4-H P
ublic
resentations
Super Heroes Communicate Too!
Authored by: Barb Piehl
Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development
 OVERVIEW:
People use communication and public speaking every day. Even if they have strong speaking skills, this lesson will give
a chance to further their skills, and learn some fun facts about superheroes. Each participant will create their own superhero mask and share their superhero story with others in the group. Participants will have the chance to be creative and
learn while having fun.
 LIFE SKILLS:

Communication, decision making
 MATERIALS NEEDED:
1. Paper plates (very thin- one per person)
2. Variety of supplies to use in decorating masks: options:
 String/Yarn
 Sticks (long enough to work for masquerade
masks)
 Pasta (different types)
 Feathers
 Peacock
 Bird
 Different colors
 Glitter








Markers
Crayons
Tape
Glue
Construction paper
Stickers
 Stars (gold, silver)
 Dots
Scissors
Beads
 PREPARATION:

Instructor should make a mask to use as an example during the lesson.
 ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
Activity Time: 1 Hour Note: Bolded Italic material is for trainer to say
1. Start off with introductions. Have them say their name and age. Ask what their favorite superhero is.
2. Today, we will be talking about superheroes. We all have our favorite superheroes and would love to have
superpowers that many of them have. What is one thing that every superhero must have…Can anyone
guess?? Strong communication skills. Do you think Batman could save Gotham City if he had bad
communication skills? Don’t think so. We have a craft for you to do and during the last 15 minutes everyone
will do a short presentation about what they have created.
3. We have plates for masks here and different decorations. Each decoration can equal a superpower. The pasta
could equal the power to walk through walls and the beads might equal x-ray vision, and so on. Your task is
to make a mask for your superhero. So pick a superhero, it is ok to make up your own or choose one you
know well. When finished you will be asked to share with the group who your super hero is and what powers
they have.
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Copyright © Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved
4. Start decorating. Let the kids choose a half of a paper plate or full one. Have the kids start off by coloring with
markers or gluing construction paper on to their plate as the base. Encourage the kids to be creative with
decorating. Ask them to think about the following as they create their superhero mask.
 What is your superhero’s name?
 What would be one superpower they have?
 What would you wear as a superhero?
 What would you eat?
5. While the youth work talk about super heroes and why communication is important to a super hero. You might
ask:
 What messages do super heroes need to tell? (strong, smart, do good, fast, have power, secretive, etc)
 What are the different kinds of methods a superhero uses to communicate? ( voice, sounds, body
movements, facial expressions, hand gestures, etc)
 What would happen if a superhero did not use communication? (No one would know about their power,
their superhero abilities would not be useful, etc) Remember keeping powers a secret is also a type of
communication.
6. Using the “Talking Points: Superhero Facts”, share some superhero facts as the youth work. Add your own to
the list or ask the participants if they know any facts to share. Use these to add interest and as time permits.
7. When finished, sit everyone in a circle and ask each in turn to stand up and present their mask.
8. As you think about what you will say to the whole group, think about some communication skills important to
use. Does anyone have an idea of what is important in how you communicate as you take a turn sharing?
Encourage group to come up with ideas. (ex: face the audience, speak loud enough for all to hear, use you mask
to show what you are talking about, you could choose to wear the mask and introduce yourself as the super hero,
etc)
9. Ask them to share:
 Superhero name
 One or two powers- show what gives the super hero power.
 One other fun fact about their mask
Example of how the kids can present.
Use yourself as an example.
. I’m going to tell you about my super mask
A. Hello, my name is
B. My superhero’s name is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I have many superpowers but my two
favorites are my ability to spell and to make vegetables fly. My mask has special glasses for spelling
and carrots on its cheeks to give it the powers.
C. My favorite activity is to stop by the supermarket and help unload the delivery trucks by making the
vegetables fly into the store right into the display rack for people to buy.
10. Great job of sharing. Raise your hand if you have done a demonstration or some kind of public speaking
before? What you just did is public speaking and in 4-H we call it an illustrated talk. All that means is that
you used a prop to tell the audience about something. If you had shown the audience how to make the mask
it would have been a demonstration.
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University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Copyright © Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved
11. Tell me some places that you do public speaking. Encourage the participants to name places or areas public
speaking happens. (School, church, 4-H meeting, after school club, football practice, etc.)
12. Today we have created and made a superhero. We shared stories of super hero facts and decided on powers
our super heroes could have. Then we communicated with others. Asking some questions about what their
favorite part was and what else they may like to do next will help the kids plan more things to do or even help
decide on a future project to do together.
 EXTENDED ACTIVITY:

Have youth create short plays/skits or stories to use their super hero masks in and practice more communication
skills. Divided into teams they could put on a show for parents or others. Another great way to practice public
speaking.
 RESOURCES:
Web site for all MN Extension Publications:
http://shop.extension.umn.edu/
08135 Show What You Know -- Helper's Guide
08134 Show What You Know -- Youth Guide
Web sites for National 4-H resources:
http://www.4-hdirectory.org/ (Click Browse)
Communications - Express Yourself 1: Picking Up the Pieces
Communications - Express Yourself 2: Putting It Together
Communications - Express Yourself 3: The Perfect Fit
Communications - Express Yourself: Helper's Guide
http://www.4-hmall.org/Curriculum.aspx
Michigan State University:
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/4h/toolkit.html Communications Toolkit, 4-H 1560
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University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Copyright © Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved
4-H P
ublic
resentations
Super Heroes Communicate Too!
Authored by: Barb Piehl
Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development
4-H Presentations: Super Heroes Communicate Too:
“Talking Points”
Super Hero Facts
A. How much leg thrust does Superman need to leap over a tall building in a single leap?
a. About 6,000lbs
B. Who was the sidekick of Radioactive Man?
a. Fallout Boy!
C. Who was the villain in the “Batman Begins” movie (not from “The Dark Knight?”)
a. Scarecrow
D. Can anyone name off the four superheroes in “The Fantastic Four?”
a. Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing
E. What is Mr. Incredible’s Super Power?
a. Incredible Strength
F. What color does the incredible Hulk turn?
a. Green
G. What is Spiderman’s Human name?
a. Peter Parker
H. What is Wonder Woman’s mode of transportation?
a. Invisible Plane
I. What happened when Wonder Woman put her lasso on someone
a. They had to tell the truth
J. What superhero was a Dog?
a. Wonderdog!
K. What superhero was a horse?
a. El Kabong!
L. What superhero was a mouse?
a. Mighty Mouse!
M. Which famous Mickey Mouse character became a super hero?
a. Goofy (Super Goof!)
N. What's Wolverine's first name?
a. James, but he later took the name Logan
O. Who's Johnny Blaze?
a. Ghost Rider
P. What's Hulk's real name?
a. Bruce Banner
Q. What city does Superman live in?
a. Metropolis (but he grew up in Smallville)
R. Where do all of Batman's villain's go?
a. Usually Arkham Asylum (a few end up in the grave).
S. What color was Iron Man's original armor?
a. Gray
University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Copyright © Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved
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