Unmasking Greatness

Unmasking Greatness is a hands-on program of learning from the lives of some amazing heroes from long ago and others that have lived in our lifetime.  Learning from the character and adventures of men and women who have achieved greatness fills our lives with a knowledge rich in history and gives us a cache of experiences to draw upon as we strive to find the heroism within ourselves.  Lessons can be taught in a homeschool setting, a co-op of families, or used as fun family night activities.  I plan the lessons in a series of 10-15 "masked" heroes. Each time we learn about someone we "un-mask" them both literally as we uncover them and figuratively as we study what made them great.  In a group setting a timeline can be made on an 8 1/2 x 11 card stock and inserted into the front of clear view binder.  I use Homeschool in the Woods timeline figures. This is the front of my daughter's binder:

On the back of the binder I insert a world map.  The children color each continent a different color.  For each hero I print a map that cooresponds with where they lived (ie. a US map for Eleanor Roosevelt).  I print the maps on colored paper to coorespond with the color of the continent on their world map.  For example, Europe is colored purple on the world map and I print maps of Europe on purple for lessons on heroes from England or other European countries.  The children keep the maps, a coloring/information page on each hero, and any other papers created during the lessons in their binders.

Lesson One: Florence Nightingale

Lesson Two: Thomas Edison

Lesson Three: Eleanor Roosevelt

Lesson Four: Abraham Lincoln

Lesson Five: Confucius

Lesson Six: Harriet Tubman

Lesson Seven: Sacajawea

Lesson Eight: Beatrix Potter

Lesson Nine: Marco Polo

Lesson Ten: Abigail Adams

Lesson Eleven: Mozart