Engaged Learning Project Idea Template

Title of Project: What does it mean to be a Hero?

Subject(s): Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 9th
Abstract:
This project will begin with a guided study of the characteristics of a hero and a heros journey through literary
figures such as Homers The Odyssey. Once they have a good understanding of the characteristics of a hero and
they have practiced identifying a hero they will begin their culminating project on heroism. Community members
will be asked to speak to students on what being heroic for others looks like and the students will then take on the
role of producer by creating blogs discussing their feats of heroism and their PSA on being a hero for others.
Since this unit will occur at the beginning of the semester the teacher will take on the role of guide to teach the
students the concept of a hero and the culminating project will be student directed as they decide what to say
about the topic of heroism. The learning in this lesson will be authenticated by the community members stories,
the students blogs and a public service announcement that they will produce for the peers in their school.
Learner Description/Context:
This project will be given to my 9th graders as they begin high school. A large number of my students have been
through a lot and will most likely have two or three life experiences where they had to exhibit characteristics of a
hero. If they do not have an example of themselves being heroic they most likely have a story of someone being
heroic for them. This project will give them an opportunity to share something meaningful about their life, give
them the opportunity to be celebrated by their peers and experience real life careers where heroism is used. At my
school all students arrive due to a disciplinary panel and not by choice. The majority of them have been moved
around from school to school and along the way developed a very lengthy history of discipline issues. The benefit
of students having to go through a discipline panel in order to attend my school is that class size is limited. The
smaller environment and the knowledge that most of the kids in the class most likely do not come from the same
school will give students a sense of security and will allow them to feel free to talk about themselves.
Additionally, my school has made good use of their yearly budgets to invest in technology and beginning next
school year we should have a 1:1 ration of students to computers.
Time Frame:
This engaged learning project will be designed to take 4 - 6 weeks of classroom instructional time. Since this unit
will take place at the beginning of the school year I will ease the students in to Freshman Language Arts with
basic vocabulary and greet roots. Additionally we will read a poem and a short story in order to review basic
literacy skills and give students time to adjust to a new school year. From there the unit will begin by spending
two weeks reading The Odyssey and studying the concept of heroism through literature. Once the students finish
The Odyssey they will spend 2-3 days reading an article about soldiers in order to address nonfiction standards
and transition in to exploring their local community for heroes. Once they have had the opportunity to speak with
members of the community they will begin to synthesize the information they have studied for 3 weeks and spend
1 2 weeks writing, creating and producing their public service announcements.
Standards Assessed:
9th Grade GCPS Standards Quarter 1:
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text
3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course
of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
10. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text
11. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it
emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

Engaged Learning Project Idea Template

33. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can
follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose,
audience, and task
21. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content
21a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension
21b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic
21c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts
21d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic
21e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of
the discipline in which they are writing
21f. Use documents to clarify details or support claims
21g. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic)
25. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products,
taking advantage of technologys capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and
dynamically
NETS S
1.Creativity and innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
a.Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b.Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c.Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d.Identify trends and forecast possibilities
2.Communication and collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and
formats
c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures
d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
5.Digital citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice
legal and ethical behavior.
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and
productivity
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
6.Technology operations and concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations.
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
c. Troubleshoot systems and applications
d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

Engaged Learning Project Idea Template

Learner Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will create a public service announcement using windows movie maker.
At the end of this lesson, students will apply what they have learned about heroes by discussing the topic
of heroes in their blog posts.
At the end of this lesson, students will organize a public service announcement using windows movie
maker.
The hook or Introduction:
After completing the beginning of the year review of literacy skills students will begin their study of heroism by
reading the article entitled: Characteristics of a Hero by Aparna Jadhav. After that we will dive in to reading The
Odyssey. As we read the students will be asked to finds examples of heroism in the text. Next students will write
their first blog on what it means to be a hero and what are the characteristics of a hero? This will be their first
opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the content in this unit.
Process:
1. Beginning of the year literacy skills review
2. Students will read the article entitled: Characteristics of a Hero by Aparna Jadhav
3. Teacher will instruct students on the characteristics of a hero
4. Class reads and discusses The Odyssey Teacher Guided Whole group instruction
5. Students apply what they have learned by writing their first blog on the topic of what it means to be a
hero and the characteristics of a hero?
6. Students will read about todays soldiers in small groups and identify characteristics of a hero
7. Students will blog about the following topic: Who is your hero? How do they fit in to the qualities of a
hero? This gives them the opportunity to apply what they have learned to their lives.
8. Community members will discuss the topic of heroism with the students
9. Students will apply what they have learned from the community members by blogging about the
following topic: Who are heroes in our community? What makes them a hero?
10. The teacher will explain the public service announcement portion of the unit.
11. Students will begin working on their public service announcement by blogging on the following topic:
What does it mean to be a hero to others?
12. Students will create their public service announcements.
Product:
Overview of the Product: Students will study the concept of heroism and will use this information to create blogs
that will be posted to the internet and a video that encourages an environment of heroism on campus.
Blog:
Students will write a series of blogs in order to track their journey through our study of heroism. The instructor
will teach the students about heroism through the study of the work entitled The Odyssey. A blog will be written
each week and posted to the discussion board for their peers to edit. Students will answer the following prompts:
1. What does it mean to be a hero? What characteristics do heroes have?
2. Who is your hero? How do they fit in to the qualities of a hero?
3. Who are heroes in our community? What makes them a hero?
4. What does it mean to be a hero to others?
Video PSA on Being a Hero to Others
Students will be placed in groups and will use the information they have learned about heroes to create a Public
Service Announcement challenging the students in their school to be a hero to others. The video and blogs will be
posted online for the entire school to see and comment. Students will ask their peers to comment with examples of
them being heroes to others on campus or in their community. This project will be meaningful to the students
because they get to write about their times of heroism and attempt to alter the climate of their school. All blogs
and videos will be assessed using a rubric.

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

Engaged Learning Project Idea Template

Technology Use:
Technology that Students will use:
Laptops Students will use Microsoft Word to construct their blogs and then they will post them to the
discussion board in their Desire 2 Learn course. This will allow their peers the opportunity to edit their
blogs before submitting them to the dropbox for a grade.
Windows Movie Maker Students will use Windows Movie Maker to construct their public service
announcement.
Weebly The class will work together to build a class Weebly page to post their blogs and their public
service announcements.
Supported Indicators of Engaged Learning:
The technology used in this learning experience gives students the opportunity to direct their learning
when they are creating their public service announcement videos. Since the students will be posting these
videos to a website that will be seen by the peers in their school the technology is also supporting the
authenticity of this learning experience. The students will genuinely get to see the effect their videos have
on their peers and whether or not their message got through to their peers. When students are blogging
about their own heroic feats or heroes in their lives the Word Processing software that they are typing on
supports and the discussion board they are posting to supports the collaboration and culturally
responsiveness of this assignment
References and Supporting Material:
Learning Management Software like: Desire2Learn
Copies of The Odyssey by Homer
Contact local community members that fit the characteristics of a hero: Firefighters, police officers,
military service men, etc.
Would need to create a rubric for the blogs and the public service announcement
Access to computers
Use the following article:
Jadhav, A. (2010, January 10). Characteristics of a Hero. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/characteristics-of-a-hero.html

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University