Mindsets and Success

Mrs. Blackmon
Jacobs Ladder Reading Comprehension Program:
Nonfiction, Grade 5 Prufrock Press
Find the Golden Line

Read the article entitled

Mindsets: How the Popular
Psychological Theory Relates to
Success and highlight a golden
line
Details

What details in the article

suggest a fixed mindset is
harmful to success? Make a list
with your group.
 Classifications

Think about times you have had a fixed

or growth mindset. Create a t-chart
with one column labeled fixed and
the other column labeled growth.
Provide examples from the text as well
as personal examples about how
students may act or what they might
say when they have a fixed or growth
mindset.
Generalizations

Write two
generalizations
about he impact
of mindset of
success.
Now Read J.K. Rowlings Speech
Excerpt

What details in the

speech suggest
what Rowling thinks
about failure? Is it
positive, negative,
or both?
Classifications

How does Rowling

categorize success?
Highlight in the article
places where she talks
about her definitions of
success.
Generalizations

Write two true statements from

the speech about the relationship
between success and failure?
 Understanding Emotion

How did you feel after

reading this speech? Why?
 Expressing Emotion

Think about a time

when you failed.
What did you learn?
How does what you
learned compare to
what Rowling learned
from her failures?
Using Emotion

What advice would you give to

an older student about success
versus failure? Give the advice
in an original form such as a rap
song, poem, or letter.
Comparison of Paired Text
The speech and the article you
just read constitute important
ideas about how to think about
success and failure in life. Each
piece provides a different
perspective on the issue that is
valuable for you to think about
and consider as you grow and
develop. Now it is time to analyze
the two pieces directly.
Textual Elements and
Understanding

What words or phrases does

Rowling use in her speech to
suggest that she has a growth
mindset? Highlight them and
compare your findings with a
partner.
Inference

What would you suggest to someone who

has a fixed mindset, based on Rowlings
example as well as the mindset theory?
Theme/Concept

How is the theme of

overcoming failure present
in both pieces? Create a
concept map to illustrate
your thinking about
overcoming failure, citing
evidence from both
articles?