Picture Books for Growth Mindset

Picture Books for

Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is HUGE in my class and here are some of my favorite picture books along with some tips on how to use them in your classroom.

First up, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak and illustrated by Sarah Ackerley. This is a great place to start because kids need to know that their brains can stretch and grow.  It helps the understanding that your brain can grow and you can become smarter.  I'm assuming you've heard of Getepic.com?  I've used it a lot since we've been teaching online. This story is on there if you don't have a physical copy.

My next recommendation is The Dot by Peter Reynolds.  Fablevision learning has some great resources for teachers.  Check them out.  I'm sure you've heard of International Dot Day...that happens on September 15th and it's where kids all over the world unleash their creativity.  You can sign your class up and get some ideas here.

Finally, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires is a great addition to your library.  This story teaches kids that we face challenges but the important thing is to persevere.  I like to use the "Somebody Wanted But So Then" frame with my kids to summarize.  The little girl (somebody) wanted to build the most magnificent thing  but she couldn't figure it out so she kept trying then she was able to create something magnificent. There is even a short film on Amazon Prime narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. This book is also on GetEpic.com. 

Katie, from A Basket Full of Apples, and I talk about picture books on Tuesdays at 4:30 PST on Clubhouse.  Are you on Clubhouse?  It's an app for the iPhone and you need to be invited to join.  I learn so much on Clubhouse every time I listen.  Come join us to share your favorite books for growth mindset!  We'd love to bring you on stage to share.

Check out these educational blogs with some great insight into teaching.

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You can find me on these platforms (as well as my blog!)
  

How can I make your job easier this year?  Let me know in the comments.  If I use your ideas for a blog post, you will win $10 to Teachers Pay Teachers.  Even better, if I use your ideas to make a resource in my store, LisaTeachR's Classroom, I'll send you a free copy of that resource! 

It's time to get your TpT wish list in order!

It's time to get your TpT wish list 

in order!

Start putting your wish list on TpT ready.  

Then when the sale starts, you'll know 

exactly what to purchase!

A close reading guide for the novel, Wonder
by RJ Palacios.

It's a wonderful book chronicling Auggie's, a young boy born with facial damage, journey through school and the adjustments he, his family and his classmates have to make. Close reading is an integral part of teaching with the Common Core. Students need to know how to be analytic when reading texts and poems. I have outlined the components of authentic literacy and what it looks like in the classroom. I formatted the unit as follows. It begins with an explanation of close reading and how to format a lesson. Then, there is a story summary, themes listed and character descriptions. After that, I created focus questions for each chapter. There are explicit gradual release formatted lessons sprinkled throughout. I included a close reading sheet for each of the explicit lessons. You could use the focus questions to create more close reading lessons using the blank templates or for class discussions. At the end, there is a blank sheet for planning and to use with close reading of different chapters. I hope your students enjoy it as much as my students did. This isn't a bunch of worksheets as I don't teach that way. This is for going deep with the literature!

Another close reading guide is for the novel, 

Inside Out and Back Again 
by Thanhha Lai.

This is a guide to a close reading of Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. It's a wonderful book written in free verse chronicling Ha's, a ten year old girl, journey from war-torn Vietnam to Alabama and her problems as a second language learner and with bullying.

Famous Failures is an activity for students to see what successful people have overcome to become successful!

Researching famous failures! Even the most famous people had to overcome obstacles. Here are a couple activities I did with my students in working with Mindset. First we worked in pairs to rewrite fixed mindset phrases into growth mindset phrases. Then we researched famous people who struggled at some point in their lives and how they overcame those obstacles. What struggles and successes did they have in their lives? I also made sheets that can be blown up to poster size with famous faces and quotes. I hope these activities help your students come to a better understanding of mindset.

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It's all about a Growth Mindset!

What's a Growth Mindset and 

how do I teach it?

So first, let's start with some background.  It's an idea founded by Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University.  A fixed mindset is the idea that things are the way they are.  You're born good at something or not.  There's no room for growth.  A growth mindset is the idea that you can develop ability through hard work and effort.  You can become good at anything, if you work hard enough.  If a student has a growth mindset, they build confidence, perseverance and ultimately success.

So I've been doing some work with my kids on changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  I thought I'd share some of the things I've done.

So in my class I started with quotes.   I found a lot on Practical Savvy.  I put up quotes like:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did.   Mark Twain
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.   Confucius
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.   Walt Disney
It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.   Albert Einstein

I gave each group of four kids one quote and had them discuss it.  Then they separated and formed new groups.  They shared their quotes, their groups thinking and what it has in common with the other quotes.

After that, I explained the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset.  I then gave them an activity where they took fixed mindset thinking and turned them into growth mindset.  You can find that activity here.  

I then put up posters showing how to change fixed mindset thinking into growth mindset.  I made them with nice frames.

Another activity is to have them research successful people who had to overcome obstacles to get where they were.  People like Walt Disney, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs.  You can find that activity here on TeachersPayTeachers. 

Best of all I created a Growth Mindset Fun set of lessons!  If you want this:
Research, Quick pre-assessment- pick a side, Read aloud possibilities, The Most Magnificent Thing, Neuroplasticity, Activity: Your Brain!, Activity: Let’s make a neuron!, Successful People and Their Struggles, For the teacher: Moving from Person Praise to Process Praise, and the Change Your Mindset posters- 11 separate png’s  (This bundle includes my previous products:  Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Activities and Change Your Mindset: From a fixed to a growth mindset posters)

I've created lots of growth mindset lessons and activities to be the most successful with my kids. I hope you find them useful too!  

Here's the Big Bundle (save $$) for everything growth mindset: Growth Mindset posters, activities, research project and digital tool!  Are you looking for some digital writing prompts that explore growth mindset?  Here is the easiest way to do this with the kids:  Growth Mindset Writing Prompts: Google Activity You get 40 inspiring quotes that support growth mindset. These are all quotes by famous people. This is a Google Drive activity or you can just print and use them.  Build a strong mathematical mindset with my Mathematical Growth Mindsets and Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI Math) activities.  That's so important.  We want our kids to love math.

One more thing!  As a teacher, I want to be sure I'm framing my feedback using growth mindset. Am I using process praise (praising the effort) such as "You must have worked hard on that!" or person praise (praising the student) such as "You're so smart."? 

Process Praise & Process Feedback

Things to do everyday, often, or as applicable

Think about whether or not you did these things...

• Process Praise-Praising the work or effort of the student, which led to the result/outcome e.g. “You really studied hard for your math test and your improvement it.” 
• Provided feedback when students struggled despite strong effort 
• Provided feedback when they struggle and need help with strategies
• Provided feedback when students made progress toward a learning goal
• Provide feedback when students succeeded with strong effort 

So that's where we are right now.  Funny, the other day, a student said," Miss, E--- has a fixed mindset!  He said he can't do it and he hasn't even tried!"  So I asked, "What would be a better way to say it?"  She said, "He could have said, I'm worried I won't do well but I'll try my best."  Something is sticking!!

You can find me on these platforms (as well as my blog!)
  

How can I make your job easier this year?  Let me know in the comments.  If I use your ideas for a blog post, you will win $10 to Teachers Pay Teachers.  Even better, if I use your ideas to make a resource in my store, LisaTeachR's Classroom, I'll send you a free copy of that resource! 

             

Time to Reflect for Success

It's a New Year...Time to Reflect for Success

       Since it's a new year but only the middle of the school year, it's a great time to take a little time to reflect.  Reflection helps kids take the time to stop and think about where they've been and where they hope to be.  So I created a Google form to give the kids and help them set some goals for success in the new year.  Here is a link to the Google form so that you can make a copy to your drive.    

http://bit.ly/2F52gjc

These are the questions it asks your kids:

• What activity or project did you do very well on?
• What activity or project did you struggle with?
• What have you gotten better in since the beginning of the year?
• What goals do you have in reading for the rest of this year?
• What goals do you have in math for the rest of this year?
• What goals do you have in any area for the rest of this year?
• What can you do to be more successful this year?

Kids need to set goals but also have a plan for reaching those goals.  

     

An InLinkz Link-up

My top wishlisted items for the TPT Cybersale

It's time for a sale at TPT!
And a chance to win $100!!

In case you haven't heard, TpT is having a SITEWIDE SALE on Monday and Tuesday!!! So much fun and lots of savings too. You can get up to 28% off!!

Make sure to use the code: CYBER2016 when you check out!

This has been a best seller for a long time. It's a set of posters to help kids change their thinking from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. And best of all it's $2!

It's so important to teach kids to train their inner voice. We want them to see the possibilities, not the limitations. I laminated these and put them up as a bulletin board to remind students to keep a growth mindset.

Do you need some help with close reading? Here a guide for close reading with the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

It's a wonderful book chronicling Auggie's, a young boy born with facial damage, journey through school and the adjustments he, his family and his classmates have to make.
Close reading is an integral part of teaching with the Common Core. Students need to know how to be analytic when reading texts and poems. I have outlined the components of authentic literacy and what it looks like in the classroom. I formatted the unit as follows. It begins with an explanation of close reading and how to format a lesson. Then, there is a story summary, themes listed and character descriptions. After that, I created focus questions for each chapter. There are explicit gradual release formatted lessons sprinkled throughout. I included a close reading sheet for each of the explicit lessons. You could use the focus questions to create more close reading lessons using the blank templates or for class discussions. At the end, there is a blank sheet for planning and to use with close reading of different chapters. I hope your students enjoy it as much as my students did. This isn't a bunch of worksheets as I don't teach that way. This is for going deep with the literature!

Another close reading guide is for the novel, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai.

This is a guide to a close reading of Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. It's a wonderful book written in free verse chronicling Ha's, a ten year old girl, journey from war-torn Vietnam to Alabama and her problems as a second language learner and with bullying.

Visit the linky from Daisy Designs!
There are a ton of other bloggers you can check out too!

Head on over to my store, LisaTeachR's Classroom.
Remember to use the code CYBER2016 to get the full 28% off!

You can win $100!!

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Growth Mindset Dollar Deal for Small Business Saturday!

It's Small Business Saturday
and a raffle for TPT!

It's #smallbusinesssaturday!     

Google Drive Growth Mindset activity- usually $4 but it's $1 today!!!  Just for you!!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growth-Mindset-Google-activities-and-research-report-2727197

I have lots of $1 deals in my store, LisaTeachR's Classroom, but this one is special!  It's one day only so head on over there asap! Support your local small business today!

AND you can win $10 for TeachersPay Teachers!
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