The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum’s “Courage in My Life” sixth grade program is a language arts and character development curriculum used in Boston Public Schools and in local parochial, charter and private schools and religious academies.
This year-long program empowers students to realize that their actions and decisions can be powerful agents of change, both in their lives and the lives of others. Through reading, writing and discussion, students discover then recognize the role of courage in the lives of the characters they read about, in the lives of those around them, and in their own lives – past, present and future.
The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum has been incorporated within the Massachusetts literacy frameworks for state learning standards and today, nearly 100% of Boston Public Schools’ sixth-grade classrooms benefit from this comprehensive language arts program, reaching more than 3,500 children and their families annually.
Since 1991, the Courage Curriculum has engaged more than 100,000 young people in reading, writing, discussion, and critical thinking and supported their teachers in promoting literacy and value-based education.
Max’s Story: Students begin the Curriculum by reading about Max Warburg and watching a video about his life. The power of Max’s story lies not in his early death, but in how he dealt with adversity. His positive attitude and actions show students that they too are capable of acts of courage.
Novels and Discussion: Reading, classroom discussions and writing help reinforce the belief that children can be courageous. Students read six carefully selected, award-winning novels about courageous and the obstacles and challenges they must face. The novels are:
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
- So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
- Taking Sides by Gary Soto
The Courage Curriculum reaches students at a critical time in their ethical and moral development – early adolescence. Using the Curriculum novels as a starting point for classroom discussions, teachers help students understand that courage can take many different forms. One of the goals of the Courage Curriculum is to help young people understand that we all face challenges in life – both large and small, and that we all have the capacity to be “everyday heroes.” Through this program, children come to realize that their actions can be powerful agents of change.
Teaching Materials: Each teacher receives a copy of our Curriculum Guide. This comprehensive guide includes lesson plans for all six Courage Curriculum novels and is aligned with city and state learning standards. The teachers also receive a videotape that has two distinct segments: 1) a 9-minute piece about Max Warburg to show students as an introduction to the Courage Curriculum; and 2) a 45-minute guide for educators, featuring suggestions from teachers who have used the program and interviews with some of the authors of the six novels.
Classroom Volunteers: Every year, adult volunteers visit the classrooms that use the Courage Curriculum to lead discussions about the virtue of courage. Many of these volunteers knew Max and share their memories of him with the students. Volunteers participate in a training session, where they receive supporting materials, including suggested activity ideas to make the visits more interactive. This component of the program supports the teachers and helps students make a deeper connection with young people as role models of courage.
Professional Development and Enrichment for Teachers: Teachers are invited to a conference at the beginning of the academic year to share ideas and learn from each other’s experiences using the Curriculum. Guest speakers have included the authors of the six novels and leading educators. The goal of this event is to support new and veteran teachers, who participate in the program, and get valuable feedback on the Curriculum’s impact in their classrooms. On one conference evaluation, a teacher wrote, “The Curriculum brings out the best in the students. I hope it continues forever.”
Courage Essays: As the culminating activity of the program, each student writes an essay on the topic of “Courage in My Life.” The process of writing and editing the essay brings all the pieces of the Curriculum together – reading, writing, discussion, and critical thinking. Though the students’ stories vary widely, the common theme of courage unites them all.
The students’ essays are entered in the annual Essay Contest. During the 2009-2010 academic year, we received more than 2,000 entries submitted to the contest. A panel of judges comprised of local authors, professors, journalists, educators, and members of the community reads each of the essays.
The Courage Books and the Warburg Fellows Award: The winning essays are all published in a beautifully bound book, The Courage of Boston’s Children. Alongside each essay is a professional photographic portrait of the writer. The books are given to every sixth grader, and to all school libraries. Each student who participates in the Courage Curriculum also receives a Certificate of Participation. The essay contest winners are honored alongside their teachers at the annual spring Awards Luncheon, where the students receive the Warburg Fellows Award.
Awards Luncheon: The Awards Luncheon is the Courage Curriculum’s celebration of the unique bond that develops between teachers and students as they work together and learn from each other in the process of writing and editing the Courage Essays. The festive event features guest speakers (including the Mayor and Superintendent) and a ceremony during which the Warburg Fellows receive Max Warburg Courage Curriculum Inc. medals. The Warburg medal represents hard work, validation from adults and peers, and above all, courage. For the students, the Awards Luncheon provides the chance to shine in front of their teachers, families, peers, and the community at-large. For the teachers, this event is an opportunity to be recognized for their dedication and success in inspiring a new generation of learners. For some parents and guardians, they are able to see their child in a whole new light.
Results: Since its inception in 1991, the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum Inc. has expanded beyond the Boston Public Schools to several parochial, charter and private schools and religious academies. It has reached more than 100,000 students, added thousands of books to public and school libraries, and helped hundreds of teachers to celebrate courage and literacy in their classrooms. Based on the tremendous achievement and positive feedback in the Boston Public Schools, the curriculum looks forward to expanding the program to new communities. Max’s legacy continues to touch the lives of young people in Boston and beyond. The Courage Curriculum is currently being successfully taught in schools as far away as The Prince Royal’s College in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The success of the program is evident from the enthusiasm of the students and teachers, the quality of the students’ writing, and the pride of the students, teachers, and families at the culmination of the program.
The following six award-winning novels form the basis of The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, Inc’s sixth-grade program. These novels open the world of books to sixth graders and instill in students a life-long love of reading. Each book takes students to a different part of the world and introduces them to characters who are called upon to find courage in themselves to face life’s many challenges.
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Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson (Harper Trophy, 1977) Winner of the John Newbury Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children. The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm. |
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Maniac Magee By Jerry Spinelli (Scholastic, Inc., 1990) Newbery Medal Winner After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee’s life becomes legendary as he accomplished athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries. The story deals with racism, homelessness, and intergenerational issues. |
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Number the Stars By Lois Lowery (Dell Yearling, 1989) Newbery Medal Winner In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year old Annemarie learns how to be courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. |
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry By Mildred D. Taylor (Dial Books 1976) Newbery Medal Winner, ALA Notable Book, New York Times Book Review Best of Children’s Books, Nominated for the National Book Award. The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them the strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. |
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So Far From the Bamboo Grove By Yoko Kawashima Watkins (Puffin Books, 1987) Newbery Medal Winner, ALA Notable Book A fictionalized autobiography in which eight-year-old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan with her mother and sister at the end of WWII. |
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Taking Sides By Gary Soto (Harcourt Brace, 1991) ALA Notable Book Fourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a white suburban neighborhood. |
