National Endowment for the Humanities
A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. In this epic poetry lesson, students research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the stories.
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George Lucas and the Power of Myth
Students examine the contributions of George Lucas to society. They analyze the concept of a hero, conduct Internet research on the life of George Lucas, develop a Hero Attribute Chart, and create an artistic rendering representing the...
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Millennium Superheroes
Students develop an understanding of the qualities that "superheroes," or people who have favorably influenced society, possess. They create a database with questions that pertain to what they want to find out about a hero of the...
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Black And Asian Involvement in World War 2
Students read story excerpts from the BBC WW2 People's War archive to discover the contributions and obstacles faced by Asian and Black participants in World War 2 British forces. They prepare a radio report describing the commonwealth...
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'Magic' Pablo Lesson
Students examine what goes into hero worship and establishing unlikely friendships. They probe the deeper meanings in "'Magic' Pablo" through small group dialog and use a variety of ways to process the story's meaning. They see the...
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Mythical Beasts
Students explore literature and art forms containing creatures that are part human and part animal, such as the Greek Sphinx, Neptune, or the Green Centaur. Individually, students write a poem or short story to create a character with...
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From Fact To Fiction: Moby Dick
Students examine what makes a tragic hero and whether Captain Ahab fits the criteria. In this literature lesson plan, engage in group discussions and examine Captain Ahab from the novel Moby Dick. They will then engage in a debate and...
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Jackie Robinson, A Black Hero
Students examine the life of Jackie Robinson and how he opened the door for other African American athletes. They identify how one person can make a difference by their actions. They write about the responsiblity of citizens to end the...
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Folktale Unit: Pecos Bill
Students experience a shared reading of Steven Kellogg's, Pecos Bill, while learning the associated vocabulary. They examine similarities and differences in folktales and discuss what a hero is. Finally, journal about their favorite part...
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Heroes, Kindness, and "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Pupils explore the concept of heroism. In this character education lesson, students reflect on the actions of the characters in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as they create mission statements for Atticus Finch and prepare character...
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Piecing Together the Story of Glenn Cunningham: A Kansas Champion
Students use primary and secondary sources to conduct research about Glenn Cunningham. In this Glenn Cunningham lesson plan, students tell why he was a hero, and tell facts from what they learned.
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Courage of the Heart
Students research discrimination and how people fought against for the common good. In this discrimination lesson, students watch a movie about Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. Students generate a list of words about discrimination....
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O Captain! My Captain - Part 3
Heroic Trading Cards? Using a suggested list, class members use the Internet to find information about a memorable leader, select and transfer images, and craft a trading card celebrating their leader’s qualities and accomplishments. A...
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Nellie Bly's Newspaper Club: Introducing the Science of Writing
Learners evaluate a video about Nellie Bly, a famous reporter from the 19th century. They consider what makes a high-interest news article, write an essay in pairs and present it a literary tea.
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
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My Deaf American Hero
Students study and discuss famous deaf people that are role models for students who are deaf. They research a famous deaf American and create a ten frame multimedia presentation to showcase the information.
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Heroic Images: Visualization and Media Messages
Learners examine media messages. In this media awareness lesson, students analyze online messages about heroism as they complete a jigsaw reading activity.
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Reviewing the Romance
In this reviewing the romance learning exercise, students research the secrets of writing a romance. Students read at least 20 modern romance novels. Students identify the structure around the story, looking at plot and characters and...
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Zero The Hero, Trout The Lout
Students use a graphic organizer create a character sketch of Trout Walker from the novel Holes. Using the provided worksheet, students fill in the important character traits of Trout. Worksheet and answer key are provided with the lesson.
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Examining Redemption in King Lear
Students examine the concept of the tragic hero in Shakespeare's King Lear and explore how it affects the plot of the play. In this theatrical analysis lesson, students investigate the redemption or defeat of King Lear and perform two...
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Kalsu, Tillman Define Heroism
In this article analysis worksheet, students read an article titled "Kalsu, Tillman Define Heroism," take notes on the article, define 2 words from the article, and write summaries of the article.
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Language in Classroom Texts
Students research printed material found in a school setting, looking for examples of bias, gender equity or distortion, discrimination and stereotyping.Students work in pairs to develop suggestions for strategies to address bias they...
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Solution-Hero
Students analyze the decision-making skills. In this character education lesson, students read a comic book and identify the superhero. Students then analyze the types of decisions the character makes throughout the story and if the...
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Exploring Heroism
Students research heroism online. In this heroism lesson, students use the documentary of Heroes of Ground Zero to explore the theme of heroism. Students complete five days of activities to research and participate in activities that...