july 2008 29july 2008 www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus

PLUS… don’t forget to download your accompanying ‘Superman’s sister’ poem by Brian Moses (see page 34). you can find it listed in ‘This month’s resources’. you will also find an interactive version of our School for superheroes poster and a PowerPoint presentation containing additional superhero costume photographs.

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A superhero topic is a great way to engage boys. Reading comic books, discussing the latest action-figure toys and making superhero costumes sounds like a lot of fun and not much like school work to children – but we teachers know differently. Superheroes can teach our children a huge amount about literacy, D&T, PSHE and science!

Adventure, a secret

identity and the all-

important costume

– Nina Filipek straps

on her cape and puts

her creative powers

to the testNina Filipek Freelance education writer and supply teacher

What is a superhero?To start the topic, write the word ‘super’ on the interactive whiteboard and use the ‘hide and reveal’ tool to find words that can have a ‘super’ prefix. For example, super mum, superstar, supersonic and superhero. What does ‘super’ mean in relation to each of these words? Now highlight ‘superhero’ and ask the class what they think a superhero is. Say, What does a superhero look like? What does he do? (Female superheroes are sometimes called ‘superheroines’!) Talk about the children’s perceptions of a hero. What makes them different? What makes them super? Are they always good? Agree on a definition together and scribe it for the children on the interactive whiteboard. It could read: A superhero is someone who uses their special powers to do good things.

In pairs or groups, get the children to make a list of superheroes – Superman, Spider-Man, Sportacus, the Incredibles, the X-Men, and so on. Encourage the children to describe the superheroes, listing any adjectives associated with them (strong, brave, good, powerful). Provide the children with word cards on which a variety of adjectives are written, and include opposites such as weak, lazy, evil and cowardly. Then challenge the children to choose appropriate adjectives for a superhero. Can they write a sentence to describe their favourite superhero using any of these adjectives?

Now think about the villains associated with our superheroes. Can the children make a list of their names, too? What words would they use to describe them? Go back to the word cards and find suitable adjectives. Demonstrate how they are ‘opposites’, and challenge the children to find pairs of opposite adjectives.

Circle time starterAs a circle time activity, encourage each of the children, in turn, to finish the sentence: ‘If I was a superhero I would…’ Pass a mask, cape, badge or wristband around as a superhero speaking object. Encourage the children, in their responses, to think beyond themselves and their own individual needs to those of the wider community, for instance the class, school, neighbourhood or local town. Link with PSHE and think about a problem that a superhero could help you to sort out – people dropping litter on the streets, vandalism in the park, or bullying in school. What powers would a superhero need to have to defeat these problems?

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From the outside, Summerville Primary School looks like just an ordinary school...But look closer and you‛ll find that Summerville has a secret.

Move along children!

Get to your classes please!

First day. Are you nervous?

Relax, we all have something that makes us

special.

Well here we are.

Welcome to Summerville Primary!

Yeah, I just hope I fit in.

I‛ve seen what you can do, you‛ll be fine. You

have?!

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www.scholastic.co.uk/childedpluswww.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus30 31

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Super Power Challenge!Play a game of ‘Super Power Challenge’, with your class versus the animal kingdom!

You will need: a collection of animal pictures containing animals in the following categories: birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and insects (photos cut from old magazines and stuck on card would be ideal); individual photos or name cards of the children in your class; 20 question cards containing questions like: Who would win in a 100m race? Who could fly from here to Africa? Who could walk on the ceiling? Who could carry 20 times their own weight? Who could swim underwater for one hour? Who could hear a pin drop? Who could add two numbers together correctly?

How to playShuffle the animal cards, the children’s photo/name cards and the question cards separately, and place them face down on the table in three piles. Choose one child to take a card from each pile and turn them over for everyone to see. Read out the question card and decide which of the two contestants (the animal or the child) could win the Super Power Challenge. The winning card should be left face up on the table and the losing card and question card put back at the bottom of the piles. Then pick another child to select an animal, a child and a super power question, and so on.

The object of the game is not to find an overall winner or ‘super species’. Rather, it will prompt discussion among the children so that they will begin to recognise differences and similarities between themselves, as humans, and animals.

Superhero saves the day!Teach the children how to write their own superhero comic strip story, using a writing model. Give each child a large sheet of plain paper divided into eight frames. Get them to draw pictures and write simple captions and speech bubbles in each frame in the style of a comic book. Show some examples of comic stories, and demonstrate the planning and writing process using the example below. Allow younger and more reluctant writers to draw the pictures first and later write the captions text over the top.

Superhero writing modelFrame 1: One day Eddie Ellis (replace with child’s name) was reading a book about (insert animal’s name).Frame 2: Suddenly, a magic bolt hit the book!Frame 3: Eddie’s eyes/ears/nose/hands/feet (choose) started to twitch and tingle and… (describe how Eddie changes).Frame 4: Eddie tried to hide his new eyes/ears/nose/hands/feet from everyone.Frame 5: A few days later, something terrible happened at school/home/in town (choose) when… (describe the problem)Frame 6: Eddie knew he could help. He whispered some magic words (insert words) and became Superbat! (insert superhero name)Frame 7: Superbat easily sorted out the problem (write about how he does this; add lots of POW! WOW! ZAP!)Frame 8: Eddie went back to being a normal boy again.

In an ICT lesson, scan the frames into the computer and import them into a PowerPoint document. Insert speech bubbles, captions and sound effects to create a simple animated sequence.

Once bitten… Use the poster as a stimulus for a science lesson and to promote further discussion about different animals’ characteristics, abilities and super senses (QCA Science Unit 2C Variation). Encourage the children to research one particular animal, and follow this through in a literacy lesson by demonstrating how to use the information to create a hero persona based on that animal. You could use Spider-Man as an example.

As the story goes, Peter Parker was bitten by a spider – and by being bitten, he took on some of the characteristics of the spider. For example, he could climb up and down straight walls, and sense danger. Soon he realised he could use his extraordinary powers to help fight crime!

Get the children to draw and label themselves as a superhero with amazing animal powers. It might be useful, initially, to focus their attention on the five senses: smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting and touching. Talk about non-human (or ‘extra’) senses or abilities, such as flight (birds), echolocation (bats), sonar (whales), infrared vision (snakes), and navigational abilities (migratory birds, salmon, eels). What good use could they make of their super powers at home, in the school or in the wider community?

School for superheroes Look at the accompanying A2 poster with the class; an interactive version can also be downloaded from www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus Read the text and study the pictures carefully for clues. You can also enter your own text in the speech bubbles on the interactive version, in order to tailor the story to the abilities of your pupils.

Elicit from class discussion that the children and teachers in the story are special and different because they have particular animal features, which give them certain super-human abilities. The child with the cheetah features is the fastest runner, and the teacher’s six arms

come in handy when he’s giving out the children’s textbooks! Could this be a school for superheroes, perhaps? Ask the children to imagine if they were at this school, what animal features they would like to have. What would it be like to have a bird’s wings, or a cat’s ability to see in the dark, or a dog’s sense of smell?

july 2008 3332 May 2008 july 2008 www.scholastic.co.uk/childedpluswww.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus july 2008 33

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32

LogosThe first thing you should do is design your logo based on the initial letter

in your superhero’s name. use letters cut out

from the headlines of old newspapers and magazines, and stick them onto different shapes and colours

of card.

Wristbands and beltsMake these from strips of shiny or corrugated card and customise with superhero logos. Fasten at the back with sticky tape. attach must-have gadgets, such as power packs and lasers, made from scrap materials. Small cardboard boxes make useful gizmos.

Masksachieve an instant transformation with a superhero mask. you can adapt the shape to look

either menacing or mysterious. use thin or corrugated card or soft foam sheets, which are easy to cut and more comfortable to wear.

CapesCut out a semicircle of lightweight fabric and fasten with ribbon or a superhero badge at the neck. Or take

a rectangle of fabric, gather the top edge and attach

at the shoulders. Plastic bin bags

make perfect capes; use

acrylic paints to add the

logo.

T-shirtsuse brightly-coloured fabric crayons or pens to transform a plain T-shirt, or draw a superhero badge on the computer and print out onto iron-on

transfer paper. Remember to

reverse or flip the design

before printing onto

the T-shirt.

Bootsuse spray paint to cover an old pair of Wellingtons or plimsolls. Glue on rocket boosters, wings, flames, or propellers cut from card to give them a superpower makeover.

Clawsa small semicircle of card folded into a cone and secured with sticky tape makes a good claw. Glue onto the fingers of a furry glove to form a clawed hand.

EarsThe easiest way to make ears is to cut out triangles from felt or furry fabric and stick them onto a headband.

TailsMake a tail from a long strip of fabric or stuffed tights and sew onto the back of the child’s clothing. alternatively, loop onto a belt or piece of broad elastic worn around the waist.

Costume makingHaving decided on their special super powers and starred in their own superhero adventure, the children can now design their own superhero costumes.

Get them to study pictures of superheroes from comic books and the internet. Make a list of the different items that they wear. What styles do they prefer? What fabrics do they choose? Does the costume have to be hard-wearing or waterproof, fire-resistant or thermal? On a big sheet of paper, design a wardrobe for your very own superhero. Don’t forget superhero accessories!

Divide the class into small groups and encourage each child to make at least one item of clothing. If you plan well, when you put the individual items together each group should have made one complete outfit. Or you can mix and match items as you choose.

Here are some other games that small groups of children can play using the cards.

PairsPlace all the cards face down on the table. Children take turns to turn over two matching cards. The object is to try to find a superhero and matching arch rival. If the cards match they can keep the pair. If they don’t, they must place the cards face down – but try to remember where they are. When all the cards have been turned over, the child with the most pairs wins the game.

Have you got it?Deal the cards equally between the players. Each player takes turns to ask one of the others for a specific card in order to make a pair. For example, they can ask another player, ‘Do you have Lava Lady? ’ If the answer is yes, they must hand over the card and the player can then ask a further question. If the answer is no, then it’s their turn to ask. The winner is the player with the most pairs at the end of the game.

CatchphrasesGive each child a card and a speech bubble, and ask them to write an appropriate catchphrase for the character on their card. Make a list of well-known examples first, for instance Inspector Gadget’s is: Go go Gadget...!

Who am I?When the children are familiar with the characters and their powers, they can play Who Am I? In this game, each child takes turns to ask questions of the others based on the information given on the cards.

Superhero trumpsPlay a game of superhero trumps. Deal the cards among the players. The starting player should select either the strength or intelligence category from their top card and read its value. Each other player then reads out the same category from their cards. The largest value wins the hand.

Superheroes and villainsPhotocopy the 16 superhero and villain playing cards from the back of the A2 poster (or download them from www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus). Get the children to colour the characters in, then cut the cards out and mount them onto card.

Read the information given on the cards and sort them into two groups: Superheroes and Villains. Discuss how you can match a superhero with a villain. For example, the superhero Water Boy is a good match for the villain Fire Boss because water can put out fire. Challenge the children to match the remaining cards, discussing each character’s special powers and how these might be used against their enemies.

Give a group of children three or four cards (a mix of superheroes and villains) and challenge them to create a huge picture, write a comic story or perform an exciting drama based on the characters. Encourage the children to discuss possible outcomes if these characters were to challenge each other! Who do they think would win? If you added another card to the mix, would the balance of power change? With more able children, look at the strength and intelligence ratings for each character and consider how this will affect the result.

You can add to the cards by asking the children to devise additional superheroes and villains of their own. For instance, they might be made from everyday materials or even foodstuffs – imagine a jelly monster who turned everything around him into jelly!

See moreexamples

online

34 july 2008

PLUS… you will need a copy of the poem ‘Superman’s sister’ for this activity. Simply download it from www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus Remember that you have to register for free first!

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Superman’s sister

Our mum must beSuperman’s sister,We’re amazed atwhat she does…

fighting monstrous piles of washing,battling the bulky duvets,

taming the horror that’s our Hoover,saving us from those terrifying spiders wrestling the dog who never wants to be brushed finding big bunny who’s always on the run

and...dashing at streak-of-lightning speedto save us all from being late for school!

PHOTOCOPIABLE 1 SEE PAGES 29–34

www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus

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Brian Moses Poet Brian visits schools around the uK to run workshops and perform his poetry and percussion show. Hear examples of his poetry at www.poetryarchive.org He can be contacted on redsea@freezone.co.uk

You don’t need superhuman powers to achieve

great things, says Brian Moses. Use poetry to

turn the everyday into the amazing

Give out copies of the poem ‘Superman’s sister’ to the children. Read it through with them and ask them to point out the words that make Mum sound like a superhero. Why do they all end in ‘-ing’? Say that although the poem doesn’t have a rhyme to give it a rhythm, it does still need a rhythm to make it sound good. Can anyone spot that it is the ‘-ing’ words that give the poem its rhythm?

Can the children add to the list of things that mums do? They will need to exaggerate the activity to make it sound heroic, for example attacking giant nettles in the garden, racing at 100mph to stop the saucepans boiling over, and so on.

Don’t forget Dad!Once they have thought of some more ideas for Mum, ask the class to create a poem based around Dad. How can Dad be turned into a superhero? Instead of ‘Superman’s brother’, can the children think of other superheroes that Dad might be related to, such as the Incredible Hulk’s big brother or Batman’s little brother.

Use the poem ‘Superman’s sister’ as a model for your poem, and write on the board the ideas that the children give you. A little gender stereotyping is probably unavoidable here, but it could be enlightening for the children to recognise how many activities might be common to both mums and dads. Both might battle with the garden or with piles of washing or dog grooming, for instance.

Finding what makes someone a superhero could be taken one step further by focusing on and developing one particular talent, for example:

My Grandma is a supercook/spinning around the kitchen/beating the pastry/pounding the mixture…

My Grandad can do anything in the garden/weeds shrink when he comes near/his vegetables swell to enormous size/he wins all sorts of prizes at the village fair…

Encourage the children to think about other relatives and the things they do that make them stand out in some way.

Everybody’s good at somethingIt is often said that everybody is good at something, so ask the children to turn the spotlight on themselves. What would mark them out as superheroes? Maybe someone is a fast runner, or can jump really high, or can climb to the top of the wall bars. Show the children how talents like these could be exaggerated to form short poems that turn them into superheroes.

I can run really fast, as fast as a cheetah with rocket boosters.I can run round the world and back.I can beat the Olympic runners.That’s what makes me a superhero.

Alternatively, ask the children to imagine themselves as superheroes in everyday situations, perhaps their local park or on the seashore or even their own gardens:

I battle into the sinking mud(That’s the sandpit.)I dive into shark-infested waters(That’s the paddling pool.)I lunge at a deadly python(That’s a worm.)I fight a killer tiger(That’s next door’s cat.)