HERO TRADING CARDS

Forgive the lateness of this post. It should have been before the scanned artwork.

Hero Trading Cards is a project we have worked on and off since February. It is a big project involving  Research, Discussion, Lino-Cut Printing, Creative Writing, Package Design.  However, we are joyfully wrapping it up!

Students worked as groups to create sets of trading cards that feature social justice heroes. Each student chose a hero who is alive today, creating change for social justice. The students formed groups of six and researched their heroes, sharing them with each other and eliciting discussion about the problems and actions each hero faces.

Each student then designed and carved portraits of their hero onto 4" x 6" linoleum blocks. These were used to print multiple sets of portraits onto thick bristol paper to make the cards. Each group of six had to produce 9 full sets of trading cards.

Students spent a unit learning about envisioning and expression in order to produce creative writing for the back of the trading cards.. We were very lucky to have Polly Mills of Columbia College to help design and teach us a very special workshop about creative writing. Their writing was designed to inform the viewer about the:
1. Bio of Hero
2. Problems Hero is solving and why
3. How the Hero solved the problems.
4. What the Hero wants the world to do to help.

What made their writing interesting is that the student imagined they WERE the hero and wrote their essay in the heroes "voice". So when one reads the back of the trading card, it feels as though the hero is speaking directly to the viewer.

Trading cards were cut and assembled. Students made envelopes to serve as packaging. (images to come soon).
Complete sets of trading cards are given to Social Studies teachers in high schools to use to educate students about today's heroes.  Of course, each student keeps a full set of cards as well.
Please look through the blog and learn about the heroes of our class.