Mindset Lesson Plans
Grades 4-6
The Human Brain
Teaching students that intelligence
can be “grown” is powerful!
Mindset Lesson Plan
Grades 4-6
Lesson 1
Descriptions:
Mindset Survey
Time Allotment:
20 minutes
Materials Needed: Class set of survey and scoring guide
Instructions:
item.
Administer survey whole class. Do not provide any explanation for survey
Prior to giving the survey explain the shades of meaning for answer choices
from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree” using the example:
EXAMPLE: I enjoy coming to school everyday.
After survey is taken collect, score and save surveys. After a series of
lessons have been taught, students will retake the survey. At this time the
pre and post surveys will be returned to students so they can see their growth
in moving from a fixed mind-set to a growth mind-set.
Note: If you would like more information on this subject the following materials are available:



Mind-Sets and Equitable Education by Carol S. Dweck/Principal Leadership/January
2010
www.brainology.us
Mindset: the New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Mindset Survey
To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements? THIS IS NOT A TEST.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much.
2. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
3. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.
4. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that.
5. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.
6. Music talent can be learned by anyone
7. Only a few people will be truly good at sports – you have to be “born with it.”
8. Math is much easier to learn if you are male or maybe come from a culture who values math.
9. The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it.
10. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially.
11. Trying new things is stressful for me and I avoid it.
12. Some people are good and kind, and some are not – it’s not often that people change.
13. I appreciate when people, parents, coaches, teachers give me feedback about my
performance.
14. I often get angry when I get feed back about my performance.
15. All human beings without a brain injury or birth defect are capable of the same amount of
learning.
16. You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are.
17. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be
changed.
18. Human beings are basically good, but sometimes make terrible decisions.
19. An important reason why I do my school work is that I like to learn new things.
20. Truly smart people do not need to try hard.
Name _______________________ Teacher ___________
Mark an
Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Strongly
Agree
X in the appropriate box please.
Agree
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
SCORING the Quiz
Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ability mindset – fixed
ability mindset –growth
ability mindset – growth
personality/character mindset - fixed
personality/character mindset –
growth
6. ability mindset – growth
7. ability mindset – fixed
8. ability mindset – fixed
9. ability mindset – growth
10. personality/character mindset growth
Scoring
Growth Questions
1. Strongly agree – 3 points
2. Agree – 2 points
3. Disagree – 1 points
4. Strongly disagree – 0 point
Fixed Questions
1. Strongly agree – 0 point
2. Agree – 1 points
3. Disagree – 2 points
4. Strongly disagree – 3 points
11. ability mindset – fixed
12. personality/character mindset – fixed
13. ability mindset –growth
14. ability mindset – fixed
15. ability mindset – growth
16. ability mindset – fixed
17. personality/character mindset – fixed
18. personality/character mindset –
growth
19. ability mindset – growth
20. ability mindset - fixed
Strong Growth Mindset =
Growth Mindset with some Fixed ideas =
Fixed Mindset with some Growth ideas=
Strong Fixed Mindset=
Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Strongly
Agree
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
0 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
60-45 points
44-34 points
33-21 points
20-0 points
Agree
Disagree
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
1 point
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
2 points
1 point
2 points
2 points
1 point
1 point
2 points
Strongly
Disagree
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
3 points
0 points
3 points
3 points
0 points
0 points
3 points
Mind-Set Lesson Plan
Grades 4-6
Lesson 2
Description:
This vocabulary lesson is an introduction to Mindset Lesson 3
Time: Allotment:
30 minutes
Materials needed:
Vocabulary handout (to be disseminated at end of lesson for students to keep in a
Mindset folder)
Vocabulary words:
influence, significantly, resilient, deflect, galvanized
Instructions:
1. Teacher will write vocabulary word on board. Have students repeat the word.
Teacher gives the definition for the word, and has students use it in a sentence which
further explains the definition context. Then students work in pairs to develop another
sentence for the word. Repeat process with all vocabulary words.
2. After all words are written on the board, teacher uses the procedure ‘Clearing the
Board’ vocabulary activity with students to review vocabulary words
3. Do another activity with the words such as: Concentration or Pantomime
Definitions
Please review the definitions prior to lesson implementation
1. influence: the way someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks
2. significantly: importantly
3. resilient: able to become strong, happy, or successful again after a difficult situation
or event
4. deflect: to change direction, to turn aside
5. galvanized: having shocked someone into taking action to solve a problem or improve a
situation
6. transition: movement, change from one position to another
Engagement Activity: Clearing the Board
A vocabulary word is written on the board. The word is read by the students and discussed (role-play words
when possible), students discuss meaning of word, use it in a sentence, share prior know of word, etc. Then the
next vocabulary word is written and the same process is repeated. When all of the words have been introduced,
the teacher moves to the back of the room and gives clues for one of the words, (“I am thinking of a word that
means . . . What word am I thinking of?” The student that answers correctly goes to the board erases the word,
and stands in front of the class and gives clues for another word. This process of erasing the words is called
“clearing the board.”
Engagement Activity: Concentration
Cut out the vocabulary cards and definitions. Randomly write numbers on back of each card. Place the cards
on the board face down in numerical order. Have students guess two numbers turn cards over, if they guessed
a vocabulary word and the correct definition for that word, they have a match. Keep these cards face up. If they
do not guess the correct word with definition, turn those cards back over. Continue until all cards are revealed
correctly.
Student Vocabulary Handout
1. influence: the way someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks
2. significantly: importantly
3. resilient: able to become strong, happy, or successful again after a difficult
situation or event
4. deflect: to change direction; to turn aside
5. galvanized: having shocked someone into taking action to solve a problem or
improve a situation
6. transition: movement, change from one position to another
influence
significantly
resilient
deflect
galvanized
transition
the way someone or
something develops,
behaves, or thinks
importantly
able to become strong,
happy, or successful
again after a difficult
situation or event
movement, change from
one position another
having shocked someone into
taking action to solve a problem
or improve a situation
to change direction,
to turn aside
Mind-Set Lesson Plan
Grades 4-6
Lesson 3
Description:
Read and discuss article “Mind-Sets and Equitable Education by Carol S. Dweck
Time Allotment:
30 minutes
Materials Needed: Class set: Mind-Set article, highlighters (optional), post-it notes or half sheet of
paper
Instructions:
Review vocabulary words
Introduce article briefly to students (see intro below).
Have students silently read the article and highlight “ahas” or interesting facts.
Introduction:
Many people think the brain is a mystery. They don’t know much about intelligence and how it works.
When they do think about what intelligence is, many people believe that a person is born smart,
average, or dumb – and stays that way for life. But new research shows that the brain is more like a
muscle – it changes and gets stronger when you use it. And scientists have been able to show just how
the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn. Everyone knows that when you lift weights, your
muscles get bigger and you get stronger. And when you stop exercising, the muscles shrink and you
get weaker. That’s why people say, “Use it or lose it!” Most people don’t know that when they
practice and learn new things, parts of their brain change and get larger a lot l muscles do when they
exercise.
After students have read the article (see attachment), provide an opportunity for them to discus it using
the following discussion prompts:
1. What are your reactions to the article?
Engagement Strategy: “Numbered Heads Together”
Numbered Heads Together:
Students are placed in groups of four, and then they number off 1-4. Teacher states a question;
students discuss answer in groups; they consult one another to make sure everyone can answer the
question. Teacher randomly picks a number from 1 to 4; students with that number stand up (or raise
their hands). Teacher repeats the question again and students respond (individually or together in a
choral response).
2.
What will you do differently, based on the information in this article?
Have students write their responses on post-it notes or a half sheet of paper and initial them.
Keep student’s responses for later reference
Mind-Set and Equitable Education by Carol S. Dweck
Students perform better in school when they and their teachers
believe that intelligence is not fixed, but can be developed.
Teaching students that intelligence can be “grown” is especially
powerful for students who belong to typically stereotyped groups.
Growth mind-sets focus on effort and motivate
students to overcome challenging work.
In my research, I have identified two sets of beliefs that people can have about students’ intelligence
(and that students can have about their own intelligence). They can have a fixed mind-set, in which
they believe that intelligence is a static trait: some students are smart and some are not, and that’s that.
Or they may have a growth mind-set, in which they believe that intelligence can be developed by
various means-for example, through effort and instruction. A growth mind-set doesn’t imply that
everyone is the same or that anyone could be Einstein, but it does imply that everyone’s intellectual
ability can grow and that even Einstein wasn’t Einstein before he put in years of passionate, relentless
effort.
Recent research has shown that students’ mind-sets have a direct influence on their grades and that
teaching students to have a growth mind-set raises their grades and achievement test scores
significantly.
I followed several hundred students in New York City during their difficult transition to seventh grade.
We measured their mind-sets at the beginning of the school year and monitored their grades over the
next two years to see how they had coped with the challenge. Despite their differing mind-sets,
students entered seventh grade with similar mathematics achievement, but their grades jumped apart in
their first term and continued to diverge over the next two years. The students with the growth mindset (those who believed that intelligence could be developed) significantly outperformed their
classmates who held fixed mind-set. Why did this happen?
Edited article, Mind-Sets and Equitable Education/Principal Leadership/January 2010
Because they believed that their intellect could be developed, students with a growth mind-set focused
on learning, believed in effort, and resilient in the face of setbacks. Students with a fixed mind-set,
however, worried more about looking smart and not making mistakes, thought that needing to make an
effort to learn meant that their intelligence was deficient, and became discouraged or defensive in the
face of setbacks because they believe that setbacks reflected limitations in their intelligence. After
receiving a poor grade on a test, they said that they would consider cheating on the next test. In other
words, their logic was that if you don’t have ability, you have to find another way to succeed. It is no
wonder that having a growth mind-set, with its emphasis on grades than having a fixed mind-set, with
all of the worries and defenses that deflect students from applying themselves.
On the basis of those findings, we designed a workshop to teach students a growth mind-set. We took
a group of seventh grades who were earning declining mathematics grades. Half of them attended
eight sessions of a workshop that taught them great study skills. This was the control group. The other
half attended eight sessions of a workshop that taught both study skills and training in the growth
mind-set. These students learned that their brain was like a muscle: the more they used it, the stronger
it became. They also learned that every time they stretched themselves to learn something new, their
brain formed new connections and that over time they could become smarter. Students were
galvanized by the idea that the growth of their minds was under their own control. Other researchers,
too, were finding that teaching a growth mind-set raised achievement test scores, as well as students’
investment in and enjoyment of school.
You can grow your intelligence!
Lifestyle

Brain foods: Nuts, fish, protein,
vegetables

Sleep: 8-9 hours per night,
every night
Here’s How…
Effort

School is not a place that judges
you. It is a place where people
help your brain grow new
connections

Working hard to learn new
things makes you smarter

Stay engaged in your learning,
set goals, reflect on your goals
Edited article, Mind-Sets and Equitable Education/Principal Leadership/January 2010
Mind-Set Lesson Plan
Grades 4-6
Lesson 4
Description
This lesson is a power point presentation on Brainology
Time Allotment
30 minutes
Materials needed
Power point presentation “Brainology”, What Do You Know
Options for set-up: Computer, LCD projector, SMART board, computer lab
*Pathway to obtain power point presentation - Go to the website:
florin.pb.works.com
1. On the right side of the page you will see a box with the heading recent activity,
Click Mindset link
2. Under Brainology, click lessons heading
3. Click roman numeral 1- Introduction to neuroscience
4. Click under Brainology 12.2.09.unit1.ppt
Make copies of Student Handout, Journal and Mindset survey recording sheet
Procedure
Teacher preview slides from power point prior to lesson insert talking points as
desired
After lesson students can begin to complete journal when appropriate
Then administer the Mindset survey (from Lesson 1) again, score and share pre and
post results with students
Engagement Strategy: Numbered Heads Together
Students number off 1-4, teacher asks a question; students consult one another to make sure everyone can
answer the question. Teacher randomly picks a number from 1 to 4; students with that number stand up (or
raise their hands). Teacher repeats the question again and students respond (individually or together as a
choral response). After the group responds, the other students may agree/disagree using hand signals.
Teacher may ask another student to add to the answer if an incomplete response is given.
Name ________________________________________
Date ______________________
1.
2.
_______________________________________
______________________________________
3.
4.
___________________________________
______________________________________
Journal Notes
I grew my intelligence by . . .
I learned that my brain …
Now I eat ______ because …