A school’s September SEL push blends growth mindset videos and storytelling in an ELL U.S. History class, building shared vocabulary and community.
A growth mindset lesson can feel like routine—until the day a classroom turns it into something students actually own.
The post. originally published in 2017 and later republished by the author in the following months. describes how a school built its Social Emotional Learning (SEL) priorities around a growth mindset focus for September.. In that approach. a number of teachers deliver formal SEL lessons to their classes. while other staff receive professional development on how to support SEL throughout day-to-day teaching.
In this case, the lesson was taught in an English Language Learner (ELL) United States History class.. The teacher said motivation was higher than usual for two reasons: although a prior growth-mindset lesson format had worked well for the previous two years. they felt ready to try something new and more creative. and they were also preparing for members of the California State Board of Education who were scheduled to observe.
The class began with a direct, student-led explanation of what a “growth mindset” means.. Rather than starting with a definition the way many lessons do. the teacher asked students what “grow” meant and what “mind” meant.. From there. the concept was framed as learning to grow one’s mind by treating problems as something to work through. not something that should stop them—opportunities to “grow our mind.”
To ground the definition in examples, the teacher showed multiple video clips previously used in earlier lessons.. After each clip. students took a brief moment to consider what the video might suggest about what a growth mindset looks like.. They first discussed ideas with a partner. then shared with the full class. and the teacher recorded student responses on easel paper—later included in the original post as a visual of the class’s thinking.
Next came narrative modeling through reading. The teacher distributed and read aloud three stories designed to highlight growth mindset habits. Students were instructed to listen with their own experiences in mind, anticipating that they would write their own versions next.
Students then received a structured writing frame. with the teacher asking them to connect their writing to the earlier easel-paper discussion.. The class moved through the sections of the frame one at a time before students copied their ideas into a paragraph.. The teacher noted that engagement was high, with most students fully absorbed in the writing process.
Many students finished their stories, and a significant number of them drew on learning English experiences. Some students were not finished yet, but the plan was for the rest of the work to carry into the following day’s sharing.
Tomorrow. the classroom would share the stories with one another. and the pieces would eventually be posted on the class blog.. The teacher described the exchange as a community-building step—an opportunity for students not only to practice SEL language. but to see how classmates apply it in real situations.
Beyond the writing, the lesson also changed classroom routines.. The school’s growth-mindset vocabulary would be used as a common language for redirection. reducing the need for generic reminders such as “put your head up.” Instead. the teacher expected to prompt students by referencing the lesson itself—making the guidance feel more connected to shared learning and. in the teacher’s words. energizing for both students and staff.
Across classrooms. the underlying idea is simple: when students hear the same values repeatedly and then use them to describe their own lives. those values become easier to call on in the moment.. By pairing SEL instruction with videos. guided storytelling. and a public-facing outlet like a class blog. the lesson turns “growth mindset” from a slogan into a practiced skill—one students can revisit long after the formal lesson ends.
growth mindset Social Emotional Learning ELL education classroom storytelling SEL vocabulary class blog instructional practice