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Heroes in History
ABC Book

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities,
• Technology

Grade

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Students create an ABC book about heroes in history.

Objectives

Students research information about people in history that we recognize as heroes. Students write short biographies about their assigned heroes.

Keywords

heroes, history, ABC book

Materials Needed

• teacher-selected resources and student-researched library or online sources
• computer(s) with word-processing program or writing paper
• different colored construction paper
• drawing paper
• glue
• scissors
• markers or crayons
• chalkboard and chalk or chart paper
• hole punch
• brass fasteners or loose-leaf rings
• computer(s) with Internet access (optional)

Lesson Plan

If students are not familiar with ABC books, explain using the following activities. Complete this activity over two lessons.

Lesson 1

• Ask students to name famous people in history we recognize as heroes. Write students' responses on the board or on a chart. Ask students which names on the list they would include if they were to going to write a book about different heroes.
• Check off students' responses. Ask students to tell the first letter of the last name of each person they mentioned.
• Write the letters of the alphabet on the board. Check off the letters associated with names suggested by students.
• Tell students that they are going to create their own ABC book of heroes. The book will include some names on their suggested list plus others that are added to complete the alphabet. (For younger students, you may want to omit the letters Q, X, and Z.) You might share with students a few previously published ABC books from the school library.
• Let students choose a letter of the alphabet or assign each student a letter. Students will research a hero in history whose last name begins with that letter.
• Have students write a short biography about the person and draw a picture of the person.
• Let students use teacher-selected or student-researched library sources or online sources to complete their research. Give students a few days to complete their research, write their biographies, and draw the illustrations.

Lesson 2

• Let students paste their biographies and pictures onto different colored construction paper. Let one or two students arrange the pages in ABC order. Ask students to create a title for the book.
• Punch two or three holes on one side of each page. Assemble the pages using brass fasteners or loose-leaf rings.

Suggestion: To extend the life of the book, laminate or put clear contact paper on the cover. Put the book in a learning center.
Extension: Create the book as an online ABC book. See the Education World story ABC Books Aren't for Babies! for more information about ABC books and suggestions for developing online ABC books.

Assessment

Lesson Plan Source

Submitted By

Lois Lewis

National Standards

Language Arts:
NL-ENG.K-12.1
NL-ENG.K-12.4
NL-ENG.K-12.5
NL-ENG.K-12.12

Technology:
NT.K-12.1
NT.K-12.5

Visual Arts:
NA-VA.K-4.1
NA-VA.5-8.1
NA-VA.9-12.1

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