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Mindset Over Mood

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Lesson Plan

Mindset Over Mood Lesson Plan

Students will explore how thoughts influence their emotions by mapping personal thought-emotion connections and practice cognitive reframing techniques to regulate moods and build resilience.

Understanding how mindset shapes mood gives students self-awareness and practical tools for emotional regulation, reducing stress and improving well-being.

Audience

Middle School Students (Grades 6–8)

Time

50 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, mindfulness, mapping activities, and cognitive reframing practice.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and introduce the session’s goal: understanding how thoughts shape feelings and learning to manage moods.
  • Briefly outline the agenda and learning objectives.
  • Pose an opening question: “Can a single thought change how you feel?” Write responses on the whiteboard.

Step 2

Mindset vs. Mood Concept

10 minutes

  • Present slides 3–7 of the Mindset Over Mood Slide Deck to define mindset and mood.
  • Facilitate a think–pair–share: students recall a time when a thought altered their mood.
  • Invite pairs to share examples, noting common themes on the board.

Step 3

Guided Mindfulness Exercise

7 minutes

  • Lead a brief mindfulness check-in: deep breaths and body scan.
  • Prompt students to notice thoughts without judgment.
  • After 2 minutes, ask them to jot down the first thought that comes to mind on a sticky note.

Step 4

Thought–Emotion Mapping Activity

12 minutes

  • Distribute the Thoughts and Emotions Mapping Worksheet.
  • Instruct students to record the sticky-note thought and identify associated emotions and intensity.
  • Circulate to support students in naming feelings (e.g., anxious, excited, frustrated).
  • Encourage honest reflection and questions.

Step 5

Reframing Thoughts Practice

10 minutes

Step 6

Group Share & Discussion

5 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share a before-and-after example with the class.
  • Highlight effective reframes and celebrate insights.
  • Summarize key takeaways on the whiteboard: awareness, naming, reframing.

Step 7

Wrap-Up & Reflection

1 minute

  • Quickly review the objectives and ask students to share one tool they’ll use next time they notice a strong mood.
  • Encourage them to practice mapping and reframing over the week.
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Slide Deck

Mindset Over Mood

Grades 6–8 • 50 minutes • Emotional Well-Being

Welcome students to our session! Introduce the title and explain that today we’ll explore how our thoughts shape our feelings and learn tools to manage mood.

Objectives & Agenda

• Define mindset and mood
• Practice mindfulness
• Map thoughts to emotions
• Try cognitive reframing
• Reflect & share

Outline the learning goals and the flow of activities. Emphasize that students will define key terms, practice mindfulness, do an activity, learn reframing, and reflect.

What Is Mindset?

• Your ongoing thoughts and beliefs
• Shapes how you interpret events

Explain mindset as the ongoing stream of thoughts and beliefs inside our heads. Contrast fixed vs. growth mindsets briefly if asked.

What Is Mood?

• Your current feelings and emotions
• Influenced by your mindset

Define mood as our current emotional state that can shift based on our mindset and other factors.

Thought → Emotion

[Visual: Thought bubble ➔ 😊 / 😔]

• Thoughts shape feelings

Display the visual. Ask: “Can one thought really change how you feel?” Use think–pair–share and collect examples on the board.

Mindfulness Exercise

• Close your eyes
• Take 3 deep breaths
• Notice any thought
• Jot it on a sticky note

Lead a 2-minute mindfulness check-in: close eyes, breathe deeply, scan your body. Then instruct students to write the first thought they notice on a sticky note.

Thought-Emotion Mapping

Use Thoughts and Emotions Mapping Worksheet

• Write your thought
• Identify the emotion
• Rate its intensity

Hand out the mapping worksheet. Show how to record the thought, name the emotion, and rate its intensity. Circulate to support emotion naming.

What Is Cognitive Reframing?

• Notice unhelpful thoughts
• Replace with balanced alternatives

Introduce cognitive reframing: turning unhelpful thoughts into balanced ones. Emphasize it’s not about ‘positive thinking’ but realism.

Reframing Examples

“I’ll fail the test” → “I can study and do my best”

“Nobody likes me” → “Some friends enjoy my company”

Share two simple examples. Explain how the new thought is more realistic or helpful, and ask how it might change feelings.

Practice Reframing

• Pick one mapped thought
• Use Cognitive Reframe Practice Sheet
• Write a balanced thought

Distribute the practice sheet. Instruct students to pick one thought from their map and write a balanced version. Then pair up to share.

Share & Key Takeaways

• What differences did you notice?
• Tools: Awareness, Naming, Reframing
• Practice every day!

Invite volunteers to share their before/after examples. Highlight effective reframes and reinforce the three key tools.

Wrap-Up

• One tool you’ll use this week?
• Keep mapping & reframing

Quickly recap objectives. Ask each student to name one tool they’ll use this week when they notice a strong mood.

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Activity

Thoughts and Emotions Mapping Worksheet

Instructions: Use your sticky-note thought to complete the sections below.

  1. Thought



    Write the exact thought you noticed during the mindfulness exercise.

  2. Emotion(s)



    Name the feeling(s) connected to this thought (e.g., anxious, excited, frustrated).

  3. Intensity Rating
    On a scale of 1 (very low) to 5 (very high), how strong was this emotion?

1 2 3 4 5

  1. Reflection
  • What event or idea triggered this thought?
  • How did noticing and naming the emotion feel?
  • Did simply writing it down change your mood at all?






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Activity

Cognitive Reframe Practice Sheet

Instructions: Choose one thought from your mapping worksheet to reframe. Complete the sections below.

  1. Original Thought


  2. Reframed Thought


  3. Mood Before (list feeling(s) and rate 1–5)


  4. Mood After (list feeling(s) and rate 1–5)


  5. Reflection

  • How did reframing change your mood?





  • Is the new thought realistic and helpful? Why or why not?





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