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Mindset Matters

Lesson Plan

Growth Mindset Coaching Plan

Guide a 9th grade student through reflection on fixed vs. growth mindsets, develop personalized resilience strategies, and set SMART career and life goals supported by daily mindset logs.

Building a growth mindset and resilience equips students to tackle challenges, boosts self-efficacy, and clarifies career and personal aspirations through actionable goal-setting.

Audience

9th Grade Student

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Structured coaching with reflective, discussion, and planning activities

Materials

Resilience Roadmap, Daily Mindset Logs, and Strengths & Strategies Discussion Guide

Prep

Review and Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Goal Setting

5 minutes

  • Welcome the student and build rapport
  • Explain the session’s purpose: growth mindset, resilience, goal-setting
  • Ask the student to share one career aspiration and one personal goal
  • Record these in your coaching notes

Step 2

Mindset Exploration

7 minutes

  • Define fixed vs. growth mindset with examples
  • Ask the student to recall a recent challenge and describe their reaction
  • Guide them to reframe negative thoughts into growth statements
  • Encourage them to identify one area they’d like to adopt a growth mindset in

Step 3

Resilience Roadmap Development

8 minutes

  • Present the Resilience Roadmap slide deck
  • Review 4–5 resilience strategies (e.g., seeking feedback, stress management)
  • Ask the student to select 2–3 strategies that resonate with their challenges
  • Co-create a simple action plan mapping strategies to specific obstacles

Step 4

Strengths & Strategies Discussion

5 minutes

  • Use the Strengths & Strategies Discussion Guide
  • Prompt the student to list 3 personal strengths and examples
  • Discuss how each strength can support their career and life goals
  • Identify 1–2 new strategies to leverage strengths when facing setbacks

Step 5

Daily Mindset Logs & Action Plan

3 minutes

  • Introduce the Daily Mindset Logs
  • Have the student complete the first log entry: today’s goal, potential obstacles, mindset strategy
  • Set a routine: log entries each evening to track progress and reflect

Step 6

Conclusion & Next Steps

2 minutes

  • Summarize key takeaways and celebrate insights
  • Confirm the student’s top goal and chosen resilience strategies
  • Schedule a follow-up session in 1–2 weeks to review logs and progress
  • Encourage ongoing use of daily logs for accountability
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Slide Deck

Resilience Roadmap

Building resilience helps you recover from setbacks, learn from obstacles, and move closer to your goals.

Welcome the student and introduce the concept of resilience. Explain how this roadmap will guide them through practical strategies to bounce back from challenges.

What Is Resilience?

• The ability to recover quickly from difficulties
• Staying motivated when faced with challenges

Reflect: Think of a time you overcame a setback. What helped you move forward?

Define resilience in age-appropriate terms and prompt them to relate it to their own experiences.

Strategy 1: Seeking Feedback

• Ask teachers, peers, or mentors for constructive input
• Listen without judgment and apply suggestions

Prompt: Who can you ask for feedback this week, and on what?

Guide a discussion about the value of feedback and how to seek it respectfully.

Strategy 2: Stress Management

• Practice deep breathing or mindful pauses
• Schedule short breaks during study or work sessions

Prompt: Which technique will you try today when you feel stressed?

Explain simple stress-management techniques and encourage practice.

Strategy 3: Embracing Challenges

• View obstacles as learning experiences
• Replace “I can’t” with “I can learn” statements

Prompt: Identify one current challenge you’ll tackle with a growth mindset.

Encourage reframing challenges as opportunities for growth.

Strategy 4: Building Your Support Network

• Reach out to friends, family, or mentors who uplift you
• Share your goals and celebrate small wins together

Prompt: Who will you connect with this week for support?

Discuss the importance of social support and how to cultivate it.

Create Your Resilience Plan

• Choose 2–3 strategies to practice this week
• For each, identify a specific obstacle and an action step

Your Turn: Write down each strategy, the related challenge, and your plan.

Help the student commit to action by mapping strategies to real obstacles.

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Journal

Daily Mindset Logs

Use this journal each day to set intentions, anticipate challenges, apply growth-focused strategies, and reflect on your progress.

Date: ____________

1. Today’s Goal

What is your main goal for today?





2. Potential Obstacles

What obstacles might get in the way of your goal?





3. Mindset Strategy

Which resilience strategy or growth mindset statement will you use? (e.g., “I can learn from this,” deep breathing, seeking feedback)





4. End-of-Day Reflection

How did you apply your mindset strategy? What did you learn about yourself or your process?









5. Next Steps

What will you do differently or focus on tomorrow to keep growing?





Return to this log each evening to build consistency and track your journey toward a growth mindset and resilience!

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Discussion

Strengths & Strategies Discussion Guide

This guide helps facilitate a focused discussion for the student to:

• Identify personal strengths and provide real examples
• Connect strengths to their career and life goals
• Strategize how to leverage strengths when facing challenges

Prompt 1: Identify Strengths

Question: List three personal strengths you have. For each, share an example of when you used that strength effectively.





Follow-up:

  • How did this strength help you overcome that situation?
  • How did it make you feel to use this strength?

Prompt 2: Link to Career Aspirations

Question: Think about your career aspiration of ____________. How can these strengths support you in working toward this goal?





Follow-up:

  • Which strength feels most relevant to this career path?
  • What is a scenario in that field where this strength would help you succeed?

Prompt 3: Apply to Challenges

Question: Reflect on a recent setback you faced. Which of your strengths could you apply next time to approach the challenge differently?





Follow-up:

  • How would you use that strength to change your approach?
  • Which strategy from the Resilience Roadmap aligns well with this strength?

Prompt 4: Strategy Planning

Question: Identify one or two specific strategies you can use to leverage your strengths when facing obstacles.





Follow-up:

  • How will you remind yourself to use these strategies?
  • Where will you record this action plan? Consider using the Daily Mindset Logs.

Conclusion & Next Steps

  • Summarize the strengths and strategies discussed.
  • Confirm one action step the student will take this week to apply their strengths toward their goals.
  • Encourage the student to revisit this guide and update their plan as they grow.
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