Growth Mindset Gardeners Script

Introduction: Welcome to Our Growth Mindset Garden (10 minutes)

(Display Slide 1: Welcome, Growth Mindset Gardeners!)

"Good morning/afternoon, aspiring gardeners! Today, we are going to become 'Growth Mindset Gardeners,' and we're going to talk about something super important: how our brains grow and how our thoughts can help them!"

"Look at this beautiful garden. What do plants need to grow strong and tall? Shout out your ideas!"

(Allow students to share ideas: sunlight, water, good soil, air, care, etc. Affirm their responses.)

"That's right! Plants need many things to thrive. And guess what? Our brains are a lot like gardens!"

(Display Slide 2: Your Brain is a Garden!)

"Our brains are amazing, and they can grow and get smarter every single day, just like a plant grows taller! Our thoughts are like the seeds we plant in our brain garden. Some seeds help our brains grow big and strong, while others might make it a little harder."

Exploring Mindsets: Seed or Weed? (15 minutes)

"We're going to learn about two kinds of seeds: Growth Seeds and Fixed Weeds."

(Display Slide 3: Growth Mindset: Planting Growth Seeds 🌱)

"Growth Seeds are thoughts that help our brains grow! These are thoughts like:

• 'I can learn this!'
• 'I'll try my best!'
• 'Mistakes help me learn!'
• 'I can get better with practice!'"

"When we think these thoughts, we are planting amazing growth seeds that help our brain garden flourish!"

(Display Slide 4: Fixed Mindset: Growing Fixed Weeds 🍂)

"Now, sometimes we might have Fixed Weeds in our brain garden. These are thoughts that can stop our brains from growing, just like weeds can crowd out a plant! These are thoughts like:

• 'This is too hard!'
• 'I give up!'
• 'I'm not good at this.'
• 'I can't do it.'"

"Fixed Weeds make us feel stuck, but the good news is, we can pull out those weeds and plant new growth seeds!"

(Display Slide 5: Seed or Weed? You Decide! (Scenario 1))

"Let's practice! I'm going to give you some thoughts, and you tell me if it's a Growth Seed (thumbs up!) or a Fixed Weed (thumbs down!)."

"Here's the first thought: 'I can't solve this math problem. It's too tricky!' Is this a Growth Seed or a Fixed Weed?"

(Wait for student responses. Guide them to say it's a Fixed Weed.)

"You got it! That's a Fixed Weed. Why do you think that thought stops our brain from growing?"

(Allow students to share. Emphasize that it sounds like giving up.)

(Display Slide 6: Turn Weeds into Seeds! (Scenario 1))

"How can we turn this Fixed Weed into a super strong Growth Seed? What could we say instead?"

(Guide students to suggest alternatives like 'I'll try a different strategy,' 'I'll ask for help,' or 'I can figure this out with practice!')

"Excellent ideas! A Growth Seed thought could be: 'I'll try a different strategy, or ask for help. I can figure this out!' That's a thought that helps our brain grow!"

(Display Slide 7: Seed or Weed? You Decide! (Scenario 2))

"Let's try another one! Here's a thought: 'My drawing doesn't look perfect. I want to throw it away!' Growth Seed or Fixed Weed?"

(Wait for student responses. Guide them to say it's a Fixed Weed.)

"Right! That sounds like a Fixed Weed. Why?"

(Allow students to share. Focus on how it makes them feel like giving up on trying to improve.)

(Display Slide 8: Turn Weeds into Seeds! (Scenario 2))

"How can we change that Fixed Weed into a powerful Growth Seed? What could we think or say instead?"

(Guide students to suggest alternatives like 'I can learn from this drawing and try new ideas next time!' or 'Practice makes progress!')

"Fantastic! A Growth Seed thought could be: 'I can learn from this drawing and try new ideas next time! Practice makes progress!' Remember, even artists make mistakes, and they learn from them!"

(Display Slide 9: Your Growth Garden Worksheet 📝)

"Now it's your turn to be super gardeners! You each have a Our Growth Garden Worksheet. On this worksheet, you'll see some more thoughts. Your job is to decide if it's a Growth Seed or a Fixed Weed. Then, for the Fixed Weeds, you'll get to turn them into Growth Seeds!"

"Work quietly and carefully. If you have questions, raise a quiet hand. You have about 10 minutes for this."

(Distribute Our Growth Garden Worksheet and allow students to work.)

Cultivating Our Growth Garden: Planting Our Growth Seeds Activity (20 minutes)

(Display Slide 10: Planting Our Own Growth Seeds! 🪴)

"Great job on your worksheets, gardeners! Now, for our final task, we're going to plant our very own Growth Seeds!"

"We're going to make a paper plant. On the leaf of your plant, I want you to write one special Growth Seed thought that you want to remember and plant in your own brain garden. It could be one we talked about, or a new one you thought of!"

"For example, you might write: 'I can do hard things!' or 'I will keep trying!' or 'Mistakes help me grow!'"

"Once you've written your Growth Seed, you can decorate your plant and then we will either add them to our classroom Growth Garden wall or you can take it home to remind you to keep planting your Growth Seeds!"

(Distribute materials for Planting Our Growth Seeds Activity. Guide students through the creation process.)

Cool Down: Watering Our Garden (5 minutes)

"Fantastic work today, everyone! Look at all the amazing Growth Seeds we've planted!"

(Display Slide 11: Keep Your Garden Growing! ✨)

"Before we finish, I want you to think about one thing you learned today about growing your brain. Turn and tell a partner or think silently about how you can use a 'Growth Seed' thought this week."

(Allow 1-2 minutes for students to share or reflect.)

"Remember, your brain is amazing, and it can grow, grow, grow! Keep planting those Growth Seeds every single day! Thank you, Growth Mindset Gardeners!"

(Collect worksheets if desired, and help tidy up activity materials.)

Our Growth Garden Worksheet

Name: _____________________________

Part 1: Seed or Weed? 🌱🍂

Read each thought. Circle if it is a Growth Seed (helps your brain grow!) or a Fixed Weed (stops your brain from growing!).

1. "This puzzle is too hard. I give up!"
   
   Growth Seed / Fixed Weed
   
   
   
   

2. "I made a mistake, but I can learn from it!"
   
   Growth Seed / Fixed Weed
   
   
   
   

3. "I'm not good at drawing, so I won't even try."
   
   Growth Seed / Fixed Weed
   
   
   
   

4. "I'll practice this until I get better!"
   
   Growth Seed / Fixed Weed
   
   
   
   

5. "My friend is better than me, so there's no point in trying."
   
   Growth Seed / Fixed Weed
   
   
   
   

Part 2: Turn Weeds into Seeds! 🌱

For each Fixed Weed thought below, write a new Growth Seed thought that helps your brain grow!

1. Fixed Weed: "I can't read this book. It has too many big words."

   Growth Seed: _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Fixed Weed: "I failed the test. I'm just not smart enough."

   Growth Seed: _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Fixed Weed: "Playing a new game is too scary. I might lose."

   Growth Seed: _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Fixed Weed: "I'll never be able to do a cartwheel like that."

   Growth Seed: _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Planting Our Growth Seeds Activity

Grow Your Brain Garden!

Objective: Create a visual reminder of a growth mindset thought you want to plant in your brain!

Materials Needed:

• Green construction paper (for leaves)
• Brown construction paper (for flower pot/stem)
• Scissors (child-safe)
• Glue sticks
• Crayons or markers

Instructions:

1. Think of Your Growth Seed Thought!

   • What is one powerful thought you want to remember that helps your brain grow? (Examples: "I can do hard things!", "I will keep trying!", "Mistakes help me learn!")
   • Write your Growth Seed thought clearly on a piece of paper first, so you know exactly what you want to write on your leaf.

2. Cut Your Leaf!

   • Take a piece of green construction paper. Draw a large leaf shape on it. It can be any kind of leaf you like!
   • Carefully cut out your leaf shape.

3. Write Your Growth Seed!

   • On your green leaf, write your special Growth Seed thought in big, clear letters.
   • You can decorate your leaf with colors and patterns if you like!

4. Create Your Plant Pot or Stem!

   • Take a piece of brown construction paper.
   • Option A: Flower Pot: Draw a simple flower pot shape and cut it out. This will be the base for your leaf.
   • Option B: Stem: Cut a long, thin rectangle for a stem. This will connect your leaf to a classroom garden.

5. Glue It Together!

   • If you made a flower pot (Option A), glue your leaf onto the top of your pot. It should look like a plant growing out of a pot.
   • If you made a stem (Option B), glue your leaf to one end of the stem. Your teacher will show you where to add it to our class "Growth Garden"!

6. Share Your Seed!

   • Be ready to share your Growth Seed thought with a partner or the class. Explain why this thought is important to you!}}

Watering Our Garden: Cool Down

Name: _____________________________

Reflect and Grow!

1. What is one Growth Seed thought you want to remember from today's lesson?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. How can you use this Growth Seed thought in your own "brain garden" this week? Give an example.