When I attended CUE 2015, I went to the most amazing session. It was actually the very first session of my entire weekend! The smile on my face and my bright eyes said it all. One of my friends looked at me and said "You're done aren't you Sarah?" I just smiled and nodded, "Yep!"
I went to a session called "Steamy to the Core" and Mr. Jeff Brain was the presenter. In his middle school class they created superheroes who traveled through history to protect it from evil villains. They took pictures and created comic books. It blew me out of the water. You can see his presentation here: http://brainconferencematerials.weebly.com/
My brain started reeling with all the ideas and information. Then I figured out how to use it in my 4/5 class!
This post is first in a series, so I don't overload you with information.
First step was to get my kids on board, which actually took no time at all. Once I mentioned they were going to create their own superheroes they were sold.
My students had to create a 100% original superhero. I used articles from Superhero Nation. I actually posted the articles in Google Docs and shared them with my students. I credited the site but did have to edit a few things and warned my students that some comics use inappropriate language so if they explore the site on their own they need to have a parent with them.
I shared the following articles with my students which was a great jumping off point:
"How to Write Origin Stories"
"List of Superpowers"
I had them choose just two superpowers to keep it simple. After they read about origin stories, we then brainstormed as a class the important things they should include. Here's our graphic organizer:
My students then started on their origin story. Along with that, I had them draw a picture of their superhero both as a super and as a 'normal'.
My next post will focus on student teaming up for their history mission. :)
