Week 6: October 5 to October 9

My Hero! When we think of heroes, we often recall the fictional characters we've seen on TV or in comic books. Heroes are people who do what needs to be done to help someone even when it is dangerous or scary. This week, let's explore our ideas about heroes and see if we can learn more about them.

Monday, October 5, 2020

My Hero!

What is a hero? Do they wear a mask and a cape? Many of us think of these things when we imagine our favorite heroes. Some of us like heroes like Steel, Black Panther, Storm, Batman, or Spiderman. These heroes are so exciting. Black Panther uses a special metal called vibranium to fight off enemies and even heal. Storm controls the wind to battle bad guys. Their super powers are outside of the norm for human beings. We don't fly through the air or spin webs from our wrists or have amazing strength or speed. Super means very powerful or to an extreme or excessive degree. All of these characters are created from the imaginations of writers who develop stories introducing a super villains with dastardly plans to interrupt the lives of people in various communities around the world.

You may be able to recognize some of these characters and retell their stories. Who is your favorite fictional super hero? What makes him or her super?

Another interesting fact about super heroes is that they all seem to have at least one weakness. This weakness that is added to the personality of physical make-up of the character is to help balance them.

What if someone had all the strength and no weaknesses? This person would be the most powerful thing in the universe. Their power would be absolute. A British man named John Emerich E. D. Acton truthfully stated, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Acton's phrase was made popular although many others had said the same thing before him in different ways. The point of his statement was that when people have power and no weakness, no consequence, no one who can correct them if they make a mistake or a poor choice, they begin to feel that they can do whatever they want and are justified in doing so. In fictional stories, this is often the origin of many villains.

Product: Create a super hero profile page like the one shown below. Give your character a name and describe his/her abilities. On your profile page, include the character's introduction, origin story, power and abilities, and list of weaknesses.

Please share your hero with the Family World School on our FaceBook page or in the comments section below.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

A Heroes Tale

Yesterday we discussed super-heroes. Superheroes are fictional characters that have heightened characteristics of honor, strength, diligence, and compassion for others. Fiction means that these characters are not real. Someone used their imaginations to create a character that exaggerates the traits we value in real heroes.

There are real heroes that exist today and in our shared past. Their stories are most often ignored and forgotten by the masses. Some of their stories are changed to fit a particular idea that others feel should be valued and spread. When stories are exaggerated in this way, they become tall tales.

Tall tales have certain characteristics. Firstly, the main character is usually the hero. His or her abilities are exaggerated to make the story more exciting and to hightlight positive human traits.

When true stories are changed into tall tales, they often are used to promote a specific idea or value.

Some true stories are turned into legends for the same reasons that tall tales are made. They mix facts with fiction. How can we tell fact from fiction? This one seems very easy but sometimes it may not be so simple.

You may have heard the tall tale of John Henry. His is not only a tall tale and folktale, it is a true story about a young man named John Henry who lived shortly after the Civil War in the United States. Even his true story has variations that oppose one another.

For example, author William Grimes said that "He was from New Jersey and, in some capacity, worked for the Union Army at City Point, a landing near Petersburg, Va., in 1866, when he was 18. In April of that year he was arrested for stealing from a grocery store and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was sent to the Virginia State Penitentiary, where the warden, desperate to raise revenue, had begun leasing prisoners to the railroad for 25 cents a day. John Henry was one."

After the Civil War, the enslavement of Africans in the United States was considered illegal except when they could accuse and convict a person of a crime. Many times plantation owners and other industrial companies would pay prisons to kidnap anyone they could find in order to legally re-enslave them through this Constitutional exception on American slavery.

Another variation of John Henry's true story is found here. The National Parks Service author writes "John Henry was known as the strongest, the fastest, and the most powerful man working on the railroad. He went up against the steam drill to prove that the black worker could drill a hole through the rock farther and faster than the drill could. Using two 10-pound hammers, one in each hand, he pounded the drill so fast and so hard that he drilled a 14-foot hole into the rock." He went faster and deeper than the steam drill but later died of exhaustion.

Let's see how John Henry's story was made into a legend. Each rendition of Henry's story shows that he was strong and that he competed against a machine and won. The difference is the conditions around his work. How did he really get to work on the railroad? Was this his goal or was he caught in an evil plan to re-enslave him and others like him? What was true?

Today, your product is to compare the stories of John Henry. You have read a bit about what history has shown about John Henry. The video above shows his story in theatrical form. It is believed that John Henry died because most of the legends tell us that. The video above has a different ending. Below you will see the fictional version.

Venn Diagrams consist of two overlapping circles that compare two ideas or objects. There are larger Venn Diagrams with more circles and more comparisons, but the comparison of two items is most common. Where the diagram overlaps, the writer will showcase similarities between the two compared ideas. The areas where the circles are completely separate are for ideas that are unique to the individual ideas.

Product: Create a Venn Diagram to compare two of the stories of John Henry.

Venn Diagram to print

Label the Venn Diagram on one circle for the first story you plan to compare and the opposite circle to compare the other story. Please share on the Family World School group Facebook page or in the comments section below.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Tell a Tale

Years and years ago, there was a young Tuareg man who felt he could get absolutely no recognition from his fellows. He went to a blacksmith and promised him a goodly gift if he could just make him a beautiful and powerful sword and a strong lance so that the young man might kill many enemies and gain the respect he so desired.

When he had left, the blacksmith went into the bush and cut down an acacia tree. From its trunk he carved a great wooden platter of the type used to bear the food in a feast. He employed great care and craftsmanship in bringing out the wood's natural beauty. When the Tuareg returned and asked for his sword and lance, the blacksmith gave him the platter. "What is this?!" cried the angry man. "I asked for a good sword and lance." The blacksmith explained that to gain the respect the man desired, it would be much better to take the platter and fill it with food for his friends and relatives. If he did this everyone would admire and respect him. The man thought long about the platter, while considering other blacksmiths in the village to employ for the service he requested. If he had wanted a carver, he would not have went to a blacksmith. After long deliberation... the Tuareg man decided his course of action. He would carry out the blacksmith's instructions. The first feast to fill his great wooden platter was gathered from his very own farm and cupboards. He became widely known. Word of his fine feasts even reached the highest chambers of Timbuktu, prompting visits by great calvaries of men and women seeking the honor of his fine company. In later years, the man became chief in his Tuareg village in West Africa. Each year after becoming a chief, the great and wise man sent the blacksmith a cow -- the goodly gift he had promised if he gained renown.

Photo: Tuareg blacksmith.

1. Who is the hero of this tale?

2. Why do you think so?

3. The Taureg man wanted to be a hero by causing harm to his enemies. Why was this idea not appropriate for a hero?

4. Why would having big feasts make others respect him and want to be around him?

Today’s story is a folk tale. A folktale is a story told throughout generations by different communities. These stories promote the values and traditions of the communities that tell the stories. You may have noticed that a folk tale is a bit different from a tall tale.

When you compare a Tall Tale and a Folk Tale, you can think of TALL tales being LARGER than life. We usually give human beings amazing and exaggerated traits.

When you think of FOLK tale, you can imagine your parents, grandparents, and even your madea telling a story over generations. These stories often change a bit, but not much.

Both types of stories are called ‘didactic’ (Di DAK tik). Didactic stories have a moral, lesson, or value that the author of the story believes is important to share.

Product: Write a didactic story. It can be a folktale or a tall tale. What will be the lesson or moral to the story? Will there be a hero and if so who will it be? Give your story a title and please share it on our Family World School group Facebook or in the comments below.

Thursday, October 8, 2020

idols, heroes, and gods /Oh, My!

We know that a hero is a person that does what needs to be done to help others, even when it is scary or dangerous. There are real life heroes in our lives everyday.

Some of children have parents who do work that is dangerous to their lives or health, but they do it so they can pay the bills and feed the family. They also do this work to improve the lives of others in their community or keep their environments safe.

Firefighters are examples of real life heroes. Many of them receive very menial pay but they do the work to save lives and property because they know how important it is.

Real life heroes do not wear a cape. Sometimes they wear scrubs, a uniform, a name badge, or just everyday clothes. When we encounter real life heroes, it is important to say thank you. Each of us can be a real life hero, simply by caring for one another and treating our neighbors kindly.

"Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." ~Hebrews 13

The proverb above is a directive given to the Hebrew people in the Bible. What do you think this proverb may mean? One interpretation, is that it is important to treat everyone kindly.

In doing so, you will observe the needs of others and one day, even if it is a little unnerving, you may be brave enough to help someone.

When we think of tall tales, we remember the good qualities of heroes (often real life heroes) and exaggerate them. True stories about real life heroes can become legends. Many tall tales become legends. Legends often become myths.

Myths often become a part of the religions of the world. In many myths super heroes and super villains are exaggerated versions of admired or revered real people who became ancestors. Storytellers or griots attempt to tell their history in a way that is interesting and will be remembered by those who listen. When these people are mythologized, they often become gods or devils. When ancestors or imagined people become gods, we create religions that have many gods. They are called polytheists. Poly is a Greek prefix that means many.

In modern times, we can see how those we admire become idols. Idols are the objects or people that have value traits imposed on them and not by any effort of their own. Most times, the term idol is a term equivalent to the word 'god'. For example, some people carve beautiful statues of animals, people, or other objects and create stories about them. Once that happens, the people who carve the statues or who buy them, give those objects special treatment or even worship. Today, some people make famous or wealthy people into idols.

When a person is an idol, she is the primary focus of a person's thoughts and work. People who worship GOD or a god, behave in a way that is pleasing to their [GOD or god] according to their religious doctrine. When myths create gods, exaggerated human attributes are often imposed onto objects or people. This means that people imagine that the person is more perfect than they naturally are.

In modern times, the same is true for how modern people impose exaggerated attributes on famous or wealthy people and do what they can to emulate that idea of the person they have idolized.

What is the difference between a hero and an idol? Idols do not have to do any work to gain their position as an idol. Idols are given exaggerated characteristics by their admirers. Heroes do what needs to be done to help others even if it is scary or dangerous.

Do you have heroes in your life? Do you have idols? How can you tell the difference? In the image below, there is a child looking up to the image of Michelle Obama. Today, many little girls and boys

around the world admire Michelle Obama because she was the First Lady with President Obama in the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was insulted and her family was threatened when she spoke about children's health and wellness.

Despite those threats, Michelle continued to promote health and wellness. It must've been scary for her to do so.

To those who admire Michelle Obama, do you think she is a hero or an idol?

Beyonce is a singer with international fame. She has amazing outfits and her singing has won her many awards. Many people love her music and feel that she is the best singer to ever live. In the image that follows, you can see a group of people in a congregation. They are having Beyonce Mass. A woman who is called Minister Andrews started a Church because she (and others) believe that Beyonce is a deity on Earth. They created a sacred book and worship her every Sunday.

Do you think that the people in this image believe Beyonce is a hero to the people in this image?

Do you think that the people in this image have made Beyonce into an idol?

Product: With the help of your parents, find an example of a modern day hero and a modern idol.

Tell why you have identified the hero and idol this way. Share your findings in a video and post in the Family World School group Facebook page or in the comments section below.

Friday, October 9, 2020

A Story A Story

People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark and cloudy. Then, lightning lit up the night sky. John Henry’s birth was a big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henry was the most powerful looking baby people had ever seen. He had thick arms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. John Henry started growing when he was one day old. He continued growing until he was the strongest man who ever lived.

John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay children for long. One day, he was sitting on his father’s knee. The boy picked up a small piece of steel and a workman’s tool; a hammer. He looked at the two objects, then said, “A hammer will be the death of me.”

Before John Henry was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the age of ten, he worked from early in the morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the sound of a train far away. He told his family, “I am going to be a steel-driver some day.”

Steel-drivers helped create pathways for the railroad lines. These laborers had the job of cutting holes in rock. They did this by hitting thick steel drills, or spikes.

By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best steel-drivers in the country. He could work for hours without missing a beat. People said he worked so fast that his hammer moved like lightning.

John Henry was almost two meters tall. [1feet is 3.28084 meters] He weighed more than ninety kilograms. [1 kilogram is 2.20462 pounds] He had a beautiful deep voice, and played an instrument called a banjo. John Henry married another steel-driver, a woman named Polly Ann. They had a son.

John Henry went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, or C-and-O. The company asked him to lead workers on a project to extend the railroad into the Allegheny Mountains. The workers made good progress on the project until they started working near Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia.

The company’s owners said the mountain was too big to build a railroad around it. So the workers were told they had to force their drills through it. This meant creating a tunnel more than one-and-one half kilometers long.

The project required about one thousand laborers and lasted three years. Pay was low and the work was difficult. The workers had to breathe thick black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men became sick. Many died.

John Henry was the strongest and fastest man involved in the project. He used a hammer that weighed more than six kilograms. Some people say he was able to cut a path of three to six meters a day.

That July was the hottest month ever in West Virginia. Many workers became tired and weak in the heat. John Henry was concerned his friends might lose their jobs. So, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work.

One week, he did his own work and that of several other steel-drivers. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to eat. The men thanked John Henry for his help. He just smiled and said, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. He has just got to do his best.”

The extreme heat continued for weeks. One day, a salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men working together. The railroad company planned to buy the machine if it worked as well as the salesman said.

The supervisor of the workers dismissed the salesman’s claims. He said, “I have the best steel-driver in the country. His name is John Henry, and he can beat more than twenty men working together.” The salesman disputed the statements. He said the company could have the machine without cost if John Henry was faster.

The supervisor called to John Henry. He said, “This man does not believe that you can drill faster. How about a race?’

John Henry looked at the machine and saw images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America’s best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and standing by a road, asking for food. He saw men losing their families and their rights as human beings.

John Henry told the supervisor he would never let the machine take his job. His friends all cheered. However, John Henry’s wife Polly Ann was not happy.

“Competing against the machine will be the death of you,” she said. “You have a wife and a child. If anything happens to you, we will not ever smile again.”

John Henry lifted his son into the air. He told his wife, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. But, a man always has to do his best. Tomorrow, I will take my hammer and drive that steel faster than any machine.”

On the day of the big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.

The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.

The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work.

Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.

John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers.

“I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.” “Bring me a cool drink of water,” he said. Then he took his last breath.

Friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.

Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families, looking for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.

You have just read the story of John Henry. It was adapted by George Grow.

1. How many pounds was John Henry's hammer?

2. What good character traits do you believe John Henry had?

When we write stories or talk about them, we often use a character graphic organizer to better understand the main characters' actions and feelings. Character Graphic Organizers are excellent tools to help you dissect different parts of the story and relate ideas about the character's personality.

Product: Complete the character graphic organizer below. Once you've completed, present what you discover to your family. Please share at least one page with Family World School in our Facebook group or in the comments section below.

Have a great weekend! Tell us about any adventures you find.