Brain Power Lesson Plan Brain Power Blueprint
IREAD's Got You! • Session 1 of 16
30 Minutes
Why This Session?
This session lays the groundwork for emotional and cognitive tools crucial for IREAD success. By understanding resilience and growth mindset, students can reframe past setbacks and build confidence for future academic challenges.
Preparation
Review Slide Deck & Coach Script
Print My Growing Brain Worksheet (1 per student)
Print Perseverance Path Reading (1 per student)
Gather art supplies (markers/pencils)
Objectives
Students will be able to:
Define resilience and growth mindset.
Identify personal examples of persistence.
Set a goal for academic brain-growth.
Facilitation Guide
5 MIN
Warm-Up: Mind Power
Begin with the Mind Power Warm-Up activity. Use the Coach Script to guide the discussion. Facilitate a brief discussion to activate prior knowledge and introduce the day's focus on brain power and challenges.
7 MIN
Intro: Bouncing Back!
Use the Resilience Roadmap Slide Deck and the Coach Script to introduce Resilience and Growth Mindset. Explain their importance for academic success, especially with IREAD. Emphasize that mistakes are opportunities for learning.
13 MIN
Activity: My Growing Brain
Distribute the My Growing Brain Worksheet . Guide students through Part 1, then read The Little Seed Who Wouldn't Give Up! aloud. While reading, students can work on Part 2. Facilitate a brief share-out of brain "superpowers."
5 MIN
Wrap-Up: Goal Getter
Conclude with the Goal Getter Cool-Down . Guide students to set a personal goal using the script. Have students share one key takeaway or goal. Reinforce messages about effort and progress.
Coach Tip: Use "The Power of Yet" (I can't do this... YET!) throughout the session.
Resilience Roadmap Slides Welcome, Brain Builders!
Ever feel like your brain is a muscle? It is! The more you use it and challenge it, the stronger it gets.
Slide 1 • Resilience Roadmap
Bouncing Back!
Resilience is like a superpower! It is our ability to:
Bounce back when things get toughKeep trying even after a mistakeLearn from our challenges
Think about it:
"Think about a time you tried something new and it was hard. What did you do? Did you give up, or did you try again?"
Brain Power
Executive Functioning Skills are like the brain's boss! They help us stay in control of our learning.
Plan
Set a path to your goal
Organize
Tidy your space & thoughts
Focus
Block out distractions
Remember
Keep facts ready for use
Today's Skill Focus: PLANNING
You've Got This!
Resilience: Keep bouncing back!
Growth Mindset: You can learn and get better!
Brain Boss: Use your skills to plan!
Every day makes you stronger!
Mind Power Warm Up Name:
Date:
Mind Power
Warm-Up
Instructions
Think about the questions below. You can draw a picture or write your answers in the space provided. We will share our ideas together!
1. What is one thing that you are really good at doing?
2. What is one thing that feels challenging or hard for you right now?
3. Imagine your brain is like a muscle. What makes your brain muscle stronger?
(Hint: It's not push-ups!)
Brain Blueprint Worksheet Student Name
Date
My Growing Brain
Activity Worksheet
1
My Brain Superpowers!
Draw a picture of your brain doing something amazing! (Solving a puzzle, learning a skill, helping a friend.)
Think about a time you tried something difficult and didn't give up. What was it? How did you keep going?
2
Building My Brain Muscles
Fill in the blanks to plan how you will grow your brain this week!
When something is hard, I can try to .
Options: Think of a new way Ask for help Practice more
My brain gets stronger when I .
Options: Learn new things Learn from mistakes Keep practicing
One way I can be a good "Brain Boss" this week is to .
Options: Plan my homework Organize my pack Focus on one task
Perseverance Path Reading The Little Seed
Who Wouldn't Give Up!
Deep beneath the cool, dark earth sat a tiny seed named Sammy. Sammy had a big dream. He wanted to reach the golden sunlight he heard the worms talking about. But there was a problem: the ground above him was hard, dry, and packed with heavy stones.
On the first day, Sammy pushed with all his might. "Push! Push! Push!" he thought. But the soil didn't budge. Sammy felt small. He felt tired. He almost decided to just stay a seed forever. It was easier that way.
"Maybe I'm just not a growing kind of seed," Sammy sighed.
But then, Sammy remembered something an old Oak tree had once whispered to the wind: "Growth isn't about being the strongest; it's about being the most stubborn."
So, Sammy changed his plan. Instead of pushing against the big rocks, he decided to grow a tiny root downward first. He found a little bit of water. That water gave him a tiny bit of energy. The next day, he tried to wiggle around a stone instead of going through it.
It took days. It took weeks. Sometimes Sammy made a mistake and grew the wrong way, hitting a wall of clay. But every time he hit a wall, he whispered, "I'm not stuck, I'm just learning a new way around."
Finally, one morning, the soil felt warmer. The weight above him felt lighter. With one last, mighty S-T-R-E-T-C-H , Sammy's tiny green head poked through the surface.
The sun was brighter than he ever imagined. The breeze was cooler. Looking down at the hard ground he had just conquered, Sammy realized he wasn't just a seed anymore. He was a survivor. He was resilient. And most importantly, he was just getting started.
Reflect as you read:
The Rock
What is your "hard ground"?
The Water
What helps you keep going?
The Sun
What is your big goal?
Goal Getter Cool Down Goal Getter
Session 1 Cool-Down
Name
Date
What is one small thing you can try to do before our next session to practice being a "Resilience Rock Star" or a "Growth Mindset Guru" ?
Bonus Question:
How will you know if you achieved your goal?
Keep Growing • See you next time!
IREAD Coach Script Session 1 Coach Script
Session 1: Brain Power Blueprint
Warm-Up
Mind Power (5 min)
Begin by saying:
"Welcome to our Brain Builder team! Before we dive in, I want you to look at your Mind Power Warm-Up. We all have things we are already amazing at—like sports, drawing, or being a good friend. But we also have things that feel like a giant rock in our path. Today, we're going to learn how to turn those rocks into stepping stones by growing our 'brain muscle'."
Discussion Prompt: Ask 1-2 volunteers to share one thing they are good at and one thing that is "hard... for now."
Skill Focus
Resilience & Growth (7 min)
While showing Slides 2 & 3:
"Resilience is a big word that means something simple: Bouncing Back . Think of a rubber ball versus a piece of clay. When you drop a ball, it hits the hard ground and pops right back up. That's resilience! When we face challenges like the IREAD, we don't want to be like clay that stays flat. We want to be the ball."
"To do that, we need a Growth Mindset . This is the belief that your brain is like a muscle—it gets stronger when you work it out on hard problems. If you say 'I can't do this,' add the word 'YET' to the end. I can't do this... YET."
Activity
The Little Seed (13 min)
Before reading Sammy's Story:
"As I read about Sammy the Seed, I want you to listen for the moment he almost gave up. What changed his mind? Think about your own 'hard ground' as you listen."
Teacher Note: While students fill out Part 2 of the worksheet, walk around and offer specific praise like, "I love how you identified asking for help as a way to grow!"
Wrap-Up
Goal Getter (5 min)
Concluding the session:
"Before you leave the Brain Lab today, what is ONE small thing you will try? Maybe it's organizing your backpack tonight, or maybe it's using the word 'yet' when you get stuck on a math problem. Write it down. Your brain is growing already!"
