We Can 
Be 
Heroes

A workshop on Heroes
and 
The Heroic Journey

Presented by Connie Carolan
connie.carolan@cssd.ab.ca
We Can Be Heroes

Unit timeline

September	October	November	
The Hero Within

	The Heroic Journey	Soul Force Heroes
(Coincides with 
Remembrance Day)	
Getting to Know You
Unit Introduction
Oh The Places You’ll Go
Dream Chasers
Talents/Gifts
Personal heroes
Sports heroes
Accidental/Ordinary Heroes 
Medical Heroes
Terry Fox
Rick Hansen

	Gilgamesh
The Odyssey
Beowulf
Star Wars
Where the Wild Things Are
Holes (or other novel featuring a heroic journey)
	In Flanders Fields
Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X
Mother Teresa
Rosa Parks
Gandhi
Peacekeeping efforts
Various Holocaust stories
(Hanna's Suitcase, Sadako, Anne Frank, Daniel's Story, etc)

Themes/Elements/Concepts
Facing adversity/obstacles
Using given talents
Working hard
**How does the average person become a hero??

	Themes/Elements/Concepts
The Epic Journey-strange creatures, obstacles, friends, fiends and foes, vehicle, weapons (usually magical or special in some way), help from underworld	Themes/Elements/Concepts
Standing up for what’s right, peaceful resolutions, etc.	

Hero File
Name: _____________________________	

Biographical Information
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Heroic Deed
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE HEROIC JOURNEY
Gilgamesh	Odysseus	Luke Skywalker	
Obstacles

	Obstacles

	Obstacles

	
Friends

	Friends

	Friends

Fiends

	Fiends

	Fiends

Vehicles used

	Vehicles used

	Vehicles used

Magical Weapons

	Magical Weapons

	Magical Weapons

Underworld Helpers

	Underworld Helpers

	Underworld Helpers

     Chapter 		
     New Characters		
     Characters Lost		
		
     Places 		
Summary:	

	

	

     Chapter 		
     New Characters		
     Characters Lost		
		
     Places 		
Summary:	

	

	

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/myth.html
|Arthurian Legend| |Beowulf| |Classical Mythology| |Creation Stories| |Fairy Tales and Folktales| |The Archetypal Hero's Journey| |Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey| 
Aesop's Fables
Lesson plans and other teaching resources for the fables. 
An African Folktale: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Designed for lower elementary students, this five-day series of lessons includes map study, vocabulary words, and reading skills.
The Age of Fable by Bulfinch
This 36-page document addresses 248 vocaublary words drawn from the text. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.
American Folklore
Folksy retellings of a variety of tales: Native American myths and legends, weather folklore, ghost stories, and tall tales of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and others.
Arthurian Legend Teaching Resources
Lesson plans and classroom activities for teaching about King Arthur.
Beatrix Potter's Naughty Animal Tales
By studying Beatrix Potter's childhood and her artwork, students gain insight into the unusual, solitary world of Victorian childhood and can compare/contrast it with their own world to understand why Potter wrote such simple stories and why she wrote about animals rather than people. This site includes lots of support links and includes art activities.
Beowulf Teaching Resources
Lesson plans and classroom activities for teaching Beowulf.
Born on a Mountaintop? Davy Crockett, Tall Tales, and History
Students investigate tall tales prior to writing one. This lesson is designed for grades 3-5.
Classical Mythology Teaching Resources
Lesson plans and classroom activities for teaching about Greek and Roman mythology.
Common Visions, Common Voices
These lessons use art and trickster stories to help students understand that people in various cultures are more alike than different.
Coyote and Anansi
As a result of this activity, students in grades 3-5 will produce a folktale that mimics or is inspired by the themes, characters and messages of folktales previously heard and discussed, and will generate and discuss ideas about how to function in their own and other people's cultures.
Creation Stories
Collections of creation stories from a variety of cultures.
Description of a Familiar Object using Mythology
Students describe the throne they would have if they were a deity.
Dramatizing Folktales, Legends, and Myths
Elementary students work together to research, select, and dramatize a Native American myth or legend.
An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology
English words with origins in Greek and Roman mythology.
Fairy Tales & Folktales
Lesson plans and classroom activities for teaching fairy tales and folktales, including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Some sites include variations of the tale from around the world.
Folklore and Mythology
A remarkable collection of links to stories from around the world.
The Folktale, Fable, and Parable
Students analyze and interpret a folktale that comments on a social attitude. They then write a true story illustrating the same attitude and explain how the true story relates to the folktale.
Gilgamesh: he who saw all
Lesson plans for introducing the epic to 6th and 7th graders.
Gods, Heroes, and Myth
Links to stories from several cultures.
A Graphic Scene
Students use graphic organizers to compare and contrast Hercules and Perseus. This lesson includes printable graphic organizers and links to stories. It is designed for middle schoolers. 
Greek Mythology and the Forms of Energy
This lesson for elementary students integrates mythology and science.
Hamilton's Mythology Study Guides
Chapter-by-chapter study questions to accompany Edith Hamilton's classic introduction to Greek mythology.
Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore
Through examining several examples of helpful animal tales from around the world, students will learn about humans living in cooperation with the land and sea and with the beasts that inhabit them.
Hercules the hero: understanding the myth
Background information, summary of the 12 Labors, pronunciation guide, and lesson plans, including critical consideration of the Disney video.
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
Lesson plans, background information, and classroom activities.
How have the qualities of heroes changed over time?
In this WebQuest, students compare the qualities of ancient Greek heroes with modern heroes.
In the Time of the Old Ones
In this WebQuest students investigate the Dine/Navajo people. Part of the WebQuest involves reading and writing legends. This WebQuest is designed for grades 3-5 but appears to be adaptable to other grade levels.
Introduction to Greek Mythology
Students investigate a character from Greek mythology and report to the class. This standards-based activity includes downloadable handout and rubric.
The Journey of the Hero
Lesson plans and teaching resources for the archetype of the hero's journey or quest, sometimes called the monomyth.
Legends - The Robin Hood Pages
"The original outlaw behind Batman and Zorro and The Scarlet Pimpernel was a ragged ruffian who might have worn Lincoln Green, whose shadow stretching across the centuries tells us much about our changing understanding of order and honor and justice." Links to a variety of resources.
Mythography
Greek, Roman, and Celtic Mythology and Art.
Mythology Across Time and Borders: Online Workshop
Students explore their own cultural identity while learning vital aspects of the writing process. This lesson is designed for grades 6-12 and puts special emphasis on revision.
Mythology Hangman
This fun activity provides students with resources to help with answers that may be challenging.
Myths, Folktales and Fairy Tales
Standards-based reading and writing activities by grade level. Lessons include rubrics. Be sure to click on the Teachers Guide.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Students compare and contrast characters from various texts and compile the collected information into several graphic organizers. This 4-day unit includes assessments and Web links. It is designed for middle schoolers.
Probert Encyclopaedia/Mythology
A "Who's Who" of several mythologies, including Greek and Roman, Egyptian, Aztec and Mayan, and Japanese, among others.
Regional Folklore and Mythology
An extensive collection of links to stories from around the world.
Special Topics in Folklore and Mythology
An eclectic set of links regarding archetypes, myths, legends, and other topics.
Stylish Stories
Students explore Julian Cate's essay "A Stylish Fable" and rewrite a common fairy tale in a different style. The emphasis is on developing an understanding of writing style.
A Tale to be Told
Students analyze folktales from different cultures, determine their similarities, and write one of their own.
The Totem Project
A constructivist, multiple-intelligences based, cross-curriculum, spiritual self-discovery for grades 6-12.
Unicorns, Dragons, and Other Magical Creatures 
By drawing upon young students' interest in magical things, these activities encourage students to explore similarities and differences in traditions and symbolism that exist in cultures around the world and to understand how different social meanings are embedded in make-believe creatures.
Vergil's Aeneid
Discussion of the genre, historical background, reading tips, questions and commentary to guide the reader, helpful links.
The Aeneid by Vergil
This 27-page document deals with 166 vocabulary words drawn from the epic. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.
Windows to the Universe
This site integrates mythology and modern science. Click on "myths" for links to world mythology, including Mythology Hangman. Appropriate for many grade levels, including elementary students.
World Myths and Legends in Art
A definition of myth, collections of art organized by culture and by theme, and an entire downloadable curriculum. "Compare & Contrast" helps students write a compare/contrast essay by providing additional information about 2 works they have chosen. The curriculum document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free via a link at the site. This site is outstanding!

Bibliography

Demi.  Gandhi.  (McElderry Books, 2001) 0-689-84149-3
Demi.  Mother Teresa.  (McElderry Books, 2005) 0-689-86407-8
Dr. Seuss.  Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  (Random House, 1990)
Giovanni, Nikki.  Rosa (Scholastic) 0-439-89883-8
Granfield, Linda.  In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae.  (Stoddart Publishing 
Co., 1997) 07737-2991-7
Hudson, Wade.  Powerful Words.  (Scholastic, 2004) 0-439-40970-5
Katz, Welwyn Wilton.  Beowulf.  (Groundwood Books, 1999) 0-88899-365-x 
King, Martin L.  I Have a Dream.  (Scholastic, 1999) 0-590-20517-x 
Keeping, Charles.  Beowulf.  (Oxford) 0-19-272184-4
Kramer, Ann.  Mandela: the Rebel Who Led his Nation to Freedom (National Geographic) 0-7922-3658-0 Kudlinski, Kathleen.  Gandhi: Young Nation Builder (Aladdin) 1-4169-1283-5
Levine, Karen.  Hana's Suitcase.  (Second Story Press,  2002) 1-896764-55-x
McCarty, Nick.  The Iliad.  Scholastic Inc., 2000
McGaughrean, Geraldine.  The Odyssey.  Puffin Classics, 1993 0-14-038309-3
Myers, Walter Dean.  Malcolm X, A Fire Burning Brightly.  (HarperCollins, 2000) 0-06-056201-3
Nye, Robert.  Beowulf. (novel version) (Orion, 2004) 1-85881-076-0
Pastan, Amy.  Martin Luther King Jr, A Photographic Story of a Life (DK Publishing) 0-7566-0342-0
Rappaport, Doreen.  Martin’s Big Words; The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.  
(Jump at the Sun, Hyperion Books for Children, 2001) 0-7868-0714-8
Raven, Margot Theis.  Night Boat to Freedom (Melanie Kroupa Books) 0-374-31266-4
Sadlier, Rosemary.  The Kids Book of Black Canadian History (Kids Can Press) 978-1-55074-892-5
Sendak, Maurice.  Where the Wild Things Are.  (Harper Trophy, 1963) 0-06-443178-9
Stanley, Diane.  Joan of Arc.  (Harper Collins, 1998) 0-06-443748-5
Trottie, Maxine.  Terry Fox, a Story of Hope.  (Scholastic, 2005) 0-439-94888-6
Zeman, Ludmilla.  The Last Quest of Gilgamesh.  (Tundra Books, 1995) 0-88776-380-4