Teachers: Resources for the Classroom








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Team C001515

How to use this site

There are two main sections to the site.

Who are our heroes?

The first looks at those people we have identified as heroes and heroines of the 20th Century. Here, you will find a discussion of what a hero is and a discussion of the battle we had to reach a definition. This is not an easy concept to understand.

When we first started on this site, we had lots of sports heroes as well as Superman, Zorro and a number of other fictional superheroes. As the discussions heated, we finally came to the conclusion that a hero (or heroine) is a personal thing.

Lesson Idea:

Aim: To help students understand the idea of hero and what this means to each of us. Students will then use the concepts developed to identify their own heroes.

Procedure:

  • Place students in small groups of 3-4. Ask them to discuss their idea of a hero.
  • Have each group develop 5 main characteristics a hero / heroine must have. They should write these onto pieces of paper and pin them to one of the people in the group. Each group should then present their hero to the class - with a flourish! -
    "This is our hero/heroine because....."
  • Discuss with the students the similarities and differences in the types of heroes each group has identified.
  • Ask the students why they think there are these differences.
  • Students should research and present a brief poster / web page presentation about who their hero is and why. You could also suggest that students use this site to share with others who their heroes are.
  • As an extension, discuss the things the students themselves have done that make them a hero.

You can be a hero too!

The second part of the site looks at action - how we can make a difference to what is happening in this world. We have presented a list of things that students can do to get involved as well as various organisations who will be able to provide help.

An important section is the one on Student Councils. Making a difference means getting involved and undertaking some action. Student Councils are a good way to get a start on this. We have covered some of the positives and negatives of these organisations as they operate at the moment.

We invite students to share their experiences of the good things that student councils have achieved. We do ask for the positives. There will be bad things that happen - but we aim to have students focus on the lessons learned from these. We would like to share as much as about what we should do - rather than what we should not do.