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2026–27 INITIATIVE
UN
MASKED
When the mask comes off, who's the hero underneath?
Students design an original superhero, then present it two ways: a Hero Card giving the hero's name, superpower and what they stand for, and a Hero Build, a 2-D or 3-D version of that hero.
ELA
MATH
SCIENCE
SOCIAL STUDIES
Free. Emailed to you.
At a Glance
SUBJECTS
ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies
LESSONS
6 per subject: 1 shared launch, 4 subject lessons, 1 shared showcase
TOPICS
Hero's journey and narrative writing, probability, light, electricity,
matter and cells, civic responsibility
FINAL PRODUCT
An original superhero, presented as a Hero Card giving the hero's name, superpower and what they stand for, plus a Hero Build: a 2-D or 3-D version of that hero
FACILITATION GUIDE
Lesson plans for all four subjects, slide decks, student handouts, scoring rubric, standards documentation, contest details
WHAT YOU SUPPLY
Paper, pencils, art materials, printed handouts
Teach all four subjects, or just yours — each subject's lessons stand on their own.
THE ARCS
Four subjects, four arcs
Lessons 1 and 6 are shared across all four subjects. In between, each subject's four lessons build on each other, toward what that subject contributes to the final product.
ELA
Hero's journey and narrative writing
CCSS ELA/LITERACY
1
Suit Up: Who's Under the Mask
What makes a hero, beyond fame and power
2
What Makes an Origin?
The four stages of a hero's journey
3
The Turning Point
Writing the moment of change, outside and inside
4
Show, Don't Tell
Sensory detail and concrete description in revision
5
Draft the Hero Bio
Stitching the origin into one connected bio, then revising it
6
The Reveal
Building the hero and finishing the Hero Card
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCT
The hero's origin story.
MATH
Probability
CCSS MATHEMATICS
1
Suit Up: Who's Under the Mask
What makes a hero, beyond fame and power
2
What Are the Odds?
Probability as a fraction, a decimal and a percent
3
Whose Odds Are Better?
Comparing fractions with unlike denominators
4
When Everything Has to Go Right
Compound events: multiplying independent probabilities
5
Build Your Hero's Odds Profile
Choosing and justifying a set of real probabilities
6
The Reveal
Building the hero and finishing the Hero Card
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCT
The hero's odds profile.
SCIENCE
Science and fantasy: light, electricity, matter, cells
NGSS
1
Suit Up: Who's Under the Mask
What makes a hero, beyond fame and power
2
Now You See Me
Light, reflection and refraction
3
Charged Up
Electric charge, conductors and insulators
4
Cold Snap
States of matter and thermal energy
5
Patch It Up
Cells, tissue repair and regeneration
6
The Reveal
Building the hero and finishing the Hero Card
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCT
The real science of the hero's power, and one honest limit on it.
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SOCIAL STUDIES
Civic responsibility
C3 FRAMEWORK
1
Suit Up: Who's Under the Mask
What makes a hero, beyond fame and power
2
Power & Responsibility
Civic power as something separate from fame
3
Problem or Symptom?
Telling an underlying problem from a surface symptom
4
How Change Happens
How ordinary people create change: organizing, coalitions, civic action
5
Design the Mission
Designing a civic mission and a realistic first step
6
The Reveal
Building the hero and finishing the Hero Card
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PRODUCT
The hero's civic mission.
THE PRODUCT
One hero, four ways to know them
Each student invents a hero in Lesson 1 and keeps developing them through the unit. By the Reveal they have a Hero Card carrying their superhero's name, their superpower and what they stand for, and a Hero Build: a 2-D or 3-D version of that superhero.
Students who take more than one subject build one hero, not four. Each subject adds a piece to the same Hero Card.
BEFORE YOU TEACH IT
Watch the walkthrough
A run-through of the six lessons, the instructional design, and the build days, so you know what you're walking into before day one.
What it covers
​
How the facilitation guide delivers your materials, and how to navigate it
How the shared launch works across all four subjects
What a typical lesson looks like start to finish
Running the model build days and the showcase
PACING
When to run it
Unmasked is flexible. You can run it any time of year and shape the pacing to fit your school schedule: start earlier in the year, stretch the days out, or run it whenever it makes the most sense for your students.
If you're entering the national contest, the only date to plan around is November 30, when student work is due. If you're not entering, Unmasked stands completely on its own.
CONTEST & SHOWCASE
Enter the contest
Every student who finishes gets a certificate. Facilities may submit their student work to the national contest.
Submitting
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Portal opens November 23, 2026
​
Portal closes November 30, 2026
Enter individually or as a group
One product and written statement per entry
Each student can be part of only one entry
For your classroom
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Prizes for the winning students
Student participation certificate for every student who finishes
Written feedback for all student submissions
Judging rubric and contest guidelines, so students know what the judges look for (both included in the facilitation guide)
GET IT
Request the materials
Fill out the form and we'll email you the full facilitation guide, free.
Form not working? Follow this link.
Questions? Need the materials in a different format? Email initiatives@breakfree-ed.org.
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