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Research Project

Due Date:

My Presentation Date:

Objective: You will be researching superheroes, identifying superheroes in literature, creating your own superhero, and writing a narrative poem about your . All of your information and creations will be put on a power point presentation.

Step One: Research 3 superheroes (see attachment) – Superhero Database. Check my website for links to sites. Put your information on 3 power point slides (plus 1 more for your introduction).

Step Two: Through your research, identify a superhero in literature (not comic books). Identify the story and author and the purpose of the superhero in that work.

Step Three: Complete the “How to Create a Superhero” chart.

Step Four: Create a visual of your super hero. Check my website for the link to the site to complete this activity. Put your visual on a power point slide.

Step Five: Complete a plot diagram to outline a story about your superhero. Write a summary to go along with the plot diagram. Think creatively!

Step Six: Create a Narrative poem for from your short story and put it on your power point.

Step Seven: Make your presentation – Introduction slide, 3 superhero research slides, superhero in literature slide, superhero visual slide, plot summary slide, a narrative poem slide, and a bibliography slide. (at least 9 slides) Step 1 Research 3 Superheroes

You will research 3 superheroes of your choice. By looking at other superheroes, you will get ideas for how you want to develop your own. The information that you obtain about the 3 superheroes will be put on power point slides (one slide for each superhero). You will need the following information for each superhero:

 Real name  Superhero name  Any other aliases  Birth date and place (if available)  Alignment – is he/she good or bad  Gender  Race – , alien, etc.  Height  Eye color  Hair color  Occupation (of both true person and superhero persona)  Base – where he/she operates from  Picture of hero  3 interesting facts about this superhero  Short biography  Create a bibliography for your information using easybib.com

Step 2 Research Superheroes in Literature

 Through your research, find an example of a famous superhero in literature.  This cannot be an example from a , but from a literary text.  On this slide, include the following: o A picture o Title of story, book, novel, etc. and the author o A brief summary about the character and how he/she was a superhero  Add your sources to the bibliography slide What is a Superhero?

A superhero possesses “extraordinary or powers” and is dedicated to protecting the public. However, by most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes. Terms such as costumed crime fighters or masked are sometimes used to refer to those such as and Green .

Normally, superheroes use their powers to counter day-to-day crime while also combating threats against humanity by super-, their criminal counterparts. Often, one of these super-villains will be the superhero’s .

Common Traits

Many superhero characters display the following traits:

 Extraordinary powers or abilities, relevant skills and/or advanced equipment. o o Ability to o Enhanced senses o The projection of energy bolts  A strong moral code o Willingness to risk one’s own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. o Refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons.  A motivation o Sense of responsibility (-Man) o A formal calling () o Personal vendetta against criminals (Batman) o Strong belief in and humanitarian service ()  o Protects the superhero’s friends and family from becoming targets of his/her enemies (Clark Kent) o Protect themselves from getting arrested by police (Spider-Man)

 A distinctive o Often used to conceal the secret identity  An underlying motif or theme, that affects the hero’s name, costume, personal effects, and other aspects of his/her character. (Batman and Spider-Man)  A supporting cast of recurring characters o Friends o Co-workers o Love interests o Personal relationships are complicated by this dual life o Enemies they often fight  Independent Wealth o Or an occupation that allows for minimal  A headquarters or base of operations o Kept hidden from the general public  A backstory that explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his/her abilities as well and his/her motivation for becoming a superhero. o Often tragic elements are involved o Freak accidents that result in the development of the hero’s abilities  Work independently or might have a sidekick, or a team.

Common Costume Features

A superhero’s costume helps make him or her recognizable to the general public. are often colorful to enhance the character’s visual appeal and frequently incorporate the superhero’s name and theme. ()

Many features of superhero costumes recur frequently, including the following:

 Wear a mask – allows for a believable and recognizable facial expressions  A symbol – such as a stylized letter or visual , usually on the chest.  Form-fitting clothing   Parts could be functional – utility belt, armor  Might dress like people from various professions or subcultures (stage magician, biker, etc.)  Militaristic

Bases/Headquarters

Many superheroes have headquarters or a base of operations. These locations are often equipped with state-of-the-art, highly-advanced or alien technologies, and they are usually disguised and/or in secret locations to avoid being detected by enemies, or by the general public. Those that do not have a permanent headquarters are said to have a mobile base of operations.

To the heroes and villains who have secret bases, these bases can serve a variety of functions.

Types of Superheroes

Superheroes are formally organized into categories or based on their skills and abilities.

 Acrobat – skills rely on acrobatic skills and gymnastic abilities  Aerial – primary power is flight, or is an extraordinary aviator  Armored Hero – a gadgeteer whose powers are derived from a suit of powered armor  Aquatic – abilities either come from living underwater or from being trained to adapt to underwater conditions.  Blaster – one whose power is a distance attack – energy blast  Brick/Tank – superhuman degree of strength and endurance, oversized muscular body  Elementalist – a hero who controls some natural element or part of the natural world (weather, magnetism, vegetation, , , electricity, etc.)  Gadgeteer – invents special equipment that often imitates superpowers, but has not superpowers themselves  – has “ghost” type powers – invisibility, intangibility  Healer – able to quickly recover from serious injury  Mage – a hero trained in the use of magic  Marksman – uses projectile weapons  Martial artist – physical abilities are mostly human rather than superhuman and has phenomenal hand-to-hand combat skills  Mentalist – possesses psionic abilities (telekinesis, telepathy, extra-sensory perception)  Molecular – power to manipulate molecules, thus being able to alter the laws of physics  Paragon – possesses the basic powers of super-strength, flight and invulnerability. One of the most powerful types.  Rider – rides either a powerful vehicle or a unique creature  Robotic – skills and nature are derived from a biotechnology.  Shapeshifter – can manipulate his/her own body to suit his/her needs  Size Changer – can alter his/her size  – possesses superhuman and reflexes  Super Genius/Mastermind/Detective – possesses superhuman/superior intelligence or intellect  Teleporter – is able to teleport from point A to point B to point C, etc.  Time Manipulater – possesses either a natural, magical, or science-based control of time. Can travel through time or make time stop.  Wolf-Dog – originates from the side of the enemy but changes sides and fights against his kind to protect humanity.

Step 3 How to Create a Superhero

Choose your superhero’s powers. The powers help to shape the character. Try to be unique. What type is your hero?

Decide how the character got those powers. One thing that most superheroes have in common is that they do not choose the superhero lifestyle – it chooses them.

Base/Headquarters. Does your hero have a base or headquarters?

Give your superhero a tragic flaw. By giving him/her a fatal weakness, you make battles more interesting.

Choose a gender and build for your superhero. The superpowers you have chosen will help you determine the character’s physicality.

Flesh out your character’s superhero personality. Is he/she aggressive, confident? Quiet and shy? Backhanded and manipulative? Brassy and funny? Outrageous and pompous? Etc. …….. Flesh out your character’s everyday personality. Most superheroes have alter-egos that keep them safe from enemies and help them navigate the normal human world. Determine the community’s relationship to both the superhero self and the everyday self. Do people look up to both personalities? Does anyone know they are really a superhero? Is your superhero proud or ashamed of his/her powers? Name your superhero. Be unique. All of the traits you have chosen should help to determine a name. Design a costume. The costume should be based on your hero’s super powers. Think about color; no more than 3 because you do not want to distract from your hero. The colors could be symbolic. Will your hero have a , logo, mask, utility belt, or other gadgets?

Trademark. A symbol or logo makes superheroes more memorable and helps make their costumes complete. You could also have: a catchy phrase, pose, trademark weapon or vehicle. Will your superhero have a sidekick? Is the sidekick/team useful or do they make mistakes? Develop the sidekick the same way you did your superhero. Main enemies. Does your superhero have any main enemies?

First adventure. What was the very first adventure that your superhero experienced? How did they discover their powers?

Step 4 Create a Visual of Your Superhero

You will use the Marvel Comic site to create your own superhero with their Superhero Avatar Creator. Name your superhero, mix and match costumes of all your favorite Marvel characters, customize , hair and other features and then save your work.

Here is how:

 Log on to a computer – make sure that the options are set to allow pop-ups so that you can download your finished product. Don’t wait to do this when you are trying to download as it will make you start over.  Go to the site - marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero

 Once you are on the site, click Begin.  Look over all of the options they offer and begin to create your own superhero. o Select your base. o Type in your superheroes name at the top. o Then, move through all of the choices to create your character.  Download your creation and save it to your share drive. Now you will have it to put on your PowerPoint.

Create a Plot Diagram and Write a Summary Step 5

Create a plot diagram with all of the essential story elements for your superhero story. Remember to consider the following:

 Plot o Determine the main conflict of the story. o What will be the climax? o Create rising action that creates suspense and leads to the climax. o How will the story be resolved? It must be logical!  Characters o What are their motivations? Why do they act the way they do? o What are the consequences of their actions? o What expectations are placed upon your character by himself or herself?  Setting/Descriptions o Does the setting fit with your story? o How will you make the setting interesting for the reader? o What literary devices do you plan to use?  Title o You will need an effective title for your story.

Write a Narrative Poem based on Your Short Story Step 6

After studying about narrative poems in Springboard, you will write a narrative poem based on the short story you wrote. You will then type up your narrative poem and put it on a slide for your power point presentation.

Presentation Step 7

On your designated day, you will present your Superhero power point presentation to the class. You will show and discuss each slide. Your presentation will end with an interpretive reading of your narrative poem.

 Remember – you will have the following: o Introduction slide o 3 superhero research slides o superhero in literature slide o your superhero visual slide o plot summary slide o a narrative poem slide o a bibliography slide o You will have at least 9 slides!

 Practice your presentation in order to have a flawless presentation.