Honouring a Hero: A Free SEL Resilience Activity for Grades 4–7
This activity is recommended for Grades 4 and above due to its mature historical content.
Why This SEL Resilience Activity Works for Grades 4–7
This SEL resilience activity for grades 4–7 arrives when the first real challenges are hitting, and some students are already starting to give up. The child who failed a test and decided they are not smart enough. The one who tried something hard and stopped. The one who is carrying something heavy and wondering if pushing through is even worth it.
Ray's class is assigned a report on one of Botany's heroes. Ray doesn't know who to choose until Grandma Leila opens a drawer and pulls out a faded photograph of a young man in a military uniform. His name is Thomas Burtt; Ray's great-great-great uncle. A real person. He grew up in Botany, worked at the post office, sailed to Gallipoli in 1915, survived frostbite that cost him two toes, came home to his sisters in Botany, and then chose to go back. His last diary entry was written on April 1st, 1918. Three days later, he was gone.
This activity asks students to look at what resilience actually looks like in a real human life; not a superpower, not an absence of pain, but a choice made over and over again in the hardest possible circumstances.
(The Activity - Step by Step)
1 Set It Up
Tell the class the story, not from a textbook, but the way Grandma Leila would tell it:
"Ray's class has been asked to write a report on one of Botany's heroes. Everyone has already chosen the famous ones. Ray is stuck. That afternoon, Grandma Leila opens a drawer and takes out an old photograph. A young man in a uniform, standing very straight, with serious eyes.
His name is Thomas Burtt. He grew up right here in Botany. He worked at the post office. When the First World War began, he volunteered, sailed to Gallipoli in 1915, and spent weeks in the trenches. Then the rain came. And the snow. And the frost. He became so sick and so cold that two of his toes had to be removed. He was told he would never fight again.
He came home to his sisters in Botany. He went back to work at the post office. And then, he re-enlisted. He went back.
He died in France on the 3rd of April 1918. He was twenty-four years old. His last diary entry, written three days before he died, said: 'Had 12 hours sleep last night and felt splendid after it.'"
Pause. Let that last line land. Then ask: "Why do you think Thomas went back after everything he had already been through?"
2 The Big Idea
Let students respond. Then introduce Grandma Leila's definition of resilience from the chapter: it's not about being strong. It's not about pretending things don't hurt. It's about choosing to keep going even when life is tough.
Ask: "Thomas lost two toes to frostbite and came home. Most people would have stayed home. What do you think made him choose to go back?"
Guide students gently toward the understanding that resilience is not the absence of fear or pain. Tom's own diary shows he felt seasick, lonely, cold, exhausted, and homesick. He wrote lovingly about eating strawberries on the Thames with someone he cared about. He was fully human. And he kept going anyway.
That is the lesson.
3 My Hero Report
Ask every student to think of someone in their own life, not a famous person, not a celebrity, but someone they actually know or knew: who has shown them what resilience looks like. A parent, a grandparent, a neighbour, a friend, a teacher. Someone who kept going when things were hard.
Students write or draw three things: who the person is, what they faced, and what they chose to do. They don't have to share unless they want to. But invite two or three volunteers to share their person with the class.
Close with Ray's words after his presentation: "Thomas is the best hero ever." And Grandma Leila's reply: "He sure is, Ray. And maybe one day, someone will tell a story about you, too."
4 The Anchor
Ask each student to write one word on a sticky note: the word they would want someone to use to describe them one day, the way Ray described Thomas. Brave. Kind. Strong. Steady. Kept going. Add them to the Radical Love Wall.
That wall is now a record of twelve weeks of learning who they are and who they want to be.
Discussion Questions
Q1
Thomas's last diary entry said he had twelve hours' sleep and felt splendid. Three days later, he was gone. Why do you think that ordinary moment matters so much when we know what comes after it?
Q2
Thomas came home from Gallipoli injured and chose to go back anyway. Grandma Leila says that is resilience: choosing to keep going even when life is tough. Can you think of a time in your own life when you chose to keep going? What made you do it?
Q3
Ray felt proud of where he came from after learning about Thomas. Has anyone in your family ever done something that made you feel proud of where you come from? What was it?
Q4
Grandma Leila said maybe one day someone will tell a story about Ray. What would you want someone to say about you one day?
Counselor Corner
This SEL resilience activity may reveal things other activities miss. Watch for the student who cannot think of a single resilient person in their life. This is not a failure of imagination; it may be telling you something about the models of resilience available to that child at home. For some students, nobody in their immediate world has modelled getting back up. That absence is itself important information.
Also watch for the student whose hero is themselves. This occasionally reflects healthy self-awareness, but more often it signals a child who has had to be their own source of strength for longer than is appropriate for their age. That student deserves a follow-up conversation.
The word wall anchor is worth paying attention to across the whole class. A student who writes "invisible" or "forgotten" instead of an aspirational word is showing you something about how they currently see themselves. A student who writes "survivor" may be carrying something significant. These words are data points, not just decoration.
Tom's story also offers something rare for students who are currently struggling and feel like giving up: proof that an ordinary person from an ordinary street chose extraordinary courage not once but twice. He was not a general or a medal winner. He worked at the post office. He got seasick. He missed the people he loved. He kept going anyway. That is the version of resilience that is actually available to a child sitting in a classroom in October.
From the Book
This activity draws from Chapter 10 of Radical Ray: Australia's Little Champion for Big Change (Book 1) — Ray Honours a Hero.
Thomas Alfred Burtt was born and raised in Botany, Sydney. He worked as a bookkeeper and postal assistant. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 21st June 1915 in Charlesville, Queensland, writing in his diary that when he first heard war had been declared: "a feeling came over me that I was to take part in what was destined to be the biggest war in history."
He sailed to Gallipoli, survived frostbite that cost him two toes, came home to Botany, and re-enlisted on 1st November 1916. He died of wounds in France on 3rd April 1918, aged 24. He is buried at Saint Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen, France. His name is on the Australian War Memorial.
His last diary entry, written three days before he died, read: "Had 12 hours sleep last night and felt splendid after it."
He is the author's great-great-uncle. His diary, which he carried through Gallipoli, Egypt, England, and France, still exists and is held in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
"He sure is the best hero ever, Ray," Grandma Leila said quietly. "And maybe one day, someone will tell a story about you, too."
You can find Book 1 on Amazon → meetradicalray.com/books
Coming next Friday — Week 13
Forgiveness Is for You: A Release Activity
Ray carries a hurt he has been holding onto for a long time. Grandma Leila tells him something that changes how he understands forgiveness forever: it's not about saying what happened was okay. It's about putting down a weight you have been carrying. Students discover what they might be ready to put down.
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