Mindset Mastery: Your Mindset Matters! Script

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

(Teacher displays Slide 1: Your Mindset Matters!)

Teacher: "Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Today, we're going to dive into two really powerful ideas that can totally change how we think about ourselves and our learning. To start, I want you to quickly think about this: What does it mean to truly believe in yourself? And what does it mean to learn from your mistakes? You don't have to share yet, just let those ideas sit with you for a moment."

(Pause for a few seconds to allow students to think.)

Teacher: "By the end of our lesson today, we'll be able to define what self-esteem and a growth mindset are, understand the differences between them, and see how these powerful ideas can help us in school and in our daily lives. Are you ready? Let's do this!"

Introducing Self-Esteem & Growth Mindset (10 minutes)

(Teacher displays Slide 2: What is Self-Esteem?)

Teacher: "First up, let's talk about something called self-esteem. Has anyone heard that term before? What do you think it means?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses.)

Teacher: "That's right! Self-esteem is basically how you feel about yourself. It's about recognizing your own strengths, understanding your value, and respecting the unique person you are. It's not about being better than anyone else, it's about feeling good about being you. Why do you think it's important to have good self-esteem?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses. Guide towards confidence, trying new things, resilience.)

Teacher: "Exactly! When you have good self-esteem, you're more likely to try new things, to believe you can succeed, and to bounce back when things get tough. It's a huge part of being happy and confident."

(Teacher displays Slide 3: Fixed vs. Growth Mindset)

Teacher: "Now, let's look at another important idea: mindset. Your mindset is like the way your brain thinks about learning and challenges. There are two main types: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset."

Teacher: "If you have a fixed mindset, you might think, 'I'm either good at this, or I'm not.' You might avoid challenges because you don't want to make a mistake, or give up quickly if something is hard. It's like you believe your intelligence and talents are set in stone and can't change."

Teacher: "But with a growth mindset, you believe that your abilities, your intelligence, and your talents can grow and improve with effort, practice, and learning from your mistakes! It's like your brain is a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it, even when it's hard."

Teacher: "Think about it: which mindset do you think helps us learn more and achieve more? Why?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses. Guide towards effort, perseverance, learning from mistakes.)

The Power of Yet! (Growth Mindset Video) (5 minutes)

(Teacher displays Slide 4: The Power of Yet! (Growth Mindset) and plays video.)

Teacher: "To help us understand a growth mindset even better, we're going to watch a short video. I want you to pay close attention to how the people in the video approach challenges. Do they give up, or do they keep trying? What kind of mindset do they show?"

(Play the video: 'The Power of Yet!' - ensure volume is audible.)

Video Reflection & Discussion (5 minutes)

(Teacher displays Slide 5: Video Reflection & Discussion)

Teacher: "Alright, what an inspiring video! Let's chat about it for a moment. What did you notice about the characters who ended up succeeding in the video?"

(Allow 2-3 student responses. Guide towards trying again, not giving up, asking for help.)

Teacher: "Excellent observations! They definitely showed that growth mindset. How did they demonstrate that they believed their abilities could grow?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses.)

Teacher: "Now, how does this idea of a growth mindset connect back to what we talked about with self-esteem? How does believing you can improve make you feel better about yourself?"

(Allow 1-2 student responses. Connect effort to feeling proud, overcoming challenges to building confidence.)

Teacher: "Can anyone think of a time, maybe in school or even playing a game, when you used 'the power of yet'? A time when something was hard, but you told yourself, 'I can't do it yet, but I will keep trying'?"

(Encourage a few volunteers to share brief examples.)

Mindset Reflection Activity (7 minutes)

(Teacher displays Slide 6: Time for Reflection!)

Teacher: "Fantastic discussion, everyone! Now it's your turn to do some individual thinking. I'm going to hand out a short reflection activity. On this sheet, you'll have a chance to write down your own thoughts about self-esteem and growth mindset, and how you can apply these ideas in your life."

(Distribute the Mindset Reflection Activity and pens/pencils.)

Teacher: "Please work quietly on this for the next few minutes. There are no wrong answers, just your own honest thoughts."

(Circulate the room, offering support and answering questions.)

Wrap-up & Share (3 minutes)

(As time winds down, teacher can collect the reflection sheets or allow students to keep them.)

Teacher: "Alright, class, bring your attention back up here. We're almost out of time. Would anyone like to share one thought or insight they had while completing their reflection? What's one thing you're going to try to remember about self-esteem or a growth mindset?"

(Encourage 1-2 volunteers. Keep it brief.)

Teacher: "Thank you for sharing! Let's remember these two key things:

(Teacher displays Slide 7: Keep Growing!)

Teacher: "First, you are capable and worthy. Believe in yourself! That's your self-esteem. And second, your abilities can grow with effort. Embrace challenges and learn from your mistakes. That's your growth mindset. Keep challenging yourselves, keep learning, and keep believing in your amazing power to improve. You've all got this! Great work today, everyone!"

Mindset Reflection Activity

Name: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________

Part 1: Believing in Yourself (Self-Esteem)

1. In your own words, what does self-esteem mean?
   
   
   

2. Think about something you are good at or something you like about yourself (it could be a skill, a personality trait, or anything!). Write it down here:
   
   
   

3. Why is it important to feel good about who you are?
   
   
   

Part 2: Growing Your Brain (Growth Mindset)

1. What is the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset?
   
   
   

2. Imagine you are trying to learn a new, difficult math concept. If you had a fixed mindset, what might you say or do?
   
   
   

3. Now, if you had a growth mindset while learning that same difficult math concept, what might you say or do instead?
   
   
   

4. Can you think of a time when you used a growth mindset to overcome a challenge, either in school or outside of school? Briefly describe it.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 3: Putting It All Together

1. How do you think having a strong self-esteem helps you use a growth mindset?
   
   
   

2. What is one thing you will try to do this week to practice either building your self-esteem or using a growth mindset?