Name:
2025 LEARNING CURVE MIDDLE PLANNER
www.learningcurve.com.au
Year Level:
GROWING MY BEST SELF
All living and learning growth comes from me making the effort to leave my comfort zone to tackle challenges, which enables me to learn new things that will always keep my best getting better. Hard becomes easy.
Living growth –this year I want to grow personally in these areas: ..............................................................................................
Learning growth –this year I want to grow academically in these areas: ..............................................................................................
Living challenge –I will start with this challenge: .............................................................................................. ..............................................................................................
Learning challenge –I will start with this challenge: .............................................................................................. ..............................................................................................
Wellbeing thoughts – what is something that I will do to feel more optimistic and hopeful that I can grow my best self:
Acknowledgement: Sonja Lyubomirsky & Tal Ben Shahar
CHARACTER STRENGTHS WEEKS
There are six Strengths Weeks spread throughout this planner. They provide you and your class with opportunities to practise using your strengths to welcome living, learning and wellbeing challenges. They are also fun to do at home with your family. The order of these weeks are: Gratitude, Kindness, Bravery, Honesty, Creativity and Teamwork
From the website www.learningcurve.com.au download the Strengths Weeks sheets from Individual Resources/Character Strengths Weeks and the Wellbeing Awards Certificates from Individual Resources/ Wellbeing Awards.
PERMAH+: MY LIVING AND LEARNING WELLBEING GROWTH
This Lesson: WHY: for you to learn about the six equally important PERMAH+ elements which describe your living and learning wellbeing. HOW: think about and write down something challenging that you could do for each one.
POSITIVE EMOTION + GRATITUDE
Share your thoughts about what you could do to create more positive emotions in yourself every day to feel happier and healthier.
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Describe your thoughts about people who you are grateful to have in your life. Tell them.
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ENGAGEMENT + MINDFULNESS
Share your thoughts about what you could do to connect more with your teacher and classmates to involve yourself actively in class.
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Describe your thoughts about how noticing something different about every day is something to look forward to.
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RELATIONSHIPS + EMPATHY
Share your thoughts about what you could do to show that other people matter to create and maintain respectful relationships.
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Describe your thoughts about how you could show more empathy for other students’ and your teachers’ needs and feelings.
“The deeper we dig for answers, the more we uncover new questions.” Ashleigh Brilliant
PERMAH+: MY LIVING AND LEARNING WELLBEING GROWTH
No single element of PERMAH+ on its own can describe your living and learning wellbeing. They work together as a family.
MEANING + PURPOSE
Share your thoughts about what you could do to give of yourself to make a positive difference to others’ lives to add meaning to your own life.
Describe your thoughts about how having a sense of purpose could drive your efforts to tackle living and learning challenges.
ACCOMPLISHMENT + OPTIMISM
Share your thoughts about how writing down three goals each term could inspire you to work hard to accomplish them.
Describe your thoughts about having optimism and hope for your future could motivate you to deliberately practise what you learn.
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HEALTH + STRENGTHS
Share your thoughts about how looking after your Big Five by monitoring them every day could keep you healthy. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................
Describe your thoughts about how using your strengths to tackle challenges could lead to living and learning growth.
“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes.” Washington Irving
HOME LEARNING SESSIONS
WHY: by understanding that to feel confident and in control of how you are participating in your schooling, your challenge is to plan what learning tasks you are going to do in organised sessions when you arrive at home.
HOW: have you ever had what study is explained and what you need to do? Study has four separate sections: 1. finishing off tasks from the school day. 2. storing what you learned at school by revising it daily. 3. practising tasks set by your teachers to develop your skills. 4. polishing up learning skills that you feel need improvement. Study doesn’t just happen when you feel like it, you need to write down what you need to do and when you will do it. Begin with 45 minute sessions, which are made up of 35 minutes uninterrupted work, followed by a 10 minute break for a drink, toilet, phone or exercise. You will find that 35 minutes will test your concentration span initially, but with deliberate practice you will become comfortable to extend it to 50 minutes. When tired, reduce it to 25 minutes with a 5 minute break.
Acknowledgement: Wade & Walsh
Rate how well you are currently doing each of the following:
Finishing Usually Sometimes Not Yet
Storing Usually Sometimes Not Yet
Practising Usually Sometimes Not Yet
Polishing Usually Sometimes Not Yet
“To master your time is to master your life.” Alan Lakein
VOCABULARY BUILDER
DO: describe how planning what you need to do in organised sessions at home can help you to get better at getting better. necklace ordinary planet police usually science recover autograph Daily use the 5 to 1 ratio; 5 positive thoughts for every negative one.
WELLBEING GROWTH TIP
Communication / Comments: Teacher:
TERM TWO LIVING AND LEARNING GOALS
This Lesson: WHY: for you to set three goals this term, one for improving your learning and thinking skills in class, one for building your respectful relationships, and one for what you want to achieve for yourself. HOW: for each of your goals, think about what you need to learn, who can help you and what strengths will you use. Slow down to pause your thinking, take notice to be more aware of what’s happening, be curious to love learning and pay attention to what you need to pay attention to.
About improving my learning and thinking skills in class.
Who can help me to learn what I need to learn?
GOAL
Mark where I am now on achieving this goal: By the end of Term mark where I can reach:
About building my healthy friendships. I will
Mark where I am now on achieving this goal: By the end of Term mark where I can reach:
Who can help me to learn what I need to learn?
About what I want to achieve for myself.
Mark where I am now on achieving this goal: By the end of Term mark where I can reach:
“Dream it, Plan it, and Do it.” Deepak Rajpal
PROGRESS TOWARDS LIVING AND LEARNING GOALS
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MIND-BODY CONNECTION
WHY: by understanding that your mind and body are closely connected and communicate with each other, your challenge is to take care of both of them by being optimistic about your future.
HOW: make the Big Five a keystone habit, smile more, look for what is right and on the bright side of life and give of yourself. These will enable you to enjoy a healthy immune system to fight illness, reduce blood pressure and anxiety, feel energised, and have regular and smooth heart rhythms.
Acknowledgement: Rath & Hassed
DO: describe when you noticed that your mind and body communicated with each other to affect how you felt.
What are some thoughts you have that affect the way you feel?
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
PROBLEM SOLVING
Magic Squares
(a) Arrange the numbers from 1 to 9 so that the sum of each row, column and diagonal is the same.
(b) Arrange the same numbers so that NO row or column adds to the same total.
WELLBEING GROWTH TIP
When you have things on your mind use a website Thinking Tool to organise your thoughts. Answers on page 132
Communication / Comments: Teacher:
THINKING BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER CLASS
This Lesson: WHY: for you to organise how you think before, during, and after class to create pathways for living and learning growth. HOW: before class, think about what you already know about what will be taught. During the lesson, apply what you are learning to new situations, and after class, think about how you can use what you learned to grow your living and learning abilities further. Changing the levels and depth of how you think before, during, and after class will deepen your understandings.
BEFORE CLASS
Level of thinking What does it mean?
What you do Ideas to think about REMEMBERING ( Knowledge) Being able to remember the information you need or being able to collect the required data; finding what you need to know.
UNDERSTANDING (Comprehension ) Understanding what the information is saying and what it means. Seeing the different parts in a problem; being able to view the issue for what it is.
Collect, Assemble, List, Graph, Remember, Retrieve
Describe, Compile, Discuss, Explain, Summarise, Interpret
What data you need to...? How will I find the information? What gaps are in my knowledge?
Making a summary of... Describe in your own words... Explain why...
When you are about to go to class, how will thinking this way help you to enjoy the lesson more?
DURING CLASS
Level of thinking What does it mean?
What you do
Ideas to think about APPLYING ( Application )
Using what you have learnt by applying it to new situations and problems. Adapting information to fit; going beyond the data.
Modify, Convert, Adapt, Apply, Demonstrate, Show
Describe how you would... Modify the process to... Demonstrate how you would...
ANALYSING ( Analysis )
Looking for the “what ifs” and searching for patterns and connections between the parts. Seeing implications and differences; viewing the individual pieces of the problem.
Relate, Identify, Interpret, Compare, Distinguish, Contrast
Why did this happen? How does the issue impact on...?
What is the problem with... and why?
When you are in class, how will thinking this way help you to enjoy the lesson more?
AFTER CLASS
Level of thinking What does it mean?
What you do Ideas to think about EVALUATING (Synthesis ) Weighing up and valuing ideas, solutions, methods, using evidence to compare, make judgements on what you have found; making your own informed assessments.
DESIGNING (Creation )
From all of your research and what you have learnt, create your own new ideas and connections; original personal plans, patterns and visions.
Justify, Verify, Validate, Assess, Judge, Conclude Why is this idea better than...?
Judge the merit of...
Verify the value of...
Invent, Forecast, Predict, Create, Devise, Compose
Predict what might happen if... Devise a new way to... Create a solution to...
After class when you arrive home, how will thinking this way help you to increase your abilities?
Acknowledgement: Benjamin Bloom & Lorin Anderson
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” Booker Washington
CORNELL NOTES PROCESS
This Lesson: WHY: for you to learn how to use this process to improve how you take notes in class and review them to grow your understanding. HOW: rule up your page the Cornell way, and practise writing down your thoughts and questions you may have in the correct sections. The Cornell Notes Process enables you to use both sides of your brain when taking notes when in class. Doing this will build stronger and faster brain pathways to store what you learn more effectively in your brain.
CUES & QUESTIONS
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DURING CLASS
~ How does it connect to what you already know?
~ What questions do you have?
~ Draw diagrams & idea maps
SOON AFTER CLASS
~ Review note taking column and write down main points and ideas
~ Words used and their meanings
NOTE TAKING
~ Use points, not sentences
Main ideas
~ Use your own words to rephrase what your teacher says
~ Note points teacher repeats or emphasises
~ Use your own abbreviations and symbols
~ Leave a line between ideas
~ Write down examples, quotes and details
SUMMARY
AT HOME
~ Not looking at your notes, attempt to answer your questions from class
~ Read over your notes for five minutes in each subject
~ Focus on highlighting main points, ideas and facts
~ Enter these in an interactive thinking tool from the website for your visual memory
Acknowledgement: Walter Pauk
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust