Keeping Going When It’s Hard
Students learn to persist independently through difficult tasks, use growth mindset language on their own when responding to difficulty or feedback, describe how persistence led to a better outcome on a real task, independently try a new approach when stuck, identify one controllable thing to do after a setback, and name one controllable action they took and explain how it changed the outcome.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to persist through difficult tasks on their own, try a genuinely new approach when stuck, and — after a setback — name one thing within their control and explain how their action affected the outcome.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keeping Going on Your Own | SM-PER-3-1 · SM-PER-3-2 |
| 2 | Trying a Different Way and Seeing What Changed | SM-PER-3-4 · SM-PER-3-3 |
| 3 | After a Setback: What You Control | SM-PER-3-5 · SA-REF-3-4 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SM-GOL-3-4 | When a plan isn’t working, naming what to try differently is perseverance in action. |
| SM-ADP-3-2 | Diagnosing what isn’t working and choosing a genuinely different approach is the core move in Segment 2. |
Key Vocabulary
- Persist — Keep trying even when something is hard, instead of stopping.
- Growth mindset language — Talking to yourself in a way that helps you keep going — e.g., “This is hard, and I can try again.”
- New approach — A genuinely different way to try something — a different tool, starting point, or strategy, not the same move again.
- Controllable — Something you have the power to do or change.
- Outcome — What happened as a result of what you did.
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
- 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.
- Sentence Frame Cards (distribute at Segment 1)
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.
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 DoKeeping going on your own — not just when someone reminds you · Trying a new approach — not just trying the same thing again · What you can control — and why “try harder” is not a plan
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 3 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 3 launches.
Keeping Going on Your Own
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: keeping going and talking to yourself, no prompting · Wrong version → fix: waiting for the teacher before trying again · Named character (Amara): growth language used spontaneously, in a positive moment · Named character (Ethan): persistence is self-driven across a longer task
- 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 3 launches.
Trying a Different Way and Seeing What Changed
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: identifying “stuck” and switching approaches · Wrong version → fix: a retry disguised as a new approach · Named character (Sofia): describing what changed because of persistence · Named character (Marcus): new approach leads to a specific, traceable outcome
- 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 3 launches.
After a Setback: What You Control
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsTextbook example: setback → one controllable next step · Wrong version → fix: staying stuck on what went wrong · Named character (Priya): looking back — naming the action and the effect (SA-REF-3-4 ✦)
- 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 3 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Closing prompt
- Round 1 — Segment 1
- Round 2 — Segment 2
- Round 3 — Segment 3
This section opens when Grade 3 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 3, ready to use today.
