Ask students to present about a local hero they want to recognize and express gratitude towards.
This activity supports the development of the following social-emotional skills: self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, self-management, and responsible decision-making.
Help students define what it means to be a “hero”, and identify local heroes in their own community. You might ask:
Record students’ ideas on a digital or physical board, and prompt them to identify a local hero who they want to recognize and learn more about. Students may complete this project individually, or in groups of 2-4 classmates.
Once students have chosen a local hero, ask them to perform research to learn more about this person. For example, students might:
Once students have completed their research, ask them to prepare presentations about their local heroes in a format of their choice (e.g., an essay, video, poster, website, etc.) and invite them to share their presentations with your Empatico partner class over a live virtual exchange. Encourage them to reflect on similarities and differences between their local heroes, and what this reveals about each community’s experiences, values, and hopes.
Guide students through a post-activity reflection by asking the following questions: