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Lesson Plan
National History Day

Heroes Who Made a Difference: Memorializing a Distinguished Service Cross Award Recipient

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Ever wonder how to memorialize World War I heroes in the classroom? Activities in a high-quality social studies resource prompt middle schoolers to research Internet sources, complete a graphic organizer, and write an editorial feature...
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Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

I Need a Superhero

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Once the class learns about the hero's journey, they'll find it in every story and movie they see! Take characters from their humble beginnings to their atonement and apotheosis with a set of lessons about the hero's journey focusing...
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PPT
Curated OER

An Introduction to the Odyssey

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Epics, like the Odyssey, were told over the span of several days and drew quite a crowd. Before starting the famous work with your class, review this presentation to gain some insight into the structure and history of epic poems. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes in Art

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students examine the life, portraits and speeches of Frederick Douglass. They consider what made his speeches effective and why he is regarded as a national hero. They write an original speech.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melba Pattillo and Ruby Bridges: Two Heroes of School Integration

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Learners put themselves in the shoes of young scholars who integrated Little Rock High School in 1957-58. Note: The primary resources in this activity provide powerful and poignant descriptions of what those students faced.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Hero?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Here is a well-designed lesson inviting learners to consider the qualities of a hero. They describe the lives and deeds of national, state, and/or local heroes. This is a thoughtful lesson, which is part of a sequential group on heroes....
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Interactive
Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Archetypes, Motifs, and Plot in Drama (English II Reading)

For Students 10th Standards
The second interactive in a series of 10 introduces young scholars to character archetypes, archetypal plot patterns, and archetypal motifs, including the use of color. Learners read passages explaining the term and study examples from...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

I Need A (Super)Hero: Literary Elements And Narrative Writing

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Need a hero? Super! Groups create their modern-day marvel and craft a narrative with all the elements required in such a tale.
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac has enjoyed popularity since its debut in 1897 due in large part to the themes it addresses. Instructors planning on using the play with their classes will find much to like in this teaching guide. The...
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Lesson Plan
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Orange County Department of Education

My Character Odyssey

For Teachers 9th
Young scholars explore and analyze how the trials of life can develop one's character and values of respect, responsibility and compassion. Then, while reading and evaluating The Odyssey, they reflect on their own hero journey and write...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Jackie Robinson's Complicated — and Important — Legacy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Americans tend to lock their heroes in history, holding these icons to a particular event or time. Jackie Robinson is such a hero, remembered by most for becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Young historians...
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Activity
PBS

Reading Adventure Pack: Heroes

For Parents 2nd - 3rd Standards
Three creative activities follow reading a fiction and nonfiction book about heroes. Scholars build hero action figures out of clay for make-believe play, explain in written form how they show bravery, kindness, patience, thoughtfulness,...
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Lesson Plan
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Health Smart Virginia

"SuperBetter" Stress Management

For Teachers 9th
The goal of this Health Smart instructional activity is for freshmen to develop a personal system for coping with stress. They create a power-up list of things that make them feel happier, healthier, or better connected, identify people...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Heroes Are Made of This: Studying the Character of Heroes

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What makes heroes and villains? A six-part unit plan asks young scholars to explore the concept of heroism and the characteristics they consider heroic and unheroic. Groups create character maps that focus on how characters are shaped by...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter from Jackie Robinson: "Fair Play and Justice"

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball legend; he was an activist, too. An interesting resource explores Robinson's time in the military using primary sources. Scholars examine the racially inspired event that led to a court martial...
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Activity
Prindle Institute for Ethics

My Dream of Martin Luther King

For Teachers Pre-K - 5th Standards
Conduct a book study of the story, My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold. Followng a read-aloud, scholars take part in philosophical discussions covering the topics of freedom, equality, race, and heroes. 
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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

In Our Own Words: A Story Book with a Purpose

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Academics turn into storytellers in an engaging activity on activism. The activity focuses on promoting social change in local communities with stories. Young historians plan a storybook to target a specific audience and social issue and...
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Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

Change Agents in Our Own Lives

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Everyone has the power to change their own lives. Young historians learn how they can become agents for change in their own lives and the community. The instructional activity focuses on positive role models and what motivates...
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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Modern-Day Heroes: People Who Are Making a Difference

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Not all superheroes wear capes. An engaging instructional activity delves into the world of modern-day heroes and activists for change. Academics learn there are many different ways to be a hero as well as explore what makes a person a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

“The Hero’s Journey”: Using a Graphic Organizer to Deconstruct Percy Jackson’s Hero’s Journey and Plan a New Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
Time to go on a journey! Using a graphic organizer, scholars deconstruct Percy Jackson's hero's journey from the Rick Riordan novel, The Lightning Thief. Next, they begin planning their own hero's journey narrative, creating a profile of...
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Activity
National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Local Heroes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The cover of The New Yorker magazine sparks a conversation about September 11th and the invaluable sacrifices the first responders made to rescue those in danger. Scholars discuss their observations, thoughts, and feelings then take pen...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

American Heroes

For Teachers 3rd Standards
What makes a hero? After discussing the term and considering a book about Franklin D. Roosevelt, classmates work together to write a script and present their biography of a Great American hero. Notes sheets help group members organize...
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Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Community Spotlight Cards

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Civil War Personalities: Individual Examples of Character

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
What is a hero? What is character? Using biographies of figures during the Civil War, both famous and lesser known, scholars consider these questions. After brainstorming what they think makes a hero, they examine the lives of those who...