Lesson Plan
Facilitator Guide and Timing Notes
Students will describe fixed vs. growth mindsets and choose two effort-based strategies to apply during the week, measured by a pre-assessment rubric baseline and end-of-lesson exit tickets.
Understanding fixed vs. growth mindsets empowers students to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and develop resilience. This lesson builds self-regulation and motivation for lifelong learning.
Audience
4th Grade Elementary Students
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Interactive modeling, scenario practice, and personal strategy planning.
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Print or project Mindset Powers On Slides.
- Print one copy per student of Likert School Success Self-Assessment Pre/Post (10-item Rubric).
- Assemble sets of Mistakes Help Me Grow Card Sort.
- Make enough My Growth Strategy Menu worksheets.
- Print discussion prompts for Effort vs. Talent Scenarios.
- Prepare Today My Brain Grew Reflection sheets.
- Review the Facilitator Guide and Timing Notes to familiarize yourself with pacing and instructions.
Step 1
Warm-Up & Pre-Assessment
10 minutes
- Distribute Likert School Success Self-Assessment Pre/Post (10-item Rubric).
- Read each statement aloud and have students rate themselves privately.
- Collect rubrics to establish baseline beliefs about abilities.
Step 2
Teach & Model Mindsets
10 minutes
- Project Mindset Powers On Slides.
- Define fixed vs. growth mindsets with child-friendly examples.
- Explain how effort, strategies, and mistakes help brains grow (brain plasticity).
- Model positive self-talk by reframing a fixed mindset comment.
Step 3
Guided Practice: Scenarios & Card Sort
10 minutes
- Present Effort vs. Talent Scenarios and discuss in pairs whether each reflects a fixed or growth mindset.
- Distribute Mistakes Help Me Grow Card Sort.
- In small groups, match mistake statements to growth-minded reframes and share reasoning.
Step 4
Plan Personal Growth Strategies
8 minutes
- Hand out My Growth Strategy Menu.
- Students select two effort-based strategies they will use this week (e.g., ask for help, set mini-goals).
- Have students write how and when they’ll implement each strategy.
- Circulate to support choices and check understanding.
Step 5
Reflect & Exit Ticket
7 minutes
- Distribute Today My Brain Grew Reflection.
- Prompt students to describe one mindset shift they experienced today and how they’ll apply it.
- Collect reflections as exit tickets to assess understanding and plan follow-up.
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Slide Deck
Mindset Powers On
Welcome to our Growth Mindset Lesson!
Grade 4 • 45 Minutes
Today we will:
- Discover what mindset means
- Compare fixed vs. growth mindsets
- Practice reframing mistakes
- Plan two effort-based strategies
- Reflect on our learning
Welcome students and introduce the lesson. Explain that today we’ll learn about two ways of thinking—fixed and growth—and how we can make our brains stronger by using effort and strategies.
Warm-Up: Self-Assessment Rubric
Please take your Likert School Success Self-Assessment (10-item rubric).
• Read each statement aloud.
• Rate yourself honestly (1–5).
• Keep your ratings private.
Turn in your rubric when you’re done.
Explain that before we begin, students will rate their own beliefs about learning. Distribute the Likert rubric and have them complete quietly.
What Is Mindset?
Mindset is how we think about our ability to learn and grow.
Two kinds of mindset:
• Fixed Mindset: Believing intelligence and talent are set in stone.
• Growth Mindset: Believing effort and good strategies help us improve.
Define mindset and introduce the two types. Use simple language and examples.
Fixed Mindset Examples
“I can’t do this.”
“I’m just not good at math.”
“Mistakes mean I’m not smart.”
When you believe you can’t change, you stop trying.
Show examples of fixed-mindset thoughts. Encourage students to think of times they said these phrases.
Growth Mindset Examples
“I can learn if I try.”
“Mistakes help me grow.”
“I’ll ask for help and practice more.”
Growth mindset helps us keep going.
Show examples of growth-mindset thoughts. Model saying one out loud.
Why Growth Mindset Matters
• Encourages persistence when work is hard
• Builds confidence and resilience
• Helps us learn from mistakes
• Leads to better school and life success
Briefly explain why a growth mindset helps us in school and life.
Brain Plasticity
Our brains can change and grow!
• Every time we practice or learn, our brain makes new connections.
• Mistakes and challenges help make our brains stronger.
Think of learning like exercising your brain.
Introduce brain plasticity in kid-friendly terms: the brain grows connections like a muscle.
Guided Practice: Effort vs. Talent Scenarios
- Read each scenario together.
- Discuss with a partner: “Is this fixed or growth mindset?”
- Share your answer and why.
Be ready to explain your choice.
Explain the scenarios activity. Project the scenarios and have students turn to a partner.
Card Sort: Mistakes Help Me Grow
In small groups:
- Sort mistake statements and growth-minded reframes.
- Match each mistake with the positive reframe.
- Discuss why they go together.
Share one match with the class.
Introduce the card sort. Hand out sets and model matching one pair.
Plan Your Growth Strategies
- Open your My Growth Strategy Menu.
- Choose two effort-based strategies (e.g., ask questions, set mini-goals, try new approaches).
- Write how and when you will use each strategy this week.
Explain the strategy menu. Show examples of strategies (ask for help, set a mini-goal).
My Growth Strategy Menu
• Strategy 1: __________________________
How & When: ________________________
• Strategy 2: __________________________
How & When: ________________________
Be specific so you can follow your plan!
Circulate to support students as they plan. Offer suggestions if needed.
Reflect & Exit Ticket
Complete Today My Brain Grew Reflection:
- Explain one mindset shift you experienced today.
- Describe how you will use that mindset going forward.
Turn in your reflection as your exit ticket.
Distribute reflection sheets. Remind students to describe one way their mindset shifted today.
Rubric
Likert School Success Self-Assessment (Pre/Post)
Use the scale below to rate how true each statement is for you right now.
Scale:
1 – Strongly Disagree 2 – Disagree 3 – Sometimes 4 – Agree 5 – Strongly Agree
| # | Statement | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I believe my intelligence is something I can’t really change. | |||||
| 2 | When I face a challenge, I feel excited to learn something new. | |||||
| 3 | Making mistakes makes me want to stop trying. | |||||
| 4 | I can improve how smart I am by practicing and working hard. | |||||
| 5 | I think effort helps me learn new skills that I didn’t have before. | |||||
| 6 | I enjoy tasks that push me beyond what I already know. | |||||
| 7 | I get frustrated and give up when school work is too hard. | |||||
| 8 | Mistakes help me understand what to learn next and get better. | |||||
| 9 | When I don’t understand something, I look for help or try a different strategy. | |||||
| 10 | I believe there are limits to how much I can improve no matter how hard I try. |
Note: Reverse-score items 1, 3, 7, and 10 when calculating overall growth-mindset orientation.
Activity
Mistakes Help Me Grow Card Sort
Instructions for Teacher:
- Print and cut apart the cards in the table below so each statement is on its own card.
- Divide students into small groups and give each group a shuffled set of fixed-mindset and growth-mindset cards.
- Ask students to match each fixed-mindset “mistake” statement with its growth-mindset reframe.
- After sorting, have each group share one pair and explain why the reframe helps our brains grow.
| Fixed-Mindset Statement | Growth-Mindset Reframe |
|---|---|
| “Making mistakes means I’m not smart.” | “Mistakes help me see what to learn next.” |
| “If it’s too hard, I should just give up.” | “Hard work and persistence help me improve over time.” |
| “I’m just not good at this.” | “I can get better with practice and effort.” |
| “I’ll never be good at math, so why try?” | “I can learn new strategies to get better at math.” |
| “Getting something wrong means I’m a failure.” | “Getting things wrong shows me how to do better next time.” |
| “I shouldn’t ask questions because I’m supposed to know everything.” | “Asking questions helps me learn and grow.” |
| “I need to be perfect or I’m no good.” | “Trying my best, even if it’s not perfect, helps me improve.” |
| “I can’t do this on my own, so I’ll never figure it out.” | “I can try different approaches and ask for help when I need it.” |
Discussion Prompts:
- Which reframe did you find most helpful? Why?
- How can you use these reframes when you feel stuck in class?
Once groups finish, reconvene and invite volunteers to share a matched pair and their thinking.
Worksheet
My Growth Strategy Menu
Instructions: Read the list of effort-based strategies below. Circle two strategies you will use this week to help your brain grow. Then, on the lines provided, write each chosen strategy and describe how and when you will use it.
Effort-Based Strategies (Circle Two):
- Ask for help when I don’t understand something.
- Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
- Set mini-goals for each study session.
- Use positive self-talk (e.g., “I can learn this!”).
- Try a different approach if the first one doesn’t work.
- Practice regularly (daily review or repetition).
- Take short breaks and come back to challenges.
- Celebrate small successes and progress.
- Reflect on mistakes to learn from them.
Strategy 1: _____________________________________
How & When I Will Use Strategy 1:
___________________________________
Strategy 2: _____________________________________
How & When I Will Use Strategy 2:
___________________________________
Keep this menu visible all week and check off each time you use your strategies!
Discussion
Effort vs. Talent Scenarios
Instructions for Students:
- Read each short story below with your partner or small group.
- Decide whether the student in the scenario is showing a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
- Explain how you know (what words or actions give you that clue).
- If it’s a fixed‐mindset example, brainstorm a positive reframe to turn it into a growth mindset.
- Be ready to share your ideas!
Scenario 1
Jessica watches her classmate solve a tricky math puzzle in seconds. She thinks, “I’m not good at math—I'll never get this.”
Questions:
- Fixed or growth mindset? Why?
- How could Jessica rephrase her thought with a growth mindset?
### Scenario 2
Carlos practices his spelling words every night, even though it’s hard. He tells himself, “Each time I practice I get a little better.”
Questions:
- Fixed or growth mindset? Why?
- What can Carlos do next to keep improving?
### Scenario 3
Maya gets a low score on her science quiz and feels like quitting. But then she reminds herself, “Mistakes help me learn what I need to review.”
Questions:
- Fixed or growth mindset? Why?
- What strategy might Maya use to study differently next time?
### Scenario 4
Ethan says, “I was born bad at drawing,” and refuses to try art class. His teacher says, “Drawing gets easier with practice—let’s start with one simple shape.”
Questions:
- Fixed or growth mindset? Why?
- How could Ethan’s self‐talk change to help him feel brave enough to try?
### Scenario 5
Lila struggles to read a new book but keeps going: “If I read a little each day, soon I’ll understand more.”
Questions:
- Fixed or growth mindset? Why?
- What positive self-talk is Lila using? How does it help her brain grow?
---
Extension Discussion:
- Which scenario was most like something you’ve experienced?
- What fixed-mindset thoughts do you catch yourself having?
- Share one growth-mindset reframe you will use this week when you face a challenge.
Journal
Today My Brain Grew Reflection
Today you explored how your thoughts and efforts help your brain grow. Reflect on your learning by answering the questions below.
- What is one new thing you learned today about a growth mindset?
- Describe a moment when you noticed a fixed mindset in yourself. How did you change it into a growth mindset?
- Which growth strategy will you use next time you face a challenge?
Be specific: what strategy will you choose, and when will you use it?
- How will using a growth mindset help you in another subject or activity this week?