- Grade Focus
- Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5
- Age Level
- 9, 9, 10
- Subject
- Social Studies
- Technology Integration Activity
- Discovering the Internet, PowerPoint Presentations
What is a Hero?
Introduction
Students will research a hero of their choice, and try to answer two essential questions:• What is a hero?
• How do heroes and leaders contribute to a better society?
Students will use the library, the Internet and PowerPoint to investigate a hero of their choice. They will create a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint that explores their hero. If time permits, the students might enjoy participating in a Hero Wax Museum, where all of the students in the class dress up like their hero, and speak to guests ‘in character’ as if they are the person they researched. Students may create a digital documentary of the Hero Wax Museum.
Prerequisite Experience
Students need to be familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint and how to use search engines safely.Teacher Prep Time
Students need to be familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint and how to use search engines safely. Teachers will want to become familiar with some kid friendly search engines. It will be useful to look at the PowerPoint training videos found at Nortel LearniT (www.NortelLearniT.org). Students should be directed to these videos prior to starting their assignment.Review these training videos from Nortel LearniT
• Discovering the Internet, http://nortellearnit.org/teachnology/Discovering_the_Internet/
• PowerPoint Presentations, http://nortellearnit.org/technology/PowerPoint_Presentations/
MATERIALS:
• Library books and biographies about various heroic figures
• Access to a computer lab or laptop cart
Project
Students will research a hero of their choice and try to answer two essential questions:
• What is a hero?
• How do heroes and leaders contribute to a better society?
Students will develop their own questions as part of the assignment, however, here are some guiding questions should they need direction:
1. When and where were you born?
2. What is your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
3. Did you have family chores? What were they? Which is your least favorite?
4. What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
5. What school activities and sports did you participate in?
6. What is your favorite food or one the has important memories for you (fits in with Extend activity)
7. Who were your childhood heroes?
8. What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
9. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
10. What is your profession and how did you choose it?
11. If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
12. Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel is the most valuable?
13. What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
14. What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
Assessment/Grading
An evaluation rubric has been provided to use in assessing the presentations. Each student will be evaluated on organization, timeliness, cooperation and presentation.Time Management Tips
Students will be graded individually, but may work in pairs to facilitate the research process.Lesson Plan Details
Engage
Teachers: Before you begin the project, pull biographies from the library about different types of heroes, e.g. sporting heroes, historical heroes, women, people of color, etc. Spend about 15 minutes each day reading about various heroes. For those who have access to United Streaming, pull up several short videos about different types of heroes and view the videos in class.Examples:
• Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weston Woods. 2002.
unitedstreaming. 4 January 2008
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
• Six Revolutionary War Figures. Weston Woods. 1990.
unitedstreaming. 4 January 2008
• Heroes of Today and Yesterday: Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement. Discovery Education. 2001.
unitedstreaming. 4 January 2008
• Women's History Month. Region 10. 2008.
unitedstreaming. 4 January 2008
For those who do not have access to United Streaming, you can sign up for a free 30 day trial at www.unitedstreaming.com. Alternately, you may wish to show videos located on PBS and TeacherTube, which are free.
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
www.teachertube.com
On chart paper, write the essential question: What makes a hero? As you're reading some of the biographies about these heroes, ask students to think about this essential question, and to share their ideas. Over the next few days, write ideas that students have about this question.
Students:
Compile your own list of traits as you listen to stories about heroes. Compare your list with the one created by your class. Are there any ideas that you would like to add or take away from the class list?
As a homework assignment, discuss with your families someone that you feel is a hero. This is open to popular heroes, like sports stars or less common heroes like a person in your family or community. There are no wrong answers, as long as you feel a person has hero qualities. (However, the person must be real - not a fictional character or superhero!)
*Note: If your hero is a family member or community member, try to interview this person to find out more about the person.
Explore
Students: You will be creating a multimedia presentation about heroes. As a class, create a list of questions you want to answer about each hero. You will vote on the most important five or six questions. Each project must answer each of these questions. Examples might be ‘When was this person born?' ‘Where did this person grow up?' ‘What is their greatest contribution to society?'Before you begin your research, you may want to review these NortelLearniT training videos:
• Discovering the Internet, http://nortellearnit.org/teachnology/Discovering_the_Internet/
• Online Safety,
http://www.nortellearnit.org/technology/Online_Safety/
Teachers: It is important that the students choose the questions, not the teacher. The teacher can facilitate this conversation to help guide the students to good questions. Teachers will find a brief list of guiding questions in the Project section at the beginning of the lesson.
Explain
Students: After a few days of research, you will participate in a "Show and Tell" with a small group where you can show any information you have found or tell about your hero informally. Your team will ask questions after the Show & Tell to help you explore any areas of interest that you might not have previously investigated.After the show and tell, you will be allowed time in the computer lab or with the laptop to research your hero. You may work with one or two other students at this time. Each group is responsible for finding the research for each of their heroes, while working cooperatively with each other and helping each other through any problems.
At this point, you will have a structured format to follow but you are encouraged to find information of particular interest to you. You should be working together with your partner to locate this information.
Teachers: This will also serve as a checkpoint so you can informally assess how much information the student has collected and how much they are able to retain about their hero. The students will be responsible for creating a multimedia presentation about their hero. The following guidelines will be given, but the design, format and information is up to the student.
Your presentation must include:
• A title page
• A credits/bibliography page
• At least 3 middle pages that answer all of the questions agreed upon.
• A graphic on each page, including at least one picture of your hero
You may want to review the information presented on Nortel LearniT for help in creating you multimedia presentation.
PowerPoint Presentations, http://nortellearnit.org/technology/PowerPoint_Presentations/
Elaborate
When you have finished researching your hero, you need to focus on creating your presentation. You will be responsible for creating a five page PowerPoint presentation that explores your hero.Before you begin creating your own PowerPoint slides, you might want to review the following Nortel LearniT video tutorial. This video gives excellent tips and tricks on creating a great presentation.
PowerPoint Presentations, http://nortellearnit.org/technology/PowerPoint_Presentations/
You may also want to review the NortelLearniT training video about digital imaging:
Digital Imaging Project,
http://www.nortellearnit.org/technology/Imaging/
Remember to only use images that you have permission to include in your presentation. To learn more about copyright information, be sure to watch the Nortel LearniT video tutorial at the link listed above.
Keep in mind, your presentation must include the following:
• A title page
• A credits/bibliography page
• At least 3 middle pages that answer all of the questions agreed upon.
• A graphic on each page, including at least one picture of your hero.
Evaluate
An evaluation rubric has been provided to use for assessment.Extend
Consider extending this activity using any of these suggestions:• Dress up like your hero and speak to guests ‘in character.' Discuss some of the things you have learned about your hero. You might also incorporate a Hero Banquet where students bring in a food that has some significance to his/her hero. You should encourage families to attend and to mingle with different heroes, listening to their stories and asking them questions about their life. Afterwards, you will explain the significance of the food they are sharing with the group, and invite everyone to sample the foods brought in. Encourage "photo opportunities" with the heroes.
• Create a timeline using TimeLiner that shows birth, death (if applicable) and 3 significant events for the hero. Each entry must explain the significance and have a picture.
• Have students research and play clips of music that was important to their hero or typical of the time period when their hero was alive.
• Work in small groups to create a play that includes each of the heroes (whether or not they are from the same period).
• Write interview questions you could ask your hero. If you are able to make contact with the hero, call/email to obtain the answers.