TeachersFirst Persisting (Habit of the Mind) Resources
Welcome, educators! This collection of resources is designed to help you and your students cultivate the Habit of Mind of Perseverance—the ability to stick with a task through to completion, stay focused when challenges arise, and find creative ways to reach your goals without giving up. Whether your students are working through a challenging math problem, revising an essay to enhance its quality, or practicing a new skill until they master it, perseverance is the key to transforming effort into achievement. This collection includes engaging videos that showcase real-world examples of persistence, inspiring articles (and blogs), interactive activities and games that build resilience through practice, printable goal-setting templates and progress trackers, classroom-ready lesson plans for teaching students how to handle challenging problems, and reflection tools to help students recognize and celebrate their growth. You'll also find visual reminders, such as posters and digital resources, to reinforce this habit throughout your classroom. By deliberately incorporating these resources into your daily routines and helping students notice opportunities to persevere, you'll be equipping them with one of the most powerful tools for lifelong success.
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15 Fun and Inspiring Perseverance Activities - Mental Health Center Kids
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charactered (87), classroom management (135), social and emotional learning (196)
In the Classroom
Students can use Timeline Infographic Templates by Venngage, reviewed here to track how often to water a plant. Students can use Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here to record themselves learning a new instrument. Students can read various picture books about teaching perseverance.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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10 Free Printable Goal-Setting Worksheets to Stay Organized - Parade
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): organizational skills (88), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Set up stations with different types of worksheets (SMART goals, habit trackers, reflection sheets). Students can rotate through the formats, sample each, and choose the one that best fits their personal or academic goals. Have students complete a worksheet at the start of the week and revisit it on Friday. They can reflect on progress, challenges, and next steps to build accountability and self-management skills. Students can create a short presentation with Aha Slides, reviewed here showing their goal, action steps, obstacles, and outcomes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Perseverance Strategies for Kids and Teens - Pathway 2 Success
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (135), social and emotional learning (196)
In the Classroom
Students can use Google Keep, reviewed here to track their goal. Students can create a Check in with Yourself using Google Forms, reviewed here. Students can create a comic using Comic Strip Templates by Canva, reviewed here to teach one of the techniques.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Goal Setting Worksheets - Easy Teacher Worksheets
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): organizational skills (88), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Introduce the SMART goal format and have students complete a worksheet to set a personal or academic goal. Discuss examples as a class so students understand how to set clear, realistic goals. Have students revisit their worksheets each week to reflect on what steps they completed, what challenges they faced, and what they will try next. This builds accountability and self-management skills. Have students set goals connected to a specific subject, such as improving reading stamina, mastering multiplication facts, or strengthening writing skills. If students are working on long-term subject goals, such as mastering multiplication or improving reading stamina, they can create a visual representation of their journey using Canva Infographic Creator reviewed here to show milestones reached over several weeks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mentor Texts for Teaching Perseverance - The Teacher Next Store
Grades
2 to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social and emotional learning (196), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Students can use Trading Card Creator reviewed here to digitally create how they showcase perseverance. Students can use Venn Diagram Creator by Canva, reviewed here to compare and contrast mentor texts. Students can use Mentimeter, reviewed here to create a word cloud for words associated with perseverance.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lesson Plan: Perseverance - Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): social and emotional learning (196), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Students can use the graphic organizers that are provided with the lesson. Students can use ScreenPal, reviewed here to share how they show perseverance in their daily lives. Students can use the Interactive 2 Circle Venn Diagram by ReadWriteThink, reviewed here to compare and contrast how each Holocaust survivor showcases perseverance.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SMART Goals Worksheet - Lake Superior State University
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students brainstorm personal, academic, or classroom goals (for example, reading more, improving writing, or being kinder on the playground). Then guide them through completing the SMART Goals Worksheet together to turn a simple idea into a clear, structured goal. Have students pair up to share their SMART goals and action plans. Partners can give friendly feedback by checking if the goals are specific, measurable, and realistic. Create a "Goal Wall" where students post their goals (or just the focus area, like "Reading" or "Organization"). Update the wall as students reach milestones to celebrate effort and growth.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Mind Explorer - Habits of Mind Insitute
Grades
K to 12tag(s): critical thinking (179), preK (322), problem solving (273), social and emotional learning (196), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Include this resource as part of a project-based learning unit by having students choose one habit to focus on as they work through a complex challenge. For a social studies project exploring historical figures, students can analyze which habits, like Taking Responsible Risks or Striving for Accuracy, were most critical to their subject's success. After conducting research, students can organize their insights and provide examples of these habits in action by creating a collaborative digital board with Lino, reviewed here. To take the reflection deeper, ask students to map out their own growth in that specific habit by creating a visual journey or mind map using MindMup, reviewed here shifting focus from just learning facts to understanding the mental behaviors that drive achievement, helping students become more self-aware and intentional learners.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Goal Setting - Easy Teacher Worksheets
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): behavior (49), classroom management (135), social and emotional learning (196), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students use completed goal sheets during conferences to explain growth, challenges, and next steps. This will help to build accountability and show progress. Use the goal planner before large projects (book reports, Reading Trek maps, research papers, robotics builds). Students can break the assignment into mini-deadlines and checkpoints to strengthen executive functioning skills. After quizzes or benchmark tests, students can analyze their results and set targeted improvement goals to gain ownership of their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Mind: Persistance - New Trader U
Grades
4 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): professional development (318), thinking skills (115), visualizations (15)
In the Classroom
Have students set a short-term academic or personal goal and create a simple action plan that includes potential obstacles and strategies to stay persistent. Students can keep a weekly reflection journal in which they write about the challenges they faced and how they used persistence to overcome them. Create journals digitally using Book Creator, reviewed here. Students can design posters with persistence quotes, strategies, and visuals to encourage a classroom culture of effort and resilience. Use a digital option such as DesignCap Poster Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Minds: Persistence--Activities for the Cold Winter - Lori Rice
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social and emotional learning (196), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Students can define and illustrate key terms such as persistence, excellence, and indifference. They can create visual posters or digital slides using Genially, reviewed here showing what each word looks like in action. Students can compare persistence and indifference using a Venn diagram created with Interactive Venn Diagrams by Class Tools, reviewed here. They can include examples from school, sports, or real life to show how each mindset affects outcomes. Have students analyze a character from a class novel or read-aloud who shows persistence. They can cite evidence from the text and explain how the character kept going throughAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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16 Habits of the Mind: Persisting - WonderGrove Kids
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social and emotional learning (196), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Give students a challenging task or puzzle. When they get stuck, encourage them to try at least two different strategies before asking for help. Students can choose one academic or personal goal and write steps they will take to keep trying, even when it gets hard. As a class, create an anchor chart showing what persisting looks like, sounds like, and feels like in the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mindset Journal - Youcubed
Grades
K to 12tag(s): journals (22), student-centered (9), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students complete a short journal entry at the end of the day reflecting on a challenge they faced and how they worked through it. This form of journaling builds self-awareness and reinforces the idea that effort leads to growth. Have students write one skill they are still working on using a "I can't do this yet" statement from the journal. Post journal responses on a class bulletin board to celebrate perseverance and normalize learning struggles. At the start of a new unit, have students set a personal learning goal in their journal. Midway through the unit, they revisit their entry to reflect on progress, strategies, and mindset shifts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of the Mind: Persistance - Mineola Creative Content
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social and emotional learning (196), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students read short challenge scenarios and discuss or role-play how persistence can help solve the problem. Have students identify characters from books or stories who show persistence. They can cite textual evidence and explain how perseverance helped the character succeed. Have a class complete a complex puzzle, STEM task, or writing challenge, and reflect on how persistence helped them overcome obstacles.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching With Habits of the Mind - The Institute for the Arts Integration and STEAM
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): professional development (318), social and emotional learning (196), teaching strategies (68), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students create a habit of mind character sketch with Google Drawings, reviewed here. They can choose a character from a book and identify which habits the character uses or lacks. They can write a short explanation and illustrate the character demonstrating the habit in a key scene. Assign students to design a toolkit for a habit of mind. In small groups using Canva for Education, reviewed here, they create posters, bookmark reminders, or short scripts for morning announcements that teach their classmates how to use a specific habit. These tools are shared with the grade level or displayed in the classroom as ongoing reminders. Choose one habit of mind, such as persisting, and give students a quick challenge, such as building a tower from index cards and tape. Pause halfway through and ask students to reflect on how they are using the habit in real time, this helps them experience the habit through action.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Mind - Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (179), problem solving (273), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Introduce one habit, such as Thinking Flexibly, and give students a quick scenario in which they choose among different ways to solve a problem. Have them vote and explain their choices. Give students cards with prompts like "A time I persisted today..." or "A moment I listened with understanding..." to build awareness of habits in real time. Set up stations tied to different habits, such as puzzles for persisting partner tasks for listening with understanding or creative challenges for thinking flexibly. Have students rotate and practice each habit as part of your ongoing classroom routines.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SEL Lesson Planner - Yourway Learning
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (299), social and emotional learning (196), Teacher Utilities (214)
In the Classroom
Save this lesson generator for many different classroom uses. Create lessons to build social-emotional learning skills that address the needs of your students or incorporate SEL thinking processes into lessons that require students to understand different perspectives, such as the civil rights movement or the environmental impacts of pollution. Take time to develop the prompt for the final box to include specific information for the type of lesson to create, teaching frameworks to include, technology to incorporate, and consideration of thinking routines. For example, use a prompt such as "the civil rights movement of the 1960s, include five station rotation activities; one should be technology-based" to generate a SEL lesson. Consider adding Thinking Routines, reviewed here that encourages students to use perspective to consider others' thoughts, experiences, and feelings.Edge Features:
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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OK2Ask: Tech Tools Smackdown: Critical Thinking Games in the Classroom - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12Level up your teaching with engaging digital games and puzzles that ignite critical thinking! In this workshop, we'll explore viral sensations like NYT's Wordle and Connections and hidden gems like TED's The Purring Test. Experience these tools firsthand and discover how to strategically integrate them into your lessons for maximum impact. You'll leave with a curated toolkit of engaging resources that transform problem-solving challenges into powerful learning opportunities. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Explore powerful digital games and tools that boost critical thinking skills. 2. Evaluate digital tools and match them with specific learning goals. 3. Design lesson plans that integrate these tools effectively. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.
tag(s): critical thinking (179), game based learning (304), OK2Askarchive (87), professional development (318)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Once registered, find additional reference materials, tutorials, and how-to information to help you review or extend your knowledge from the session in the handout posted on the session landing page. Resources may include additional ideas and examples on integrating the tools and strategies shared in classroom instruction. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Microsoft Reflect - Microsoft
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (135), communication (122), social and emotional learning (196), Teacher Utilities (214)
In the Classroom
Use Reflect as part of your classroom social and emotional support activities. For elementary classrooms, include daily check-ins, provide learning opportunities to encourage the use of emotional vocabulary, and incorporate reflections as part of discussions of characters and their emotions when reading stories and books. In middle school, include Reflect as part of weekly check-ins for emotional support, facilitate group discussions based upon feedback from check-ins, or use Reflect's tools to encourage students to set personal and academic goals. Use Reflect with high school students to promote mental health awareness and provide tools for stress management.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MirrorTalk - Swivl
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (299), assessment (144), DAT device agnostic tool (129), Formative Assessment (47), preK (322), social and emotional learning (196), Teacher Utilities (214), teaching strategies (68), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
MirrorTalk can be used in many ways to support student learning and reflection. Begin the school year with a prompt that encourages students to reflect on the previous school year and set goals for the new year. Create prompts as exit tickets for students to reflect on the day's lesson and as a formative assessment for you to modify upcoming lessons as needed. Use this tool as part of a retrieval practice strategy to encourage students to recall facts about new concepts learned in class. Learn more about retrieval practice by visiting this blog post, Using Retrieval Practice to Boost Student Learning, found here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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