JUNIOR

HIGH Vol. 1

SCHOOL

CUSTOMIZED 2-WEEK CURRICULUM ON

PSYCHOSOCIAL ACTIVITIES, MENTAL HEALTH
CONDITIONS, AND LIFE SKILLS

Development Team of the Customized 2-Week Curriculum on Psychosocial

Activities, Mental Health Conditions and Life Skills
Printed in the Philippines by
Department of Education – Schools Division of Calbayog City
Office Address: Gomez St., Brgy. Hamorawon
Calbayog City, First District of Samar, Philippines 6710
Telephone: (055) 2091-639
E-mail Address: calbayogcity.division@deped.com

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

CUSTOMIZED 2-WEEK CURRICULUM ON

PSYCHOSOCIAL ACTIVITIES,
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
AND LIFE SKILLS
General Objectives

These supplemental modules and guidance notes were developed with the

following objectives in mind:

1.to provide students with an avenue by which they can discuss their
fears, feelings, and anxieties.
2.to enable students to manage their feelings and reframe their thoughts.
3.to empower students to look for linkages to services that could help
others.
4.to allow students to focus on their strengths and support systems
during a fearful and worrisome time.
In other words, these supplemental modules serve to support, empower and
enable teachers to help students to move beyond the worries and fears
brought about by the pandemic and help them become more active
members of the community.

Below are the titles of the four (4) modules and the corresponding take-away
messages for the students:
Title Take away Message
Module 1 Validating feelings and normalizing My feelings toward this
reactions disaster/pandemic are normal
and valid. Others may also
feel the same way. It is okay to
not feel okay.
Module 2 Calming down and Managing one’s I can manage my own emotions
Emotions and Thoughts and I am able to bring myself to
calm down
Module 3 Identifying and Addressing Needs I am capable of identifying my
own and other people’s needs. I
can link others to the proper
channels which can best
address their concerns
Module 4 Identifying Sources of Strengths I am strong because I can rely
on my inner strength and
because I have people around
me who support me.

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 10 Things About Me
My name is ______________________ and my nickname is ___________
1 The story behind me is ________________________________________

Five years ago, I was

2 ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

I like __________________, ___________________, and _____________

3 (List 3 hobbies)

I don’t like _______________, ________________, and _____________

4 (List three activities that you don’t enjoy doing)

What I love about myself is _____________________________________

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What I don’t really like about myself is ____________________________
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My greatest achievement so far is ____________________________
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My greatest achievement so far is ____________________________
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When I was a child, I wanted to become a _______________________
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10
Now that I am older, my dream job is to be a ____________________
0
0

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 MODULE 1:
VALIDATING AND NORMALIZING FEELINGS

Objectives
By the end of the session, you should be able to:

 Identify feelings/reactions related to the pandemic

 Accept that the feelings and reactions are normal and valid
 _

How are you feeling today? You are now on page 1 of a

set of pages that will contain modules to help you talk
about your experiences during the months of lockdown
due to the pandemic. I am sure you are eager to
participate because there are many things to talk about.
There be a total of 4 modules for you to answer in order
to complete this task.

You will be doing a lot of activities and you

will also learn from the readings and
infographics provided in this booklet. The aim
of these activities is to help you feel better as
you are provided with ways to react to all the
disruptions caused by the pandemic. After you
are done answering all the 4 modules, you will
need to submit these back to me so that I can
give you feedback on your answers. Let’s
begin.

You will be guided by Josie, Jose, and Jessie as

you answer the activities of each module. You will
meet them as you go. Hope he will help you a lot.

ACTIVITY 1

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Let’s Talk About These
How Am I feeling today? Let’s Check your feeling before we start the
activities.
happy we’re happy when we gain what we want. We’re
happy when we avoid what we don’t want

sad Sadness, like fear, drains your spirit and your

energy, interferes with your mental health, and often
leads to physical complications
depressed Feeling of severe sadness and rejection

fear Fear is a reaction to an imagined danger. Of course,

COVID-19 is not an imaginary danger, though the
fears you feel in association with it often centre on
outcomes that have not yet happened.
nervous A feeling of worry or unease, typically about an
imminent event or something with an uncertain
outcome.

Activity 2: During the months of lockdown, what where the

routines or reaction you did at home. What have you done to
overcome it?
Common routines or What have I done to overcome it?
reactions I did at home
1. “I slept most of the time.”

2. I watch
television/GMA7/ABS-CBN

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3. felt bored

4. felt afraid/nervous

Activity No 3: These statements are the common reactions of students in

stressful events. Let’s see if you have experienced these reactions. Compare
your feelings to the feelings written inside the box. Answer the following by
putting a check mark on the corresponding column before the statement.
Neve Sometimes Alway Common Reactions of Students to Stressful
r s Events

•I feel a strong responsibility to my family.

•I feel anxious brought about by uncertainty

of
the future.

•I feel intense or prolonged grief for not being

able to wake.

•I become self-absorbed and feel self-pity.

•I experience changes in their relationships

with other people.

•I start taking risks, engage in self-

destructive behavior, have avoidant behavior,
and become aggressive.

•I experience major shifts in their view of the

world accompanied by a sense of
hopelessness about the present and the

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 future.

•I become defiant of authorities and parents

while they start relying on peers for
socializing through social media.

•I feel guilty and anxious having been

separated from their loved ones due to
lockdown.

ANALYSIS
Think it Over

After going through with the activities, what realization did you have? Write
your answer in box.

MY REALIZATION 1 MY REALIZATION 2 MY REALIZATION 3

ABSTRACTION
Things you should
know I want you to know that all your feelings, all your
reactions in the past days are valid. To validate is
to affirm that these feeling/s are happening. I want
you to say to yourself, “it is okay that I felt this
way. It is okay to not be okay’. I want you to know
that all your emotions are real and true. And that
all of those, they are normal feelings. They are
normal because other people may also share the
same feeling/s but the intensity of feelings is
uniquely yours. Tell yourself, “all these are normal
feelings. Normal lang ang pakiramdam ko”.

Please read the handout entitled: When Terrible

Things Happen. I am certain it will help you learn
more about how you can help yourself.

WHEN TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPEN

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There are a wide variety of positive and negative reactions that students can
experience during and immediately after crisis situations.
DOMAIN NEGATIVE RESPONSES POSITIVE RESPONSES
Cognitive Confusion, worry, self-blame Determination courage,
optimism, faith
Emotional Shock, sorry, grief, sadness, fear, Feeling involved,
anger, numb, irritability, guilt challenged, mobilized
and shame
Social Fights with others or does not Seeks out others who
speak with others can help them, helps
others in need
Physiological Tired, headache, muscle tension, Alertness, readiness to
stomach ache, difficulty sleeping, respond, increased
fast heart beat energy

Common negative reactions that may continue:

Intrusivereactions
 Distressing thoughts or images of the event while awake or dreaming
 Upsetting emotional or physical reaction to reminders of the experience
 Feeling like the experience is happening all over again (“flashback”)
 Avoid talking, thinking, and having feelings about the traumatic event
 Avoid reminders of the event (places and people connected to what
happened)
 Restricted emotions; feeling numb
 Feelings of detachment and estrangement from others; social
withdrawal
 Loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities
Physical arousal reaction
 Constantly being “on the lookout “for danger, starting easily or being
jumpy
 Difficulty feeling of staying sleep
Reaction to trauma and loss reminders
 Reaction to place, people, sights, sounds, smell and feelings that are
reminders of the disaster.
 Reminders can bring on distressing mental images, thoughts and
emotion/physical reactions
POSITIVE CHANGES IN PRIORITIES, WORLDVIEW AND EXPECTATION
 Enhanced appreciation that family and friends are precious and
important
 Meeting the challenges of addressing difficulties (by taking positive
action steps, changing the focus of thoughts, using humor, acceptance)
 Increased commitment to self, family, friends, and spiritual/religious

What Helps
 Talking to another person for support or spending time with others
 Trying to maintain a normal schedule
 Using relaxation methods (breathing exercise, mediation, calming self-
talk, music)
 Exercising in moderation
 Keeping a journal

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  Seeking counselling

What Don’t Help

 Using alcohol or drugs to cope
 Extreme withdrawal from family or friends
 Overeating or failing to eat
 Working too much
 Doing risky things
 Not taking care of yourself
 Blaming others
Source: Brymer et al., 2012

Let’s Think About This

Now that you knew that what you were feeling or

how you were reaching was similar to the one on
the list, always remember that your reactions to the
stressful situation are normal at the moment or
until about three months. Most young people will
react in the same manner. You are not being crazy
when you have those feelings. Also, the next time
you feel that way. Try to take ten deep breaths,
Slowly... This will help you calm down.
Can you try to do that?
Count 1 – 10 as you breathe in and out.

APPLICATION
Let’s See What You Have Learned

Today you learned that our How can you

reactions to the stressful events of apply this
pandemic or any other form of learning to your
disaster were normal and valid. life especially
How does this new learning that after
my reactions and feelings experiencing
toward Covid – 19 / disaster were such a
normal after all help me? Pandemic?

What do I learn after experiencing Covid-19 pandemic?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
 MODULE 2:
CALMING DOWN AND MANAGING ONE’S EMOTION AND
THOUGHTS

Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
• Identify positive ways to manage one’s emotions
• Practice calming down using a diaphragmatic breathing and the
3C’s of feelings and thoughts
• Be able to practice reframing one’s thoughts

So far, we have discussed your routines and feelings

during the past few months of pandemic. Today, we
shall focus on how to manage your feelings.

Remember when I asked you to identify your

feelings and reactions to Covid-19? Can you
recall what those feelings were? Now. I want
you to consider some ways to help you
manage your feelings of stress and anxiety.

I want you to stay indoors and perform yoga with

your sibling or friend. If it is not possible for you to
do this with someone, you can also do it alone. After
doing yoga for a while, think, “what am I doing”?
You may follow the illustrations or you may invent
your own positions.

ACTIVITY
Let’s Talk About These

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 Imagine that the positions you are doing are feelings. Those were
some of the feelings you caught during the lockdown/pandemic/disaster.
They are feelings of fear, boredom, anxiety, etc. Stop doing the yoga for a
moment. Stand straight, deep breath and accept the feeling. Say to
yourself, “Yes, I was feeling afraid.” Or “Yes, I was feeling anxious.”

Catching your Feelings

It is always good to catch what you are feeling. It is a normal and valid
feeling. It’s okay Not to feel okay. But they are real and true only as the not-
so-normal situation that triggers it.
It is ok not to feel okay, in a not-so-ok-situation like the pandemic or
any disaster. Now, I want to invite you to do some diaphragmatic breathing.
Breathe in (Inhalation of Air). A very slight pause before you exhale. Breathe
out (exhalation of air). Breathe in (inhalation of Air). A very slight pause
before you inhale. Breathe out (exhalation of air). Release all the feelings.

Check Your Feelings

Were those feelings helpful to me? You will probably answer with both
a yes and a no. That means that some of your feelings were helpful but
others were not. For instance, if you keep feeling fearful, do you need to stay
in fear for long? How helpful is fear to you? How accurate or appropriate is
the feeling of anxiety? How helpful is it to always be worrying about things?
While thinking about this, breathe in and breathe out (5x).

Change that Feeling

In this part, I want you to think of something else to help you feel
better. This means that you can replace that feeling. Some feelings are
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productive and useful while some may be unproductive and useless. It is
because they are no longer appropriate to the situation. You have the power
to change your feelings by actually changing your thoughts about the
feeling. This process is called REFRAMING. Where is the feeling coming
from? Or, you can ask, “Where is the ball coming from?” Why did it hit you?
How do you manage your feelings? You can manage it by changing the name
of the ball into feelings of gratefulness, understanding, happiness, and
contentment. Breathe in. Breathe out (5x)

ANALYSIS
Think it Over

What do you feel?

What was the
What do you think
reason why you
was the point of
had to reframe
Catching, Checking
your thoughts?
and Changing your
feelings?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________

ABSTRACTION
Things you should know

Can you compare how you feel right now with how you
felt before we started with the activity? Do you see
some changes? Are the feelings positive? What are
these new changes in the way you feel at the moment?

Use the columns below labelled with the words “Before” on one side and
“After” on the other side. Under the word Before, write your feelings during the
pandemic/disaster. Under the word After, write your feelings at this very
moment, after going through the Catch, Check and Change Exercise.

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BEFORE:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
AFTER:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________

APPLICATION

Let’s See What You Have Learned

How can you apply your newfound knowledge to your daily life? After
going through the activity, I learned that the feelings that I CAUGHT
could be…

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________

After a while, I CHECKED the feelings and realized that I could…

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________

And so I CHANGED my feelings into the following:

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________

CLOSURE

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Tell yourself: The next time when I experience intense feelings, I would take
a deep breath 5X to calm down, and then check, change the feelings by
reframing my thoughts.

MODULE 3:
IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING NEEDS

OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the session, students should be able to:

• identify one’s current needs and those of one’s family
• become aware of the various institutions, departments and centers
present within the school environment or the immediate community
• take note of the important numbers and information regarding who to
approach for their needs
Hello there! How are you feeling today? Hope you are in
great shape.

You must be aware that we are now in the middle of this

pandemic and all people are affected by it. Due to this
pandemic, some are worried because they have nothing to eat
this day or their parents have been laid off from work. Others
may have a family member who is sick or has contracted COVID
and now in isolation. Or, they have family members who are
locally stranded in Manila or in other parts of the country and
have a problem in coming home due to some restrictions. These
worries or problems become their needs that must be
addressed. Otherwise, they will not be able to live a normal life.
Addressing these needs is coping with the situation which every
one of us is capable of doing of course with the help of others.

How about you? What problems do you encounter? Do you

have the same problems as others are experiencing right
now? How do you cope with these problems? What actions
have you done? Where did you get help from? Same as
others are doing, you too have to address these needs.

In the first two modules, we have discussed about feelings,

thoughts and how to accept and reframe them. Today, we will face
this situation and deal with your needs and that of the members
of your family and even your friends. Moreover, you will learn
about how to refer people in need. You are not alone in this fight!
Karamay mo ACTIVITY
Kami! Please1do the activities that follow.
Our Needs this Pandemic

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Directions: Please get a piece of paper and make three columns (please refer
to the table given below). On the first column, list down all the members of
the family whom you live with. On the second column, identify the
immediate needs of this person that your family cannot address as of this
moment. On the third column, identify where you can refer this person to or
who you can approach in order to ask for help regarding the needs of this
person. If you do not know anyone who can help that person, just leave it
blank first.

NEEDS FORM

Family/Relative/Frien
Current Immediate Needs Refer to
d (including you)

Thank you for being honest in your answers. It is through this that I
can understand you well and may of help to you in your needs. I believe that
together we will be able to hurdle this pandemic.

Now, that you have already identified your needs. I want you to
classify them by writing them on the appropriate boxes labeled accordingly.

ACTIVITY 2
Classified Needs

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Directions: Classify them as follows. Write your needs on the corresponding boxes
properly labeled.

BASIC NEEDS (Need for food, HEALTH SERVICES (need for ill
shelter, water, etc.) and injured including suffering
from anxiety, trauma and
depression)

COMMUNICATION (access to cell CORRECT INFORMATION (about

phone, internet to contact loved this pandemic, loved ones and
ones) social support)

ANALYSIS
Think it Over

Directions: Based on the activity, please answer the following questions.

1. What did you feel when you were identifying your problems and needs and
that of your family?

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 ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Among the identified, which category has the most needs?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. Do you know who to refer your loved ones to for their needs? Why Yes? Or
Why No?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. Can we talk about what you think your own needs are? Who can you
approach in order to address your own needs?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
5. Why do you think it is important for you to learn about whom you can go to
for your own needs and the needs of your family?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______

Thank you so much for being candid about your answers. I really
appreciate it very much. Also, Congratulations for having good support
systems and for knowing who to link yourself or your family members to!
You are great!

But, if you were not able to do it, worry not because I will guide you
determine your needs and the right person or organization that may be of
help to you on your needs. I have listed this information on the next part of
this lesson.

ABSTRACTION
Things you should know

Let us now discuss the list of common needs of people after they have
experienced a disaster.

Regardless of the type of disaster or pandemic, people who are affected

often need help in the following:

Frequent Needs (WHO et al., 2011)

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• Basic needs: food, shelter, water, clean toilets
• Health services for those who are ill and injured (and for those who
seem to be suffering from anxiety, trauma and depression)
• Simple and correct information about the event, loved ones and
 Aside from those mentioned above, the following are the most common
needs of survivors after a disaster or pandemic:

CATEGORY SPECIFIC NEEDS

General To find missing family members, to provide medical
assistance to those who were hurt, to gain access to
list of casualties, to know how many were affected, to
provide proper burial facilities for those who have
passed on

Food and Water To provide waterline to homes, to gain access to

source of water for multiple purposes, food for x
number of days

Family Goods Blankets, clothes, beddings, tarp, flashlight, storage

boxes, underwater, dignity kits, disinfectants/alcohol

Fuel For vehicle, gas for cooking, for kerosene lamps

Shelter Temporary shelter, building materials to be used for
repair.

Given below are suggestions on how to access the above-mentioned

common needs during pandemic.

NEEDS WHERE TO ACCESS

Relief Goods To receive relief goods and “ayuda” or from the
Barangay level, City Mayor, and DSWD.

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Selling of Product Is your family involved in selling some products or
and goods? They too, need to get permits to travel and to
Goods sell their basic goods and commodities. Go to your
Barangay Center to issue the permit.

Transportation If you need to travel within your area of vicinity, go

within to your Barangay Center and ask for permission to
your area. go to a Grocery Store, Market place, Supermarket or
Pharmacy store. A quarantine pass is issued by
your Barangay. Wearing face-mask is always
needed.
Transportation Go to your Barangay Center to get a travel pass that
outside your city or will allow you to pass major thoroughfares. Make
municipality. sure you are Covid-free. Make sure also that you
wear your face-mask. They also provide you with
vehicles.
Cash Assistance or The DSWD releases cash amounts in three tranches
Social Amelioration to poor but deserving families. Contact your local
Program (SAP) DSWD.

Cash Assistance to Overseas Foreign Workers (OFW) may avail of

OFW Government Cash Aid by the DOLE and workers
who have been displaced due to Pandemic.

By this time, you already know whom you can

approach in times of need. I am happy to know that
they too have a good support system in you. It’s good
to know that they can depend on you.

APPLICATION
Let’s See What You Have Learned

Now that you know how to LINK, can you fill out the
table below by supplying the information on the
contact number, address and contact person in each
of the following Organization?

List of Emergency Contact Numbers and Information

Organization Contact # and Address Contact Person

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 Barangay Health Office
Barangay Disaster Team
DSWD office
Hospital
Psychologist or Social
Worker
Covid Screening Center
Your School

After you are done with the task above, now please do what is asked of
you in the situation below.
Come up with a chant or cheer that will remind them to find
. people/organizations to help them/their loved ones address their most
pressing needs.

MODULE 4:
SOURCES OF STRENGHTS

Objectives: By the end of this module, you should be able to

1. identify personal, social, and emotional sources during and aftermath
the stressful situation
2. identify your internal and external sources of strength.

.
HI!
How are you today? you have just one last module to
do before you reach the end of this Psychosocial
Activities and Life Skills. Today we will focus on your
sources of strength. This is our way of reminding that
I can fly because I am/have
you have resources.

In the first module, we discussed validating

and normalizing your feelings. In module 2,
we talked about how to calm down and
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manage your feelings, and in the third
module we talked about your needs and how
to address them.
 This module will help you revisit your strength in order to
support your self-efficacy to deal with the situation that
you are experiencing these days. In order to encourage a
hopeful outlook, the module serves to reinforce sources of
support from internal and external resources. Go over
with the activity for you to understand fully yourself as
you face this pandemic times.

ACTIVITY 1
Let’s talk about this

Below is a picture of a butterfly with multi-colored wings

Put a picture of yours in the body of the butterfly.

In every part of the wings, write your strengths, the things and persons that makes
you happy.

I can fly because, I have

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 ANALYSIS
Think it Over

After doing the activity, what have you realized about yourself? What did you
feel? Did you discover something about yourself? What are your strength as a
person?

ABSTRACTION
Things you should
know

Personal strengths are defined as our built-in capacities

for particular ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
We all possess distinct character strengths that are
associated with the six virtues of positive psychology
theory. These are referred to as character strengths and
is evident and exist in all of us in varying degrees.
Below of each picture is the virtue which is a product of
the strength –written at the sides.

Creativity Authenticity

Curiosity Bravery

Love of learning Persistence

Open- mindedness Zest

Perspectives
Wisdom Courage

Kindness Fairness

Love Leadership

Social Teamwork

Intelligence

Humanity Justice

Forgiveness Hope

Modesty Humor
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Humility Spirituality

Prudence Appreciation of
 Temperance

Gratitude

APPLICATION
Let’s See What You Have Learned

Misinformation adds to panic and anxiety. Stay clear of fake news.

Be proud of your fight. Struggling now doesn’t mean you can’t thrive.

The greatest thing that we can do is to take care of each other.

With the strength you have, you can control your action
Plan and schedule your day: you will do more in 24 hours
De-clog your mind with art, music, book reading, board
games, exercise, praying, getting enough sleep and proper
nutrition.

“My well Being Plan” – How to Look After

Myself

What I CAN do My IDEAS

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My GOALS for the week

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Things I’m grateful for today

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 In closing, read and share you work with someone at

References

Ramos, Pia, Caligner, Eduardo, and Bersamin, Anna. 2020.The 2020 Online and
Self-
Guided PFA Modules; Suuplemental to the SSES Manual.

Ramos, Pia, Caligner, Eduardo, and Bersamin, Anna. 2015. Supporting Enabling
and
Empowering Students: Teachers’ Manual. Retrieved from
https://zh.unesco.org/system/files/careers/sees_philippines_supporting_disast
ersemergencysituations.pdf

Pictures
https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/teacher-school-avatar-character-
vector-18702073
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=teenager%20boy%20on%20yoga%20post-
%20cartoon&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg%3ACb5RFHihY4xtYbx9nXosS-
g1&hl=fil&sa=X&ved=0CB0QuIIBahcKEwjw7YTz6OzrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQIg&bi
w=1349&bih=657#imgrc=FQPki5txZwoM8M
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=teenager%20boy%20on%20yoga%20post-
%20cartoon&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg%3ACb5RFHihY4xtYbx9nXosS-
g1&hl=fil&sa=X&ved=0CB0QuIIBahcKEwjw7YTz6OzrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQIg&bi
w=1349&bih=657#imgrc=pgxjPeddxOLnjM

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Calbayog City –

Curriculum Implementation Division (CID)

Gomez St., Brgy. Hamorawon

Calbayog City, First District of Samar, Philippines 6710

Telephone: (055) 2091-639

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Email Address: calbayogcity.division@deped.gov.ph