Create your Own Hero

http://cpbherofactory.com/

Thank You

This is a heartfelt Thank You to all of you. We appreciate your efforts to get together a petition to keep our class going, but for now we would like you to let things happen as they were intended to happen. We cannot support a petition, although deeply flattered, because some of our colleagues will lose jobs and all we will lose is our class.

You have been taught the most valuable lesson we can teach...Stand in the face of TRUE injustice . We cannot put any of you in harms way just to make a point no matter how disappointed we are with our circumstance.

Every single one of you holds the deepest place within our hearts and we will make the next three months the most memorable time we have ever had in room 211.

Thank You,

Mr. G and Ms. Carr

Super!

If you were a super hero, what would your super hero name be? What would your super power be?

Change

Tell about an event in your life that has caused a change in you.

Just a Kid

Compare the thoughts and feelings of Peter with the lyrics from the song,

“I’m Just a Kid by Simple Plan”.

Violence in the Media

The town of Sterling is looking for answers. The media wants to blame T.V. and music...


Many people think there is too much violence on television. They say it makes us less sensitive to real violence in our homes and communities and more tolerant of it. And they say it sometimes even encourages some people to do violent things. What do you think about all this? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Self-Absorbed

A lot of people say that teenagers are self absorbed and don't care about anything but themselves. Do you agree or disagree?

Self-Esteem

What we believe about ourselves is usually reflected in our self-esteem. Positive beliefs make us feel good about ourselves and raise our self-esteem. Negative beliefs make us feel bad about ourselves and lower our self-esteem. Write about some positive beliefs you have about yourself and do the same for some negative beliefs you have about yourself. Would your friends agree with your lists? Where do your negative beliefs come from? How accurate are they? How important are they? What can you do to get rid of them?

Town

Think about the reaction of Peter's crime by the town of Sterling and consider this quote by Jodi Picoult.

"They ask, how could this happen here? Well. How could it not happen here?"

What does this quote mean in relation to the story? Could something of this nature ever happen in our town or school?

Cruelty

Should teachers intervene when they witness peer cruelty? To what extent?

What role should adults in school have to diminish peer cruelty?

Do you think teachers “get it”? Why or why not? PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS!

Forgiveness

Would you be able to forgive someone that you loved if they acted like Peter Houghton? What requires forgiveness? What can’t be forgiven?

Conformity

In Part One, Josie doesn’t feel like putting on the act of pleasing her friends and teachers, have you ever felt as she does? Do you always portray who you really are or do you act as you are expected to? Explain why people conform in society and why some people fight conformity?

Conflict

Do you think parents are allowed to ever “hate” their children? Are children allowed to ever “hate” their parents? Explain.

Alcohol

When you're under the influence of alcohol, the alcohol starts doing your thinking for you. What does that mean ? Do you agree? Why, or why not?

Kryptonite

Peter Houghton loved his Superman lunchbox. It was the very thing that empowered him to get on the bus and begin his school career. However, the "villain's" on the bus laced him with kryptonite when they threw his lunch box out of the window and on to the pavement. The truth is we all have some sort of kryptonite in our lives. What is your Kryptonite or the thing that weakens you? How do you overcome the effects of Kryptonite?

Inferiority

Eleanor Roosevelt said "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission." Write about this quote. What does it mean? How true is it? Can you think of cases where it might not be true? In what kinds of situations would this quote be most useful to remember?

Lonliness

It is clear that Peter Houghton felt some level of lonliness to be able to carry out his plan. Have you ever felt like you are totally alone and no one else could possibly understand what you're feeling? Do you think other people sometimes feel that way too?