We’re often told to look for heroes we can turn to for inspiration. How often do we seek out what we can learn from people we dislike, or those who’ve done evil? This activity explores what we can learn from both our heroes and enemies (what to do and what NOT to do).
This activity could be repeatedly used with a variety of audiences and could feature all sorts of people — from public figures, to people in the news throughout the year, to people we know in our own lives (both those we like and those we don’t), and people whose values and beliefs we may disagree with (such as factory farmers or oil executives or owners of sweatshops, or climate change deniers). The takeaway is that everyone has something to teach us.
Recommended for grades 3 and up.
Time: 30-45 minutes
Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf):
Download Common Core for grades 3-5.
Download Common Core for grades 6-8.
Download Common Core for grades 9-12.
Find out how some of our other activities connect to Common Core Standards (pdf):
IHE activities for Common Core for grades K-2.
IHE activities for Common Core for grades 3-5.
IHE activities for Common Core for grades 6-8 for Language Arts, for Math, for Science, for Social Studies.
IHE activities for Common Core for grades 9-12 for Language Arts, for Math, for Science, for Social Studies.
