This resource is a must-have for any teacher looking to introduce students to a diverse group of real-life superheroes or have themed weeks based on these individuals throughout the school year. Students can also practice critical thinking and use of a graphic organizer. Enjoy!
 
***Now includes a graphic organizer for students to follow along
(in both MS WORD and PDF)
 
Consider pairing with the original SUPERHERO of the WEEK resource
 
This resource is a 36-slide PowerPoint that briefly introduces a new real-life superhero each week! Google-compatible...designed for the classroom, ideal for distance learning as well...
 
About this resource…
 
36 PAIRS of real-life superheroes
Brief bio explaining how they are heroic
Images, video links, & fun-facts for each
Diverse, broadly representative collection
Different nations, backgrounds, eras & fields
Equal number of men and women (36 each)
 
About this resource…
 
There are 36 pairs of real-life superheroes (in some cases trios), for a total of 75 featured individuals from all walks of life. For each figure, there is a short biography explaining who they are, what they have done, and how they are heroic. There is also an image and a video link for each person.
Remember that, just like fictional superheroes, these people are not perfect; they are flawed. Some (like John D. Rockefeller or Malcolm X. for example) have mixed legacies. Their bios however, will focus mainly on their heroism.
This list is intentionally diverse in a number of ways. Here are all the ways that this resource seeks to be broadly representative:
•Features individuals from different nations
•Features individuals from various cultural backgrounds
•Features individuals from different eras (1600s to the present)
•Features individuals from different fields (sports, science, business, etc.)
•Features an equal number of men and women
 
The complete list includes...
Week 1: Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth – Abolitionist and Activist Heroes
Week 2: Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh – National Aviation Heroes 
Week 3: Warren Buffett and Bill Gates – Billionaire Philanthropist Heroes
 
Week 4: Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama – White House Activist Heroes
Week 5: Jesse Owens and Jackie Joyner-Kersee – Speed, Change, and Giving Back Heroes
Week 6: Wyatt Earp and Elliot Ness – Law Enforcement Heroes
 
Week 7: Toni Stone, Manon Rheaume, & Diane Crump – Athletic Trailblazing Heroes
Week 8: Thurgood Marshall and Sonia Sotomayor – Supreme Court Heroes
Week 9: John Muir and Henry David Thoreau – Environmental Heroes
 
Week 10: Becky Hammon and Katie Sowers – NBA and NFL Coaching Heroes 
Week 11: Robert Gallo and Flossie Wong-Staal – Medical Miracle Heroes
Week 12: Martin Luther King and Malcolm X – Civil Rights Heroes
 
Week 13: Sacagawea and Pocahontas – Native American Heroes
Week 14: Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison – Astronautical Heroes
Week 15: Michael Jordan and LeBron James – On and Off Court NBA Heroes
 
Week 16: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick – NASCAR Racing Heroes
Week 17: Dorothy Levitt and Ken Block – Pioneering Racecar Drivers
Week 18: Alex Honnold and Felix Baumgartner – Extreme Adventure Heroes
 
(3-week “Military” theme)
Week 19: Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton – Nurse and Social Reform Heroes
Week 20: Douglas MacArthur and Lori Robinson – High-ranking Military Heroes 
Week 21: Richard Winters and Ronald Spears – World War II Paratrooper Heroes
 
(3-week “Tennis” theme)
Week 22: Venus and Serena Williams – Modern Tennis Heroes
Week 23: Arthur Ashe and Margaret Court – Trailblazing Tennis Heroes
Week 24: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic – Modern Tennis Heroes
 
(3-week “Business” theme)
Week 25: Meg Whitman, Mary Barra, and Lisa Su – Leading Business Executives
Week 26: Oprah Winfrey and Tony Hsieh – Entrepreneurial Heroes
Week 27: John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie – Captains of Industry Heroes
 
(3-week “Nature” theme)
Week 28: Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall – Naturalist Heroes
Week 29: Teddy Roosevelt and Margaret Murie – Conservationist Heroes
Week 30: Jacques Cousteau and David Attenborough – Nature Filmmaker Heroes
 
(3-week “Science” theme)
Week 31: Rosalind Franklin and Lise Meitner – Women in Science Heroes
Week 32: Marie Curie and Albert Einstein – Nobel Prize-Winning Heroes
Week 33: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla – Innovation and Invention Heroes
 
(3-week “Olympics” theme)
Week 34: Simone Biles and Aly Raisman – Olympic Gymnastic Heroes
Week 35: Jenny Thompson and Michael Phelps – Olympic Swimming Heroes 
Week 36: Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson – Olympic Track Heroes