To gain an understanding of the treatment of African American soldiers during World War I, class members watch an excerpt from the History Detectives film, Our Colored Heroes, and then examine three recruitment posters from that...

Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing lesson, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and charitable...

Students read "I Had a Hero" a memoir written by a Peace Corps volunteer serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They discuss the story, respond to it in writing, complete comprehension activities and relate the account to their own...

Students summarize the unit on heroes and present picture books to younger students.  In this hero instructional activity, students compile their portfolios, in which they have presented heroic characteristics of their own...

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...

students think of scientists as heroes and heroines by dispelling the stereotypes of persons in scientific careers. They work in cooperative groups to research the life and works of a scientist and (through the use of the library and the...

Groups become experts in one aspect of the six traits of writing, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, jigsaw, and teach others about their trait. Writers then focus on these traits as they compose a persuasive essay about a person they...

Students explore the life of Giovanni Palatucci and other "Righteous Among the Nations". They consider whether the motivation to be an ally is within the reach of every human being. They create a memorial to a hero in their lives.

Young scholars explore the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Their research culminates in a Harlem Renaissance Fair celebrating the movement's cultural and artistic contributions to society.

Observe the National Day of Service and Remembrance with a service learning lesson plan. After discussing the events of September 11, 2001, learners plan and implement their own service learning project in honor of American...

Here's a fascinating take on a three-year honors, AP language, and AP literature course. Designed for teachers, the presentation suggests how to connect Tolkien's classic to the AP English canon. Very thought-provoking and definitely...

Young scholars explore American history by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students research the famous inventor by reading assigned text and answering reading comprehension questions...

What is a memorial and what should it look like? Learners will choose what they believe is important to remember about September 11 and how it should be displayed. They work in groups and brainstorm details about the memorial and present...

Students examine media messages. In this media awareness lesson, students analyze online messages about heroism as they complete a jigsaw reading activity.

Students investigate famous Americans. In this American history and research lesson, students choose a famous American to research, collect information from a variety of sources, and create a related PowerPoint presentation.

Inspire thoughtful journal entries with these detailed journal writing prompts. The resource includes 24 prompts that require learners to write expository, persuasive, and sometimes creative journal entires.

Honor the fallen heroes of our country with this Memorial Day presentation. It contains a series of photographs from national cemetaries from all over the United States. You could use this presentation in an ESL class, or in any class...

Students explore how we remember and honor people in special ways. In this memorial lesson, students read poems and discuss their emotions. Students view pictures taken at memorial services and discuss what some symbols have...

Students examine the concept of heroism in this lesson, through personal reflection, group activities and a thoughtful analysis of the documentary, HEROES OF GROUND ZERO. They explore their own understanding of what it means to be a hero.

Literary theories are lenses through which a text may be analyzed. The question in this lesson plan is how a particular literary lens can influence the reader's view of the text.

Students consider the attributes of heroes. In this literature lesson, students read selected poems from Hesse's Out of the Dust and then create their own bio-poems that feature themselves as heroes.

Fifth graders define ethical terms (love, honor, heroism) and defend their definitions.

Eleventh graders design and create a poster, advertising for recruitment of volunteers to serve with Teddy Roosevelt in the 1st Volunteer Calvary Regiment. Students create a historical newspaper front page, from the time period, which...

Students examine knightly virtues and will measure Gawain's strength in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In this poetry analysis lesson, students identify the bob-and-wheel poetic form and analyze symmetry in the poem. Students...