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Grade: all
Subject: Reading/Writing
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I'm the curriculum editor for StageofLife.com, we wanted to share our original lesson plan about heroes with TeachersNet. It's a part of our lesson plan series on blogging - getting students writing more outside of the classroom. -Enjoy!What is a Hero?
Discussions about "heroes" are constant themes across history and literature texts. Within every novel, memoir or history lesson, heroes emerge to perform great deeds or challenge our view of the world.
But wait...have you ever stopped to wonder, "What is a hero?" What characteristics define a hero? Is there a universal definition or are heroes defined by the situation or context that made them a hero?
This lesson plan is designed to integrate into a variety of History or English units as teachers pose a surprisingly complex question in the simpliest of terms, "What is a Hero?"
Objective: Students will be able to define "hero" and examine heroes in their own lives.
Materials:
--StageofLife.com Hero List for "Hero Walk" Activity [see link included with this lesson plan submission]
--MyHero.com (for reference and additional ideas/resources)
--Note cardsAnticipatory Set: Answer these questions and perform the following pre-discussion activities...
Independent: Ask each student independently to define the word "hero" on a note card. Leave this question as open ended as possible. As a part of this, ask them to write down the specific characteristics of a hero.
Partner Share: Pair students up to share with a partner for 2-3 minutes.
Activities: With the anticipatory set complete, engage the class in the following "Hero Walk" activity [see StageofLife.com link included with this submission]
Hero Walk Group Activity: Have the entire class stand up and separate into two groups with each group standing across from each other on opposite sides of the room (you'll need to clear desks for this activity). Using the Stage of Life Hero List, select various groups, individuals, or relationships from the list and read them to the class. If your students feel that the name you read is a "hero," they should cross the room to the other side. This activity gets students to physically commit to applying their hero definition to the names read from the Hero List (which was complied from over 200 hero essays during Stage of Life's Hero Writing Contest in September 2010).
Tip: You can be generic in your selection of certain heroes from the list, e.g. ask, "Is your boyfriend or girlfriend a hero?" or "Is a US Marine a hero?" in addition to asking the specific, "Is Lady Gaga a hero?"
NOTE: The Hero Walk can also be done by asking your students to simply stand or sit at their desks during the reading of the list. For those that feel a person named is a hero, they should stand.
Learning Checks: After the Hero Walk activity, class discussion begins.
Class Discussion: After students have taken their seats, lead your class in a discussion asking questions such as...
--Based on this activity, would you change your definition of hero from your note card?
--If so, what would you change?
--Which heroes from the list were the most controversial?
--However, which names of heroes did we have the most in common? For instance, nearly the entire class walked across the room when I read the name ________ and _________. Why?Class Definition: Next, write the word "hero" on the board. With the last question from the class discussion still fresh, now ask the class to list characteristics of a hero upon which everyone seems to agree and begin writing that characteristic/trait list on the board.
To Do: Pass around a second note card to your students and ask them to copy the class-generated list of "hero characteristics" from the board.
Tip: Reference names from the Hero List that the entire class seemed to agree on as a hero and ask for specific traits, characteristics, or deeds which make that person from the list a hero.Closure: Moving away from class discussion and back to lecture mode...
Reflection: With both the individually generated definition and now the class-generated hero characteristic definition, ask your students to do the following:
Read both note cards silently to themselves.
Arrive at who, specifically, they would name as a "Hero" based on the two definitions.
Have the students write the names of those two heroes at the top of the specific note cards, i.e. based on the individual definition created at the beginning of the lesson, who fits that specific definition? Likewise, who fits the agreed-upon class definition? Are the same person?
Homework:Blogging Homework: Ask your students to share a story or compose a hero essay about one or both of their specific heroes named on their note cards using the "Share a Story" link on StageofLife.com. This homework assignment may be tailored by the instructor with options including ideas like...
Compare and Contrast: Write an essay comparing and contrasting the two heroes that came out of the activity. Example: Real Life versus Celebrity HeroesTransformation: Write an essay discussing how your views on "what is a hero" may or may not have changed based on the group activity and discussion.
Follow-Up:
--Quaker Shares: After the homework assisgnment is complete, bring the class together later in the week to read aloud select essays.
--Other options: Peer editing sessions can be used before posting essays to Stage of Life;
--Resources: Visit MyHero.com for additional resources on Heros.
--Contextual Tie-In: The above lesson can be incorporated as an activity into virtually every novel or history lesson, esp. if there is a strong "hero" theme in the unit text (or anti-hero theme). While this lesson can be very engaging and fun as a stand-alone activity, using it as a bridge to discuss a larger text and themes will be quite rewarding.For Comments or Questions about this lesson, please contact us at www.stageoflife.com
As always, please don't forget to tell your students about our monthly writing contest for high school students and college students found at Stage of Life
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