Building Better Brains
A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
Introduction
This guide is for designed for you TIP teachers implementing Building Better Brains,
a curriculum assembled to promote a growth mindset in students. People with a
growth mindset think of their intelligence as something that they can develop
through learning and study, rather than something that is fixed. Cultivating a growth
mindset can help increase a student’s sense of self-efficacy and motivation to learn.
This guide is based mostly on the work of Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset – The New
Psychology of Success, as well as the work of several other researchers in the field of
cognitive psychology, neuroscience and education.
Overview
Building Better Brains is a curriculum designed for you to use with students during
“bell work” over the course of six weeks. The hope is that you will devote between
two and three 5-7 minute lessons per week between February 9th and March 20th,
including pre- and post- self-assessments to gauge whether your students’ mindsets
have been changed in any way. Through PowerPoint presentations, short video clips
and excerpts of articles, students will learn about their brains and will be introduced
to the growth mindset.
The following common student challenges helped govern the format and structure
of this curriculum:
Challenge
How it is addressed
Students believe that they either “have it or they
don’t” with respect to their intelligence or certain
subjects in school because they don’t understand
how the brain can grow.
Students learn the basics of brain structure and
function, particularly what is required to
maintain readiness to learn and how attention
and concentration are supported.
Students have difficulty managing anxiety with
respect to taking tests or taking on challenging
tasks because they lack the necessary stressmanagement strategies.
Students learn that the brain functions by
sending chemical messages through a network of
nerve cells and that these cells are responsible
for thought.
Students have difficulty learning, especially in
certain subjects, because they don’t put in
enough effort.
Students discover how learning changes the
brain through the growth of connections in
neural networks with repeated use, the key to
growth mindset.
Students have difficulty persevering when they
encounter challenges because they lack a variety
of good learning strategies.
Students extend the concept of the malleable
brain, understand the processes of memory and
learn strategies to capitalize on the way the brain
works and learns to deepen their understanding
of the growth mindset.
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Curriculum Overview – Grades 3 - 8
Lesson
Activity
Materials
Administer Mindset Quiz as a pre-assessment
1 – How does your
brain function?
Students watch a video and Create a
Circle map identifying facts about the
brain and its functions
PowerPoint– Lesson 1
Video – The Learning Brain
(Video Clip #1)
http://zapt.io/t2sgfsqz
2 – How does your
brain learn?
Students learn about neurons through
a Circle Activity
3– What can you
do to maintain a
healthy brain?
Students watch a video and reflect (in
written or oral form)
4 – Can you grow
your intelligence?
Students read an article about how
the brain can grow and change.
Students identify challenges in school
and a time when they have grown
their brain (Quick write in journal and
pair share)
Students complete reading the article,
You Can Grow Your Intelligence) and
discuss phrases that people say that
make them Motivate hard work and
phrases that Discourage hard work.
Students watch a video on London cab
drivers and reflect (in written or oral
form)
5 – How can you
grow your
intelligence?
6 – How is your
brain like a
muscle?
7 – What can you
do to manage
stress?
Students review strategies for
reducing stress.
PowerPoint Lesson 2
Video –The Learning Brain
(Video Clip #2)
PowerPoint– Lesson 2
Video – The Learning Brain
(Video Clip #3)
PowerPoint– Lesson 4
Article – You Can Grow Your
Intelligence (page 1 and page 2—Stop
at #4)
Reflective Journal—When did your
brain grow to meet a challenge
PowerPoint—Lesson 5
Article -- You Can Grow Your
Intelligence (page 3)
Create a T Chart—Words that
motivate/discourage hard work.
PowerPoint– Lesson 6
Video – Why Do London Cab Drivers
Have Bigger Brains?
Parts of the Brain Labeling Activity
Reflection
Your Brain and Nervous system—
Link to more in depth information
about the parts of the brain.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/brai
n.html#
PowerPoint– Lesson 7
Brainology poster—Calm Brains
Learn
Multi Flow Map
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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8 – Why is
challenging your
brain important?
Students review strategies for
challenging the brain.
9 – How can you
identify fixed and
growth mindsets?
Students study an infographic and do
a quick write, linking mindset
Growth/Fixed to each of their courses.
10- Must you fail in
order to succeed?
Students view video and reflect (in
written or oral form).
11 – How can you
fix a fixed mindset?
Students view a video and reflect.
12 – How can you
grow a growth
mindset?
Students complete sentence frames
that help them reflectively move from
fixed mindset to growth
PowerPoint– Lesson 8
Brainology B.R.A.I.N. poster—
Strategies for big problems
Toothpicks –NOTE every student will
need 10 toothpicks
PowerPoint– Lesson 9
Growth/Fixed Mindset Sentence
strips
Infographic – Fixed Mindset vs.
Growth Mindset
PowerPoint– Lesson 10
Video - Michael Jordan – Failures
Reflective Journal
PowerPoint– Lesson 11
Video – Life = Risk
Reflective Journal
PowerPoint– Lesson 12
Brainology Poster-Nourishing Brain
Growth
Resource – Class Motto
Administer Mindset Quiz as a post-assessment
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 1
How does your brain function?
Enduring
Understanding
The brain can do many things.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 1
Video –The Brain
Circle Map
Instructions
Slide 3: Play Video Clip #1
Potential Discussion Ideas related to the slides
--The brain controls everything we do
--The brain controls remembering, thinking and learning
Slide 4: Weight of the brain is not linked to intelligence
Slide 5: The Cerebrum is the largest part of the brain
--The Cerebrum is divided into 2 halves-Right side controls the
left side of the body, Left side controls the right side of the body
Slide6 and Slide 7: Discuss Short Term and Long Term Memory
and Reason—Provide examples in each category.
Slide 8: Complete a circle map with “Facts about the brain and
how it impacts learning.”
.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 2
How does your brain learn?
Enduring
Understanding
Neurons in the brain create neuro-pathways which result in
learning.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 2
Video –The Brain—Clip #2
Play the Circle Game
Instructions
Slide 3: Play Video Clip #2
Slide4: Photograph of the Brain—Provides students with an
understanding that you can’t see the neurons they are
microscopic. Additionally you can’t see the “parts/Cerebrum” of
the brain without advanced scientific methods.
Slide 5—Demonstrates the process that creates the Neuropathways and learning. Input from our senses enters the brain,
travels to the neurons, electronic impulses travel back and forth
across the dendrites, create pathways resulting in learning and
remembering.
Slide 6—Visual imagining creates this real picture of a network
of neurons in the brain.
Slide 7—Provides students with a close up view of the parts of
the Neuron. It is important that students know that the more the
dendrites grow the more they will learn. This is an on-going
process throughout their lives.
Slide 8—Play the circle game to see how the dendrites grow and
learning occurs. Circle Game:
• Get into a circle
• Select a time keeper
• Hold Hands
• The Teacher starts by squeezing the hand of the student
next to them
• When each student feels the squeeze they squeeze the
hand of the next student.
• See how fast the squeezes go around the circle
• When the squeeze returns to the teacher the timer is
stopped.
• Try is again. Each time you try it the squeeze will get
around the circle faster!! See how fast you can go.
• ADVANCED—Switch hands…See if it makes a difference!!
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 3
What can you do to maintain a healthy brain?
Enduring
Understanding
Many things can influence brain function and learning. Identify
things that can be done to maximize brain effectiveness and
learning.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 3
Video –The Learning Brain Video Clip #3
Building Better Brains Home Journal
Instructions
Slide 3: Show the Learning Brain Video Clip #3
Slide 4: Emotions Impact Learning—Identify emotions that
enhance and hinder learning. Review the key vocabulary words
Dopamine, Adrenaline and Cardozo reminding students that the
brain releases these chemicals it causes the fight or flight
syndrome. This syndrome causes students to avoid or put forth
limited effort in challenging situations.
Slide 5: Review the importance of water and nutrition in
learning. Provide students with key vocabulary words such as
hydration and dehydration as well as balanced nutrition as these
will be elements for journaling
Slide 6: Elements that impact the brain and learning. Discuss
how exercise can increase brain functioning by increasing the
amount of oxygen in the brain maximizing the effectiveness of the
neurons.
Slide 7: Introduce the Building Better Brains Home Journal.
Direct students to keep a journal at home of actions they have
taken to maximize the capabilities and effectiveness of their
brain.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 4
Can you grow your intelligence?
Enduring
Understanding
The more you use your brain the more it grows
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 4
Article –You Can Grow Your Intelligence
Reflective Journaling
Instructions
Slide 2: Call students attention to the picture on Slide 2—Read
the caption. Make sure that students can see the brain growth as
demonstrated in this picture
Slide 3: Read the slide, foreshadowing that this lesson will focus
on how the brain grows. This lesson will ask students to
remember Lesson 2 when the Growth of Neurons was discussed.
Slide 4 and Slide 5: Have a student read aloud the quotes on
both of these slides. Ask students if they have ever had a similar
experience.
Slide 6: Ask students to read (Silently or you can use any other
reading strategy—Partner reading, etc.) the first 2 pages of this
article for the scientific research behind brain growth.
Slide 7: Ask students to do a reflective quick write about a
specific challenge they have had in school. Ask them to identify a
time when they felt their brain grew to meet the challenge. Have
students share with a partner after they have written in their
journal
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 5
How can you grow your intelligence?
Enduring
Understanding
Practice and hard work are important elements to grow your
intelligence/brain. Things people say and do can either motivate
or discourage us to work hard and practice.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 5
Article –You Can Grow Your Intelligence
T- Chart –The Power of Words--What Motivates/Discourages
practice and hard work?
Instructions
Slide 3: Read (Silently or you can use any other reading
strategy—Partner reading, etc.) Page 3 of the Article –You can
Grow your Intelligence. Discuss the important elements that
impact growing your brain. (Practice and Hard Work)
Slide 4: Students working in pairs/ small groups create a T chart
of things people say that Motivate and Discourage Practice and
Hard work. Have each group share out and create a class wide T
Chart or do a gallery walk of each group’s poster.
.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 6
How is your brain like a muscle?
Enduring
Understanding
Practice and hard work strengthen both muscles and brains.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 6
Video – Why Do London Cab Drivers Have Bigger Brains?
Parts of a Brain Quiz
Instructions
Reflective Journal
Slide 3: Show Video – Why Do London Cab Drivers Have Bigger
Brains? Have students turn and talk about what they found
amazing in the video.
Slide 4: Study of London Cab Drivers—Reviewing the key points
of the video:
 Scientists were able to measure the Hippocampus of
London Cabbies
 Their hippocampus was larger than that of a typical
person
 The longer they were on the job (Practicing and doing
hard work) the more the hippocampus grew.
Slide 5: The brain is like a muscle that grows and develops with
practice and hard work. Have students think of a muscle and
identify the type of practice and hard work that makes it grow
(e.g., doing leg lifts will make your hamstring grow—NOTE—You
do not have to use the anatomical names)
Slide 6: Identify the parts of the brain. Ask students based on
prior knowledge to identify the parts of the brain.
Slide 7: The answers—Review with students –Stress the location
of the Hippocampus to link knowledge to the video.
Slide 8: Reflective Journal—Think of a time that you used
practice and hard work to grow. Quick write on that experience.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 7
What can you do to manage stress?
Enduring
Understanding
Stress has a negative impact on the brain and learning. Identify
stress management techniques that maximize brain effectiveness
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 7
Calm Brains Learn Poster
Instructions
Slide 3: Identify Emotions and discuss with students specific
examples of situations that would result in each emotion
Slide 4: Identify the three chemicals (Dopamine, Adrenaline, and
Cardozo) that are released in the brain when you experience
negative emotions. Have students in pairs describe behaviors
that are associated with negative emotions (e.g., Inability to listen
and remember, limited effort, frustration, etc.)
Slide 5: Have students complete a Multi-Flow map (this can be
completed as a whole group in pairs, small groups or
individually) Identify the causes of stress on the left side of the
map. NOTE: Encourage students to identify causes both inside
and outside the school setting. Have students then identify the
related consequences. Example—Did not study for a test—Stress
Occurs—I cannot remember information for the easy questions
on the test and I fail.
Slide 6: Combatting Stress—NOTE: you may want to print a
copy of this poster for every student. Teach/Talk about the 4
strategies that students can use to combat stress.
Slide 7: Reflection—This reflection provides a choice for
students. They can either reflect on the first prompt or they can
identify a “Commit To Try” by completing the Sentence Frame.
Based on timing you may want students to do both!!
.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 8
Why is challenging your brain important
Enduring
Understanding
Materials
Creating challenges for your brain increases learning.
Instructions
PowerPoint – Lesson 8
Toothpicks
Brainology Poster—Strategies for Any Big Problem
Slide 3: How the brain thinks—A review of the transfer of
information though the synapse that create connections between
the neurons.
Slide 4: Discuss how increased effort and challenging brain
usage results in a thickening of the neuro pathways. The thicker
these pathways the faster and more efficiently information
travels in the brain. Thick passageways allow the brain to retain
information that enters through the senses and retrieve
information that has been stored in long term memory. These
two skills retention and retrieval are critical to school success.
Thick pathways make school easier!!!
Slide 5: Brain Teaser. Provide each student with 10 toothpicks.
Ask them to use the toothpicks to make the diagram in this slide.
Give students time to work on the solution to this problem—
Students may work individually, in groups or as a whole group
using a document camera.
Slide 6: The answer—Discuss what other types of activities
challenge the brain. Examples might include—playing a sport or
musical instrument, completing jigsaw puzzles, visual color
coding training. Note you can use this link to a video that
identifies an activity for color coding training. You will find the
color words practice sheet in the Teacher Resource Tool Box
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aykuFhQIob4
Slide 7: Reflection—Have students verbally discuss/identify
challenges in school and strategies to overcome the challenges. It
is recommended that the teacher record a few of the challenges
on a white board so that students can see what causes challenges
for their peers.
NOTE: This activity can be done as a turn and talk or whole
group or any other student grouping configuration.
Slide 8: Strategy for Any Big Problem Poster—You may want to
print a copy of this poster for your students. This provides
students with strategies for addressing tasks that are challenging.
Review each step with the students utilizing one of the challenges
identified in the previous slide
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 9
Can you identify fixed and growth mindsets?
Enduring
Understanding
Understanding the concept of mindset and the impact on learning
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 9
Fixed mindset/Growth mindset Sentences—Each student or
student group should have these sentences on sentence strips to
“sort” into either fixed or growth mindset groups.
Instructions
Slide 3: Defining both Fixed and Growth Mindsets—Read each
definition
Slide 4: BEFORE SHOWING this slide…Provide students with
Fixed/Growth mindset sentences. Ask students to work in
groups to sort these sentences into each group. After students
have worked for a few minutes on this activity reveal SLIDE 4 and
have them check their answers.
Slide 5: Reviews the qualities of Growth Mindset. It is critical
that the teacher call attention to the following words (in blue)
Effort, Strategies and Getting Help!! NOTE: Effort and Strategies
have been the topics of previous lessons…Teachers should take a
moment to remind student of previous discussions on these two
topics.
Slide 6: Print one Growth/Fixed Mindset poster (Infographic –
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset )for each student. Review what
occurs when an individual applies fixed or growth mindset to a
challenge.
Slide 7: Reflection --Individual Students should write a list of
each of their classes/subjects and identify their mindset (growth
or fixed) toward each class/subject.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 10
You must fail to succeed
Enduring
Understanding
Failure is a part of building the brain and strengthening the
pathways to increase learning and success
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 10
Michael Jordan Video- -Because I fail …I succeed
Reflective Journal
Instructions
Slide 3 and 4: Teacher reads the “Who would you rather be?”
Questions on these slides. After each question, teacher elicits
responses from students (NOTE—Responses can be non-verbal—
e.g., Hold up one finger for the first person hold up 2 fingers for
the second person) After each student response teacher should
identify who the person is and remind the student that this
statement applies to the same person (SLIDE 3=Thomas Edison
SLIDE 4=Michael Jordan)
Slide 5: Play the Michael Jordan Video
Slide 6: Reflection—Ask students to individually respond to both
questions. NOTE –Teachers may want to keep these responses as
data to determine student growth in this area. Additionally these
responses can provide instructional information that can be used
by the teacher to help student apply Effort, Strategies and Getting
Help in identified “failure areas”.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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Lesson 11
How can you fix a fixed mindset?
Enduring
Understanding
Strategies for shifting mindset from fixed to growth.
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 11
Instructions
Slide 3: Teacher reads the questions on this slide providing
students to do a silent reflection on each question followed by a
turn and talk.
Slide 4: Read slide and say, “Research shows that it takes effort,
strategies and help to improve and grow your brain. Malcolm
Gladwell wrote a famous book about highly successful people. He
points out that musicians like The Beatles or athletes like Kobe
Bryant put in 10,000 hours of practice to become great at what
they do. They didn’t start out as superstars, rather they worked
hard at it. The Beatles used to play eight-hour shows to improve
their playing. Kobe Bryant is famously known for working out
harder and longer than many of his peers.”
Slide 5: The next time you are faced with a challenge and you are
struggling to learn something, remember that challenge or
struggle is a good thing!. Picture your dendrites trying to reach
each other when faced with a challenge.”
Slide 6: The Dendrites move closer to each other and touch!!!
Demonstrating growth
Slide 7: Video Life =Risks NOTE: Teachers may want to show
this video more than once stopping the video to make sure that
younger students understand the rationale behind some of the
statements (e.g., why someone telling Lucille Ball she was too shy
and dismissing her from drama school did not prevent her from
becoming a very famous comedian—Younger students may not
have the background knowledge to gain a deep understanding
from some of the quotes without a listen—pause—discuss
strategy)
Slide 8: Have students work individually to complete a reflective
response to the questions on this page…Again this information
provides instructional guidance for teachers to meet the needs of
all students.
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
14
Lesson 12
How can you grow a growth mindset?
Enduring
Understanding
Strategies to build a growth mindset in areas where your mindset
is fixed
Materials
PowerPoint – Lesson 12
Reflective Journal
Instructions
Slide 3: Discuss the difference between each pair of words. Have
students select one pair and in small groups/pairs determine
how they can take a challenge in class and apply these two words.
Direct them to the sentence frame to formulate their responses.
Slide 4: Discuss the 5 elements that promote growth mindset.
Teachers may want to have students read each bullet and then
turn and talk to an elbow partner about what that might mean.
Slide 5: Teacher may want to have students complete these
sentence frames individually and then share out ideas in small
groups or whole class. All responses should reflect a growth
Mindset. In cases where they do not re-direct students utilizing
the growth mindset infograph from lesson 9.
Slide 6: Have students complete this final reflection in their
journal individually. Again teachers will want to collect this as
other reflections to measure student mindset growth over time.
Slide 7: Teachers may want to create a Class Motto or not. This
last slide is optional!!
Teacher
Reflection
Building Better Brains - A Guide to Promote a Growth Mindset in Students
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