Grade 5 Sample Unit: Heroes

Context: Social, Cultural, and Historical
Type: Inquiry

This unit challenges and expands the traditional view that heroes are super beings who belong to a small elitist group. Television and sports heroes tend to dominate most students' ideas of who and what is heroic. Through the exploration of several seemingly "ordinary" people, this traditional view will be challenged. In this unit, students will review their understanding of what constitutes a hero and realize that the potential to be heroes resides within all of us.

The suggested topics and resources for this unit provide a variety of opportunities for developing students' abilities in the six language modes - speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing, and representing - as well as increasing students' understanding of the qualities and characteristics of heroes. Questions explored in this unit include:

Superheroes could also be included in this unit.

Students will have opportunities to hear, read, and view a range of texts as they expand their understanding of heroism.

Collaboratively planning topics and adapting lessons with students will provide opportunities to incorporate local heroes or people considered to be heroes by students into this unit of study. It is important to include heroes from both genders, various cultural backgrounds, and different age groups. Students should be encouraged to contribute relevant newspaper articles, stories, reference materials, biographies, autobiographies, pictures, photographs, poetry, and novels to a classroom display. Visits or interviews with local heroes could also be arranged by the teacher and students.

Throughout the unit, students will be involved in independent or shared reading of novels. The suggested novels provide opportunities for students to reflect upon the qualities and characteristics of heroes and to discuss how authors create and craft literature. Students should have daily opportunities to read their novels and to reflect upon their reading through personal writing and small group discussion.

Suggested Resources

Picture Books
Chronicles of Pride: A Journey of Discovery (portraits of 31 First Nations people). P. R. Logie
Courage in the Storm. T. H. Raddall
Mollie Whuppie and the Giant. R. Muller
The Mouse That Couldn't Squeak. T. Harpur
The Stoneboat. T. Jam
Storm at Batoche. M. Trottier

Biographical Resources
All About … Famous Canadians. B. McDermott, & G. McKeown (see All About series)
Bravery. C. Hacker (see Canadian Lives series)
Canadian Disasters. R. Schmidt
David Suzuki. R. Wideman (see Canadian Lives series)
Gabriel Dumont. J. Pelletier
Louis Riel. J. Pelletier
Heroes. W. Dubois, J. Morrison, & R. Peturson

Poetry Collections
Custard and Company. O. Nash
Round Slice of Moon. F. Newman
Where Butterflies Go. E. Buchanan

Novels
Select four or five titles from this list of suggested novels to facilitate a small group approach to novel or literature study. Six to eight copies of each title will be necessary for a class of 25-30 students.
The Book of Three. L. Alexander
The Brave. Robert Lipsyte
Call It Courage. A. Sperry
Dancing Feathers. C. Kleitsch
Dream Quest. A. Cooper
Louis Braille. M. Davidson
Night of the Twisters. I. Ruckman
Number the Stars. L. Lowry
Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa. D. Brown

Website
Path of Heroes, www.heroes.ca

Note: Some major integrated language arts resources may have additional selections that are relevant to this unit of study.