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Featuring Local Heroes

Prepare a television report consisting of a few sentences about an individual or group who has contributed to the community.


Assessment Outcomes References Related Resources

Suggested Activities

This challenge invites students to prepare a very brief news report for a television, radio or podcast series featuring historical or contemporary persons or groups who have contributed to the community. In preparation for this activity, develop a list of suitable persons or groups for students to research (e.g., elders, early settlers, key individuals in various cultural groups, famous local citizens), and assemble print and online references that students might consult when researching their chosen community member. Introduce each person or group and invite students to select those they wish to research. If feasible, arrange for students to interview people who might know of the individual.

Students will prepare a short news feature story using three or four sentences to describe a person or group of their choosing. As an extension activity, students may select the most important contribution or write a letter of thanks to living relatives.

Support student research
Suggest that students organize their research and their report around six questions that reporters frequently consider:

  • Who is the person or group?
  • What did the person or group do? 
  • Where did it take place?
  • When did the person or group do it?
  • Why did the person or group do it?
  • How has this made a difference in the community?

Students can use the Research Organizer: Featuring Local Heroes (Graphic Organizer) to guide their research. Remind students to record keywords when recording information from print or interview sources.

The Research Organizer also serves as a guide for the student to use when preparing speaking notes for a presentation of the news report.

Prepare for oral presentation
Remind students that since this is a news feature, they should provide visuals (pictures, constructed artifacts) and not simply read their report. Pictures may be downloaded from a website.

Present news report
Encourage students to work with a peer to provide feedback on the oral presentation skills. The checklist in Peer Coaching Feedback: Communicating Effectively in an Oral Presentation (Assessment) can guide the students in the feedback process. If possible, record the presentations on video for later classroom viewing and discussion.

Follow-up
In the debriefing, help students understand how these persons or groups contributed to the community's vitality and identity. Create a class chart listing the community contributions made by each of these persons or groups.

Extension
Invite students to identify the most significant change caused by a person or group. Students can use Selecting the Most Important Change (Graphic Organizer) to record their selection as well as reflect on the reasons for their choice.

As an alternative, invite students to write a letter of acknowledgement to those individuals or groups who are still active (or have relatives who might appreciate the gesture), thanking them for the contributions made.

Last updated: July 1, 2014 | (Revision History)
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