The six-week unit explores literary and real-life heroes through reading stories and biographies. Students choose one work to study in depth, revising their definition of a hero based on diverse examples. Class discussions consider unsung heroes who remain unnoticed. In a final project, students create a multimedia presentation about an unsung hero based on what they learned. Key questions examine hero characteristics and how students' views have changed. Distributed resources include novels and biographies aligned with unit themes.

1. Isaac School District No.5
ELAS Thematic Unit Overview Grade 4 – Unit 6
2012-2013
Unit 6: Literary Heroes
DURATION: SixWeeks
Students end the school year by exploring heroes, real and imagined.
Students choose a story from this unit to study using all the strategies and skills learned up to this point in the year. Through reading
about overtly brave and courageous literary characters (e.g., King Arthur, Robin Hood) or real people who made an impact on the world
(e.g., Shakespeare, Davy Crockett, Booker T. Washington), students continue to revise the definition of hero to accommodate what
these varied people have in common. After reading about famous heroes, attention is turned to the unsung hero, and class discussions
reveal the importance of those people who often remain unnoticed and behind the scenes. The class reviews characters from other
novels read this year who, upon reflection, may be heroes. In a culminating project students design their own multimedia presentation of
an unsung hero based on what they learned in this unit about heroism.
Essential Questions: Vocabulary:
What are the characteristics of heroes? acrostic poem
character development
How has your definition of hero changed as a result of this hero/heroine
unit of study? literary terms: novel, plot, setting
perspective
Essential Learning: point of view
unsung hero
All heroes contribute something positive to a community. villain
Sometimes we forget to acknowledge the hidden heroes.
Distributed Resources Aligned to Unit 6:
The Whipping Boy (Flesichman & Sis) Ella Enchanted (Levine)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Pyle & Corvino) Castle (Macauly)
Merlin and the Dragons (Yolen & Ming)
Underlined vocabulary indicates a Tier I word. 1

2. Underlined vocabulary indicates a Tier I word. 2