Silent Launch
• On your worksheet there is a silent
launch at the top. Answer it in
complete sentences.
• When you are done, write down
one thing you plan to do over the
Thanksgiving break.
Expectations
This activity
should be…
• Silent
• Independent
• Work until I
say stop
• Be ready to
share your
answers
Malleable
Intelligence
No Books Today
Content/Language
Objective
• Today I will…
• Learn about how the brain works by
reading about malleable intelligence
and watching a video on how learning
happens in my brain.
Malleable Intelligence
• Do you think people are
born smart or they work to
get smart?
• We’re going to take 10 minutes to take a pre-test
on how we learn
• This should be SILENT & INDEPENDENT
Now we will work in
Groups
• Read the article and fill in the read along worksheet
(1 per group)
• We will share out our answers at the end.
PowerPoint on How We
Learn
• Follow along by filling in the notes
The Human BRAIN!!!!!
The
Human
B
R
A
I
N
!!!!!
What it really looks like…
The brain is made up of cells called
NEURONS:
A 3-D image of a brain neuron:
This is what’s happening inside your head
RIGHT NOW!!
The More Explosions…
the Smarter You Are
How did Arnold Schwarzenegger
become so strong?
How did Lebron get so good at basketball?
How do gymnasts make it to the
Olympics??? And win gold medals?
Muscle cells are
working hard
for these
people…
How do babies learn to speak?
How do babies learn to speak?
Malleable Intelligence Theory:
Malleable: means that you can
shape or change something
Intelligence: means your
ability to learn, reason,
and problem solve
Together this means that if you WORK
HARD… you will GET SMART!!!
We can make our brains stronger, just the same
way we can make our muscles stronger...
EXERCISE your brain and you WILL
get smarter.
Hard Work is More
Important Than Talent
• Everyone can LEARN
• Everyone can be SMART
• How hard will YOU work at
it?
It takes LOTS and
LOTS of work to be
good at something
• It is GOOD to have to work
hard to understand something.
It has nothing to do with your
intelligence.
• If you know someone who is
very good at math… they were
not born that way… they
worked hard to get there!
INTELLIGENCE is a LEARNED
quality and can be cultivated
• Psychologists who study creative geniuses point out
that the single most IMPORTANT factor in creative
achievement is willingness to put in a tremendous
amount of HARD WORK and to sustain this effort in the
face of CHALLENGES
Most people believe that you are born
with a certain LEVEL of intelligence
• This is FALSE and one of our most
DANGEROUS beliefs.
Only YOU CAN set the limits
on how much you can learn
• As humans we don’t like to be
CONFUSED. We get frustrated
at what we don’t understand.
• But we tend to LIKE what we
do understand.
• UNDERSTANDING MATH is
something you work at.
Michael Jordan was cut from his
High School basketball team
• But he didn’t QUIT
• Success is GUARANTEED if
you NEVER GIVE UP!
• If you don’t understand
something, keep going until
you get it 100%
• Like Michael Jordan, you
MUST be willing to keep
going, even when you don’t
get it the first time.
Did you know…
• Twin rats were raised in two different environments:
either in a bare cage with food and water, or in a cage
with lots of toys and exercise equipment to explore.
• In the bare cages, the “cage potato rats” just ate and
drank and laid around, while in the enriched
environment, the “summer camp rats” were busy
exploring and learning, exercising their brains.
• It turned out that the summer camp rats became much
smarter than the cage potato rats – they were better at
learning new things.
• And their brains were heavier, too: they had more
connections between the neurons in their brains. This
research shows that active mental exercise builds up
the brain and makes it smarter.
• Even old rats were able to develop their brains in the
enriched environment, proving that you’re never too
old to grow your brain!
Now A Video on The Brain
• Video Link: “The Human Mind: Get Smart”
Math Message
• What?
o The Human Mind can be
grown like a muscle.
• So What?
o If you want to get good at
something, you just have to
work hard at it. Over time
you will develop that skill.
• Now What?
o We will take that knowledge
and move forward with it in
math class. Work hard, get
smart!
Wrap-Up
• Today we…
• Learn about how the brain works by
reading about malleable intelligence
and watching a video on how learning
happens in my brain.
• HOMEWORK: No Homework This Week
Exit Mini Quiz
• Answer the true/false questions on
the small sheet of paper that Mr.
Sarlo will give you.
Expectations
This activity should
be…
• Silent
• Independent
• Work Hard, Get Smart!
• Work until I say
stop
• Name on paper
• This is your exit
ticket!