Glen Downey

Vocabulary
appreciate devote
coordinate stress

Theme: Heroes
Word count: 1,083

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1 18

ISBN 978-1-4869-0736-6
 Glen Downey

Literacy Consultants
David Booth • Kathleen Corrigan
Images: Cover–Rob Stokes; 1: light–AlexRoz; 4: abstract–TairA; NYPD–lev radin; 5: Chicago–DiegoMariottini]
Shutterstock.com; emergency services–IPGGutenbergUKLtd/iStockphoto; 6: background–zffoto/Shutterstock.
com; transporting injured–IPGGutenbergUKLtd/iStockphoto; [7: police officer–a katz; 8: firefighters–wellphoto; 9:
nurse–eldar nurkovic; vector–cifotart; 10: CPR–Tyler Olson; 11: doctor–Great Stock; 12: background–Raimundas]
Shutterstock.com; 911 operator–Keystone Press via ZUMA Press; [13: control room–rkl_foto; 14: air traffic controller–
Angelo Giampiccolo] Shutterstock.com; 15: airport–Sjoerd van der Wal/iStockphoto; 16: lawyers–Tony Tallec/
Alamy; [vectors–vs148; 17: paper–secondcorner; judge–bikeriderlondon] Shutterstock.com; courtroom–RichLegg/
iStockphoto; 18: jury–Image Source Plus/Alamy; 20: street play–dmanjoe/iStockphoto; [21: Bucharest–Ukko; 22:
vector–T.Sumaetho; background–PhilipYb Studio; 23: boy–PEPPERSMINT] Shutterstock.com
 Contents
4 What Makes a Hero?

6 Heroes on the Front Lines

9 Heroes at the Hospital

12 Heroes With Headsets

16 Heroes in the Courtroom

20 Heroes of Culture

22 Our Community Heroes

24 Glossary / Index

3
 What Makes a
Hero?
You don’t need to search high and low to find
heroes. There are heroes all around you. But
what makes someone a hero? One thing many
heroes have in common is that they share their
talents with their community. They devote their
lives to making the community better.

A New York City police

officer getting to know
some community members

4
 Heroes can be found on the streets, in the
hospital, in the courtroom, and even on the
other end of the phone. We admire heroes and
look up to them. Their brave actions inspire us
to do our part to help others in our community.

Firefighters, police officers, and paramedics are

usually the first people to arrive when there is an
emergency. They are called first responders.

5
 Heroes on
the Front Lines
Police officers and firefighters work on
the front lines to keep people safe. Every
day at work they risk their lives to keep
our communities safe. Their courage and
commitment make them excellent examples
of community heroes.

Paramedics also work on the front lines.

They work with police officers and firefighters
when there is an accident or an emergency.

6
Police Officers
Police officers keep communities safe
by trying to protect people from dangerous
situations. But they are often in danger
themselves when they work. Police officers are
usually the first people on the scene when there
has been a crime or another emergency. When
they arrive, they do not always know what to
expect. They often have to deal
with people who have broken
the law. Sometimes those
people can put police
officers in danger.

Police dogs, also known as K-9,

are trained to help rescue people
and search for criminals.

7
 Saving lives is part of a firefighter’s job.

Firefighters
Firefighters keep communities safe by putting
out fires. They are the people who go into a
burning building when everyone else is trying to
get out. Firefighters even rescue people who are
stuck inside a burning building.

Did You Know?

Firefighters don’t only fight fires. Their training
prepares them to deal with a variety of situations.
For example, firefighters can help rescue a
person who is trapped in a crushed car.

8
 Heroes
at the Hospital
Nurses and doctors have very important jobs.
They take care of people who are sick or injured.
Communities in the United States and around
the world rely on nurses and doctors to help
keep everyone healthy.

Nurses and doctors often take

their patients’ blood pressure.

9
 These students are practicing
their skills on a plastic model.

Nurses and doctors receive many years of

training at college or university. They learn to
identify and treat different illnesses. They also
learn how to properly take care of patients.
It is important for future nurses and doctors
to practice what they study. In order to be fully
qualified, they must also receive hands-on
training. They get this practical training at
hospitals and doctors’ offices.

10
 Nurses and doctors dedicate their lives to
treating the patients who come to see them.
Some of those patients are very sick or badly
injured. Nurses and doctors use their education
and experience to try to make their patients
better. In their careers, nurses and doctors can
see many thousands of patients. Their heroic
work helps to keep communities healthy.

Many people have the same doctor for

a long time. It is helpful for a doctor to
know a patient’s medical history.

11
 Heroes
With Headsets
Some heroes help their communities over the
phone or the radio. Two examples of such heroes
are 911 operators and air traffic controllers.

911 Operators
In the United States, when there is an
emergency, people can call 911 for help. The
people who receive those calls for help are
known as 911 operators.

This 911 operator can send

police officers and firefighters
to help in an emergency.

12
 This firefighter is taking an emergency
call in the fire department control room.

In order to be able to send the right kind of

help, 911 operators need to know the key facts
about each emergency situation. To get this
information, they need to ask callers questions.
One challenge that 911 operators face is getting
this information from callers.
The people who call 911 might be scared,
badly injured, or in a dangerous situation. It
can be difficult for someone who is upset or in
danger to answer questions. But 911 operators
are trained to remain calm under stress. They
are extremely patient with their callers.

13
 Air Traffic Controllers
Air traffic controllers help keep communities
safe in a different way. Their job is to keep track
of all the planes in the sky in a specific area.
They use technology to get the information they
need to do their job.

Air traffic controllers have to make sure each

plane has a safe path to its destination.

14
 Air traffic controllers know where planes
are flying to, how fast they are traveling,
and even what their altitude is. They use all
this information to coordinate the landing
schedules of the planes in an area.
Air traffic controllers also communicate with
pilots in emergencies. They give advice to pilots
and help guide planes to safety.

15
 Heroes in the
Courtroom
In the U.S. justice system, every person is
innocent until proven guilty. In addition, all
people have the right to be defended by a
lawyer in court. Lawyers play an important role
in the justice system.

Lawyers work hard to defend their clients.

16
 In a courtroom, lawyers address the judge
as “Your Honor.” This is a sign of respect.

People often hire a lawyer if they have

been accused of doing something illegal or
if something illegal has been done to them.
Lawyers try to make sure that their clients
are given a fair chance.

Judges
Judges are an important part
of the justice system too. They
have a lot of responsibility.
They often have to decide if
someone is guilty or not guilty.

17
 Lawyers must convince a judge or jury to
believe their clients. To do this, lawyers must
come up with a strategy. This is called building
a case. Lawyers often work with police officers
and expert witnesses to build a case. Then they
argue on behalf of their client.

18
 Being a lawyer is a very difficult job.
Lawyers have to be smart, open-minded, and
hardworking. And they must not let their
personal opinions interfere with their work.
Lawyers represent people who require their
help. Because of the work they do, lawyers are
often considered heroes in their communities.

This lawyer is presenting his

case to a jury in the courtroom.

19
 Heroes
of Culture
Helping people in trouble is not the only way
to be a hero. Artists and performers are heroes
too. We admire their many talents. And we
appreciate that they share their talents with
us. Their artistry inspires us.
Artists take risks when they create something
or when they perform. Some people may not
like their art because it is new or different. Yet
artists continue to create and perform. This
makes them courageous.

An acrobat performs for a small

audience in Tokyo, Japan.

20
 Artists and performers give so much to the
community. They entertain us and make us
laugh and cry. They make beautiful things for
us to see and hear. But most important, artists
and performers open up our
imagination, getting us to
see things in new ways.
This makes them
community heroes!

B-FIT is a cultural event that

involves international artists
and acrobats who perform in
Bucharest, Romania.

21
 Our Community
Heroes
Many community heroes are people who do
not think about being heroes. Police officers,
paramedics, and firefighters help people in
dangerous situations. Nurses and doctors
help their patients to recover from illnesses
and injuries. 911 operators try to get people
the help that they need in emergencies.

22
Air traffic controllers keep their eyes on the
sky, helping planes take off and land safely.
Lawyers represent people who need help in the
courtroom. Artists and performers share their
many talents with us.
What makes these people community
heroes? They are an inspiration to others.
They help and protect people in times of need.
Many of them show bravery almost every day.
How can you be a hero in your community?

Small actions, such as picking up

garbage, can help the community.

23
 Glossary
altitude: the height of an jury: a group of people
object above a particular chosen to decide if a person
level (usually sea level) is guilty or not guilty based
on facts they hear in court
appreciate: value
paramedics: professionals
case: a set of arguments to
who give medical help to
prove something in court
people until they can get to
coordinate: organize a hospital
so that everything goes
practical: hands-on
smoothly
stress: mental strain or
devote: give all or part of
tension caused by a difficult
one’s time to something
situation
inspire: motivate;
encourage

Index
acrobat, 20–21 New York City officer, 4
air traffic controllers, 12, 911 operators, 12–13, 22
14–15, 23 nurses, 9–11, 22
ambulance, 11 paramedics, 5–6, 11, 22
artists, 20–21, 23 patients, 9–11, 22
criminals, 7 performers, 20–21, 23
doctor, 9–11, 22 phone, 5, 12
emergency, 5–7, 12–13, 15, 22 pilots, 15
firefighter, 5–6, 8, 12–13, 22 police dogs, 7
Japan, 20 police officer, 4–7, 12, 18, 22
judge, 17–18 radio, 12
jury, 18–19 students, 10
justice system, 16–17 Tokyo, 20
lawyer, 16–19, 23 United States, 9, 12, 16

24
Think About It
Use a web graphic organizer and label it as shown.
Describe heroes you read about in Community Heroes.

Community
Heroes
Community
Heroes
Glen Downey

LEVEL N
ISBN-13: 978-1-4869-0736-6
ISBN-10: 1-4869-0736-9
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9 781486 907366