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The 'Growth Mindset' Garden

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Lesson Plan

The 'Growth Mindset' Garden Lesson Plan

Students will be able to define 'growth mindset' and 'fixed mindset,' identify how effort and perseverance contribute to learning and skill development, and apply growth mindset principles to personal challenges by reframing 'I can't' statements into 'I can try' statements.

Understanding and adopting a growth mindset helps students develop resilience, embrace challenges, and improve their academic and social-emotional well-being. This lesson empowers them to see their potential as limitless.

Audience

5th Grade

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, visual analogy, hands-on activity, and reflective writing.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Growth Mindset Garden Slide Deck, Markers or pens, Growth Mindset Garden Worksheet, My Resilience Garden Activity Materials, Construction paper or drawing materials, Crayons/colored pencils, and Growth Mindset Journal Prompt

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction: The Seed of an Idea

10 minutes

  • Begin with a warm-up question: "What's something you found really hard at first, but then got better at with practice?" Allow a few students to share.
    - Introduce the concept of a 'mindset' – how we think about our abilities and challenges.
    - Explain that today, we're going to explore two types of mindsets by imagining our minds as gardens. Use Growth Mindset Garden Slide Deck slides 1-3.

Step 2

Fixed vs. Growth: Weeds and Sunlight

15 minutes

  • Present the concepts of a 'fixed mindset' and a 'growth mindset' using the garden analogy.
    - Fixed Mindset: Believing abilities are fixed, like a rock that can't change. Challenges are like big, scary weeds that stop growth.
    - Growth Mindset: Believing abilities can grow with effort, like a plant that gets stronger with sunlight and water. Challenges are opportunities to grow, like watering the plant.
    - Facilitate a brief discussion using prompts: "Can anyone think of a time they had a 'fixed mindset' thought? What about a 'growth mindset' thought?"
    - Show examples on Growth Mindset Garden Slide Deck slides 4-7.

Step 3

Cultivating Our Garden: Worksheet & Activity

20 minutes

  • Distribute the Growth Mindset Garden Worksheet.
    - Guide students through the worksheet, helping them identify fixed mindset statements and reframe them into growth mindset statements. Provide examples as needed.
    - Transition to the My Resilience Garden Activity. Instruct students to draw their own 'Growth Mindset Garden.' They should include:
    - A plant representing a skill they want to grow (e.g., math, reading, drawing).
    - 'Sunlight' and 'water' representing efforts they will make (e.g., practicing, asking for help, trying again).
    - 'Weeds' representing challenges they might face, with a strategy to overcome each weed (e.g., "Math is too hard" becomes "I will ask the teacher for help").
    - Circulate and provide support and encouragement.

Step 4

Sharing Our Harvest & Reflection

10 minutes

  • Have a few volunteers share their 'Growth Mindset Garden' drawings and explain one of their reframed challenges.
    - Distribute the Growth Mindset Journal Prompt. Allow students 5 minutes to begin writing their reflections.
    - Conclude by reiterating that every day is a chance to water their growth mindset garden, turning challenges into opportunities for growth. Use Growth Mindset Garden Slide Deck slides 8-9.

Step 5

Cool Down: Seed of Wisdom

5 minutes

  • Ask students to write down one

Step 6

Cool Down: Seed of Wisdom

5 minutes

  • Ask students to write down one

Step 7

Cool Down: Seed of Wisdom

5 minutes

  • Ask students to write down one new thing they learned about themselves or their abilities today on an index card or scrap paper (exit ticket style). Collect as students leave. Use Growth Mindset Garden Slide Deck slide 10.
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Slide Deck

Welcome to Our Garden!

What's something you found really hard at first, but then got better at with practice?

Welcome students and begin with the warm-up question. Encourage participation.

What's a Mindset?

It's how you think about yourself and your abilities.

Like a lens through which you see challenges!

Introduce the idea of a 'mindset' – how our thoughts shape our abilities.

Imagine Your Mind as a Garden...

What does your garden look like?

Is it full of blooming flowers, or tough weeds?

Set the stage for the garden analogy.

The Fixed Mindset Garden

Believing your abilities are like a rock—they can't change.

Challenges feel like giant, impossible weeds that stop growth.

"I'm not good at this, so I'll never be good at it."

Explain fixed mindset. Emphasize that it's a belief that intelligence/talent is static.

The Growth Mindset Garden

Believing your abilities are like a plant—they can grow and get stronger with effort!

Challenges are like opportunities to water your plant.

"This is hard, but I can learn and improve if I keep trying!"

Explain growth mindset. Emphasize that effort and learning are key.

Fixed Mindset Thoughts

Can you think of a time you or someone else had a fixed mindset thought?

  • "I'm just not a math person."
  • "I give up, this is too hard."
  • "I made a mistake, I'm so dumb."

Provide examples of fixed mindset thoughts.

Growth Mindset Power-Ups!

How can we change those thoughts?

  • "I'm not a math person yet, but I can learn!"
  • "I'll try a new strategy."
  • "Mistakes help me learn and grow!"

Provide examples of growth mindset thoughts.

Cultivating Our Garden

Let's practice turning our "weeds" into "sunlight"!

We'll work on our Growth Mindset Garden Worksheet and create our own My Resilience Garden Activity.

Transition to the activity. Explain how the worksheet helps reframe thoughts.

Your Resilience Garden

Draw a skill you want to grow.

Add 'sunlight' (your efforts) and 'water' (your support).

Draw 'weeds' (challenges) and brainstorm how to pull them out!

Encourage students to draw and think about their own efforts and challenges.

Water Your Garden Daily!

Every day is a chance to water your growth mindset garden.

Turn challenges into opportunities for growth!

Remember: "I can't" becomes "I can try!"

Facilitate sharing and close the lesson.

Seed of Wisdom: Cool Down

What is one new thing you learned about yourself or your abilities today?

For the cool down, ask students to write down one new thing they learned.

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Worksheet

Growth Mindset Garden Worksheet

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

Part 1: Spot the Weeds! (Fixed Mindset Statements)

Read each statement below. If it sounds like a "fixed mindset" (believing abilities can't change), put a check mark next to it.

  1. _____ "I'm just not good at math."
  2. _____ "This is too hard; I give up."
  3. _____ "I made a mistake, so I'm dumb."
  4. _____ "I'll never be as good as them."
  5. _____ "Why bother? It won't make a difference."
  6. _____ "I already know everything about this."

Part 2: Plant New Seeds! (Growth Mindset Reframe)

Now, take the fixed mindset statements you checked above (or choose any two from the list) and rephrase them into a "growth mindset" statement. Think about how you can change

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Activity

My Resilience Garden Activity

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

Instructions:

Imagine your mind is a beautiful garden. In this garden, you get to decide what grows!

Use the space below (or a separate sheet of paper) to draw and label Your Resilience Garden. Make sure to include the following:

  1. Your Plant of Growth: Draw a plant (or a tree, or a flower) that represents a skill or ability you want to grow. This could be something academic (like mastering multiplication or writing better stories), something social (like making new friends), or a personal quality (like being more patient). Label your plant clearly!













  2. Sunlight of Effort & Water of Support: Around your plant, draw and label at least two things that represent the effort you will put in to help your skill grow (like practice, studying, trying again) and two things that represent support you might use (like asking a teacher for help, talking to a friend, reading a book). Remember, plants need sunlight and water to thrive!













  3. Weeds of Challenge & How to Pull Them Out: Draw at least two "weeds" that represent challenges or fixed mindset thoughts that might try to stop your plant from growing. Next to each weed, write down a strategy or a "growth mindset" thought that will help you "pull out" that weed and keep your plant growing stronger. For example, if a weed is "I can't do fractions," you might write "I will ask my teacher for help and practice every day."













Be creative and make your garden colorful! This is your garden of growth and resilience!

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Journal

Growth Mindset Journal: My Inner Garden

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

Journal Prompt:

Think about what we discussed today about the "Growth Mindset" Garden. Everyone has a garden inside their mind where ideas and abilities can grow. Sometimes, we face challenges that feel like stubborn weeds trying to take over, and sometimes we need to remember to give our garden enough sunlight (effort) and water (support).

Write about a specific challenge you are currently facing (in school, at home, or with a hobby). How does this challenge make you feel? Are you having any "fixed mindset" thoughts about it? Then, imagine how you can apply the "growth mindset" to this challenge. What kind of "sunlight" (effort) will you give it? What "water" (support) might you need? How will you "pull out the weeds" (overcome negative thoughts)?

Your response should be at least one paragraph long, reflecting on how you can help your inner garden thrive.













Bonus Question: What is one new

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The 'Growth Mindset' Garden • Lenny Learning