Superheroes as Philanthropists
How does an individual use personal interests and strengths to impact the common good?
Students explore philanthropic themes in the story of Spider-Man and other comics. This provides the spark to generate solutions to real-world problems by researching a social issue and taking action such as writing letters to lawmakers, volunteering at agencies, and using media to educate others.
Students will understand the difference between a theme, a moral, and a topic, and to be able to identify the theme of a piece of literature.
Students will identify themes in Spider-Man, the reasons that people choose to give to their communities, and why Spider-Man chooses to do so.
Students will apply what they learned about Spider-Man's philanthropic actions to other superheroes, and they will express their findings to the class in the form of a short presentation.
Students will understand archetypes, the roles that superheroes play in our culture, and how Americans view philanthropy.
Students will recognize the aspects of the hero/superhero in themselves, take action on a social issue about which they care deeply, and reflect on that experience through writing.