S On the first day of school I asked

students to write a letter explaining

t how they felt about school, how they
like to learn, and what their strengths
u and weaknesses are. These letters
gave me a chance to get to know my
d students mindsets about school and
themselves. I found an that my class

e was divided, half of the students

enjoyed math and the other half did

n not. Many students who did not enjoy

math explained that it was because
they never have done well in math and
t do not understand it. After learning
this information about my students, I
needed to make sure I was teaching in
a way to help these students
l understand math. As well as,
encouraging and supporting them
e throughout all subjects.

t
t
e
r
s
M
i
n
d
s
e
t

Q
u
i The second day of school students participated in a quiz that
assessed their mindfulness. After reading each statement
z student either agreed or disagreed with the statement, each
answer was associated with a number. After the quiz students
totaled their score to find if they had more of a fixed or growth
mindset. Most students received a score between seventeen and
twenty-one, meaning they have a growth mindset with some fixed
ideas. Having my students identify their mindset showed them
that everyone thinks differently. As their teacher it is important for
me to recognize that students with different mindsets learn
differently, as well as, react to change differently. My plan is to
have students retake this survey at the end of the year to see if
their mindsets have changed.
M After the mindset quiz, students discussed the
i difference between fixed and growth mindsets.
n Next, students watched a video on
neuroplasticity, which explained that brains are
d like plastic, always changing and adapting.
s When you learn something new your brain
e forms new connections to help you think
differently. Students came to the conclusion
t that you cannot just want something you need
to work at it, change your way of thinking, and
P keep a positive growth mindset.
o
w
e
r
P
o
i
n
t
M As a class, we discussed what it means to have positive
i self-talk and to be persistent. Persistence was defined
as sticking with something, trying your best, and being
n determined. The images shown are posters I have
shown the students and have hanging in my classroom.
d We discussed the word yet, as a word students need
to include more in their vocabulary. Multiple times a
s day students answer questions with I dont know, or
e simply write idk on a test questions. I wanted student
to turn away from saying I dont know, and start trying
t to give an answer and using statements such as I can',
'I will, or I will try again. Having these posters hanging
around my room help remind students to be persistent
P and keep trying.
o
w
e
r
P
o
i
n
t
 Student had the chance to write about
something they are persistent at and
something they need to show more
P persistence in. They also shared what
they wrote to the class.
e
r
s
i
s
t
e
n
c The first student example wrote she was This third student wrote about how even
e persistent at photography, she explained to the
class that she is very passionate about taking
pictures, and since she practices everyday that
Student two stated that he is persistent at doing
homework, but needs to become more
though he is persistent at going his work
during class, he needs to be more persistent
means she is persistent at it. She also wrote persistent at paying attention in class. He at paying attention during class. He can do
she is persistent at math. Even though she does shared with the class that he always works hard this by not talking to his friends and asking
not understand math, she still tries everyday to on the homework but because he gets for more help.
get better and does not give up. She also stated, distracted he does not always pay attention in
is not persistence in science, because it can get class. To pay attention in class, he needs to not
confusing, so what she needs to do get better is
ask more questions. get distracted and not fall behind during class.
G
o
a
l

S
e
t
t
i
n To teach goal setting to students I first taught them what a SMART goal was and why goal setting is important. Goals need to be specific, measurable,

g achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Students had the opportunity to create a goal based on the something they wanted to be more persistent at.
These three student examples show students who picked an academic goal of better their grade or reading level. The student in the top right, wants
to get a 90% in math, so he is going to study for 30 minutes a day. The student on the bottom write wrote that she wants to move to a level V reading
level, and she is going to read 30 minutes a day to help achieve her goal. The last student on the left, wants to earn an A in writing, which he can do
by focusing in class and listening to the teacher. All three of these students made a specific, realistic goal that they can achieve by the end of the year.
G
o
a
l

S
e
t
t
i
n Once the student and I went over their goals and they had the chance to display their goal in the classroom as a reminder to
stay persistent and keep working towards their goal. These goals will be revisited at the end of each trimester to determine
g if they are the correct path towards achieving their goal. The first students goal was to get better at division, the second
students goal was to graduate sixth grade, and the third students goal is to be able to do math with fractions in his head.
R
e The next two slides are students

f
reflections after the first quarter finished.
Students had to answer the questions:

l
What was your goal?
What is your action plan to reaching their
goal?
e Are you on the right path towards your
goal?

c What else do you need to do to achieve

this goal?

t The top reflection is a student whose goal is to

stay focused and receive As. He recognized that

i he is on the correct path with following two of his

action steps but still needs to handle his anger

o
issues.

The second reflection is a student who wants to

n work better with other students, instead of just

working alone. She shared that she does not like

s working with other people, even though they

could help her. She states that she is not on the
right path of her goal, and she needs to start
working with other students during class.
 The first students reflection states that his goal is to finish all his homework and do good
on his test. I encouraged this student when he shared out to be more specific, what does
R good mean. He then explained that when he said good, he mean a B or better.
Something else he needs to work on to keep working towards his goal is to not skip class.

e The reflection to the right is a student who shared that her goal was to pay more attention
in class, she can do this by not talking when the teacher is talking. She recognized that
f since she has been talking a lot in class and to achieve her goal she needs to listen and
stop fooling around in class.

l
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
Cultivating Confidence
To encourage students to be persistent a speaker from the
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame came into my
classroom and spoke to students about persistence and
confidence. The speaker introduced students to twelve
different stories about women from Connecticut who did
not give up, even when the world was against them.
 Cultivating
Confidence While the speaker shared the twelve stories
students took notes on the women whose stories
Student Work they related to the most or that were inspirational.
Students had several opportunities to discuss with
peers about what confidence and perseverance
meant to them, how they could help others, and
what they took away from each story.

Students were given a choice between two versions of note caters to use during the speakers presentation. ELL and special need students were also given the
option to draw about each one of the stories. Above are three examples from students of different academic ability. The first student being an above average
student academically, the second set of notes was completed by a student who is an ELL, and the third set of notes was completed by an academically average
student.
 Students reflected on the presentation, which story could they relate to the most, as well as
Student Reflections how could they show more perseverance and confidence. Below are three students
reflections. The three students reflections above show that every student took something
different away from the speakers presentation. Each student also took what they learned
and applied it to how they can show confidence and perseverance in their own lives.

The first reflection was from a student who is a
hard worker, but at times gets discouraged and
gives up. I was happy reading that she wants to
show more perseverance and confidence by not
others stop her from what she wants to do.
The second student connected with the girl who
faced her fears to talk in front of people, since she is
also scared to talk in front of others. She also
mentioned that she has a personal goal that she will
not let others or her fear get in the way of.
The third reflection is from a boy who said that he
learned that men are not the only strong, confident,
and brave people in history, that a lot of women are
strong and confident as well. He mentioned that he
will persevere by helping people and never giving up.