💛 SELGrade 3Lesson 6
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Build Growth Mindset Daily

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What you will learn

  • 1Tell the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset thoughts
  • 2Explain how building a growth mindset every day helps you improve
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Mini Lesson

Your mindset is the way you think about your own abilities. Research shows that the brain can grow stronger and form new connections whenever you learn something challenging. A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can improve with effort and practice. A fixed mindset is the belief that your abilities are set and cannot change.

Growth mindset thoughts

  • "I can't do it yet — but I will get there."
  • "Mistakes help me learn and improve."
  • "Challenges make my brain stronger."
  • "I will try a different strategy."

Fixed mindset thoughts

  • "I'm just not smart enough."
  • "I'll never be good at this."
  • "Only talented people can do hard things."
  • "There's no point trying if I might fail."

Building growth mindset daily

  • Notice when a fixed mindset thought appears — and swap it for a growth mindset version.
  • Celebrate effort, not just results: "I worked hard on that" matters as much as "I got it right."
  • Use the word "yet" — it turns "I can't" into "I can't yet."
  • Look for what you learned from every mistake, not just whether you succeeded.

Words to know

Mindset

The way you think about your own abilities

e.g. A positive mindset helps me try new things.

Growth mindset

The belief that your abilities can improve with effort

e.g. Growth mindset says, "I can learn this."

Fixed mindset

The belief that your abilities cannot change

e.g. A fixed mindset says, "I just can't do math."

Yet

A small word that turns "I can't" into "I can't yet"

e.g. Adding "yet" helps me keep going.

Effort

The hard work you put into a task

e.g. Effort matters more than getting it right the first time.

Fixed mindset brain versus growth mindset brainTwo brain illustrations side by side. Left brain labeled Fixed Mindset shows a padlock and the words abilities are set. Right brain labeled Growth Mindset shows a seedling and the words abilities can grow.Two Ways of ThinkingFixedMindset"Abilities are set.I cannot change."GrowthMindset"Abilities can growwith effort."Believe your brain can grow stronger with practice.
Two brains side by side — Fixed Mindset (padlock: "abilities are set") and Growth Mindset (seedling: "abilities can grow with effort").
Three fixed mindset thoughts swapped to growth mindset thoughtsThree rows showing a fixed mindset thought on the left with an arrow pointing to its growth mindset swap on the right.Swap Fixed to Growth"I will never begood at this.""I cannot do it yet.I will keep trying.""Mistakes meanI am not smart.""Mistakes helpme learn.""Only talentedpeople can do this.""Hard workbuilds talent."
Three fixed mindset thoughts, each paired with a growth mindset swap — catch a fixed thought and reframe it.
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Self-check: Can you swap one fixed mindset thought you have had into a growth mindset version?

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