Title: To be a hero

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Maciejak

Topic:

Different meanings of the word hero.

Target group

6th‑grade students of an eight‑year elementary school.

Core curriculum

II. Language education.

2. Differentiation of language. Student:

2) uses the official and unofficial variation of Polish;

3) uses a style appropriate to the communication situation;

4) understands the literal and portable meaning of words in speech; recognizes ambiguous words, understands their meaning in the text and consciously uses them to create their own statements;

6) recognises neutral and evaluative vocabulary, understands their functions in the text;

7) adapts the way of expressing the intended purpose of the statement;

8) distinguishes synonyms, antonyms, understands their functions in the text and applies in their own statements.

III. Creating statements.

1. Elements of rhetoric. Student:

1) participates in a conversation on a given topic, separates its parts, construction signals strengthening the bond between participants of the dialogue, explaining the meaning;

3) creates a logical, semantically complete and orderly statement, applying the composition and graphic layout appropriate to the given form. understands the role of paragraphs in creating the whole of a mental expression;

4) selects information;

5) knows the principles of paragraph building.

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

1) creates consistent statements in the following species forms: description;

4) edits notes;

IV. Self‑study. Student:

2) improves various forms of saving the obtained information;

3) uses information contained in various sources, gathers messages, selects information;

5) uses general Polish and special dictionaries as well as a dictionary of literary terms;

6) draws attention to the type of dictionary definitions, determines their specificity;

7) develops the ability to critically evaluate the information obtained;

8) learn about the cultural life of his region;

9) develops skills in effective use of information technology and online resources and uses these skills to present their own interests.

The general aim of education

Students recognise the different meanings of the word hero.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• learning to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Operational objectives

Student:

• deduces from the context of the meanings of the hero's words;

• defines the characteristics of the hero;

• expresses its opinion on the subject of contemporary heroes;

• creates a hero's description.

Teaching methods / techniques

• giving: talk;

• practical: practical exercises;

• programmed: using a computer, using an e‑manual.

Forms of work

• individual individual activity;

• collective activity.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. Before classes, the teacher asks students to disguise or to bring items related to a literary, national or film character.

2. At the beginning of the class, the teacher determines the purpose of the lesson: the students will talk about the traits that were once attributed to and are now attributed to the heroes.

3. Eager students present their costumes and brought items. The others guess the names of the heroes. It is worth asking for justification, why did they dress up like this? Why did they choose this and not another character? The teacher asks them to name their physical characteristics and character traits.

Realization

1. Students perform an exercise with interactive elements – on the basis of the dictionary they explain what the word hero means – and then an interactive exercise in which they have to decide what the meaning of the word in particular sentences is.

2. The teacher encourages to solve the interactive ex. No. 2, consisting in finding in the diagram eight terms of the word hero (including national, positive, martial).

3. The teacher asks students if they know any national heroes – what are they famous for. Next, the students watch a gallery of images of selected Polish national heroes and they wonder what events these characters associate with. If they do not know a given person, they are looking for information on it in available sources (eg. a history handbook, the internet).

4. The teacher begins a conversation about the heroes presented in the gallery – what features can be assigned to them, who else should be included in this list. The teacher encourages students to look for Polish female heroes in available sources and prepare short descriptions for them: who they were, when they lived and what they became famous for.

5. Students perform an interactive exercise – they read the first meaning of the word hero from a dictionary definition and select from the list the features that they could define such a person. They can also add their suggestions in a notebook to the given list. Then they discuss classes on these forums and justify their choice.

6. The teacher asks students what kind of people nowadays are heroes – which activities are known (the teacher helps to see different aspects of the phenomenon, e.g. the hero as someone who saved someone, a person known for charity / sports; weaker etc.).

Summary

The teacher asks questions to summarize, e.g.

• In what meanings does the word „hero” appear?

• Is the hero „forever”? Why yes/no?

• Can you create a set of hero's constant features? Why yes/no?

• Which of the heroes discussed during the lesson aroused your greatest interest? What would you like to know more about them?

Homework

Describe a character who is a hero or heroine for you. Pay attention to its features and behaviors in specific situations. How could you imitate it?

For interested

Find out if any of the streets in your area have been named after a hero or heroine. Who it was? Write down a note about it in your notebook.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

To be a hero

What do the characters from the gallery have in common? What features do you think they have? Who would you add to this list? Use the available sources to find some information about Polish women‑heroines and prepare their short descriptions: who were they? When did they live? Why are they famous?

What people that live nowadays are heroes, according to you? What do they do that makes them famous?