-1Emily McGann

CI 448- Inquiry #4

1. The Planning Log

November 6, 2010
30 minute- reviewing assignment, brainstorming ideas
1 hour-Searching for “heroes” that are not well known, but their product is., wrote description of
classroom community.
November 7, 2010
1.5 hours- wrote rationale for topic, sketched out ideas for unit overview
November 8, 2010
30 minutes- edit enduring understandings
November 10, 2010
45 minutes- research characteristic of heroes and different stories about heroes
November 14, 2010
1 hour 20 minutes- researched “hero” characteristics, looked through “MY HERO” projects, read
about achievement gap
November 19
1 hour 10 minutes- writing lesson plan with focusing on different heroes
November 20
2 hours- re-writing lesson plan with focusing on categorizing different heroes.
November 21
45 minutes- planning which activities go to each day, organizing and deciding on standards,
researching heroes
November 24
45 minutes-- formatting and checking to make sure I have all elements needed for project.

2. The Opening--Rationale--
The classroom community is comprised of a mix of African American, Korean American, Chinese
American, native French speakers, native Mandarin speakers, native Portuguese speakers, Latino
American, European American, and native Spanish speaking students. There are students on free and
reduced lunch along with students who are in the upper middle class socio-economic status. I have students
who are openly Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and I believe there are a variety of other religious
beliefs in the classroom. Students in middle school most likely do not express their sexuality if it is
something outside the “expected heterosexual” experience, so teachers must be cautious when talking about
those type of relationships. Some of the students have been reported as “runaways” from their homes and
other students live with their grandparents or an older sibling. With the diverse family and home structures,
a teacher cannot assume that a parent will be home to sign a permission form or to help a student with
work. My classroom community is vary diverse with its wide range of students with special needs, whether
those needs be stated on an IEP or they are evident in the students quick completion of tasks and requests
for something to fill their time.
With the diverse family structures, various types of living environments, and multiple influences
on the children’s lives, I have noticed that all of my students have different needs, wants, and values. I was
aware that environment that the students grow up in today is different from the way I was raised and what
resources and influences I had, but I was not as aware of the strong influence that socio-economic status
and family structure has on a student. Many of my students are from a lower socio-economic status, which
sometimes means that the people who financially support them need to work more than one job to pay the
bills. If they are working multiple jobs, then those parents and guardians are not able to spend as much time
at home as they would probably like to and the children do not get to interact with their parents as much as
they want. Growing up, I had racial diversity in my elementary school, but the family structures were
mostly consistent across the board. All of the people I talked to had at least a mom or dad living with them
who was home at night and in the morning to greet them when they got home from school and to see them
off in the morning. Many of the students in my current placement do not have that luxury. A few students
get address changes every few weeks as their relatives pass them along from house to house. Other students
have ran away from home or only have an older brother or sister that stays with them at night while mom
and dad are working. Multiple students live with the grandparents, but due to the age difference, they rarely
talk to them and have expressed frustration towards their grandparents that they “don’t get it because they
are old.” I believe the different family structures and effects of socio-economic status have influenced my
students’ values and ideas of their wants and needs. There are many contributing factors to these
perceptions, but I just noticed ideas that related to these types of dynamics. I realized from analyzing the
stories I heard from my students, that many of them were not going home to their guardians until very late
at night, if at all. I overheard conversations about how badly they wanted to be certain people because they
were “kick butt” and yelled at cops and would not let anyone tell them what to do. Students conversed
together about the best things about high school being how they can do “very adult things” in relationships
and dress like “sluts.” It made me very sad to overhear these conversations in classrooms, not to mention
the difficulty with discipline for that kind of language, so I decided that I needed to figure out what these
students valued in a person, where they saw themselves, who they wanted to be, who did they view as
heroes, and what are the characteristics of a role model for them. I did my Inquiry 3 on my students’
perceptions of heroes and role models. My lesson will be about showing students how you can make an
impact on the world, stand up for what you believe in, persevere and be an individual, and be recognized
(become popular) for things that will have a longer lasting (and positive effect) on the world than engaging
in bad behavior and sexually exploiting yourself. (Sometimes I honestly cannot believe that those students
truly think that way. How do they not see what great potential they have in front of them?)
I discovered a new purpose for my unit on heroes and role models when we were discussing the
achievement gap in my EPSY 200 class. One of the reasons that the articles gave for the achievement gap
between black males and other students in the school system today is that there is a lack of positive black
male role models. There are many reasons why I chose to do a unit on heroes.

3. Backwards design
Big Idea (Enduring Understanding)
Heroes are defined by the ideals and values of the society that they belong to. SJ #8
{(A society may want someone to rescue them from poverty, a society may value wealth, or a society can
value peace) Students will define their heroes by the characteristics the class collectively decides are heroic
qualities, but in the end of the unit, the students use their own values and beliefs that were influenced by the
society they are a part of to determine who they chose to the “hero that gives a speech at their graduation
ceremony.”}
Essential Questions:
(It was hard to limit my questions, so I cut some out, and “tabbed some over” as sub-questions. I have three
“essential questions” in bold. )
What makes someone a hero?
-How does the media play a role in how you interpret who is a role model and what
defines a hero?
` -Can someone in poverty be a hero?
-Is popularity a characteristic of a hero?
-How can an eighth grade student make a lasting impact and be a hero?
How do heroes achieve their goals?
-Do heroes endure struggles and resistance?
Are the names of heroes always remembered?
-Are all things good and/or bad remembered about a hero? What part weighs over
another?
-Are the impacts of heroes always explicitly evident in everything they affect?
Performance Assessment:
Students are going to announce the guest speaker for their graduation ceremony.
They have to pick their guest and describe how they are a hero using the rubric criteria.

4. Unit Overview
*What I am going to teach:
I am going to lead a discussion on what makes a hero, name some heroes, and compare/contrast
the lifestyles lead by the heroes and what their legacy is/will be. I will get students to examine the
importance of various qualities and values of a person and their actions.
*How I am going to teach it:
 I am going to introduce the concept of heroes the day after Columbus Day (for instance, after
October 11, 2010) and end the unit the day before Veteran’s Day (for examples, before November 11,
2010). In these 20 days of learning, (For this year, October 28th and 29th are off for Parent-Teacher
Conferences), students will explore the concept of heroes and connect it to their idea of a role model.
*Why I am going to teach it:
I am going to teach the concept of heroes to develop my students’ schemas about heroes and what
makes a role model. I am not judging whether their certain beliefs about heroes and what they value in a
person as a good model or not. I am simply providing students will examples of people who have made
contributions to society and encouraging them to analyze what they belief makes a good role model and
critique whether their current role models and “leaders and role models” of our current society fit the mold.

**Performance assessment:
Students will act like they are introducing a guest speaker for their graduation. They will explain
how that person is a role model and follow the criteria laid out in a rubric.

5) Sketch where lesson fits in unit:

Use Graphic organizer*
My specific lesson plan will be over various heroes that we discussed in previous lessons and how
they can be categorized into different groups (heroism, fame, inspirational life, “15 minutes of fame,” real
life hero, comic book hero, etc.) I will use Personal Heroes (Family members, Mentors, Teachers,
Coaches), Community Heroes (Doctors, Social Activists, Local Environmentalists, Firemen), Global
Heroes (Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Anne Frank), Environmental Heroes
(Wangari Maathai, Al Gore, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rachel Carson), Scientists, Engineers, Inventors
(Marie Curie, Thomas Alva Edison, Doctors Without Borders), Business Heroes (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,
Stan O’ Neal, Paul Newman), Political Heroes (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Lech Walesa, Eleanor
Roosevelt), Religious Heroes (Dalai Lama, Elie Weisel, Mother Teresa), Artist Heroes (Frank Gehry,
Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Michelangelo, Mozart), Women Heroes (Rosa Parks, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mother
Jones), Angel Heroes (Anne Frank, Paul Rusesabagina, Dan Eldon), Sports Heroes (Magic Johnson, Tiger
Woods, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali), and various other heroes that are nominated by students.
Students will be introduced to the unit by discussing Christopher Columbus and why we celebrate
him with a day off of school. We will transition into discussing who decides which people are heroes and
what makes a hero. We will talk for a couple of days on celebration for president’s birthdays, buildings
named after certain people, different organizations dedicated to specific causes or named for people, and
talk about the different “National month of…” ideas and things. Throughout the different activities I will
ask students if they can connect the ideas of “heroes” to the idea of “role models” and ask them who they
think are roles and what defines a role model. Students will explore, discuss, and rationalize how these
“heroes” gained their title and different credentials, and whether they are warranted or not. This lesson will
come in after we discuss different people who are or are not known as heroes, based off of survey they took
at the beginning of the unit. Students will discuss different values, how media plays a role in what people
believe and value, discuss how different societies have different desires and values, and analyze their
personal values and ideals. The students will synthesize their understandings in group discussion, and then
begin working on their summative, performance assessment.

Talk about activities and concepts they will learn before and after lesson
Goals (with Content Standards):
*Students will explore different leaders throughout our history and how they have impacted out society to
lead to where it is today, so there will be a lot of discussion about US history and how decisions and actions
back then influenced today’s society.
STATE GOAL 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States
C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.
14.C.3 Compare historical issues involving rights, roles and status of individuals in
relation to municipalities, states and the nation.
D. Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems
of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
14.D.3 Describe roles and influences of individuals, groups and media in shaping
current Illinois and United States public policy (e.g., general public opinion,
special interest groups, formal parties, media).

STATE GOAL 15: Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States.
B. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers
15.B.3b Explain the effects of choice and competition on individuals and the economy
as a whole.
C. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.
15.C.3 Identify and explain the effects of various incentives to produce a good or
service.
D. Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.
15.D.3c Explain how workers can affect their productivity through training and by
using tools, machinery and technology.

STATE GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois,
the United States and other nations.
A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
16.A.3c Identify the differences between historical fact and interpretation.
B. Understand the development of significant political events.
16.B.3a (US) Describe how different groups competed for power within the colonies
and how that competition led to the development of political institutions during
the early national period.
C. Understand the development of economic systems.
16.C.3b (US) Explain relationships among the American economy and slavery,
immigration, industrialization, labor and urbanization, 1700-present.
16.C.3a (W) Describe major economic trends from 1000 to 1500 CE including long
distance trade, banking, specialization of labor, commercialization, urbanization
and technological and scientific progress.
16.C.3c (W) Describe the impact of technology (e.g., weaponry, transportation, printing
press, microchips) in different parts of the world, 1500 - present.
D. Understand Illinois, United States and world social history.
16.D.3b (US) Describe characteristics of different kinds of families in America during
the colonial/frontier periods and the 19th century.
16.D.3 (W) Identify the origins and analyze consequences of events that have shaped
world social history including famines, migrations, plagues, slave trading
E. Understand Illinois, United States and world environmental history.
16.E.3a (US) Describe how early settlers in Illinois and the United States adapted to,
used and changed the environment prior to 1818.

STATE GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.
A. Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions and
institutions.
18.A.3 Explain how language, literature, the arts, architecture and traditions contribute
to the development and transmission of culture.
B. Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society
18.B.3a Analyze how individuals and groups interact with and within institutions (e.g.,
educational, military).
C. Understand how social systems form and develop over time
18.C.3a Describe ways in which a diverse U.S. population has developed and
maintained common beliefs (e.g., life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights).
18.C.3b Explain how diverse groups have contributed to U.S. social systems over time.

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to analyze who characteristics people demonstrate in their actions.
Students will be able to interpret what action demonstrates what characteristics.
Students will be able to list characteristics of a hero.
 Students will be able to compare different people and heroes based on their actions and impacts to
determine who demonstrates a true hero.
Students will understand that people have different ideas of what makes a hero.

Materials needed
Example of “heroes” focused on throughout the unit:
(Current “heroes” from TIME magazine will be used to, from “TIME‘s Top 100” )
Magic Johnson, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali
Anne Frank, Paul Rusesabagina, Dan Eldon
Rosa Parks, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mother Jones
Frank Gehry, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Michelangelo, Mozart
Dalai Lama, Elie Weisel, Mother Teresa
Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Lech Walesa, Eleanor Roosevelt
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Stan O’ Neal, Paul Newman
Marie Curie, Thomas Alva Edison, Doctors Without Borders
Wangari Maathai, Al Gore, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rachel Carson
Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Anne Frank
Sheets about “heroes” from presentations on “heroes” listed above
SMART board (with pictures and key vocabulary define)
Social Studies journals
The Values Book: Teaching Sixteen Basic Value… by Pam Schiller and Tamera Bryant
Storyboard sheets, comic strip boxes, or loose-leaf paper for students to write stories about people in their
lives who demonstrate heroic qualities or heroic acts they have witnessed. (if students need paper)

6. The Closing Reflection

See Attached