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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Star Wars and the Hero's Journey

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Is Luke Skywalker the archetype of a literary hero? Follow the path of the Hero's Journey with an engaging lesson that details the plot structure, applies it to Star Wars: A New Hope, and invites class members to choose their own example...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

“The Hero’s Journey”: Using a Graphic Organizer to Deconstruct Percy Jackson’s Hero’s Journey and Plan a New Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
Time to go on a journey! Using a graphic organizer, scholars deconstruct Percy Jackson's hero's journey from the Rick Riordan novel, The Lightning Thief. Next, they begin planning their own hero's journey narrative, creating a profile of...
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Activity
Curated OER

Hero Myth Creative Writing Assignment

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Send your pupils on a hero's journey! Individuals must compose a story that includes six key elements of the hero's journey. In order to determine the basics of the content of their stories, class members use the included grid to circle...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

“The Hero’s Journey”: Analyzing a Model Narrative and Continuing to Plan a New Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
Many elements go into an engaging narrative story. Using a helpful resource, scholars analyze a model narrative and deconstruct it using a graphic organizer. Next, they apply their learning from the model to update their plans for their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment and Establishing a Context for My Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
How do writers engage their readers in a story? Pupils consider the question and use the informational text, "The Hero's Journey" to justify their plan for their own fictional narrative. To that end, scholars write an explanatory...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment: Final Draft of Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
All journeys must come to an end. Using the final instructional activity in the series, pupils analyze a model narrative for use of transitional words and phrases. Next, they apply their learning to their final drafts of their hero's...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing: Analyzing the Conclusion of “The Golden Key” and Drafting a Compelling Conclusion for the Hero’s Journey Narrative

For Teachers 6th Standards
There's something different here. Using a note-catcher, scholars determine the differences between the conclusion of a piece of analytical writing and the conclusion of a narrative. Next, they begin drafting their own narrative...
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Unit Plan
Trinity University

Dante's Inferno: Allegory, Hero's Journey, or Epic Poem? Yes!

For Teachers 12th Standards
Dante Alighieri's "The Inferno" is the central text in a unit designed for high school seniors. Scholars compare the Christian concept of Hell to Dante's. In addition, they examine the tale as an example of epic poetry, as an allegory,...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 1 Assessment: Drawing Evidence from Text: Written Analysis of How Percy’s Experiences Align with “The Hero’s Journey”

For Teachers 6th Standards
Do your best on the test! Readers finish up by completing the end of the unit assessment. Using the assessment, writers describe how Percy's experiences in The Lightning Thief align to four parts of The Hero's Journey. After completing...
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Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

I Need a Superhero

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Once the class learns about the hero's journey, they'll find it in every story and movie they see! Take characters from their humble beginnings to their atonement and apotheosis with a set of lessons about the hero's journey focusing...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge About the Hero’s Journey, Part 2: Acts 2 and 3 Plus Focusing on Key Vocabulary in “The Hero’s Journey”

For Teachers 6th Standards
It's all in the details. Scholars read acts two and three of The Hero's Journey and collect important details from the text. They share their notes with their peers and listen for key words from the story. They then turn their attention...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Selecting Evidence and Partner Writing: Aligning “The Hero’s Journey” and The Lightning Thief (Chapter 5)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Around and around we go! Scholars work in groups to connect The Hero's Journey and The Lightning Thief with a Carousel of Quotes activity. They then independently reflect on the two texts and answer questions about how they connect to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing with Evidence: Percy and the Hero’s Journey (Chapter 7)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Read, set, write! Scholars participate in the first fully independent writing task of the unit as they write about how Percy’s experience in The Lightning Thief aligns with The Hero’s Journey. To begin their writing, they complete a...
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Organizer
National Endowment for the Humanities

Elements of the Epic Hero Cycle

For Students 9th - 12th
Here's a handy instructional activity applicable to any study of epic heroes, including those in epic poetry. Readers record examples from their text that identify the quest, the tests, helpers and companions, as well as the low point,...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

The Hero’s Journey, Part 1: What is a Hero?

For Teachers 6th Standards
That was heroic!  Scholars quickly look over What is a Hero to determine and discuss the structure of the text. They then read the introduction and Act 1 closely to find the gist and annotate the text. They circle unfamiliar words and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

HEROs Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What does it take to be a hero? In small groups, middle schoolers design a hero by identifying heroic characteristics and recording responses on an online blog. Use this lesson plan as an extension in a literature unit about a heroic...
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Activity
College Board

The Departure

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars learn about the Hero's Journey as they read Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." They analyze the story's structure and narrative techniques. Finally, they write summaries of the text's central idea and use their...
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Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

Movie Heroes and the Heroic Journey

For Teachers 11th - 12th
An exciting twist on the study of the classical hero and the heroic quest! Using film to explore modern-day tales of heroes, the resource contains complete, ready-to-use lesson plans for as many as twelve days of instruction. Throughout...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People Who Make A Difference: American Heroes

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners think about the characteristics of a hero so they can later evaluate which historical figures on the heroes chart meet the criteria.
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Lesson Plan
Art Institute of Chicago

Lesson Plan: A Writer’s Odyssey

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Looking for a fresh approach to an end-of-unit project for The Odyssey? Check out a resource that has class members write their own hero's journey short story and then craft an illustration that depicts their tale. Apollonio di...
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Lesson Plan
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Orange County Department of Education

My Character Odyssey

For Teachers 9th
Young scholars explore and analyze how the trials of life can develop one's character and values of respect, responsibility and compassion. Then, while reading and evaluating The Odyssey, they reflect on their own hero journey and write...
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Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt - Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Children in foster care face a lot of uncertainty in their lives. A guide for the novel One for the Murphys introduces a main character, Carley, who is thrust into the foster care system. Chapter-by-chapter questions cover key details in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing: Getting Feedback, Setting Goals, and Drafting

For Teachers 6th Standards
Why is it important to set goals as a writer? Scholars process feedback from their mid-unit assessments, writing down their strengths and weaknesses on index cards. Next, pupils use the feedback to begin drafting their hero's journey...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing to Show, Not Tell: Dialogue, Sensory Words, and Strong Action Verbs

For Teachers 6th Standards
Consume, gobble, devour ... serving up strong verbs! Writers focus on using dialogue, strong action verbs, and sensory details in their writing. After analyzing a model narrative, they apply their learning to their own hero's journey...