Resources

• To familiarise pupils with the name John Lennon.
• To think about what characteristics a person needs to be described as a ‘hero’.

• Tell the class the story of John Lennon’s assassination without mentioning his name. Describe the scene outside the hotel in New York a few weeks before Christmas… the man with a gun… shots fired… a man lying on the pavement, dead. Create a sense of interest in this man’s death by elaborating on the assassin: he was a fan of the man lying dead on the pavement.

John Lennon Film Clip 1

• Follow this with the report on the front page of the Daily Mirror (December 10, 1980). Read out to the class the headline:
  
  “ John Lennon shot dead in New York Dec 8 1980. Death of a Hero.”

• Ask the class which part of this headline is fact and which is opinion.
  
• Throw out some rhetorical questions:
  
  What is John Lennon famous for?
  Was he a hero?
  What makes someone a hero?
  As a songwriter, musician, singer
  What is it about John Lennon that means he is still remembered?
  How should he be remembered today?

• Introduce the name John Lennon to the class and details of his assassination.
• Introduce the idea that some people have placed a great significance on his life and work.

Resources:

• Front page of the Daily Mirror (10th December 1980)