Lesson Planning
Course/subject: English B10 Module/unit: Equity & Ethics
Title of Lesson:Real-Life Superheroes & Social Justice
Materials/preparation required
-Copies of final assignment handout
-Colored recipe cards
-Pictures of male & female superhero
-Newspaper articles & extra articles for students who forget to bring one
-Graphic organizers (handouts)
Evaluation Methods:
-Comment Cards/send a problem
-Final project: personal essay, community reflection, or multimedia presentation
Outcomes Indicators

Students will… Students will…

CC B10.4:Create a variety of written informational (including a business letter, biographical profile, problem-solution essay) and literary (including fictionalized journal entries and a short script) communications. / Write informational and literary texts that:
  • use various elements of discourse (e.g., purpose, speaker, audience, form) in narrative, expository, persuasive, informational, and/or descriptive texts
  • exhibit logical structures appropriate to audience, purpose, and context
  • have a central foci and strong messages
  • structure material in appropriate styles for audience
  • define the main idea by selecting relevant, logical details that meet the reader’s perceived needs
  • organize ideas in a logical and appropriate sequence
  • include smooth transitions
  • provide logical and convincing conclusions.

Reminders:
  1. Take attendance
  2. Collect assignments from previous day (if applicable)

Lesson Presentation:

-10 minutes of silent reading (routine)
-Review (routine)

The teacher will display two different pictures of superheroes on the power point projector, one of them male and the other female. Students will have a couple of minutes to look at the pictures individually.
Development:
  1. Comment Cards
After students look at the pictures on their own, the teacher will hand out colored recipe cards (1 for each student) and divide students into groups of 4. Each group will be given a pack of sticky tack. With their group members, students will answer the following question. The teacher will read the question aloud and write it on the board.
Question:When you look at these pictures, what are your initial impressions/thoughts? On the recipe cards given to you, come to a consensus with your group members and write down ONE point/observation/thought on each card. Attach a piece of sticky tack to the back of your cards before giving them to your teacher.
Students will have 5 – 10 minutes to write down their impressions on the recipe cards provided and attach a piece of sticky tack to the back of each card.
  1. Categorize Cards
After students write down their answers, the teacher will collect the recipe cards from each group and stick them onto an open space where students can see them (wall, chalk board/white board – if white board the teacher can use magnets instead of sticky tack).
The teacher will read aloud each card and, with the class, create categories in which to place each card. Some cards may have similar/the same ideas/observations written down on them. The teacher should ask students why some groups might have brought up the same points. If students struggle to create categories for their ideas, the teacher should provide guidance but refrain from telling students what to label each category directly.
Some categories students might create could be:
Appearance / Stereotypes / Masculinity/Femininity / Sexuality / Other
The teacher can ask students why they created the categories they did after talking with their group members. The teacher can facilitate a class discussion by asking student volunteers from each group to share reasons why they chose the points they did.
  1. Create Questions About Superheroes and Gender
After discussing different portrayals of male and female superheroes, the teacher can ask student groups to create their own question(s) (1-2 questions) about issues surrounding superheroes and gender. Students can have 5 – 10 minutes to work in their groups creating questions. When students are ready, the teacher can facilitate a class discussion by asking a volunteer from each group to share their questions.
Alternatively, the teacher can facilitate a class discussion by asking the following questions:
-When you think of female superheroes, what usually comes to mind?
-What does it mean to stereotype something or someone? What is a “stereotype”?
-Are stereotypes helpful or problematic? Why?
-Compare and contrast male and female superheroes. Are there any differences in their actions or their super powers?
-Which are more common – male or female superheroes? Why do you think that is?
  1. The Media’s Portrayal of Heroes and Villains
After the discussion about gender and superheroes, the teacher will bring up the topic of realism in comic books. Often, superheroes in comic books and movies fight super villains. The teacher will ask the class:
Can you think of any real-life heroes or villains in the media today? Heroes and villains may be more than just a single person – what about companies/corporations?
The teacher can create a graphic organizer (T-chart) on the board and askstudent volunteers to name public figures they consider heroes or villains and write them in the chart. Other students in the class may disagree (which is good!) If disagreements occur, the teacher can ask each student to justify their perspective with examples and ask the class to come to a consensus on which category to put the person in. The teacher can even decide to put the person in both categories if a consensus cannot be reached.
Heroes / Villains
-George W. Bush
-Barack Obama
-Rick O’Barry
-J. K. Rowling
-Bill Gates
-The Humane Society
-Angelina Jolie
-Ducks Unlimited
-Green Peace
-Mother Teresa
-Gandhi / -George W. Bush
-Kim Jong-Un
-Chris Brown (abused Rihanna)
-BP Oil
-Tobacco Companies
-Saddam Hussein
-Osama Bin Laden
-Charles Manson
-Green Peace
-Stalin
-Hitler
  1. Send a Problem: Superheroes & Social Justice
After creating a list of real-life heroes and villains, the teacher will ask students if they can think of any superheroes that work towards real social issues present in the community. (For example, when Spiderman is not out fighting the Green Goblin, does he help out at the homeless shelter?)
The teacher will ask students (write on board): What would you ask a superhero/supervillain (not all villains are evil, as we discussed last class) to do to help out their own community? Rather than fighting villains, how could a super hero deal with social issues such as poverty, environmental concerns, and economic concerns etc?
Instructions (provide as a handout):
  1. You will return to your group.
  2. Your group will generate a question on material/social issue/etc and write it on an index card (example: Supervillains are always fighting for a cause that matters to them. What could supervillains do to help save our environment?)
  3. All members of your group must reach a consensus about the solution to the problem
(Example: Instead of fighting Batman all the time, Poison Ivy could volunteer with an organization to save the rainforests)
  1. A member from each group will then send the question cards to another group.
The next group reads each question one at a time and discusses them. If they all agree on the answer, they turn the card over to see if they agree with the 1st group; if so, they proceed to the next question, if not, they write their answer down as an alternative.
Once all cards are back to the original groups, discussion of alternative answers, etc is used to clarify material.
  1. Newspaper Articles – Real-World Issues
The teacher will ask students to bring in current newspaper/magazine articles from a variety of sources that address social problems in thecommunity/world today. The teacher will bring lots of extra articles for students that forget to bring one.
Students will be asked to return to the same groups they have been working with. Each group will be given a selection of extra articles. As students get into their groups, the teacher will write the following questions on the board and read them verbally to the class:
  1. Which articles do you think are the most interesting? Why?
  2. Why did you bring the article you chose?
The group members will be given 10 minutes to discuss their choices with their peers.
Students will individually pick articles that they want to work with (they do not need to come to a consensus as a group; the group component just allows discussion to get students thinking about the article they want to work on).
  1. Assignment
Students will choose an issue that they would like to change and research it.
The teacher will tell the class: “As a final part of our heroes unit, you will have a choice of 1 of 3 individual assignment options. Choose an issue that matters to you – it can be an issue in our community (i.e. homelessness/poverty) or a specific world issue that you are concerned about (i.e. saving the polar bears, saving the rainforest, poverty in the Congo, etc.) You will have 5 class periods to research and work on your project.”
The teacher will give students copies of the final assignment handout and read the handout aloud to the class, answering any questions/concerns.
Closure:
Work Period
Students will have the rest of the period to choose a project and begin planning. While students work, the teacher will do the following:
  1. Help students sign out laptops from the laptop cart
  2. Walk around the room checking on students and providing individual help, when needed. The teacher should check in with Craig, Martha, and Jack, who may need additional help organizing their ideas and getting started.
  3. Students who choose option 2 (volunteer assignment) can still find things to do during work periods. The teacher should encourage students who chose option 2 to helpstudents who chose different options get started, research information, find ideas, etc but not do the project for them.
  4. If students who chose the volunteer option finish their volunteering hours before the end of the 5 day work period, they can use the work period to write their written reflections.
  5. The teacher can proofread students’ papers as they work on them to check for understanding and ensure that everyone is on the right track.
If possible, the teacher can conference with individual students (3 minute conferences per student everyday during work periods) to check their progress, provide individual attention, and answer questions/concerns. Conferencing also allows the teacher to ensure that students who chose the volunteer option are still using their class time effectively – either working on organizing their own project or helping a peer.
Sources/Websites used:
Superhero final project inspired by the following online lesson plan:

Final Assignment - Handout

OPTION 1 Assignment: Personal Essay

In a 2-4 page paper (12 pt. double-spaced), address the following:

  1. Introduce the problem you chose to write about: What do you think people need to do to change it?
  1. Demonstrate research on your topic using at least two sources from different media: print/on-line.Include at least 2-3 supporting quotes from your chosen sources in your paper to back up your opinion.
  1. Explain in detail: What can people do to address/solve the problem?
  1. Why might it be important for individual citizens to take voluntary action for the good of society? Can individual people do something to make a difference in the issue you chose?
  1. Do the actions of superheroes make more of a difference to the community than the actions of an average person (ex: working in a soup kitchen, volunteering at an animal shelter, raising money for a charity, etc. vs. fighting a supervillain, stopping criminals, etc.)

OPTION 2 Assignment: Volunteer to Help Our Community

  1. Volunteer to help at a local non-profit organization/agency. Do volunteer work for individuals such as the elderly, local food banks, Souls Harbor, The Humane Society, or a community centre that may need help. You must volunteer for a minimum of 4 hours at the organization of your choice and you must return a signed permission forum from your parent/guardian.
  1. Write a 2-3 page (double-spaced) reflection about your volunteer experience. Your reflection should address the following:
  1. Briefly outline the organization you chose to work with. What do they do in our community? Why did you choose to volunteer with this organization? (you can find information about most organizations on their website – ask your teacher if you need assistance)
  1. What did you learn from the experience?
  1. Evaluate your service in terms of whether you think you made a difference.
  1. Do the actions of superheroes make more of a difference to the community than the actions of an average person (ex: working in a soup kitchen, volunteering at an animal shelter, raising money for a charity, etc. vs. fighting a supervillain, stopping criminals, etc.)

OPTION 3 Assignment: Multimedia Presentation

For this option, you will create a 15 minute multimedia presentation on a topic/issue of your choice. You will present your project to the class in the format of your choice: power point, website, YouTube videos, audio, pictures, timeline, graphs/charts, etc.In your presentation, you must address the following:

  1. Introduce the problem you chose to discuss: What do you think people need to do to change it?
  1. Explain in detail (use credible web or print sources to back up your information – if you are unsure of a resource, ask your teacher): What can people do to address/solve the problem?
  1. Why might it be important for individual citizens to take voluntary action for the good of society? Can individual people do something to make a difference in the issue you chose?
  1. Do the actions of superheroes make more of a difference to the community than the actions of an average person (ex: working in a soup kitchen, volunteering at an animal shelter, raising money for a charity, etc. vs. fighting a supervillain, stopping criminals, etc.)