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What is Healthy Growth?

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Lesson Plan

What is Healthy Growth?

Students will define 'growth' and 'healthy growth,' connect these concepts to their personal goals, and reflect on their own progress and areas for healthy development.

Understanding healthy growth helps students develop a positive self-concept, recognize their efforts, and build resilience in working towards personal and academic goals. It fosters self-awareness and encourages a balanced perspective on success and challenges.

Audience

5th Grade

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and self-reflection.

Materials

Prep

Review Materials and Setup

5 minutes

The teacher should review the What is Healthy Growth? Lesson Plan, What is Healthy Growth? Slide Deck, and Wordle: Guess 'Growth' Warm Up.
Ensure the projector or whiteboard is ready for the Wordle and slides.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Wordle 'Growth'

3 minutes

  1. Begin the lesson by projecting the Wordle: Guess 'Growth' Warm Up on the board.
    2. Explain the rules of Wordle (students guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback on correct letters and positions).
    3. Guide students through guessing until they collectively arrive at the word 'GROWTH'.
    4. Transition to the discussion about what 'growth' means.

Step 2

Introduction: What is Growth?

4 minutes

  1. Display Slide 1 (Title Slide).
    2. Ask students: "Now that we've guessed the word, what does 'growth' mean to you?" Allow for a few student responses.
    3. Display Slide 2. Introduce the idea of growth not just being physical, but also about learning, developing skills, and becoming a better person.
    4. Connect to recent goal setting: "We've been setting goals recently. How does setting goals relate to growth?"

Step 3

Exploring Healthy Growth

5 minutes

  1. Display Slide 3. Introduce the concept of 'healthy growth.'
    2. Facilitate a discussion using the prompts from the Healthy Growth Conversation Discussion:
    * "What does 'healthy growth' look like in different areas of our lives? (e.g., learning, friendships, emotions)"
    * "How can we tell if our growth is 'healthy' or helpful?"
    * "Think about the goals you've set. How can you ensure you're pursuing healthy growth with those goals?"
    3. Encourage students to share examples and listen respectfully to their peers.
    4. Display Slide 4. Briefly summarize key takeaways about diverse aspects of healthy growth.

Step 4

Cool Down: How Am I Growing?

3 minutes

  1. Distribute the How Am I Growing? Cool Down to each student.
    2. Ask students to complete the cool down, reflecting on one way they feel they are growing healthily.
    3. Collect the cool downs as an exit ticket.
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Slide Deck

What Is Healthy Growth?

Understanding ourselves and how we grow!

Welcome students and introduce the topic of growth. Engage them with the Wordle warm-up before showing this slide.

What Does Growth Mean To You?

Growth is more than just getting taller!

  • Learning new things
  • Developing new skills
  • Becoming a better friend
  • Understanding your feelings

How does this connect to the goals we've been setting?

After the Wordle, ask students to share their initial thoughts on what 'growth' means. Connect their ideas to physical, mental, and emotional development. Then, link it to their recent goal-setting.

What is Healthy Growth?

Let's explore what healthy growth looks like:

  • In your learning? (Academically)
  • In your friendships? (Socially)
  • In your feelings? (Emotionally)
  • In trying new things? (Personal development)

Why is it important to grow in a healthy way?

Introduce the idea of healthy growth. Use these questions to spark a class discussion. Encourage diverse examples from school, home, and friendships. Refer to the Healthy Growth Conversation Discussion for more prompts.

Healthy Growth: Key Takeaways

Healthy growth is:

  • Balanced: Growing in many areas, not just one.
  • Positive: Learning from mistakes and getting better.
  • Personal: Everyone grows at their own pace.
  • Effort: It takes work and trying your best!

It helps us become our best selves!

Summarize the key ideas from the discussion. Emphasize that healthy growth is balanced and positive across different areas of life.

Reflect and Grow!

Take a moment to reflect on your own healthy growth.

Complete the How Am I Growing? Cool Down to share your thoughts.

Explain the cool-down activity. Students will complete the "How Am I Growing?" reflection sheet. Collect these as an exit ticket.

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Warm Up

Wordle: Guess the Word!

Instructions: Your teacher will guide you through guessing a 5-letter word. Think about things that change and get bigger or better over time.

Example: If the word is 'APPLE' and you guess 'PLANT':

  • P would be yellow (correct letter, wrong spot)
  • L would be yellow (correct letter, wrong spot)
  • A would be gray (not in the word)
  • N would be gray (not in the word)
  • T would be gray (not in the word)

Let's start guessing! The word we are looking for today is a very important one for our lesson. It's G R O W T H.

Teacher Note: Project this on the board and facilitate the guessing. The target word is GROWTH.

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Discussion

Healthy Growth Conversation Prompts

Use these questions to guide your discussion about healthy growth. Remember to listen respectfully to your classmates!

  1. What does the word "growth" mean to you? (Think beyond just getting taller!)




  2. We've been setting goals. How do the goals you've set help you grow?




  3. What does healthy growth look like when you are:
    • Learning something new in class? (Academic growth)
    • Making new friends or being a good friend? (Social growth)
    • Understanding and managing your emotions? (Emotional growth)
    • Trying a new sport or hobby? (Personal growth)






  4. How can you tell if the way you are growing is healthy and helpful for you?




  5. What are some challenges to healthy growth, and how can we overcome them?






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Cool Down

How Am I Growing?

Instructions: Think about our discussion on healthy growth. In what way do you feel you are growing in a healthy way right now? It could be in your learning, your friendships, your feelings, or trying something new!

I am growing healthily by...












This growth is important because...






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