Step
One: Small Groups Choose and Research a Hero
The teacher writes on the
board: “Who is a hero you admire and
why is s/he considered heroic?”
Divide students into groups
of three. They may choose or be assigned
the following three roles:
Hero
Expert on hero
Talk Show Host
The group chooses a hero
from stories on the MY HERO website to use
for their project. If they already have
someone in mind, suggest they use the search
engine to find their hero. They can look
through categories in the Directory to explore
lesser known heroes.
Once the group has chosen
a hero, they must get approval from the
teacher. Each group will do a different
hero. The teacher may informally check that
the students understand their roles and
find out what they already know about the
person. Remind them about the “Who,
What, When, Where, Why and How” of
a story.
To research their hero,
have students explore links in the MY HERO
story and any Related Links to learn as
much as possible about the person and the
time period in which s/he lives/lived.
If necessary, the group
may use other Internet resources with the
teacher's permission.
During their research, have
students discuss props or simple costumes
they can use to bring their hero to life.
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Step
Two: Analyzing Hero Qualities
The teacher writes on the
board: What makes this person a hero? Who
says so, and why?
In their groups, students
analyze what heroic actions or values the
person has shown. If the person has been
a hero in the past, how is s/he carrying
on in the present, and what are his/her
plans for continuing these actions in the
future? If the person is dead, what were
the stages of heroic actions taken in his/her
lifetime? What part of the hero’s
past experience motivated him/her to heroic
actions? Whose lives have been affected
by the person and how? Who thinks s/he is
a hero? Does anyone disagree?
The groups should focus
on knowing as much as possible about their
hero, focusing on background details such
as the effect of where and when the character
lived, the problems and conflicts s/he faced,
and situations which caused him/her to grow
or be held back.
The Talk Show Host should
be getting a good overview of the hero and
the events that led up his/her heroic actions.
The Host should focus on the situation and
issues which either led the hero to act
or resulted from the hero’s actions.
Why is anyone interested in this hero?
The Expert should be organizing
details about the hero, including conflicts
and what the hero means to his/her society
and the world. What details and stories
best relate the heroic qualities of this
person?
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Step
Three: The Performances
Order of performing:
Have groups draw numbers from a hat to determine
the order of performance. Write the groups
in order on the board. This way, everyone
can anticipate and be prepared for their
turn. I encourage all groups to bring in
props or costumes in advance. If anyone
is absent for his/her assigned performance
day, that person’s performance grade
is lowered a full letter grade. There are
no exceptions or excuses. I also do not
allow groups to change the order they are
assigned.
Each group sets the stage:
When it is their turn, a group member puts
the name of the show on the board (e.g.,
“Live, from Room ___, Meet __________(name
of hero),” or “The _____________(name
of host) Talk Show.”
Groups may dress the part,
or provide props that place them in a time
or setting appropriate to the hero (e.g.,
a pith helmet for Albert Schweitzer, or
a Mexican shawl for Frida Kahlo. A poster
of a foreign country may be tacked on the
board. A quick sketch of a palm tree may
be drawn on the board. Gandhi may forego
a chair and sit cross-legged on the floor.
A powerful leader may take over the teacher’s
podium.). Tell the students to be as imaginative
as possible in creating a mood for their
character and show.
Limit setting the stage
to two or three minutes.
The Role of the Audience:
On the board have the following:
NOTE TAKING FORM
Name of the Show
Hero Name
Cast: Hero
Talk
Show Host
Expert
Why this person is a hero:
Have every person in the
audience copy this form for every show and
fill in all of the information except “Why
this person is a hero.” The audience
members can take notes during the performance.
They will also have a few minutes after
the performance to finish filling in information.
Use the same paper for as many shows as
possible, adding more sheets as necessary.
These notes will be turned in at the end
of the project for a grade.
Assign a student not involved
with the performance to be the Timer. Set
a minimum and maximum number of minutes
for each show (5-10 usually works well),
and keep the shows within this time frame.
The Timer will note when the show starts.
Based on the time limit established by the
teacher, the Timer will warn the Talk Show
Host when his/her time is almost up.
Performing the Show
The teacher may set the stage by being the
show announcer and introducing the show.
Have fun!
Teachers may want to videotape
the performances. After everyone has had
a turn, you can replay the shows as a lead-in
to a discussion about what the heroes have
in common.
Each trio presents their
mock talk show to the rest of the class,
using their questions as a guide. (They
should not be reading them, but simply referring
to them as notes.)
The Talk Show Host starts
by introducing the Hero, and the Expert
asks the first question.
The Hero and the Expert
take turns commenting and answering.
The Expert can add his/her
own questions. The Hero can interject his
opinions and steer the conversation where
s/he wants it to go.
The Talk Show Host can open
the program to questions from the audience.
When there is one minute
left, the Timer holds up one finger to signal
the Talk Show Host to ‘wrap it up.’
The teacher can play the
role of producer and, when time is up, say
“...and FADE TO BLACK,” which
ends the show.
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Step
Four: Post-Show Notes
After each show,
the audience has a few minutes to jot down
what they learned about the hero.
(This helps keep all audience members involved
and accountable, as well as provide notes
for future discussions about qualities heroes
share in common.)
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Step
Five: Immediate Teacher Evaluation
During this brief post-Show
period, the teacher fills in a Performance
Rubric for each of the three students, assessing
them on both content and presentation.
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Step
Six: Culmination
If a videotape was made,
play it for the class (with or without popcorn).
Let students use the notes
they took during the presentations in a
discussion.
Discuss what qualities made
these people heroes and what actions, ideas,
and motivation they may have had in common.
Explore student ideas about
who our heroes are and what role they play
in society and our personal lives.
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