Keeping Going When It’s Hard
Students learn to make at least one more attempt before giving up, use growth language when something is hard, use a self-encouragement move to push through the feeling of wanting to stop, bounce back from a setback and return to the task, and name one personal motivator that helps them keep going.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to make a second attempt before asking for help, use growth language (“I can’t do it yet”) in place of a fixed “I can’t,” use a self-encouragement move to return to a task when they feel like stopping, return to work after a setback without shutting down for the session, and name and use one personal motivator during a hard task.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Try Again — and Use Brave Words | SM-PER-2-1 · SM-PER-2-2 · SA-REF-2-5 |
| 2 | Picking Myself Up After a Hard Moment or a Setback | SM-PER-2-3 · SM-PER-2-4 |
| 3 | Knowing What Helps Me Keep Going | SM-PER-2-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SM-GOL-2-5 | When a goal isn’t reached, bouncing back includes naming a specific thing to try differently — the adjustment move is part of recovery, not separate from it |
| SM-ADP-2-1 | Bouncing back from something going wrong (SM-PER-2-4) is closely related to recovering from an unexpected change — both require redirecting without shutting down |
Key Vocabulary
- Perseverance — Keeping going when something is hard — not because it gets easy, but because you choose to stay with it
- Growth language — Words that treat difficulty as temporary and changeable: “I can’t do this yet,” “I’ll try a different way,” “This is hard — and I can keep going”
- Self-encouragement — A move you make to help yourself want to keep going: a slow breath, a past-success memory, a quiet “I can do this” to yourself
- Setback — Something that goes wrong — a mistake, a redo, an unexpected result — that makes it harder to keep going
- Personal motivator — Something specific to you that makes it easier to push through a hard moment — your reason, not a general “try hard”
Materials
- Whiteboard space or chart paper + marker for I Do modeling
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them — you’ll reference both throughout the week.
- Index cards or sticky notes for students to write their personal motivator (Segment 3)
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment below has an I Do (teacher models the skill with a realistic scenario) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice — the You Do — lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
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Note on Variant B: This is a perseverance and self-awareness lesson. There is no Steps Poster for this lesson. The core frame is not a process — it is a set of moves available to the student in hard moments.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 3 quick set-ups before the I Do“I can’t do it yet” is not the same as “I can’t do it ever” · Self-encouragement is a skill — it doesn’t just happen · Personal motivators are personal — they don’t all look the same
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What we’re learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Try Again — and Use Brave Words
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: making a second attempt using “I’ll try a different way” · Using “yet” language: replacing “I can’t” with brave words · What a real second attempt looks like (versus retrying the same thing) · SA-REF-2-5: using “yet” language unprompted and making a visible second attempt
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Picking Myself Up After a Hard Moment or a Setback
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsSelf-encouragement move: using a slow breath and a past-success memory · Bouncing back from a setback · Wrong version → fix: shutting down vs. bouncing back
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Knowing What Helps Me Keep Going
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsTextbook example: naming a personal motivator · Different students, different motivators · The difference between naming the motivator and using it
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Closing prompt
- Land the key idea
- Connect to daily life
- Optional — Quick check-in
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Self-Management resources for Grade 2, ready to use today.
