Curated OER
What Makes a Hero?
Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing lesson, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and charitable...
Curated OER
Heroes and Legends
Young scholars use print and nonprint sources of different heroic myths to generate a definition of the word "hero." They conduct a character study on three mythological heroes and formulate a definition of the word "hero" based on...
Curated OER
Heroes
Young scholars explore reading comprehension strategies. In this character development and reading comprehension instructional activity, students brainstorm common traits of "heroes." Young scholars read Heroes, then identify the...
Curated OER
Historical Heroes
High schoolers determine whether the ends truly justify the means by examining the behavior of historical and fictional heroes. They view and discuss film versions of Gangs of New York and Les Miserables. Then they break into small...
PBS
Catch-22: What It Means to Be a(n Anti)Hero
Catch-22, Joseph Heller's send-up of military organizational bureaucracy, provides readers with an opportunity to consider the importance of the anti-hero. Class members fill out a worksheet comparing and contrasting the qualities...
Curated OER
Create a Hero Trophy
Learners research and read about the lives of some famous American heroes. They examine the qualities that make or made these people heroes and how the time period they lived in influenced their images as heroes.
Curated OER
Uncommon Heroes of Today
Students create a photo-biography of someone they consider a real life hero. In this character sketch lesson, students define a hero and identify heroic characteristics in short stories. Students use descriptive words to...
Curated OER
The Hero in Malory's Arthurian Legends
Tenth graders contribute additional information to the class' knowledge of the medieval period and create a legend in which the hero acts according to the identified character traits.
Curated OER
Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
Curated OER
Heroes Or Role Models?
Students recognize that "heroes" and "role models" are not synonymous terms. By analyzing heroes of other cultures and periods, they determine that many heroic figures, mythic or historical, rather than providing a model of a societal...
Curated OER
Heroes Here and There
Students explore the concept of philanthropic heroes. In this everyday heroes lesson, students compare and contrast media and famous heroes with everyday heroes. Students discuss heroes in small groups and then come together in large...
Curated OER
We're Building Heroes
Students discuss their ideas of the qualities a hero possesses. In this attributes of a hero lesson plan, students construct a hero puzzle and identify qualities of a hero in storybook characters.
Curated OER
Hero Within
Students interview a hero. In this heroes lesson, students read Number the Stars to begin a discussion about heroes and then create mind maps on each character. Students pick a local hero and interview them and then write a personal...
Curated OER
Emerging Heroes
Twelfth graders define what a hero is and watch a video. In this hero lesson, 12th graders discuss the characteristics of a hero and list heroes and their attributes. Students read the poem Beowulf and identify...
Curated OER
Comparing and Contrasting Heroes
Students identify the characteristics that make someone a hero. They also examine the values of all heroes.
Curated OER
Everyday Heroes Then and Now
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this philanthropic heroes lesson, students read Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend and discuss the Industrial Revolution. Students consider Kate Shelley's contributions to society as they...
Curated OER
Folk and Family Heroes and Heroines
Learners define and assess the difference between folk heroes and family heroes and then find examples of each in their own lives. They view a "Swapping Stories" video, surf the internet for examples and complete a variety of worksheets...
Curated OER
Hero Research
Learners examine and research the idea of heroism. They watch and discuss a Powerpoint presentation, conduct research, and write a research paper about the qualities and characteristics of a hero.
Curated OER
Heroes and Role Models
Young scholars identify heroes and role models they are familiar with. They write a paper about people they know or celebrities they admire. They research people using the Internet and other research materials.
Curated OER
Heroes and Heroines: King David, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Napoleon
Students identify and examine four heroes from history and imaginative literature. They discuss the characteristics of a hero and share perceptions of what makes a hero. By comparing and analyzing a few historical and literary figures,...
Curated OER
What is a Hero?
Students describe the characteristics of a hero, and recognize the hero in a story. They name heroes in their lives, then find and read stories on the MY HERO website. They distinguish between a hero and a celebrity.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Beowulf
Beowulf, the Old English epic hero, comes alive again in the activities found in a teacher's guide designed to accompany a reading of the classic poem.
Random House
Teacher's Guide: The Hobbit: The Enchanting Prelude to Lord of the Rings
The Odyssey, Star Wars, The Hunger Games. Odysseus, Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdeen. Add The Hobbit and Bilbo Baggins to these lists, and you have a unit examining classic and contemporary myths, legends, and folktales with hero and...
Curated OER
Heroes
Students read the story of Paul Bunyan and identify the characteristics and actions that make him a hero. In this heroes lesson plan, students explain their answer and draw pictures.