Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Healthy Living
Healthy Living
HEALTHY LIVING
YEAR 7
PUPILS BOOK
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The Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) section of the Ministry of Education
owns the copyright to this Y7 Healthy Living Pupils Workbook. Schools may
reproduce this in part or in full for classroom purposes only. Acknowledgement
must be included on any reproductions. Any other use of this workbook must be
referred to the Curriculum Development Unit, Ministry of Education, Fiji.
Published by
Ministry of Education
Waisomo House
Suva
Fiji
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Writers
The workgroup
Vetting Group
This is not the only textbook to be used by teachers. It is a support material for
them and they can select other available resource materials which might suit
their children in their own context.
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Table of Content
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UNIT 1: THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
KEY WORDS: heart, valve, cardiovascular, septum, chamber, ventricle, atrium
The Heart
Blood travels around our body thousands of times a day. The organ that pumps
the blood around the body is the heart. It is in the front of the chest, between the
lungs.
A person‟s heart is about the size of his fist. It is made of strong muscles. The
heart has a right side and a left side. The right side of the heart is completely
separated from the left side by a wall of tissue called septum. Each side has two
chambers. Each upper chamber or atrium receives blood that comes into the
heart. Each lower chamber or ventricle or ventricle pumps blood out of the heart.
In each side of the heart, the atrium and ventricles are separated by a valve. A
valve is a flap of tissue that prevents blood from flowing back ward.
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EXERCISE
is made up of
the heart
Heart Chambers
Questions Upper Chambers Lower Chambers
What are these chambers
called?
How many are there?
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KEY WORDS: heart, valves, capillaries, arteries, veins, ventricle, artery, loop,
aorta
Blood travels around the body in tubes called blood vessels. After leaving the
heart, blood travels through three
kinds of blood vessels. Arteries carry
blood away from the heart and into
the capillaries. Capillaries are tiny
vessels where substances are
exchanged between the blood and
body cells. Blood flows from the
capillaries into veins. The veins carry
blood back to the heart.
The pulse
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Each time the heart beats, the walls of the arteries expand. As the heart rest
before its next beat, the walls of the arteries contract. This regular expansion
and contraction of the walls of the artery to push the blood along is called the
pulse. We can feel the pulse in our bodies at places where a large artery comes
to the surface of the skin. The easiest place to feel the pulse is on the wrist.
Actually, there are two pulse points in the wrist, but the one on the thumb side
is stronger.
We can count our heartbeats by counting our pulse beats. When we are resting,
our pulse is about 70 to 80 beats per minute. When we move about, the pulse
rate (number of beats per minute) increases because our heart beat faster.
EXERCISE
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Describe the loop in which the blood picks up oxygen
What is the largest artery in the body called?
Each time the heart beats, what does it do to blood?
Why is blood carried to the lungs?
Why is blood carried to all the parts of the body?
In the table below, name the three types of vessels and state their functions.
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UNIT 3: THE HUMAN BLOOD
THEME: Human Growth and Development
KEY WORDS: white blood cells, red blood cells, plasma, platelets
The Blood
The blood keeps moving around our body all the time. It carries digested food
and oxygen to all the parts of the body. It also carries waster products away.
About two thirds of the blood in our body is water, with many substances
dissolved in it. This watery part is called plasma. The other one third is made up
of solid things called red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The red and
white blood cells and platelets floats in the plasma.
There are more red blood cells than white blood cells in the blood. The red cells
give the blood its red colour (oxygen makes it bright red). The work of the red
blood cells is to carry oxygen around the body. The red cells are made in the
bone marrow (soft, brownish-red apart inside the bone).
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White blood cells
These cells fight disease germs that enter the body. This is why they are called
soldiers of the body. The white blood cells are made in the bone and also in some
other parts of the body.
Platelets
These are tiny bodies that assist in making the blood clot at wounds e.g. when
we cut ourselves.
Plasma
It delivers food to all the parts of the body. It also carries waste materials from all
parts of the body to the lungs, kidneys and the skin to be removed by these
organs.
A boy or a girl who weigh 45 kilograms has about 4 litres of blood. An adult has
about 5 litres of blood.
To have healthy blood, we should eat well balanced meals. Liver, eggs, green
leafy vegetables, fruits, beans and dhal are some of the food that makes healthy
blood. A person whose blood is not healthy suffers from a condition called
anaemia. An anaemic person looks pale, feels weak and tired and cannot work
properly.
Write down the functions of white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and
plasma.
What is anaemia?
Anaemia is a serious health problem. What sort of foods must be eaten to avoid
suffering from anaemia?
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UNIT 4: PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CHANGES
Physical changes
For girls, early physical changes begin from about 8-13 years .Physical changes
around puberty include:
breast development
changes in body shape and height
growth of pubic and body hair
the start of periods (menstruation).
For boys, physical changes usually start around 9-14 years. Physical changes
include
Emotional changes
Also it can be noticed that the child shows strong feelings and intense emotions
at different times. His moods might seem unpredictable, and these emotional
ups and downs (mood swings) can lead to increased conflict. This is partly
because the adolescent‟s brain is still learning how to control and express
emotions in a grown-up way.
Young people get better at reading and processing other people‟s emotions as
they get older. They are more sensitive to adults emotions. But while they are
developing these skills, they can sometimes misread facial expressions or body
language.
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As we grow up, our family and the community where we live in begin to have
expectations from us. These expectations normally differ according to our sex
and age. An expectation for males is usually different from females and this
usually shapes the roles and responsibilities we play in our homes and in the
community at large. Such expectations help each of us to be a better person
when growing up. It also reinforces our traditional values, customs and practices
that will be part of our everyday life.
EXERCISE 1
In your book, draw a table like the one below and list down all the things that
are expected of you from your family and community.
My Behaviour
My Religion
Beliefs
My Traditional
customs
Male and Female roles and responsibilities in our community always differ. In a
compare and contrast essay, explain your views on this. Take into consideration
the “gender equality” enshrined in Fijis constitution against our traditional
customs and practices.
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UNIT 5: ACCEPTING GENDER IMAGES
THEME: Human Growth and Development
We are at a time where gender roles are very much different from decades ago. In
our different societies, roles in our families depend on our culture, traditions and
customs. For instance, in the i-Taukei culture, women used to be seen the one to
do all the household chores while the men were to go out and find ways to
provide for the family. Nowadays, women are also expected in finding jobs to
provide their family with what they need.
EXERCISE Below are some statements that contain gender assumptions. You
are to agree or disagree with these statements.
In small groups rewrite the above ideas so that girls and boys are equal. For
example, “Sport is important for boys and girls”. Each group will have to read
out their rewritten ideas.
What is gender?
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Key words: sex, gender
Steps to follow
Explain that males and females have a range of different experiences as they
move through life. There are some things that we typically associate with being a
female and some with being a male. In this activity we will explore and start to
question the extent to which these differences are biological or physical, and the
extent to which they are learnt through tradition and culture.
Start by writing two words on the board.
Ask the group: What are some of the words we tend to think of to describe a
female? Make a „word web‟ on the board with the words provided by the
students. Repeat for males.
Give students 10 minutes to make their own word webs in their notebooks (as
an option, they could work with a partner).
Point out that some of the differences on the lists are to do with the biological
characteristics that define males and females. These are the differences people
are born with. We use the word sex to describe the biology of being male or
female. Point out that other differences are to do with gender. These are the
differences that are shaped by our culture and history and the way that societies
organise what males and females do. We come to believe that these things are
part of being male or female because this is how things normally happen. These
beliefs and practices can be changed.
Ask students to note all of the characteristics on their list that are to do with
gender (or do this as a group using the word web on the board).
Ask students to copy the definitions of sex and gender into their notebooks.
Sex is a word used to describe the biological characteristics that define the
differences between males and females.
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Gender is a word used to describe the way in which ideas about how males and
females should behave influences what happens. This includes things like the
way they dress, the things they do and the way they relate to others. Gender roles
and expectations are learned, can change over time, and can vary within and
among cultures.
Activity 3
At age 5?
At age 10?
At age 15?
In adulthood
In the time of
your
grandparents
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To understand what peer pressure is and why it has such impact on our lives we
need to recognize the fact that fitting in and being part of a group is part of life.
As it is very important for our survival that we have other people around us, we
learn from a very early age to imitate others. We learn from other people and
they learn from us. Peer pressure then is the feeling that someone your own age
is pushing you towards making a certain choice good or bad.
There are many positive examples of how peer influence can make a person grow
and develop new skills. A classmate shows you how to solve a difficult maths
problem. Maybe you admire your friend and you want to be more like him or her.
In turn, you may influence your classmate to like the same movies or music as
you do.
Peers can also have a negative impact on you. Your classmate might try to make
you write nasty comments about someone on the walls of the school toilet. You
may end up shoplifting just because some friends want you to do it, although
you know that it‟s wrong. These situations are all
examples of negative peer pressure. Spoken Pressure: Also
called direct pressure. It’s
One explanation of why peer pressure is so when a person asks you
powerful is that people want to be loved and directly to do something or
accepted by others. It is easier to be says things that push you
directly toward a certain
influenced to do things that you wouldn‟t choice.
normally do if you‟re in a crowd. The idea that
“everyone else is doing it so why shouldn’t I?”
can make sensible people behave in strange ways.
2. Create a "peer pressure log" by dividing your page into the following five
sections:
Remember
Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right
people will love the real you.
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Almost everyone has experienced peer pressure before, either positive or
negative. Peer pressure is when you or other people your age try to get you to do
something. It is so easy to give in to peer pressure as everyone wants to fit in
and be accepted. Especially when everyone seems to be doing it. At times people
give in because they do not one to hurt others and at times cannot get out of the
situation.
Stand up straight
Look them right in the eye
Speak in a firm voice
Saying it quickly and being polite
Choosing words well; instead of saying, “I can’t” say, “I don’t want to”.
In a narrative essay, relate a story about peer pressure. Choose a topic that will
best suit your narrative and describe the sequence of events carefully.
Remember, a narrative always have a happy ending.
EXTENSION
A. You are in a supermarket with your friends and each of them slips a chocolate
bar into their bags. They encourage you too as well.
C. Your friends are teasing an unpopular boy, and trying to get you to join in.
D. Your friends are going jogging but you‟d rather watch television.
The male reproductive system includes the testes, prostate glands, sperm
ducts, urethra and penis. All these are a vital part of the reproduction process.
Below is a diagram of how the parts are set up in the male body.
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EXERCISE 1
1. The outside parts of the male reproductive system are the penis and the
_________________.
2. The outside parts of the female reproductive system are the labia and the
_________________.
4. Both males and females have an opening where bowel movements come out.
It is called the _________________.
UNIT 9: HIV
What is HIV
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“HIV” stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. To understand what that
means, let‟s break it down:
V – Virus – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of
its host.
HIV is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the "flu" or the
common cold. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune
system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV –
the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. That means that once you
have HIV, you have it for life.
We know that HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and
that it attacks a key part of your immune system –. Your body has to have these
cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to make
more copies of it, and then destroys them.
Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your good cells that your body can't fight
infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to
AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection.
WHAT IS AIDS
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“AIDS” stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. To understand
what that means, let‟s break it down:
A – Acquired – AIDS is not something you inherit from your parents. You
acquire AIDS after birth.
I – Immuno – Your body's immune system includes all the organs and cells that
work to fight off infection or disease.
D – Deficiency – You get AIDS when your immune system is "deficient," or isn't
working the way it should.
As noted above, AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, and not everyone who
has HIV advances to this stage.
The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. Testing is
relatively simple. You can get an HIV test from your doctor or healthcare
provider, community health center, and family planning clinic
These body fluids must come into contact with a mucous membrane or damaged
tissue or be directly injected into your bloodstream (by a needle or syringe) for
transmission to possibly occur. Mucous membranes are the soft, moist areas
just inside the openings to your body.
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HOW IS HIV SPREAD
Air or water
Drinking fountains
Toilet seats
HIV is not spread through the air and it does not live long outside the human
body.
The best way to prevent ourselves from HIV is Abstinence. Abstinence is the
most reliable and dependable way to avoid infection is not to have sex.
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HIV is a non-communicable disease _____________
You can‟t tell when people are infected with HIV because they look
healthy.______________
Values are what we find meaningful in life. They are what you care about and
consider being important. Values are different for everybody, and they can
change over time.
Values are different from goals. Goals can be „achieved‟ whereas values are more
like compass directions that we want to head in. For example we might have the
goal of obeying our parents, which sits within the value of „being a good child‟, or
the goal of going for a jog every morning while placing value upon exercise and
physical health.
As shown above, our values will be influenced greatly by the environment we live
in.
EXERCISE 1
Do you know your personal values? List down five different things that you value
in your life (first being the highest value and fifth being the lowest).
“Values change over time”. Identify two personal values of yours that have
changed now. Describe how those two values have changed. Why did it change
and from when did it change.
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UNIT 12: MAINTAINING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
EXERCISE
Below you can create a map of your support system. In the circle you can write
your name. In the boxes you can write the names (and telephone) of the people
of the organization who are or could be part of the support system. Some
examples of people or places in your support system may be parents, friends,
teacher, place of worship, health clinic, your school. Feel free to draw in extra
boxes if necessary.
In this support system, we will notice that at times we need to depend on each
other. Therefore we will need to have respect with each other and support one
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another in a way or two. In this way, we will be able to maintain our
relationships with those in our support system.
What is discrimination?
EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
Pick a type of discrimination from the list above and write a compare and
contrast essay on it. Try to highlight real life examples from experiences in your
community.
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UNIT 14: PERSONAL RIGHTS
THEME: Building Healthy Relationships
EXERCISE 1
I Have A Right
I have the right to stand for what I believe
I believe in truth, justice and equality for all
I have the right to my own opinion
I believe in freedom of thought, freedom of speech
To choose what I want to be and go where I need to go
We all have our rights to freedom of our religion
To speak is our decision, to make our choice and to be free
Your personal rights are the rights that you have over your own body. With
personal rights are related rights that will protect and safeguard you from all
sorts of assaults and trouble. For example, nobody has the right to inflict any
form of harm on you. If someone does, you have the right to report it to the
police and that person will be punished for it. However, with all the rights come
its responsibilities. We must be responsible for exercising our rights in the
correct way.
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ACTIVITY 2
Below are some rights stipulated under The Constitution of the Republic of
Fiji. Write down your responsibilities with these rights. You can use the 2013
Constitution to assist you in answering the question.
Rights Responsibility
The right to personal freedom e.g. I have to follow the laws of Fiji and my
community
The right to life
Right to education
Right to health
Rights of children
Right to adequate food and water
EXTENSION
If you want to know more about your rights, you can look it up in the
Constitution of the Republic of Fiji under the Bill of Rights Section. Copies
of the constitution are available for all Fijian languages at any Government
Office. You can also access it at: www.fiji.gov.fj
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UNIT 15: RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOURS
THEME: Building Healthy Relationships
While we have our rights, it is important that we behave in a way that does not
conflict with the rights of other people or group. Just like you, other people have
rights and we must learn to respect their rights too.
Exercise 1
Given below are some behaviours. Tick the ones that you must follow and put a
cross on the ones you must not follow
Burgling a house
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Activity 2 Read this story carefully
Alena is a twelve year old girl. She was born blind. She lives in her village in an
island. She is not attending school like other children in her village because she
could not read anything written in the books and also on the board. When she
was six years old, her mother wanted her to receive education and enrolled her
to the school in their village. Unfortunately, she could not survive in school for a
number of reasons. Not a teacher in that school was prepared to teach her. The
children made fun of her disability and the school could not afford to buy special
books for her to read. These made her want to stay away from school.
In groups of three or four, discuss the questions below and present them in
class.
If you were the Head Teacher of the school, state three things you would have
done to accommodate Alena in school?
If you were one of the kids in school, what would you have done to help Alena?
If you were Alena‟s mother, how would feel when Alena can‟t continue studying
there?
If you were Alena, how would you feel when the school could not accommodate
your disability?
If you were the Minister of Education and heard about this, what would you do
about it?
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UNIT 16: WHAT IS THREATENING BEHAVIOUR?
The key to handling threatening behaviour is to understand what the cause is.
family structure
individual characteristics
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health conditions
psychiatric issues
life experiences
Children
Threatening can also be a result of the inability to deal with emotion, especially
frustration. If they become frustrated, they may be unable to rectify or express
the situation effectively. Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) or other disruptive disorders may show lack of attention, lack of
understanding, or impulsiveness. The consequences can be viewed as
threatening behaviours, especially if they disrupt social situations.
Adults
Asserting yourself
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How do you feel when someone takes advantage of you? Can you tell them to
stop? Are you able to express how you are feeling about what is happening?
When people have difficulty asserting themselves, others tend to take advantage.
If a person is to get their needs met, they will have to speak up from time to time
when others are violating their rights.
Activity
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Name four situations where assertiveness is useful.
Reward Power: The view that you will be rewarded by a group or other
environmental influence for certain behaviour. The more valuable the reward the
greater the power. Rewards can include things such as praise or honors as well
as money, goods and services.
Coercive Power: This power influences behaviour with fear or the withholding of
rewards. This is seldom physical punishment, but refined emotional
disadvantage or loss of reward.
Legitimate Power: Group members' perception that the group has the real right
to influence them. Expressions such as "should", "ought to", "must", give
legitimacy to expected behaviour from a group such as family/parents, teachers,
or religious organizations.
Expert Power: People accept the influence of individuals who are known experts
recognized for their expertise. Teachers are subject experts and their students
accept their instruction.
Exercise 1.
Discuss a type of power that exists in your group and comment on
the advantage and disadvantage to the group members
EXERCISE 2
Dictionary exercise
Separate yourself from the situation and take time to cool out.
Do not make the situation as a competition, where one wins and the other loses
out. Work towards a solution where both parties can have their needs met.
opposition.
thoughts.
Non resistant
Recognize impulse behaviour
Dialogue and communication
Don‟t try to change others personality
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Compromising
Collaboration
Source: www.sustainable.org/creating-
Discuss on the facts and current situations community/conflict
Very accommodative
Ask for other viewpoints to be explained
We live in a world full of surprises. Every day, we meet new challenges, people,
situation rather than just reacting. Instead of waiting for something to happen,
you take control and make it happen. A proactive behaviour can change what is
Read these scenarios and discuss with your groups the following questions.
Scenario 1
You overheard that a group of boys were planning on bashing up another boy
from your school this afternoon.
What proactive behaviour you can make to stop the above scenario from
happening?
If you were one of the boys in the group and you feel that what your group is
planning will not resolve anything, how can you persuade the others in the
group not to carry out your plans?
Scenario 2
Your friend told you to help him break into a house in your community. He said
that there were many good things you two can steal from that house.
What proactive behaviours will you take to prevent this from happening?
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What are the serious consequences of helping/not helping your friend in his
plans? Draw a table like the one below in your book and fill it.
Scenario 3
You come to school the next morning only to find out that your desk had been
ransacked. Some of your books pages were torn. Some had writings in it. The
books were scattered on the floor.
If you were the person that ransacked the desk, how would you feel if someone
If you were the teacher of this class, what advice would you give to students to
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UNIT 20: PREVENTING HARMFUL SITUATIONS FROM
OCCURRING
THEME: Building Healthy Relationships
Those with bad behaviour and attitudes always find themselves in harmful
situations. When a harmful situation occurs, everyone involved in it (families,
community) will feel its impact. We should take all necessary action to prevent
harmful situations to occur- whether in school, in our community or homes.
Scenario 1
SUICIDE
EFFECTS OF SUICIDE
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Because they became emotional and thought by taking their life they will teach a
lesson to others but they don‟t know they are actually ending their own life and
thus are not aware of the devastation they have caused to their friends, family
members, relatives, community, etc.
Effect on Family
Family members may experience a great range of conflicting emotions about the
deceased
Individuals left behind by the suicide of a loved one tend to experience
complicated grief in reaction to that loss.
Low self-esteem among the family members.
Parents will feel shy living in the community as the community would
unknowingly blame the parents for the suicide.
Extreme feelings of isolation and emptiness, avoiding doing things that bring
back memories of the departed, new or worsened sleeping problems, and having
no interest in activities that the sufferer used to enjoy
Survivors may experience a great range of conflicting emotions about the
deceased, feeling everything from intense emotional pain and sadness about the
loss, helpless to prevent it, longing for the person they lost, and anger at the
deceased for taking their own life to relief if the suicide took place after years of
physical or mental illness in their loved one. This is quite understandable given
that the person they are grieving is at the same time the victim and the
perpetrator of the fatal act.
Loss of a life of a young leader who would have contributed to the economy.
Setting bad examples to the peers and other groups of people in the country.
Exerting pressure on the current legislation.
Pressure on the nation in terms of pumping more finance to create awareness,
counseling and programs to try and prevent other future attempts.
Alarming Statistics for the country
Loss of Labour force
It is a crime
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WAYS TO GET AWAY FROM THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE
Refocus
Refocus your thoughts on your strengths, your
abilities and what you have to offer to the world.
Refocus your attention on things you like to do.
What hobby or activities do you like the most? How
long has it been since you have done it? Make
plans to pursue this favourite hobby or activity as
soon as possible.
Realize that you can make fresh choices for change every day
Be bold and change the situations that are
making you unhappy. Change schools.
Live with no friends for a while. Move out
of wherever you are living. Leave an
abusive relationship. Accept your parents'
disapproval of your personal choices or
lifestyle and work through the emotional
issues these situations can cause.
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Follow Up and Supervise
Continue to take threats seriously: Follow through is important even after the
child calms down or informs the parent “they didn‟t mean it.” Avoid assuming
behaviour is attention seeking.
Access school supports: If parents are uncomfortable with following through on
referrals, they can give the school counselor permission to contact the referral
agency, provide referral information, and follow up on the visit.
Maintain communication with the school. After such an intervention, the school
will also provide follow-up supports. Your communication will be crucial to
ensuring that the school is the safest, most comfortable place for your child.
Scenario 2
RAPE
Effects of Rape
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Victims of rape can be severely traumatized by the assault and may have
difficulty functioning as well as they had been used to prior to the assault, with
disruption of concentration, sleeping patterns and eating habits.
Pregnancy and disease transmission
Scenario 3
Trauma
Rape
Domestic violence
Natural disasters
Trauma is often but not always associated with being present at the site of a
trauma-inducing event. It is also possible to sustain trauma after witnessing
something from a distance. Young children are especially vulnerable to trauma
and should be psychologically examined after a traumatic event has occurred to
ensure their emotional well-being.
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While the causes and symptoms of trauma are various, there are some basic
signs of trauma that you can look out for. People who have endured traumatic
events will often appear shaken and disoriented. They may not respond to
conversation as they normally would and will often appear withdrawn or not
present even when speaking.
Another telltale sign of a trauma victim is anxiety. Anxiety due to trauma can
manifest in problems such as night terrors, edginess, irritability, poor
concentration and mood swings. While these symptoms of trauma are common,
they are not exhaustive. Individuals respond to trauma in different ways.
Sometimes trauma is virtually unnoticeable even to the victim‟s closest friends
and family. These cases illustrate the importance of talking to someone after a
traumatic event has occurred, even if they show no initial signs of disturbance.
Trauma can manifest days, months or even years after the actual event.
Emotion is one of the most common ways in which trauma manifests. Some
common emotional symptoms of trauma include denial, anger, sadness and
emotional outbursts. Victim of trauma may redirect the overwhelming emotions
they experience toward other sources, such as friends or family members. This is
one of the reasons why trauma is difficult for loved ones as well. It is hard to
help someone who pushes you away, but understanding the emotional
symptoms that come after a traumatic event can help ease the process.
All effects of trauma can take place either over a short period of time or over the
course of weeks or even years. Any effects of trauma should be addressed
immediately to prevent permanence. The sooner the trauma is addressed, the
better chance a victim has of recovering successfully and fully.
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Short-term and long-term effects of trauma can be similar, but long-term effects
are generally more severe. Short-term mood changes are fairly normal after
trauma, but if the shifts in mood last for longer than a few weeks, a long-term
effect can occur.
Scenario 4
STRESS MANAGEMENTS
What is Stress?
The most commonly accepted definition of stress is what we feel when we think
we've lost control of events.
Not only life-threatening events trigger this reaction: We experience it almost any
time we come across something unexpected or something that frustrates our
goals. When the threat is small, our response is small and we often do not notice
it among the many other distractions of a stressful situation.
Unfortunately, this mobilization of the body for survival also has negative
consequences. In this state, we are nervous, anxious, jumpy and irritable. This
actually reduces our ability to work effectively with other people. With trembling
and a pounding heart, we can find it difficult to execute precise, controlled skills.
The intensity of our focus on survival interferes with our ability to make fine
judgments by drawing information from many sources. We find ourselves more
accident-prone and less able to make good decisions.
There are very few situations in modern working life where this response is
useful. Most situations benefit from a calm, rational, controlled and socially
sensitive approach.
In the short term, we need to keep this fight-or-flight response under control to
be effective in our jobs. In the long term we need to keep it under control to avoid
problems of poor health and burnout.
Note:
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Warning: Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can
cause death. While these stress management techniques have been shown to have
a positive effect on reducing stress, they are for guidance only, and readers should
take the advice of suitably qualified health professionals if they have any concerns
over stress-related illnesses or if stress is causing significant or persistent
unhappiness. Health professionals should also be consulted before any major
change in diet or levels of exercise.
ACTIVITY 1.
In your groups of three, write a story about a harmful situation. It can be real or
made up. Remember to describe the sequence of events properly in the story and
how the situation affect other characters you include in your story. Write the
story in a Vanguard sheet or brown paper so that everyone else can see when it
is pasted on the wall.
ACTIVITY 2
ACTIVITY 3
Rewrite the story your group made up. Only this time, you will modify it to have
a character with a positive attitude that will change the ending of the story. Try
to make a better ending with this modified story.
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Importance of Rules
EXERCISE 1
In the table below, list down some rules applicable in these settings.
Rules in
Rules at home Rules in School
Community/Village
e.g No swearing
ACTIVITY
Divide yourself into groups of 3. Discuss and list down some rules for safe
behaviour at school, at the playground and at home. Write your points down.
Present what you have discussed as a group to the whole class. Write down all
the new points presented by the other groups.
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perpetrator, deliberate, scars, self esteem
Substance Abuse
EXERCISE
Read the poem below and complete the activities that follow.
Physical Abuse
EXERCISE 1
You will evaluate your relationship with another person whom you feel you are
always in conflict with. After this activity you will need to write a detailed letter
to this person to seek for forgiveness (if you have been abusing the person) or to
ask him to refrain from the abuse.
Some examples of physical abuse are given below. Tick any that you may have
done to this person or they have done to you.
Emotional Abuse
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Emotionally abusive behaviour is anything that intentionally hurts the feelings of
another person. It is when a person tries to control the other person‟s feelings or
thoughts in order to gain power over them.
There are dozens of way to be emotionally abusive: rolling eyes, sighs, grimaces,
tone of voice, disgusted looks, cold shoulders, swearing etc.
Though emotional abuse doesn‟t leave physical scars, it can have a esteem. If
you are experiencing emotional abuse it is really important that you seek help.
REFLECTIVE EXERCISE
Think of a time a person really hurt you emotionally. Try to remember the details
of what happened leading up to that situation, during the situation and after the
situation took place. What did the person do to you? Where and when was this?
How did you feel? What did you want to do at that time? What did you do? How
did you come out of that circumstance? In a paragraph write down what
happened that day and clearly describe how you felt.
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KEY WORDS: alcohol, alcohol abuse, drugs, addiction
INTRODUCTION: ALCOHOL
Many people spend a lot of money on alcohol. They also give reasons why they
choose to drink. Some people drink alcohol only at special gatherings. Teenagers
drink because they believe drinking makes them seem older and more mature.
Some people drink to have fun and feel romantic. Others drink to relax and
forget their problems. Also, some teenagers drink to be accepted by their friends.
However, regardless of the reason for starting to drink alcohol, such people risk
serious harm to their health in addition to creating numerous family and social
problems.
EXERCISE 1
Draw a table like the one given below and on it list some effects of drinking on
families and on the community at large.
Effects of alcohol
On the family On the individual On the community
e.g Less money left to e.g Get into trouble with the e.g violence amongst
spend on food police people
Discuss with your teacher and see if you can add a few more to your table.
Keeping in mind of what you have listed, write a short paragraph saying why you
should not drink alcohol.
List down ways people can prevent alcohol abuse.
SMOKING
Most people start smoking when they are young and are addicted by the time
they reach adulthood. Three of the main reasons that young people smoke are to
look mature, to be like their friends, and to experiment. Since teens see older
people all around them smoking, especially their parents and relatives, they
smoke to act older. If their friends or peers smoke, they may feel pressured into
doing the same to be accepted. The last reason is the excitement of
experimenting with something that is forbidden.
Some have tried to quit but have returned to cigarettes because smoking is such
a strong addiction. It is a habit that is very difficult to break. A habit that can
contribute to numerous health risks on individuals and one that can be very
costly to the family.
List down some health problems smokers will face later on in life.
State some social problems that can arise from smoking tobacco.
In groups of two or three, create a colorful poster that will highlight the negative
effects of smoking to a person. At the end of the lesson, the poster can be put up
on the wall or on the corridor.
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EXTENSION WORK – Interview
Find a person who smoke tobacco in your area and interview him/her. You can
use some interview questions below.
Analyze your findings and present it to your teacher. (Calculate how many years
the person have been smoking, state what age he started, for what reasons and
how much it costs for him to smoke per week)
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What is responsibility?
• Responsibility is accountability.
• Responsibility is trustworthiness.
EXERCISE 1
Think of how safe your house is from intruders. In your exercise book, list down
all the people living in it – Names, sex, age and which part of the house they live
in.
Think of and write ways they can be protected from unwanted intruders- e.g. is
the door properly locked, does your house have proper fence/gate, is the door
always closed and locked, do you have lights outside, how can you help your
family to protect yourselves from intruders.
Stranger Danger
Some places can be thought of as a Safe Place even though we don‟t know them
very well or have never been to them before. Schools and stores can be examples
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of Safe Places. Try to think of some Safe Places in your home, community and
town and write it in the table below.
Safe Places
Home Community/Village Town
e.g. In the cupboard
What will you do if you feel threatened in your house by a visitor or by a family
member?
Who can be the Safe People you can turn to for safety- at home, in the
community and in towns?
EXTENSION
Groupwork
Organize yourself and those you live together in the same community/village to
be in the same group. Your group has to draw a map (on newsprint) of your
residences and clearly mark the shortest and safest routes to the Safe Place
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KEY WORDS: tragedy, willingness, nurture, encounter, success
Wellness is not just about what each of us does as individuals. It is also about
how we affect each other and the impact that we can have together on the health
of our community.
Community wellness is about the ability and willingness of people to act together
– in good times, and in bad – in ways which benefit everyone.
Healthy communities are built on the relationships that we nurture and the
efforts that we make to work through the problems we encounter along the way.
It is also about celebrating our successes as a community.
ACTIVITY 1
The activity below will require you to think of and identify the people that you
can count on to help you in times when you most need it in your community.
Use your books to fill out their names, phone contacts, address and in what way
they can help out.
Community
name
ACTIVITY 2.
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http://www.yukonwellness.ca/images/Paths_to_wellness.jpg
Study the picture above and in a paragraph write down some messages
portrayed in it.
55
It is a safety of any community that we live in. Everyone should contribute to the
safety of our communities by looking after everyone caring for one another
Community safety is not just an issue for police and fire and rescue authorities.
Town Councils contribute in a variety of ways.
Their work which is carried out through community safety partnerships are :
terrorist incidents
new governance arrangements for policing and crime plans including the
introduction of community police posts, police and crime stoppers and police
functions for the welfare of its members, the development of the country and
combination and solidarity of the society and nation. Below are four major
responsibilities of Voluntary Organisation:
Man is a sociable being. The urge to act in groups is essential to him. People
therefore form groups and associations voluntary for their benefit as also of
They enable the individuals to learn the basics of groups and political action
The state does not have the necessary financial resources and manpower to meet
all the needs of its citizens. It can therefore have the responsibility of providing
resources locally and also some are funded by international financial institutions
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To bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded to prevent and
alleviate human suffering wherever it may find. Its purpose is to protect life and
health and ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual
understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all people.
Types of serves offered by them are
Providing wheelchairs
Collect blood for blood bank
Help people during natural disasters
Saint Johns
They provide first aid and disaster preparedness. They recognize healthcare and
humanity.
Extension Work
Collect some information about a particular Voluntary Group that is actively
involved in your community or area. Describe the forms of assistance they
provide, how do they pick who will be assisted, and how do they come up with
their assistance. Write it up in a paragraph with a topic in your book.
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THEME: Personal and Community Health
EXERCISE 1
Read the notes given below and answer the questions that follow.
Scabies is a skin disease caused by a crab-shaped mite that burrows into your
skin. It can affect people of all ages. Even people who keep themselves very clean
can get scabies. Scabies spread by close contact with someone who has scabies.
It can also be spread by sharing towels, bed sheets, and other personal
belongings.
Scabies causes severe itching that is usually worse at night and a rash with
tiny blisters or sores. Scabies will not go away on its own. You need to use a
special cream or lotion that a doctor prescribes. In severe cases, your doctor may
also give you pills to take.
Some scabies medicines are not safe for children, older adults, and women who
are pregnant or breast-feeding. To avoid dangerous side effects, be sure to follow
your doctor‟s instructions carefully.
If you have scabies, you and anyone you have close contact with must all be
treated at the same time. This keeps the mites from being passed back and forth
from person to person. You must also carefully wash all clothes, towels, and
bedding.
QUESTIONS
Write down the answers to the following questions in your exercise books.
Some ways in which scabies is spread are given in the notes. List these down in
your exercise books.
Refer to your answers to (1) above. How do you think the spread of the disease
can be prevented?
While it may be necessary to see a doctor for the treatment of scabies, how else
can you ensure that the disease is cured quickly?
EXERCISE 2
Use the words below to correctly fill in the blanks.
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Dhani, exposed, fungal, help, rough, infection, Treatment
State some preventative measures you can practice to avoid anyone in your
household from water-borne diseases.
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KEY WORDS: disinfectant, sputum
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An essential nutrient is a nutrient that the body cannot synthesize on its own
but must be provided by the diet. These nutrients are necessary for the body to
function properly. The six essential nutrients include carbohydrates, protein, fat,
Carbohydrates
vegetables and sugars. In Fiji we have a lot of it, namely cassava, dalo, yam,
Protein
Fat
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Fat is an energy source that when
D, E and K.
Vitamins
Vitamin C is necessary for the structure of blood vessels, bone and ligaments.
Rich sources include citrus fruits, strawberries and peppers and vegetables
Source:
https://www.google.com/search?q=fruits+and+vegetables+
in+fiji
Minerals
Water
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Water helps to maintain homeostasis in the body and transports nutrients to cells.
Water also assists in removing waste
products from the body. All
beverages and high-moisture foods
such as soup and watermelon
contain water and count towards
your daily water requirement. Adults
should consume 25 to 35 milliliters
of fluids per kilogram body weight or
2 to 3 liters per day.
Source; https://www.google.com/search?q=Fiji+water+image&safe
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KEY WORDS: preservation, additives, artificial, natural, nutrients
Food preservation has long been used by our elders in the past. In these modern
times, preservatives are still necessary to ensure the safety of foodstuff available
for consumption.
EXERCISE
65
List down three natural food preservatives
List down three artificial food preservatives
Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=additives&safe=active&rlz=1T4LENP_enFJ468FJ472&source
Seen above are some purposes of food additives, where it is used and problems it
can create. In groups of three, discuss the table shared above.
bigger crops and crops that can be higher in vitamins. Some disadvantages of
using modified foods are the unknowns. If genetically modified food is safe for
ACTIVITY
EXTENSION
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Types of Toilets
A . Flush Toilet
A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human liquid and solid waste, by using water
to flush it through a drainpipe to another location for disposal,
thus maintaining a separation between humans and their
waste.
A water sealed toilet is like a regular cistern flush toilet except that the water is
poured in by the user, instead of coming from the cistern above. When the water
supply is not continuous, any cistern flush toilet can become a water sealed
toilet.
Pit Toilets
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A pit latrine or pit toilet is a type of toilet that collects human feces in a hole in the
ground
Compost Toilet
Compost toilets are used when water / sewer solution would not support a
flush toilet. Here is a sanitary way to turn "waste" into fertilizer. It starts
with the collection device, and ends with the composting device designed
to make fertilized dirt. There is no "waste".
EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
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EXERCISE 3
Many people use water stored in tanks. The water maybe rain water or water brought in from
wells, rivers or streams. Rain drops are usually free from germs, but once they fall on the roofs
they may get contaminated from dust blown up from the ground. There may also be germs
i. Put a piece of gauze wire over the opening of the tank to prevent dirt and insects falling in.
iii. Chlorine powder can also be bought nowadays. This can be sprinkled in the tank to purify the
water. Consult officers from the Ministry of Health before doing this
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Tap water
Many rural areas now have tap water. However, in many cases, the water is not
treated. When treated water is not available, it is best to boil all
drinking water. Boiling water for about ten minutes will kill any harmful germs
in it. Drinking water should be stored in clean, rust free contain-ners, and
protected from dust and insects. Use a clean cup or jug to take water out of the
container. Do not touch the water.
EXERCISE 4
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UNIT 36: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
THEME: Personal and Community Health
Pollution
There are
different types of
environmental
pollution- air
pollution, water
pollution, and
earth pollution.
ACTIVITY 1
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Climate Change
Climate Change is any significant change in the climate of the Earth. These
changes can be temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, etc. Climate Change
occurs because of many things. The heat from the sun and a change in the
Earth's orbit may affect the climate on Earth. The way the oceans on Earth
circulate can have an effect on the Earth's climate. And finally, human activity
can change the climate of the Earth. For example, burning fossil fuels such as
gasoline and coal can affect the climate on Earth. Changing the landscape of the
Earth by cutting forests, filling swamps, laying large amounts of concrete over
grasslands, can have a great effect on the Earth's environment.
ACITIVITY 3
EXTENSION 1
EXTENSION 2
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Abstinence Any self-restraint, self-denial, or self-control. Stay away from
Accountability The state of being liable or answerable to a decision or action
Addiction The state of being free to a habit or practice or to something
that is psychologically or physically habit-forming such as
drugs to such an extent that its cessation causes severe
trauma
Anaemia A disease caused by lack of iron in the body
Arteries A blood vessel that conveys blood from the heart to any part
of the body.
Assault A sudden, violent attack; onslaught
Atrium Either of the two upper chambers on each side of the heart
that receive blood from the veins and in turn force it into the
ventricles.
Bone Marrow Soft, brownish-red part inside the bone
Capillaries One of the minute blood vessels between the terminations of
the arteries and the beginnings of the veins
Carbon Dioxide The gas we breathe out
Cervix Lower end of the uterus
Circulatory The system of organs and tissues, including the heart, blood,
System blood vessels, lymph, lymphatic vessels, and lymph glands,
involved in circulating blood and lymph through the body
Clot A semisolid mass, as of coagulated blood
Coercion Influencing others the hard way
Deforestation The removal of trees
Dhani A kind of skin disease that leaves white patches on the skin
Disability A physical or mental handicap, especially one that prevents a
person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful
job.
Discrimination Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in
favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group,
class, or category to which that person or thing belongs
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rather than on individual merit:
Racial and religious intolerance and discrimination
Drugs Any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure
or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
Ecosystem A system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by
the interaction of a community of organisms with their
environment
Emergency A state, especially of need for help or relief, created by some
unexpected event:
Empowerment To give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or
official means:
Endangered Threatened with extinction
Enhanced To raise to a higher degree; intensify; magnify
Equality The state or quality of being equal; correspondence in
quantity, degree, value, rank or ability
Erosion The process by which the surface of the earth is worn away
by the action of water, winds, waves, etc
Extinction The act or process of becoming extinct; a coming to an end or
dying out:
Fallopian Tube One of a pair of long, slender ducts in the female abdomen
that transport ova from the ovary to the uterus
Gender Either the male or female division of a species, especially as
differentiated by social and cultural roles and behavior.
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Intruders To thrust or bring in without invitation, permission, or
welcome
Itching Of, relating to, or characterized by an irritating sensation of
the skin
Justice The quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or
moral rightness:
Legitimate According to law; lawful
Menstruation The periodic discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the
uterus, occurring approximately monthly from puberty to
menopause
Mite Any of numerous small to microscopic germs that are
parasitic on animals .
Nurture To bring up; train; educate
Oxygen The gas that we breathe in
Parasites An organism that lives on or in an organism of another
species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains
nutriment
Peer Pressure Group forces by members of one‟s peer group to take a
certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in
order to be accepted.
Perpetrator A person who commits, an illegal, criminal, or evil act
Plasma The liquid part of the blood
Platelets Assist in clotting blood
Pollution The introduction of harmful substances or products into the
environment:
Power The possession of control or command over others; authority
Preservatives Chemical added to food to keep it safe for a long time
Puberty The period or age at which a person is first capable of sexual
reproduction of offspring
Pulse The regular expansion and contraction of the walls of the
artery to push the blood along
Rash Red patches on skin due to infection or scratching
Red Blood Cells Gives the blood its red colour and carry oxygen around the
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body
Relationships Connection between persons by blood or marriage
Reproduce To make a copy, representation, duplicate, or close imitation
of:
Responsible Reliable or dependable, as in meeting debts, conducting
business dealings, etc.
Human Rights Fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an
individual and in whose exercise a government may not
interfere, as the rights to speak, associate, work, etc.
Ringworm Any of a number of contagious skin diseases caused by
certain parasitic fungi and characterized by the formation of
ring-shaped patches.
Self-Conscious Conscious of oneself or one's own being.
Self Esteem A realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself.
Shortcomings A failure, defect, or deficiency in conduct, condition, thought,
ability, etc.:
Trustworthiness Deserving of trust or confidence; dependable; reliable
Uterus The enlarged, muscular, expandable portion of the oviduct in
which the fertilized ovum implants and develops or rests
during prenatal development; the womb of certain mammals.
Values Worth or importance
Veins One of the system of branching vessels or tubes conveying
blood from various parts of the body to the heart.
Ventricle Either of the two lower chambers on each side of the heart
that receive blood from the atria and in turn force it into the
arteries
Wellness The quality or state of being healthy in body and mind,
especially as the result of deliberate effort
White Blood The colourless cells in the blood that fight disease germs
Cells
GLOSSARY
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Reference
1. www.fijisun.com
2. www.fijitimes.com
3. www.psdgraphics.com
4. www.anatomysystem.com
5. www.brainwaves.com
6. www.Asvector.com
7. www.qatarliving.com
8. www.theguardian.com
9. www.linkedin.com
10. www.stanceblog.com
11. www.natureworldnews.com
12. www.demotix.com
13. www.abcnews.go.com
14. www.webmd.com
15. www.nursing411.com
16. www.slt2008.com
17. www.borgenmagazine.com
18. Naiseles album
19. http://www.psychguides.com/guides/trauma-symptoms-causes-
and-effects/
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