Curriculum: Heros (Grades, K-5)

Build literacy skills and social responsibility as you explore ways that Jerry Pinkney helped to diversify children’s literature.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Goals:

  • Practice Close Reading
  • Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis and reflection

Background to share

Throughout his career Jerry Pinkney has taken on projects that help to tell about the lives and experiences of African Americans. When he first started working as an illustrator however, these stories were not often told. As a matter of fact, in books for both children and adults, African Americans were often shown in negative ways.

Jerry Pinkney helped to change this by finding opportunities to work on books about African American heroes. One of these books was John Henry. Jerry Pinkney explained, “John Henry, gave me the chance to “create an African American hero that would inspire all.”

Activity

Read “John Henry” together with your class.

If you do not have time to read the whole book, choose selections that you feel best capture his heroic qualities and deeds. Alternatively, watch the video of John Henry being read (see sidebar).

As you read, pause to discuss ways that John Henry is a hero.

Ask children to notice ways that Pinkney used the illustrations to help show John Henry’s heroic qualities like strength and kindness.

Now ask children to think about books they have read.

Ask, “What do the heroes usually look like? Are there people who don’t seem to get the chance to be heroes in books?” To spark conversation you might ask, “Can you think of a book where a very old person is a hero? Can you think of a book where a person with a disability is a hero?”

Write down children’s ideas.

Then have the class create their own hero illustrations and stories that feature a person or group of people who are not often portrayed as heroes.

Share Student Stories or Make a Suggestion

Upload student work (images and written stories) – with parent’s permission of course! Or make a suggestion on how to improve or adapt this lesson in the comments below or email to education@nrm.org.

Thank you for participating in this exercise! We look forward to your thoughts and to seeing what you and your students create.

Related Content

EXHIBITION: Jerry Pinkney: Imaginings – An Artist’s Exploration of Images and Words

EXHIBITION: Jerry Pinkney: Imaginings – An Artist’s Exploration of Images and Words

Resources

John Henry – Part 1 (Video)

John Henry – Part 2 (Video)

John Henry – Part 3 (Video)

John Henry – Part 4 (Video)

John Henry – Part 5 (Video)

Resources