Brenda Sansom
Multidimensional Unit- HEROS
Introduction
I am not quite sure when I first knew what a hero was or who might be a
hero. What I do know for sure is that children-all children need heroes, Real
Heroes. I believe this to be especially true for children in their
preadolescent and adolescent years.
Young teenagers find themselves bombarded with a wide range of values and
human behaviours. They can find themselves struggling to determine which
values they believe for themselves. It is for this reason that adults have an
enormous responsibility to be role models and in some cases be heroes to our
children.
Many childrens heroes have seriously disappointed them. Sports heroes
have taken banned substances (Ben Johnson), been found guilty of rape (Mike
Tyson) and in large part simply lost their justification to be a hero; many
political heroes have performed no better. Even family and religious
heroes have abused their authority and children have become victims of
serious disappointment.
Our kids need Real Heroes. Our kids need to know that the people we
see as heroes do not need to score game winning baskets or climb mountains.
Our heroes are the people we meet every day of our lives . These are the
people who have courage and give unselfishly to others.
By providing our kids with Real Heroes we will be giving them role
models from whom they can learn. Every adult has a responsibility to be a
role model or a hero to at least one child. This unit helps students to learn
about the the Real Heroes of today. These are the heroes from whom our
kids should be learning about values about human behaviour.
Brenda J. Sansom
This multidimensional unit is in response to the academic requirements
for ESL 3561 (6096). In meeting this requirement it is also acknowledged
that this unit, as presented, provides more information than requested.
This unit provides me with a binder that has everything that I need when
I go out the door. Except where there is a need to photocopy, this
binder/unit provides the necessary information and materials.
The resource materials (except for the Walt Disney Movie) are my own personal
resources which I have accumulated.
I trust it is acceptable that I have chosen to fully utilize this learning
opportunity in this manner. It is an effective time management tool for me.
I now have more comprehensive materials and I will be able to more effectivley
teach this unit.
Overview of Multidimensional Unit
Grade Level: 7-9
Language and Level: English, Intermediate-Advanced
Filed of Experience: Human Behaviour-Heroism
Topics to be Discussed: Characteristics of Heroes
Different Heroes/Different Countries
A Canadian Hero-Terry Fox
Children Heroes
Choosing a Hero
Experiential Goal:Students will discuss and discover heroes of yesteryear
and today. They will compare and contrast different heroes in Canada,
their country and other countries. They will propose someone as their
personal hero and enter their nomination with supporting reasons onto the
Heroism Web Site http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515
Steps To Achieve Goal:
1. Build a "Word Wall" of Hero Characteristics
2. Highlight a Hero of Today- Terry Fox
Lesson Plan
3. Discover Different Heroes/Different Countries
4. Identify Children Heroes-Young Heroes in Action
Lesson Plan
5. Compare Heroes of Yesteryear to Heroes of Today
6. Choose Any Hero and Explain Characteristics
7. Prepare a News Item on The Chosen Hero
8. Nominate for Hero on the Heroism Web site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515/heroism/
Lesson Plan
9. Reflection on the unit
Peer and self evaluation
Explanation of Steps
Step 1. Build a Word Wall of Hero Characteristics/Names
In this first step it is important to build with information the students
already know. Using newsprint, the back of old wallpaper or any kind of
writing surface the teacher brainstorms with the children about the idea of a
hero/heroine*. The students think of people whom they believe to be heroes
and the teacher does a cluster map or webbing noting names of heroes and
describing characteristics of heroes. Since the rest of the unit discusses
heroes from different countries and different eras there should be a free flow
of information with some students giving names of heroes and characteristics
of heroes while some students might give only one or the other. This process
allows for the students to work at their personal cognitive level and still
benefit from the class collective cognitive level. The teacher , where
necessary, can scaffold the students struggle with attempts beyond their
level. These clusters could be put into categories or additions made to the
webbing as the other steps are undertaken.
*Teachers should be sensitive to the cultural implications of using the words
"hero" and "heroine". Although technically it could be argued that a female
is not a hero but a heroine, it is commonly accepted that the word "hero"
can refer to either a male or a female. However, it is important for teachers
to be aware that it is possible that certain populations are offended if a
female is called a hero. This note is simply to indicate that some thought
should be given to this so that cultural sensitivities can be respected.
Step 2. Highlight a Hero of Today-Terry Fox See Lesson Plan
Step 3. Discover Different Heroes in Canada and Different Heroes From
Different Countries
There can be three approaches to this step. The teacher can be the
"encyclopaedia" for this step or the students can be. In either case this
step involves discovering other heroes in Canada or other heroes from other
countries. (This will depend to some extent on the make-up of the class.)
Students select two heroes and write two facts/characteristics about their two
heroes. By getting two heroes it will make allowance for students selecting
the same heroes and you want enough heroes to assign to individual members of
the class.
Alternative A
The teacher then lets each student assume the identity of one of their heroes
and the others try to guess the identity of each other by scrambling about
the class and writing down the names as they discover the identity. (Students
should have their secret hero name on a card so that the identifying student
has a visual clue to assist with writing the heroes names. They might look
for five heroes. (Depending on the class they can look for more.) Since
students chose their heroes they are going to know more about their choice
while it will be more difficult for other students to discover their
identities.
Example: Jane might have the secret identity of Princess Diana. Students
then ask is she a man, is she old, is she alive, is she famous... Teacher
will need to help students learn how to funnel information by asking broad
scope questions and then narrow scope questions. She can do this by
modelling. The teacher can be a resource in terms of helping students prepare
their characteristics or descriptors.
Alternative B
The teacher collects this information and redistributes it with a challenge
to Hunt for All The Heroes . The teacher redistributes the hero selections
and assigns a secret hero identity to each student and gives the information
about His /her Assigned Hero. By doing it this way students have a chance
to learn about new heroes.
They then assume this identity. Each student is also given a list containing facts of
all of the hero facts as provided by the students. They then Hunt for the
Hero by asking each other questions, correctly matching the information with
the secret hero identity and completing the list by matching the hero identity
with the information.
Example: Kevin might have the secret identity of President Kennedy and his
information point s might be 1. Was a president of USA 2. Was assassinated.
Students with the list might have: a president who was assassinated. They then
search for the hero who was a president who was assassinated and complete
their list. Once they find the person with matching characteristics they can
ask Are you ?? or Who are You ?
At the end of the activity each student gets to reveal "I am ---and I was
chosen as a hero because I-----". They can then add that no one found them or
everyone found them.
Alternative C
The teacher can also prepare this hero information and distribute the secret
identities. Both methods allow for exchange but information from students
hero selections allows the class members to learn more from each other. This
step can be done with the teacher simply giving out one piece of information
and having the students question each other on mass until they find the secret
identity of the hero as a match with the teachers information.
Example Teacher: There is secret hero in our class who was a famous French
underwater explorer. He helped to invent scuba diving equipment.- Students
would then search the room looking for the student who is Jacques Cousteau.
Tip: The Oxford Childrens Book of Famous People is a helpful text for
reference. This was a special edition of the Year 2000. It gives a brief
description of 1000 men and women who have shaped the world.
End of the year magazines are also good resources for this kind of
information. Most of these can be found in larger libraries. Examples are;
Biography, People, Life, Chatelaine
This text has a strong USA bias and is only about women but it is
still useful; Girls Who Rocked the World
Step 4. Identify Children Heroes-Young Heroes in Action
See Lesson Plan
Step 5. Compare Heroes of Yesteryear to Heroes of Today
After having done Step 4 it should be noted that there is a different
focus. Steps 1 and 2 built on a traditional look at heroes. This was done
in an attempt to use the natural knowledge that students would have about
famous heroes". Steps 3 and 4 was a natural progression to look at other
heroes who perhaps are not so famous. Steps 3 and 4 had students thinking
more about local heroes" or more not so famous acts of heroism. This step
involves having students think about less famous heroes and to think about
heroes in their community or perhaps in their families. A fun activity would
be to have students invite two heroes to dinner-a hero of the past and a hero
of today and explain why. This step might involve adding to the Word Wall in
Step 1. Good background for the teacher on traditional and contemporary
definitions of heroes can be found on the Heroism in Action Web site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515 For the benefit of this paper the
information is attached.
Step 6. Choose Any Hero and Explain Characteristics
By now students students should have a grasp of traditional viewpoints
and a contemporary viewpoint of how to describe a hero. During Step 6 the
teacher encourages them to choose any hero and prepare a mini word wall ( one
piece of paper) describing this person. This could also be a cluster map with
the heros name in the middle or this step could be a type of Journal where
the students write why they have chosen this hero. This step provides the
student the opportunity to consider the different values and select those
values which most appropriately match with his views about a hero.
page 9 Step 7. Prepare a Promotional News Item on A Chosen Hero
In Step 4 the students summarised information about heroes in the stories
in Super Kids. This would have helped them to select important information
and to explain the heroes in their stories. In this step 7, students will
prepare a brief news story about their choice for hero. The news story about
Bryan Priestman can be used as an example. as well as the Terry Fox abstract
in Step 2. Caution needs to be shown that the Priestman story is is a very
expanded news story but it is an authentic news story. This is available
from The Daily Gleaner, November 11, 2000 edition. For the benefit of this
paper the story is attached.
Some students might choose to write this news story while others might
like to prepare a radio or television Interview with their hero making a guest
appearance in a role playing scenario. Other students might choose to prepare
a pamphlet about their hero. This opportunity to make choices is another
illustration of allowing students to make decisions about how they learn the
language and also provides students with different opportunities to utilize
their differing skills. It is fun.
Step 8. Nomination for Hero on the Heroism Web site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515/heroism/
Lesson Plan
Step 9. Reflection on the unit.
Peer and self evaluation
Objectives
Communicative/Experiential
1. Students will propose people whom they personally believe to be
heroes
2. Students will describe characteristics of their idea of a hero
3. Students will negotiate meaning with each other as they compare and
contrast hero preferences
4. Students will create a news item-radio, news bulletin or poster
5. Students will select, nominate and justify a personal hero
6. Students will post their personal reflections and thoughts on the
internet.
Cultural
1. Students will tell/hear about heroes in other parts of the country and
world
2. Students will discover (on the net) the values of other students in
other countries and what they believe about heroes.
3. Students will discover values of other classmates in their opinions
about heroes
3. Students will identify a Canadian Hero -Terry Fox
4. Students will compare the cultural shift in what a hero was in years gone
by and how we look at heroes today
5. Students will be able to identify a local hero of yesteryear-Bryan
Priestman
6. Students will read and summarize acts of heroism by children across North
America
7. Students will hear North American music about a hero
8. Students who view Tundra Woman would question the ethics of
television promotion and personal values
Language
1. Students will contribute to brainstorming with the cluster map/webbing
exercises
2. Students will develop vocabulary about characteristics of a hero
3. Students will develop historical and cultural vocabulary about people
who are heroes
3. Students will express their thoughts in their Journals
4. Students will develop words/phrases about heroes from listening to a
song
5. Students will engage in discussion with other students in many of the
paired and grouped activities
6. Students will have writing reinforced in news items, journal entries,
guest book entries and hero nominations
General Language Education
1. Students will predict stories by looking at pictures
2. Students will discover how to guess identities by starting with a broad
question and progressively narrowing down the questions as if it were a
funnel.
3. Students will use communication/convincing strategies to support their
choices for hero nominations
4. Students will learn social strategies in a second language as they work
in pairs and small groups and with the teacher.
5. Students will draw on their personal experiences, feeling and values as
they make decisions about human values as shown in hero selections
Highlight a Hero of Today-Terry Fox
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 7-9 Language: English Length: 90 minutes
Field of Experience: Human Behaviour- Heroism Lesson One (Step 2)
materials:
Teacher
-Abstract: Terrys Journey:
The Marathon of Hope
-Article: Terry Fox; His Story
-Map of Canada (mostly blank)
Abstract and Article found http// www.terryfoxrun.org
Activity: This is a presentation of an article using the interactive model
for teaching reading.
Objective: Students will choose and construct one of : a chain of events,
a time line or a date/destination map which illustrates the events in the
story
1.Pre-reading activity
Students will look and/or listen to the abstract title and the pictures
and suggest what they think the reading may be about. Using the abstract
students can suggest three things they think they might learn from the
article.
NOTE*Teacher might choose to read the abstract twice or read it once and allow
the students to read it the second time on their own. This will allow for
students who learn visually and auditorily.
2. Reading Activity
The students will read the article silently or orally. Students may
read individually or read in pairs.
NOTE*Teachers can best assess the learning styles of students and make the
necessary accommodations.
3. Post Activity
Students in groups of two or three will prepare a chain of events chart
outlining the events in Terrys Story OR they can do a time line outlining the
same OR students can use a map of Canada and diagram the journey using date
and destinations. A copy of the Canada map time line is attached.
NOTE*Students will enjoy having an opportunity to choose the post activity.
This opportunity to choose will help students feel more in control and
contribute to their self-esteem. Learning a second language can OFTEN have
students feeling that they do not have control because they do not have
control or capacity to speak as they would like. Having Choices will help
re-establish a sense of control.
NOTE* Grouping is a very effective way to promote the exchange of language but
sensitivity should be given to the combination of the groups. Generally there
is more balanced discussion in small groups of four or less but possibly pairs
are necessary to encourage more timid speakers. More confident speakers can
out-speak more timid speaks so teachers need to watch grouping carefully. The
is a fun role for random groupings but this should not always be the way to
choose groups.
Students can compare their chains, time lines or maps with other students and
make any necessary revisions. These activities can be posted on the wall under
the tile of A Hero of Today- Terry Fox
NOTE* Teachers need to be careful when choosing a hero of today. Caution
should be exercised when presenting heroes. The president of the United
States is not a hero in all cultures.
Other Activities for this kind of lesson could include reading the
submissions about why people think Terry Fox is a hero. Students can go on
line and tell why they think Terry Fox is a hero. This can be done on the
same web site as indicated in the materials. For the purpose of this paper a
few of the 100 pages of submissions are attached. These submission pages
would be very useful with students who are having difficulties with concepts
about why someone is a hero.
Identify Children Heroes-Young Heroes in Action
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 7-9 Language: English Length: 90 minutes
Field of Experience: Human Behaviour- Heroism Lesson Two (Step 4)
Materials:
Teacher
-Text Super Kids -Young Heroes in Action
Author Leslie Garrett
-cassette recordings of stories
-copies of photos of main characters
Activity: Students will choose a super kid story and engage in listening to
the story about the hero they have chosen
Objectives: Students will summarize and explain the story about one of the
twelve Super Kids on the tape(in the text)
Pre-listening Activity
Students will give three choices for stories based on the photos from
the text. The pictures will give the students clues about the story and they
will need to predict which story they would like to hear based on the picture
clues of the main character(s). The photos can be posted around the room and
students can write their name under their three choices. Once this information
is given the teacher will assign the stories. The photos are from the text.
For the purpose of this paper the photos and stories are attached.
Listening Activity
Using the twelve stories about Super Kids the teacher will have arranged for
other speakers to tape each of the stories( or it would be great if people from the
community came in to read the stories).
Post Activity
Students will either individually or in small groups be given the photo of
the main character ( hopefully this will be one of their three choices) and a
tape of the story.( or a person) They will need to listen to each story at
least twice. The stories are 5-7 minutes in length. A few stories have
unusual names. These should be noted so students can be prepared when they
encounter these new words.
NOTE*Teachers will know which students will need or will benefit from a
written copy of the text. So as not to stigmatise some students who need this
extra help, teachers might give copies of the text to all students challenging
them to listen to the text before going to the written work. The teacher
might need to provide some vocabulary assistance. Individuals who are
recording( or reading) might start their recording with a brief review of
difficult or unusual words.
Students will prepare a summary of each story and explain it orally. Some
students might make a chain of events or a time line as was done in Step 2 to
assist them with organization.
Students will then share in pairs, small groups or perhaps with the class
their stories about Super Kids-Youth Heroes in Action.
Other Activities could involve preparing news items about these twelve super
kids. This format could be similar to those discussed in Step 7.
Students could also prepare a My Heroes Log and name qualities about each
of the twelve heroes. A copy of a log is attached. The students could prepare
a cassette with their summary and let other students listen to their summary
on cassette.
Nomination for Hero on the Heroism Web site
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 7-9 Language: English Length: 90 minutes
Field of Experience: Human Behaviour- Heroism Lesson Three (Step 8)
materials:
Teacher
- music by Bette Midler Wind Beneath My Wings"
-access/copies of Heroism Web site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515/heroism
Activity: This is an activity where students will nominate someone as their
hero and give reasons. They will post this nomination on the heroism web
site and sign the guest book. Copies of this nomination will be made.
Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the
concept of heroism by reflecting on what has been discussed in the previous
steps. Students will then select one person, justify the choice and prepare
a nomination which they will post on the Heroism Web site. Students will
identify their heroism choice and use the Heroism Guest Book to sign in.
Students will be able to view and print a copy of their nomination.
1. PreActivity* (A)
Students will listen to the song Wind Beneath My Wings and listen for
phrases and words about heroes. Some students could explain some terms such
as: I can fly higher than an eagle you are the wind beneath my wings
NOTE*I have put two preactivities because I believe either could be done,
depending on the class. Teachers can best determine which is more suitable
for the class.
WIND BENEATH MY WINGS
It must have been cold there in my shadow
To never have sunlight on your face
You were content to let me shine, thats your way
You always walked a step behind
So I was the one with all the glory
While you were the one with all the strength
A beautiful face without a name for so long
A beautiful smile to hide the pain
Did you ever know that youre my hero?
And everything I would like to be
I can fly higher than an eagle
You are the wind beneath my wings.
It might have appeared to go unnoticed
But I ve got it all here in my heart
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I do
I would be nothing without you
Did you ever know that youre my hero?
Youre everything I wish I could be
I could fly higher than an eagle
You are the wind beneath my wings.
Did I ever tell you, youre my hero
Youre everything I wish I could be
Oh, I can fly higher than an eagle
You are the wind beneath my wings
Because you are the wind beneath my wings
1.Preactivity *(B)
Students will scan some of the nominations which have already been posted
on the Web Site to learn who other students in other countries have
nominated. There is a great variety in the nominations of local page 19
heroes and famous heroes.
2. Activity
Students can have the opportunity to view some of the nominations which
are on the Web site. (If this was not done in the preactivity and the teacher
feels they need more examples.) Using information in the previous steps
they are to choose one person as their personal hero and complete a
nomination. They will need to support their nomination with reasons. Some
descriptors and characteristics will have been learned in previous steps.
Having done a news item will have contributed to their ability to summarize
and illustrate their reasons. This is an individual activity for writing but
students should work in pairs or small groups to compare their information and
organization of ideas. Students can check each others content and accuracy
before posting on the web site. The teacher might do some scaffolding to
assist where students require fine tuning of their information before it is
posted. Copies of the nominations can be printed once they have been posted.
PostActivity
Students can sign the guest book and give a brief statement about their
hero or about the information which they read on the Web site.
You can print your entry on in the guest book immediately following input. It
is great fun to print out your entry.
Special Note: Coincidentally, the day I am doing this lesson, I became a
Great Aunt to our newest entry into the family- eight pound Hannah-. Hannah
was my personal hero. She was my great grandmother and I nominated her and
posted her on the site. My entry is attached
PostActivity
Students can view each others nominations once they have been printed
from the web site. Nominations can be posted in the classroom.
Other Activities which could be considered is sending your nomination page 20
to your personal hero if that person is alive or sending the nomination to
their son or daughter. or close relative. It is a compassionate act of
kindness when someone we love, who is no longer with us, is so fondly regarded
by someone else long after they are gone.
Another Activity could involve the viewing of Walt Disney Cartoon Tundra
Woman (not available at video stores yet). This is a cartoon story about a
young girl who creates a story about Tundra Woman. The story line is about a
meteor crashing into the earth and pummelling it into an ice age. Tundra
woman emerges to save everyone and is the childs personal hero. She is
courageous and unselfish. However, the producer, who bought her script,
wanting to to have a popular show portrays Tundra Woman as a mean, selfish,
uncaring and violent. The little girl takes on the producer and wants her
hero restored to its ordinal character. After all she demands, "she was MY
personal hero"
Reflection and Assessment
One of the most challenging aspects of learning is assessment. Various
methods exist but the most beneficial are those methods which are time
effective and personalized to the extent that they take into consideration the
starting point of the learning continuum for each student.
Throughout the unit it is important that teachers do formative (in the
process) and summative (at the end) assessments. Success of the learning
environment, can to some extent, be determined by these measurements.
Evaluations and assessments are no longer just the domain of the teacher. The
following shows possible assessments for the individual, peers and teachers.
They in no way represent complete reflections or assessments of the unit.
Each of the four objective areas of communicative/experiential, cultural.
language and general language should be assessed. Teachers are looking for
evidence of learning in growth and improvement as students undertake the
various activities. Teachers need to remember that students have different
learning styles. Activities should reflect this diversity and assessments
should take into account these different learning styles. Some students will
show growth in verbal activates while others might show growth in written
material.
Portfolios are a useful way to track a students progress. Portfolios
also give teachers a tool to identify areas of weakness while giving students
a running commentary of their growth and success.
Everyone enjoys seeing their achievements. It contributes to their
confidence and feelings of self worth, which in turn contributes to a positive
attitude toward the acquisition of the target language.
READING /LISTENING SELF-EVALUATION
Name________________________________Date____________
NO YES
1. I understood the main idea in the
better
story about Super Kids-
Youth Heroes in Action
2. I had a plan for organizing
how I would explain the story
3. I could explain the ideas to my
student partner
3. I used new words from the
story
4. I could explain why this
youth was a super hero
5. I gave suggestions to my
partner in order to help out
6. When my student partner
gave suggestions, I considered
how I could learn from the
suggestion
7. I found at least two good
things to say about my partners
presentation
UNIT SELF-EVALUATION - HEROES
Name________________________________ Date__________
1. The activity(ies) I like the best was/were
because
2. The activity (ies) I liked the least was/were
because
3. I learned the most when we did the activity (ies)
Reasons
4. I learned the least from the following activity (ies)
Reasons
5. After we did the unit I realize that I have the same opinion about heroes
or I have a different opinion about heroes because
6. I would make changes to the unit in the following ways:
The reasons are:
PEER/GROUP EVALUATION
Name_______________________________Date_______________
Group Names____________________________________________
We did the following Always Most Often Sometimes Rarely
1. understood the task
2. started to work
quickly
3. stayed on task
4. each person
participated
5. each person listened
when others spoke
6. each spoke
target language
7. each understood
when others spoke
8. group completed
assigned task
9. did our best
TEACHER EVALUATION UNIT HEROS
Name______________________________________Date_______
Student can: 5 4 3 2 1
strong confident with some effort with some difficulty with great difficulty
1. Identify a personal
hero
2. Explain choice with
justified characeteristics
3. Demonstrate
language strategies
in communication
4. Contrast and compare
kinds of heroes
5. Summarize stories
about heroes
6. Integrate personal
opinion with that
of others
7. Illustrate what was
learned in the unit
8. Show joy of language
More Resources for the Unit
1. Teachers Handbook Contextualized Language Instruction- Copy of
Model for Teaching Interactive Listening and Reading
2. Bibliographic Essay: A Core List of Web Resources for Researchers and
Teachers
3. Postreading Activities summary as taken from a class presentation on
Chapter 12, Making it Happen
4. List of Prereading Activities as taken from Chapter 12, Making It Happen
5. Two ideas from Dave's ESL Cafe Idea Cookbook -
Tell Peggy, a thought provoking, problem solving, human values, language
activity similar to American Ann Landers.
Plastic Cup Pyramid, a a great teamwork, language building, giving
directions, activity which would go well with heroes who had to work with
others to accomplish what they wanted to do. This is great fun. I did it.
6. Pages are included from Snow Treasure but have been modified to be used
with this unit. there is a heroes log and a blank news bulletin which can
be used when students re reporting and discovering heroes.
7. A sample of Human Bingo is attached; this could easily be modified to Hero
Bingo and students would be assuming hero identities as was shown in the
unit.
8. There are two sample of activities which encourage students to accept
diversity in each other. Heroes are as different and diversified as people
are as students are. 1. Good Apples
2. Who I Am Collage- from http://www.col-ed.org/cur/
9. Chapter Handling Student Diversity in the Language Classroom is VERY
IMPORTANT resource. It is attached as reminder that teachers MUST
Recognize different learning styles and must therefore be prepared with
different teaching styles
10. If students do a radio news item, you could use the CBC Radio LOGO and
call it ALMOST CBC-they have given permission. An overhead of the logo is
attached
11. There can easily be a role for Storytelling in this unit. The topic of
heroes could present an opportunity for students to tell stories about
heroes they have known. This could be a valuable activity which
contributes to students learning about each others values.
Poem Local Hero- text - Actions and Reactions, page 12
copyright prohibits copying (no attachment)
There is a "Heroes Gallery in the text, Actions and Reactions which
highlights heroes: Manon Rheaume, woman hockey player in NHL, Christy
Brown, a man with cerebral palsy, Zlata, a young girl in wartime Bosnia,
Tuk, a polar bear who becomes a hero to the people in Vancouver, a class
of boys who had their hair shaved to help a fellow student who lost his
hair during chemotherapy. (no attachment) I accessed this text through
our local Middle Schools System
The cover picture and inside cover story was taken from Life Magazine
1999. This story, as well as many others, can be found in the magazines
indicated. Although at first glance it would seem that Sammy Sosa and Mark
McGuire are heroes because of their home run hitting prowess, a closer look
will give you a look at perhaps the Real reason they deserve to be heroes.
It is important for students to look at human behaviours and assess for
themselves which behaviours qualify individuals as Real Heroes.
References
Davis, Gary, Innovations Experiencing Literature In The Classroom,
Snow Treasure, Scholastic Inc, 1990 Copyright noted
Glisan, Eileen W., Shrum. Judith, L., Teachers Handbook Contextualized
Language Instruction- Chapter 12- Learner Diversity, Model for Interactive
reading and Listening
Herman, Ethel, Semantics for Teens, East Moline, Illinois, 1989
Copyright note attached
Richard-Amato, Patricia, Making it Happen: Interaction in the Second
Language. 2nd Edition. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1996
Roehm, Michelle, Girls Who Rocked the World, Beyond Words
Publishing,Hillsboro, Oregon, 2000
Toutan, Arnold, Actions and Reactions, Toronto, Oxford University Press
Canada 1998
The Oxford Childrens Book of Famous People, Oxford Press, New York, 1999
Web sites http://www.col-ed.org/cur/misc
http://www.terryfoxrun.org/terry/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515
http//www.eslcafe.com/ideas/
http://www.col-ed.org/
Daves ESL Cafe Idea Cookbook, http:www.eslcafe/ideas,
Magazines Life January 1999
Biography January 2000
People Dec 28-January 4 2000