Set angular scope variable in markup

Simple question: How can I set a scope value in html, to be read by my controller? var app = angular.module('app', []); app.controller('MyController', function($scope) { console.log($scope.myVar); }); <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.23/angular.min.js"></script> <div ng-app='app'> <div ng-controller="MyController" app-myVar="test"> {{myVar}} </div> </div> JSFiddle: