Lesson
3
:
Writing Your Hero’s Journey
Grade
Grade 8
UNIT
1
•
Optimism
In Unit 1, Lesson 3, “Writing Your Hero’s Journey,” students will craft their Hero’s Journey, based on the work of Joseph Campbell and recent research. The Hero’s Journey story will feature themselves as a protagonist who faces challenges, overcomes adversity, and returns transformed.
SUGGESTED TIME:
1 class period to begin prewriting; the rest can be completed as homework
RELATED SUBJECT:
English Language Arts
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand the seven core elements of the Hero’s Journey (protagonist, shift, quest, challenge, allies, transformation, legacy).
- Write a Hero’s Journey narrative containing all seven elements.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: The Hero's Journey according to Joseph Campbell - video by Matthew Winkler and Kirill Yeretsky by Ueber-Brands (~3 min)
- Video: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by The Joseph Campbell Foundation (~3 min)
- Prohuman Grade 8 Unit 1 Worksheet 3: Writing Your Hero’s Journey
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
Part 1:
- In the novel we read earlier in this unit, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the narrator says, “Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives."
- Ask the class: What is a Personal Legend?
- In an interview, the author Paulo Coelho said: “A Personal Legend is the reason you are here. It's as simple as that. You can fill your hours and days with things that are meaningless. But you know you have a reason to be here. It is the only thing that gives you enthusiasm.”
Part 2:
- In this writing assignment, tell students that they will first identify their Personal Legend. To find their personal legend, they should ask themselves what gives them enthusiasm.
- Then students will write a narrative, a Hero’s Journey, based on how they imagine them achieving their Personal Legend.
- The Hero’s Journey is a narrative structure identified by mythologist Joseph Campbell.
- It is a story arc with a protagonist or main character who faces challenges, overcomes adversity, and returns transformed (Rogers et al. 2023).
- Show students the diagram of the Hero’s Journey on this website: Joseph Campbell - The Hero’s Journey
- Play a couple of short videos about the Hero’s Journey.
- Play video: The Hero's Journey according to Joseph Campbell - video by Matthew Winkler and Kirill Yeretsky by Ueber-Brands (~3 min)
- Play video: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by The Joseph Campbell Foundation (~3 min)
Part 3:
- Have students start the writing process by answering the questions on the worksheet.
- Explain that they will write the narrative for homework.
- Tell students that their Hero’s Journey narratives will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.
GRADE 8 UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 3: WRITING YOUR HERO’S JOURNEY
Step 1: Before you begin writing your Hero’s Journey, identify your Personal Legend.
Step 2: Identify the seven core elements of your Hero’s Journey:
- Protagonist: The central character of the story
- Shift: A change in setting or life circumstances that initiates the journey
- Quest: A clear goal or mission to pursue
- Challenge: Obstacles or difficulties that must be overcome
- Allies: Friends, mentors, or supporters who aid in the journey
- Transformation: Personal growth or change resulting from the journey
- Legacy: How the hero's journey positively impacts others
Step 3: Write a Hero’s Journey of 3 pages and do the following:
- Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
- Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
- Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
- Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
- Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
Note: Your Hero’s Journey will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.