesson 55: Performing gymnastics and swimming activities Lesson 56: Participation in gymnastics or swimming activities Formal assessment
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UNIT 1: Personal and social well-being LEARNING AIMS After you have completed the unit, you must be able to do the following: · · · · · · ·
Understand and respect changes in your body. Identify the influence of the media and the community on your body image. Accept yourself for who you are. Identify your own abilities, interests and potential. Create opportunities to make the most of your own abilities, interests and potential. Identify and cope with peer pressure. Apply problem-solving skills in conflict situations.
INTRODUCTION We will cover a number of themes in this unit and learn more about each. The following is a brief introduction to these themes. Your self-image determines what you will think of yourself and also affects the successful achievement of your ideals. Self-image also concerns your body image. This is what you think about your body. You need to respect your body and those of other people. It is important to accept yourself for who you are. Every person has certain interests, abilities and potential. It depends on you how you use your abilities and interests to reach your full potential. It is important for you to know what your interests, your abilities and your potential are. You need to create opportunities to use these qualities to your own advantage. Peer pressure is not an unfamiliar concept. You see it happening every day. You need to handle peer pressure correctly. Negative peer pressure may have adverse consequences for a person. Finally, we will consider problem-solving skills and how to apply them in conflict situations.
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IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY · · · · · · ·
Self-image: What you think of yourself as a person. Body image: How you see your body. Abilities: Features you have that enable you to fulfil certain tasks; something you can do well, e.g. a skill or a talent. Interests: Things in which you are interested and in which you like to participate or which you like doing. Potential: A quality that helps you achieve a certain objective or to do best in the things in which you excel. Peer pressure: When a group puts pressure on an individual/group to participate in a particular action, irrespective of whether it is right or wrong. Problem-solving: Certain actions carried out to resolve problems.
LESSON 1: POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE – BODY IMAGE Recommended resources: Study guide, magazines and posters on body image. 1.1 Understand and respect changes in your body You have probably noticed that your body has started changing over the past few years. We call this stage puberty. Puberty is the period from about age nine to more or less age 17. In this stage, your body will undergo various changes. You will also experience emotional changes. It is a difficult stage of growing up and it is therefore extremely important to talk to someone if you feel uncertain about what is happening to your body. You can take anyone close to you into your confidence – your mom, your dad, an older sibling or anyone else you trust and feel comfortable with enough to share things. We need to respect the changes in our body as well as the differences between various people. You are a unique person and must identify your own uniqueness and self-awareness. Try to look at yourself properly when standing in front of a mirror. Then do the following activity to test whether you have good self-awareness.
(www.arrowtt.com)
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ACTIVITY 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Write down two characteristics of yourself. Describe your personality. Do you know yourself? How do you deal with challenges? Are you selfassured and self-assertive? How do you act when you are in a conflict situation? What are you weaknesses and your strengths? Name at least two ways in which you deal with stress and pressure at school and at home.
If you were able to answer the activity honestly, then it means that you have a great idea of who you are. This is an excellent quality! ACTIVITY 2 1. Find a photograph of yourself when you were eight years old and a recent photo (when you are 11 or 12 years old). 2. Paste the photos in your portfolio/workbook. 3. Study the photos with a friend or with your facilitator. 4. Do you still look the same as when you were eight years old? 5. How did your body change in the past three to four years? 6. How do you think you need to respect your friends when their bodies start changing? 7. How do you think you need to respect the changes in your own body? Various changes take place in the bodies of boys and girls. Girls: · Put on weight and become taller. · Shape of the face changes. · Skin changes – the skin produces more oil and may cause acne. · Hair starts growing under the arms and on private parts (genitals). · Even inside your body, you are changing! The heart enlarges and becomes heavier, and blood pressure changes. · Breasts grow and hips become wider. Boys: · Become taller and put on weight. · Shape of the face changes. · Skin produces more oil and may cause acne. · Voice becomes deeper. · Hair starts growing under the arms, on private parts, on face, back, arms and legs. · Heart enlarges and becomes heavier, and blood pressure changes.
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(www.menstrupedia.com)
1. 2. 3. 4.
ACTIVITY 3 Do you think we need to respect the changes in our friends’ bodies, or can we make jokes about them? How would you feel if someone made negative comments about your changing body? How do you think we can help our friends feel comfortable about their changing bodies? What can you do to make the changes easier for yourself?
(www.blogspot.com) 1.2 Other influences on body image: media and community Communication involves sending and receiving messages. Communication takes place through the media, e.g. newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, SMSs, movies and the radio. All of us are affected by what we see, hear and read. In many cases, your decisions are influenced by what you have read or seen in magazines or on television. Messages broadcast by the media are extremely powerful and reach many people. They may be positive, for instance the importance of good eating habits; or negative, such as advertisements creating a need to have a certain product. Television advertisements show that young people abusing alcohol are very cheerful and seem to lead a happy life. Unfortunately, they do not also demonstrate the dire consequences of alcohol abuse; instead, they give us a deceptive image of life. Television programmes also often create a distorted view of life. People forget that stories on television are not real and try to live like some of the characters depicted on television. 17
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The media puts a great deal of pressure on people, especially on teenagers, to have a certain look. When you watch all the pretty models and film stars, you want to look exactly like them. The media uses different techniques such as Photoshop to ensure the photos are perfect. It creates a misperception among young people of what is regarded as “perfect”. Teenagers are easily influenced because they are in a stage of life where they are uncertain of themselves and are still learning about themselves. The media uses this fact to target and influence teenagers. ACTIVITY 4 Study the photos below and then answer the questions that follow:
(www.pinterest.com) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Can you notice any differences between these two photos? What do you think this process of improvement is called? Do you think it reflects a true image of the person? Do you think it may create a wrong impression of beauty among teenagers? Why do you say that?
The media especially features film stars and models in their advertisement campaigns. These people are usually held up as role models for teenagers. Teenagers want to be like them and look like them. This may cause problems if the person is not a positive role model. The model may be extremely skinny, or he or she may smoke and drink excessively. It may lead to the teenager imitating that person and doing the very same things to be like this person. Let us look at some of these examples:
(www.blindgossip.com)
(www.cleveland.com)
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ACTIVITY 5 Write down everything you like about your body. Which things about your body do you dislike? How will you describe the perfect body? Do you think that most people have perfect bodies? What will influence your idea of a perfect body? What do you think is more important – what a person looks like or how a person behaves? Do you think it is more important to be beautiful on the inside than on the outside? Why do you say that? When you page through magazines and see all the “perfect” people, how does it make you feel about yourself? Do you think you have a good body image? Give a reason for your answer.
The community in which you live may also influence the way you see your body. You may be different from the majority of people in your community and may feel that you are not accepted. In some African cultures, it is acceptable to be overweight; it is even regarded as a status symbol. In the Western culture, however, it is more acceptable to be slender and even extremely thin. 1.3 Accepting yourself The most important step anyone can ever take in his/her life is to accept himself/herself. You may decide to accept yourself just as you are without changing anything, or you may decide to learn certain skills to enable you to grow and develop. All of us are different, with different personalities and different body shapes. Some people are tall and slim, while others are short and plump. Perhaps you would like to change a few things about your body. You may want to lose weight or become fitter; however, some things you cannot change, for instance, the shape of your nose or ears. You may choose to be sad and self-conscious about it or you may accept it and love yourself, irrespective of your “defects”. By taking care of your body and looking after it well, you can be proud of who you are. Strategies to help me accept myself for who I am: · Always focus on your positive qualities, like your shiny hair. · Change whatever you can, for instance, by losing that extra weight! · Laugh at yourself and accept yourself, “defects” and all. · Do not compare yourself to others – you are unique. · Take care of your body and love it every day. · Take pride in your appearance.
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ACTIVITY 6 Make a self-acceptance list. This list should contain all your own qualities that you like. Include things about your body and about your personality. Put up the list in your room where you can see it every day. Read it every day to yourself.
(www.addictions.about.com) 1.4 Read about a positive body image Read the following article:
Do you ever wish you were as thin as a model or as strong as your favourite pro football player? Maybe you wish you were taller or just shaped a little differently. Those thoughts are a natural part of growing up. However, learning what you can and can’t change about your body and appearance is part of growing up, too. It can be hard to accept – even for teens and grown-ups. Yet when people accept the way they look, they often feel happier. No magic potion
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If you wish you could change the way you look, you might want to talk with your mom, dad, or a trusted adult about what is bothering you. Some kids are frustrated that they’re not growing and developing as fast as their friends. This can be a confusing time in your life. It’s important to know that puberty doesn’t happen at the same time for every kid. And there aren’t any magic potions or special exercises that can rush it along. Even if a boy lifted weights, he wouldn’t be able to develop big muscles like teen boys and adult men have. And a young girl won’t grow breasts until her body is going through puberty. If you are concerned about your weight, your mom or dad might want to take you to visit your doctor. You may find out that your weight is fine. If your doctor agrees that your weight could be healthier, he or she can suggest ways to help make that happen, such as eating healthier and getting more exercise. Food and fitness Eating healthy foods and being physically active can make all kids feel better about their bodies. Why? Because eating a healthy diet will help you feel energised and keeps your body working just the way it should. Watching TV and playing computer games can be fun, but it doesn’t do much for your body because your body stays still. Those are called sedentary activities because you sit while you do them. But when you move your body – by playing, dancing, participating in sports, or even cleaning your room – you exercise your muscles. When you exercise a muscle, it gets stronger. And when you have strong muscles, you can do whatever you want to do, from carrying a heavy backpack to booting a ball into the soccer net. Goal! Kids (and grown-ups!) feel better about their bodies when they feel strong and know that their bodies can do whatever they want them to do. So climb a hill, jump some rope, ride a bike, swim a lap, run up the stairs or even do the hula — and enjoy all your body can do! (www.kidshealth.org)
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LESSON 2: ABILITIES, INTERESTS AND POTENTIAL Recommended resources: Study guide, articles and reports on the theme. 2.1 Identify your own abilities, interests and potential Not everyone does everything equally well. It is important to know what you are good at and what makes you feel good about yourself. People tend to remember their mistakes and forget about the things they do well. You need to be brave and start trying out new things, even if you do not know whether you will succeed. This is the only way to find out in what you excel. You must become more aware of your own interests and abilities to develop and improve yourself, and reach your full potential. You can figure out what these things are by identifying all the things that make you happy and help you relax. · What sports do you like and in which types of sports do you excel? · What school subjects do you like and do well in? · What other activities do you like?
(www.ehow.com) ACTIVITY 7 1. Make a list of all your interests and abilities. 2. Draw columns with the following headings and write notes in each of them on what you think about yourself: · My dreams. · Things I do well. · Things I have already done: school/sports/others. · Things I like doing. · Things I do not like doing. · Things that are difficult to do. 2.2 Relationship between abilities, interests and potential Your abilities and interests will determine your potential to do something. Your interests are all the things you like doing, such as playing rugby or netball. Your abilities are all the things in which you excel. You may like rugby and be good at it. How you use these two qualities in relation to each other will determine whether you will reach your full potential. If you are 22
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intensely interested in something, it normally means that you will also have the ability to do it. These two qualities go hand in hand. You may also learn some skills if you really like doing something at which you are not that good. In this way, you will rely on your interest to improve your ability in order to reach your full potential. You cannot do the one without the other. Therefore, if you are seriously interested in rugby and you are good at it, you will use these qualities to practise hard and grow your potential. And one day, you will be able to use your full potential to become a national rugby player!
(www.faeronwheeler.com) ACTIVITY 8 1. Draw two columns in your book, one for your interests (what you like doing) and one for your abilities (what you are good at). 2. Fill each column with your thoughts about your interest and abilities. 3. Study the columns and see if you can identify any relationship between what you like doing and what you are good at. ACTIVITY 9 1. Use the list of interests in Activity 8. 2. Find pictures depicting these interests in a magazine and cut them out. 3. Use the pictures to make a colourful A4 poster showing your interests.
2.3 Create opportunities to make the most of your own abilities, interests and potential You may wonder why it is so important to determine your interests and abilities. You are now at an age where you will have to start deciding which subjects you would like to choose and what job you would like to have one day. This decision will influence all other decisions you will take in the future, especially about your career. You will also have to decide which sports or any other activities you want to do. You would not want to do things that you do not like – or would you? This is why you need to start to figure out what your interests are and which things you are good at. It will also help you start developing and improving these qualities to enable you to reach your full potential later on.
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ACTIVITY 10 What would you like to do for a living one day? Do you know which subjects you will have to take to study in this direction? Does your proposed occupation match your interests and abilities? Give reasons for your answer in 3.
2.4 Action plan to make the most of own interests and abilities and develop own potential By now, you should have formed a definite idea of your interests and abilities, and can therefore now start focusing on improving these qualities to help you when you become older. It is usually easy to improve performance in something if you like doing it. You may be a bit scared at times to take the risk of trying to do better and expand your boundaries, as it is so much easier to stay with what you know and where you feel comfortable. Perhaps you simply do not know how to improve! You may therefore need assistance, advice and guidance to help you develop and improve. Sometimes you just have to make that decision to improve and develop your talents, and then take the necessary steps to achieve it. How can you develop your interests and abilities? · I need to remind myself regularly of the things at which I am good. · I must enjoy everything I do. · I need to get more information about my interests. · I must focus on improving the things at which I am good. ACTIVITY 11 1. What do you think you can do to develop and improve your interests and abilities? 2. Write down your ideas in your book. 3. Discuss it with your friends or your facilitator.
(www.sheknows.com) What must my plan of action look like to develop my abilities and interests? You need to take action now and design a plan to develop and improve your interests and abilities. Only then will you reach your full potential. You will never develop your skills unless you try to improve them. The easiest way of implementing your plan is first to draft a plan. 24
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