Curated MY HERO Multimedia Resources and Lesson Ideas For Middle School Students

Teachers enhance curriculum and student learning by using a selection of curated Environmental Films from the MY HERO multimedia library. All films are appropriate for middle school students. 

For additional films highlighting environmental heroes, visit the MY HERO Environmental Film Library. 

Use MY HERO multimedia Ocean Conservation lesson plans and resources curated for middle school students to enrich student learning. These resources are connected to the UN Sustainability Goal #14: Life Below Water.

MY HERO welcomes student stories about environmental heroes submitted through the Create Program. 

Hero Scientist Stories

Sandra Begay-Campbell

Therese Koutnik

Albert Einstein

Margaret Mead

Students learn about science heroes as they build their reading comprehension skills reading these curated stories using the links on the left.

Activate Prior Knowledge: What do students know about the hero they are going to read about? Using a K-W-L Chart is a way to achieve this. Students write what they already know about the hero, what they want to learn and after reading, what they learned.

Active note-taking while reading is a way for students to focus on finding information and answers to questions. Have students practice the note-taking skills already taught in class while reading one of the stories. 

Students compare and contrast two stories. What are similar characteristics about hero qualities? How can heroic actions be different? Use a Venn Diagram and write a compare/contrast essay about similarities and differences. 

After reading a story, students make a connection to their life. How did the story make you feel? What would happen if more people acted this way? How does the story inspire you? How has the story changed the way you feel or think about a topic?

Students are invited to share the story of a science hero with MY HERO using the Create Program. One way to integrate this activity with science is to have students read a biography of someone they consider a science hero. Have students take notes or provide a graphic organizer for note-taking. After reading the book, students write a or multi-paragraph essay about this hero. This is a great way for an interdisciplinary unit combining science with language arts. 

For additional stories highlighting Scientist Heroes, visit the MY HERO Scientist Library.