Grammar for Writing:
Level Blue — Chapter 15
America's Heroes
Photo: Medal of Honor
The Congressional Medal of Honor
Congress recognizes citizens who perform heroic acts or make special contributions in times of war or national crises. Local communities also recognize their heroes with awards to police officers, firefighters, and ordinary citizens who bravely risk their lives to help others. The heroes we recognize add to our pride in our nation.

The country also recognizes those who have achieved major victories on other fronts - in battles to save endangered species and environments, to conquer disease, to improve working and living conditions, and to lift people out of poverty and ignorance.

To recognize its heroes, the United States awards different types of medals and honors: military medals such as the Congressional Medal of Honor, the country's highest military honor; and civilian medals such as the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.


Your Assignment
Work in a group of three or four students. Have your group choose one of the following categories: 1) Military, 2) Exploration, 3) The Environment, 4) Civil Rights, 5) Science and Medicine, or 6) Social and Labor Reform. Each person in your group may choose a past or present-day hero to receive an award in the chosen category; each student must write and deliver a three-minute speech explaining the significance of the chosen person's heroic actions. Then work together to invent medals or other awards for your category and organize an award ceremony.

STEP 1: Initial Search
Collect information on medals awarded by the United States for acts of heroism in the military and for bravery or an outstanding contribution in other fields. Start by visiting these Web sites, then do a general search for U.S. medals and honors:

STEP 2: Expanded Search
After the group decides which category to explore, use search engines to look for related sites. Search either by subject or by name (if you are interested in a specific person).

If you are interested in the civil rights movement, search the Web for related sites, including this one with a profile, biography, and interview with Rosa Parks, who is often called the "mother of the civil rights movement":You may also want to use different types of resources. For instance, to look for heroes of the civil rights movement, you could consult the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize, as well as books and articles in the library.

In the Military category, you could learn about the Navajo Code Talkers. They were a group of Native Americans who risked their lives in World War II to transmit battlefield messages in a code based on the Navajo language. The Navajo code was never broken. Learn about them by visiting the following Web site:

    Yahoo!
    Search: Navajo Code Talkers
Others who made history with their contributions to bettering American life are listed below. Visit the following Web sites to find out why they could be considered heroes.

STEP 3: Choose a Hero
After you have finished your research, brainstorm with your group about movements, struggles, or fields that you can focus on for your ceremony. Have each member of the group choose one candidate who will receive a medal for heroism.

STEP 4: Plan Your Ceremony
Your awards ceremony should include a speech by each group member that details the heroic acts of his or her honoree and the presentation of a special medal to each of the award winners. In your group, plan how the ceremony will be staged and who will take charge of each component of the ceremony.

STEP 5: Draft Your Speech
Compile your research, and draft at least a one-page speech that explains your hero's actions. Include precise details about one particular action or series of actions. Be as specific as possible about why your hero deserves special recognition. Use anecdotes, quotations from contemporaries, and statistics to explain your choice fully.

As you write your draft, remember your audience. If your classmates need to know some background information about the time period or about the struggle to which your hero contributed, be sure to include it.

Write Like A Pro
Describing events in chronological order helps the audience understand why your hero acted the way he or she did. Recounting the events leading up to your hero's action will also add drama to your speech. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, "Strategies for Writing Coherently," page 26.)

STEP 6: Revise, Edit, and Proofread
Exchange drafts among the members of your group. Incorporate any suggestions you think will improve your work. Write your final draft and proofread for errors in grammar and usage, typos, and misspellings.

Mechanics Connection
The names of medals and awards are proper nouns and take capital letters. Proofread your speech for the correct use of capital letters in names of military divisions, awards, Native American tribal names, and so on. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, pages 259, 261, 263, and 265.)
Photo: Anderson/Johnson
President Lyndon B. Johnson presents the first Medal of Freedom to contralto Marian Anderson on Dec. 6, 1963.

STEP 7: Present Your Award
Rehearse your ceremony with your group several times before the presentation. If possible, have your ceremony videotaped so that it can be viewed by other classes or community members who might be interested in your work.

About the picture: Marian Anderson made civil rights history. Denied permission to sing in Constitution Hall because of her race, she sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday for an enthralled audience of 75,000. In 1955 she became the first African American singer to appear at the Metropolitan Opera.

Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.