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We begin this project by defining the word "hero."
The dictionary defines "hero" as "1. a person admired for his or her bravery, great deeds, or noble qualities: 2. a person admired for contribution to a particular field."
At the risk of sounding controversial, I define "hero" as both masculine and feminine, since I feel that it is used that way in everyday common language. The traditional "heroine" is unfamiliar. Others might disagree and teach both terms, which is their prerogative.
After defining the term, I ask my third-grade students to volunteer the names of different people they would consider their hero. I stress that it has to be a person (as opposed to their dog or cat) and that it has to be someone they want to be like. I do allow them to choose characters from fiction as long as that character is human and not animal.
We conduct this brainstorming session at the end of class the week before we begin the actual project. I then give them a homework assignment: bring in a picture of one of the people they would consider a hero. Many students bring photos of family members, baseball cards...