Subject Areas |
Literature and Language Arts
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Biography |
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Time Required |
| Lesson 1: 1 class period or less
Lesson 2: 1 class period or less
Lesson 3: 1 class period or less
Lesson 4: survey to be conducted at home, then 1 class period
Lesson 5: 1 class period or less
Lesson 6: will vary depending on the nature of the research assignment
Lesson 7: will vary depending on the culminating project selected
Lesson 8: homework assignment, then 1 class period or more depending on whether of not submission to "My Hero" will be made |
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Skills |
| classification
collaboration
presentation skills
research |
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Date Posted |
| 5/21/2002 |
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What Makes a Hero?
Introduction
A common lament one hears today is that young people lack heroes to emulate. Is that true? Do your students have heroes? Who are they? What qualities of a hero do they represent? Which historical figures would students recognize to be heroes? Are there contemporary or even local figures with similar qualities?
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- List the qualities they consider necessary in a hero.
- Describe the lives and deeds of national, state and/or local heroes.
- Identify historic figures who have exemplified good citizenship; started new businesses; made contributions in the areas of civil rights, women's rights, military actions or politics; or who took risks to secure freedom.
Guiding Question:
What are the qualities of a hero? What historical figures do students consider to be heroes? What contemporary or local figures do students consider to be heroes?
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
- Review each lesson in this unit and select archival materials
you'd like to use in class. Bookmark these materials, along with
other useful websites, if possible; download and print out selected
documents and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
- Before Lesson 2,
type up the list of heroes the students generate in Lesson
1.
- This unit is designed to allow you to meet your curricular goals
through your choice of the historic individuals students are to
profile. Lesson 6 should
be customized to your curriculum and your class. Students can
be assigned specific historical figures or categories of individuals
(people living at the time of the American Revolution, immigrants,
and people from your home state; see Suggested
Categories and Individuals for Student Research below for
more ideas), or they can self-select individuals.
- Before Lesson 7,
devise an appropriate culminating project or select one from the
suggestions offered.
- In this unit, students will decide what qualities make historical
figures heroes for them. EDSITEment offers a complementary lesson,
More Amazing
Americans, in which students choose historical figures who
match the criteria for inclusion in America's
Library's Meet Amazing Americans, available via a link from
the EDSITEment resource American
Memory. If you complete more than one unit in which students
learn about the lives of historical figures, these lesson plans
offer two different but related approaches.
Suggested Activities
Lesson 1: Do Kids Have Heroes?
Lesson 2: Are All Heroes Created Equal?
Lesson 3: Can a Kid Be a Hero?
Lesson 4: Do Adults Have Heroes? Did They Have Heroes When They Were Kids?
Lesson 5: Looking for a Hero
Lesson 6: Heroes from History
Lesson 7: Our Heroes
Lesson 8: Local Hero
Extending the Lesson
Lesson 1 Do Kids Have Heroes
Discuss with students the controversy about young people and heroes. Is it
true that kids these days have no heroes or that the "heroes" they
do have are not good role models? Do young people today have heroes?
Who are they? What makes them heroes? Are they all contemporary
figures? Are there any historical figures whom students recognize
as heroes? What makes them heroes?
What traits must someone have to be considered a hero? (Note: Make
sure to take notes during your discussion for review and revision
at the end of this unit.)
Ask students to write down the name of up to five personal heroes;
they can also choose to record no names if they have no heroes.
Students should not be required to include their name on their paper.
Collect the sheets and type up the list. Note how many students
had no heroes at all.
Lesson 2 Are All Heroes Created Equal?
Share the list of student heroes generated in Lesson
1 with the entire class. Allow some open discussion. Then, begin
the first draft of a class list of what makes a hero. Continue to
refine this list as you proceed through the unit.
Next, ask the students into what groups they would classify the people
on the list (for example, freedom fighters, entertainers, parents,
and so on). Do heroic qualities differ depending on the category?
Is there a category for sports heroes? Continue by focusing on some
of the sports figures who made the list. Why were they included? Is
a player with excellent skills automatically a hero?
Share the very concise biographies of Ty
Cobb and Roberto
Clemente — two Hall of Fame baseball players — available on The
Biographical Dictionary, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library.
Clearly, they were both excellent, Hall-of-Fame-caliber baseball players.
Does one appear — by virtue of his athletic skills — to be more worthy
of being considered a hero than the other? On The
Sporting News, a link from Internet
Public Library, Cobb is ranked number three on the list of the 100
greatest players of all time, and Clemente is ranked number 20. Does
that mean Cobb is more of a hero?
Now share these brief biographies from Encarta,
a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library:
Does Cobb or Clemente now appear — by virtue of personality or
achievement — to be more worthy of consideration as a hero than
the other?
If practical, access the Hero
Search of My
Hero — a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library — where you can search the site's featured archive
of heroes. Search for Ty Cobb and Roberto Clemente. Clemente
has an entry, while Cobb does not. Why? Is this a case where both
are baseball heroes, but only one is a good role model? Is that
a valid distinction? Which contemporary sports figures qualify as
excellent athletes and role models?
At the bottom of the page is a listing of more featured athletes.
If desired, students can research why these athletes are included.
Do these featured individuals have qualities beyond skill on the
playing field that earned them inclusion?
Try searching the Guestbook.
Most people would agree that we look for qualities beyond ability
when determining a hero. But, what are those qualities? Revise the
class list at this point, if desired.
Lesson 3 Can a Kid Be a Hero?
Share with your students the five brief summaries from What
Some Kids Have Done to Help the Homeless, a link from the EDSITEment
resource Internet
Public Library. Are these kids heroes?
Now students will attempt to identify kid heroes. Give students a few days to find examples of heroic kids
from their own experience or from the media (Internet, TV, newspapers,
magazines, and radio). Ask everyone to come up with at least one
heroic kid.
Continue to clarify what the students believe makes a hero.
Lesson 4 Do Adults Have Heroes? Did They Have Heroes When They Were Kids?
Did any students in your class include parents or other important
adults in their lives on the class list of heroes? Do those parent
heroes have heroes? Give students an assignment to learn about the
heroes of at least one of the important adults in their lives. Students
should ask questions such as the following and record the answers:
- Who are your heroes now?
- What makes them heroes to you?
- Did you have any heroes when you were my age?
- What made them heroes to you at the time?
- Has your idea about what makes a hero changed?
Students should analyze and then share the results. Do parents have
any of the same heroes as the students? Do parents have similar criteria
for choosing a hero? Were parents able to remember who their early
heroes were? Did their heroes change over the years?
Take another look at the class criteria for a hero. Revise as necessary.
Lesson 5 Looking for a Hero
To prepare your students to begin researching historical figures, allow them
to explore the categories used to classify heroes on the Directory
of My Hero,
a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library. Read about a few heroes, historical and contemporary.
If students have insufficient access to technology to review the
site on their own, download the main page and biographies of some
heroes from a few categories.
Do students feel that My
Hero has good categories? How would the class's list of categories
differ? Are there different criteria for a hero depending on the
category? Should the class list of criteria be divided into categories?
Lesson 6 Heroes from History
In this lesson, students will research historical figures. Customize
the assignment as needed for your students and your curriculum. Select
appropriate criteria for student research, such as people living at
the time of the American Revolution, heroes of the West, immigrants,
people from your home state, heroes of technology and so on. Depending
on your students, you may wish to assign specific historical figures
to specific students or allow students to discover their own. In the
Suggested
Categories and Individuals for Student Research section below,
you will find an extensive list of links to biographical information
available through EDSITEment resources.
To help students better understand their assignment, you can use a
rubric that incorporates the class's own standards for determining
whether a particular historical figure should be considered a hero.
Using a rubric designed with your students' skill level, class curriculum
and the specific goals for this assignment in mind will help your
students understand what is expected of them and how they will be
evaluated. A sample rubric is provided below. You may wish to use
it when designing your own. Keep in mind, however, that it is not
intended to set a universal standard for what makes a good presentation.
Review the rubric and your particular standards in class before students
begin working on their presentations.
Click
here for a downloadable version of this rubric in rich text format.
Sample Rubric for Presentation:
Is ____________ a Hero According to the Class Criteria?
Name:
_____________
Date: ______________ |
Exemplary:
Exemplary presentations have all the positive
qualities of very good and satisfactory presentations. |
Very
Good |
Satisfactory |
Needs
Revision |
Structure:
Did the presentation: |
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- grab the audience's attention (strong lead)?
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Opening
gave and withheld information effectively. The ending and opening
connected. |
Opening
effectively got the audience's attention. |
Had a
lead. |
No lead.
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- clearly introduce the proposed hero?
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Listeners
wanted to hear more about the individual after the introduction.
|
Listeners
learned about the subject in the introduction. |
Listeners
recognized the subject after the introduction. |
Listeners
were unsure of the subject after the introduction. |
- give support (three reasons) for the hero's inclusion/exclusion?
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Three
(or more) reasons built a strong case for inclusion or exclusion.
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Three
(or more) reasons were supported by specifics. |
Reasons
were stated. |
Reasons
for inclusion or exclusion were not present. |
|
Used
the points made in the presentation to clarify the conclusion.
|
Conclusion
restated the main points. |
Had a
conclusion. |
No conclusion.
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Content:
Did the presentation: |
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- refer to the class criteria for a hero?
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Ways
in which the individual did or did not match the criteria were
very well supported with specifics. |
Presentation
made it clear in what ways the criteria did or did not match
the individual. |
Did refer
to the criteria, though the connection may have been unclear
at times. |
Did not
refer to the criteria. |
- convey biographical information about the subject?
|
Information
systematically built a strong case. |
Included
information related to the conclusion. |
Information
could be understood and did relate to the subject. |
Information
could not be understood or did not relate to the subject. |
- make connections between the subject's life and the reasons
for inclusion or exclusion as a hero?
|
Connections
helped build a strong case. |
Effective
connections were made. |
Connections
were made, but not always effectively. |
No connections
were made. |
|
Audio
visuals added to the support for the conclusion. |
Audio
visuals helped maintain audience attention. |
Used
audio visuals. |
No audio
visuals. |
Delivery:
Was the speaker's: |
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Speaker
varied voice level effectively. |
Speaker
could be clearly heard. |
Some
words could not be heard, but without interfering with audience's
ability to understand. |
Speaker
could not be heard. |
|
Speaker
varied pace effectively. |
Speaker's
words could be clearly understood. |
Speaker
spoke to quickly or too slowly at times, without interfering
with audience's ability to understand. |
Speaker
could not be understood due to speed. |
|
Speaker
was able to gesture effectively. |
Speaker
appeared relaxed. |
Speaker
may have swayed, appeared stiff, or moved nervously, but not
to the point of distracting the audience. |
Speaker
swayed, appeared stiff, or moved nervously, distracting the
audience. |
|
Speaker's
delivery helped convince the listener by conveying conviction.
|
Speaker's
delivery was smooth. |
Speaker
may have stopped and started, but not to the point of limiting
the audience's understanding. |
Stopping
and starting limited the audience's understanding. |
|
Speaker
varied expression effectively. |
Speaker
used good expression. |
Speaker
did not speak in a monotone. |
Speaker
spoke in a monotone. |
Overall
Rating:
|
Comments: |
Working in small groups or independently, students should complete
online and traditional research to either:
- Discover one or more historical figures they consider heroes
and to assign them a category (see Lesson
5), or
- Learn about an assigned individual to decide if the person is
a hero according to the class's standards and, if so, to assign
a category of heroism in which the individual belongs.
When research is complete, students (or student groups) should make
presentations to the class arguing why the individual should or should
not be considered a hero.
Lesson 7 Our Heroes
Any number of possible activities would make exciting and appropriate
culminating activities for a unit on heroes. Precede the assignment
of the culminating project with a class discussion about what students
have learned. Which historical figures did the students decide were
heroes? Were there any surprises? Did any individuals make a particularly
strong impression on the students?
Review the criteria for a hero and the individuals the class had discussed
at the very beginning of the unit. Would the students' lists of criteria
and heroes be different today? Why or why not?
Now, assign the culminating project. Use one or more of the following
suggestions, or create an assignment of your own. (Note: These ideas
could also be used as extensions of this unit.)
- Challenge students or student groups to craft mini-museums or
dioramas of their hero(es). Display all the projects to create
a Hall of Fame within your classroom. Invite guests to the official
"museum opening."
- Conduct a "biography parade," in which each student plays the
part of particular hero, and audience members — given a list of
all the names, and perhaps a few red herrings — have to guess
his/her identity
Lesson 8
Local Hero
My Hero,
a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library, features many local heroes — individuals generally
known only in their own communities or families. Here are some examples:
Share these and/or other stories with your class. Then challenge your
students to identify local heroes, from their own experience or from
the media.
Extending the Lesson
- Students can conduct more in-depth research on any particular
individual using EDSITEment's vast resources. Many of the sites
are searchable.
- Lesson 7 contained
several suggestions for biographical projects. Those you did not
use for the culminating project could become extensions of this
lesson.
- Complete the activities in the EDSITEment WebQuest More
Amazing Americans.
- Students can research and debate the story of Jessica Dubroff,
who died in 1996 attempting to become the youngest pilot to fly
across the United States. Is she a hero? For in-depth coverage
of Jessica's story, consult The
San Francisco Chronicle and CNN.com,
both links from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library.
- Sports-minded students who are interested in defining what a
hero is can research the story of Pete Rose, one of baseball's
greatest players, who has been banned from Major League Baseball's
Hall of Fame for gambling. Should the ban be lifted? Start your
research online at The
Sporting News, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library.
- Your students can become heroes. The
Millennium Youth Project, available via a link from the EDSITEment
resource Internet
Public Library, enables youths as young as 11 to create a
service project. As part of the project, your class will be given
companion groups in other countries to make friends and share
news of your local plans. (Note: The projects can be quite simple;
for example, a class in Canada recorded books on tape.)
Extending the Lesson
Suggested Categories and Individuals for Student Research
Note: All of the following resources may be found on America's
Library, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website American
Memory, unless otherwise noted.
Historical Figures Who Personified Good
Citizenship
Historical Figures Who Took Risks to Secure
Freedom
Historical Figures Who Worked for Civil
Rights
Historical Figures Who Were Heroes of Sport
Historical Figures Who Worked for Women's
Rights
Historical Figures Who Were Adventurers
Historical Figures Who Were Artists, Performers
or Writers
Historical Figures Who Were Military Heroes
Historical Figures Who Were Heroes of Politics
Historical Figures Who Helped the Environment
Historical Figures Who Were Inventors or
Captains of Industry
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American
Memory Project
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
- The Library
of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/
- Africans
in America
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/
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The American President
http://www.americanpresident.org/
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The Digital Classroom National Archives and Records Administration
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html
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The Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/contents.htm
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The Five Star Learning Center
http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/Curintro.htm
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Harlem 1900-1940: An African-American Community
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/
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An Introduction to the Exhibit
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/exhibition.html
- The Internet
Public Library (kid-friendly, not searchable)
http://www.ipl.org
- My
Hero
http://myhero.com/home.asp
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The Electric Franklin
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/
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The Millennium Youth Project
http://www.youthmillennium.org/youth.html
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The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://golden-legacy.com/mlkjr1.html
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Noble Peace Laureates
http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/index.html
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Notable Women Ancestors
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/
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San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
- National
Portrait Gallery
http://www.npg.si.edu/
- Native
Web
http://www.nativeweb.org/
- The
New Deal Network
http://newdeal.feri.org/
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New Perspectives on the West
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/
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Papers of George Washington
http://www.virginia.edu/gwpapers/
- Thomas
A. Edison Papers
http://edison.rutgers.edu/
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U.S. Women's History Workshop
http://www.assumption.edu/whw/
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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