Lessons

Kindergarten

Lesson

1

:

What is Grit?

Lesson
1
:

What is Grit?

Grade

Kindergarten

UNIT

2

•

Grit

Last Updated:

June 2, 2025

Unit 2, Lesson 1, “What is Grit?” introduces the spelling and definition of the word grit. Students will learn examples of grit provided by the accompanying video. Students will practice the correct spelling of grit, demonstrate comprehension through a pictorial demonstration, and practice conversation skills by sharing their illustrations with a partner.

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SUGGESTED TIME:

20 minutes

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LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Correctly spell grit
  • Demonstrate comprehension of the word grit by producing a pictorial representation
  • Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates  
  • Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking 

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REQUIRED MATERIALS:

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VOCABULARY:

  • Grit: I keep trying to reach my goals even when it is hard. I don’t give up.

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ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.4

Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10

Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A

Print many upper- and lowercase letters.

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CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

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Performance Character A

Know, understand, and practice the character strengths of self-discipline, responsibility, goal setting and grit

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Self-Awareness A2

Identify personal strengths (e.g., honesty, curiosity, listening)

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Self-Management A3

Explain the different ways people respond to problems and challenges (e.g., ask for help, try harder, learn from mistakes)

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Social-Awareness A3

Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others

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Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills 1

Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults

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Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills 7

Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities

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Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1

Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best)

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LESSON PROCEDURE

Today we will talk about grit. 

  1. Write grit on the board and prompt students to write it on their worksheets.
  2. Play the video:  Grit & Perseverance: An SEL Video for Kids by Year in the Making (~2 min)
  3. Give students a piece of thread or string and ten beads each. Explain that we will do an activity that teaches us how to use our grit, to not give up. We will need to get all 10 beads on this thread (~5 min)
  4. Ask students what they learned from this activity. 
  5. Give an example of grit (e.g., I showed grit when I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. It was hard at first, and I fell down a few times. But I kept trying until I could ride my bike without falling.)
  6. Write three sentences on the board and ask students which one shows grit:
    1. I don't want to try to ride my bike because it is too hard.
    2. I'm going to ride my bike, even though it is hard. I will keep trying until I ride it.
    3. I don't like to try any new things.
  1. Ask students to draw a picture on their worksheet of how they have shown grit.
  2. Have students share their pictures with a partner.

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EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

  • Talk with your students about times that you have seen examples of people demonstrating grit. You could give examples of family, friends, and/or historical or current public figures.
  • Talk with your students about times in your life that you have demonstrated grit, despite hardships.

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KINDERGARTEN UNIT 2 WORKSHEET 1: WHAT IS GRIT?

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Grit: I keep trying to reach my goals even when it is hard. I don’t give up.

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Write the word grit: 

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Draw a picture of a time you showed grit:

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Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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