Art & Design
Cultural Literacy
Children & Teenagers
Read: Read DC Comics’ 80th Anniversary commemoration of the franchise’s greatest moments in its history.
Graphic Design
Children & Teenagers
Practice: Begin learning or build upon graphic design skills by following a Batman design tutorial.
Illustration
All Ages
Follow Instructions: Choose from a wide selection of Batman illustration tutorials and follow the step by step instructions of talented creatives.
Careers & Life Callings
Children & Teenagers
Take a Course: Batman works with the law enforcement of Gotham because they have the same goals of maintaining public safety. While being a billionaire vigilante might not be so realistic of a life goal, being a policeman is. Read and watch the four sections of this short Khan Academy course on what the career of a policeman is like.
Family Connections
Children & Teenagers
Discuss: Batman’s life is defined by his grief of losing his parents and growing up alone. How have you been given an advantage in life by having your parents and guardians take care of you?
Language & Thinking
Learning to Read
Learning to Read
Toddlers & Children
Read: Read Bedtime for Batman. Synopsis: “When a dark night comes to the big city, one little super hero prepares for a great adventure… bedtime!… Bedtime for Batman is the perfect way to say goodnight to your own little super hero.”
Reading Literature
Teenagers
Read: Read the highest rated Batman book, Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe. Description: “Critically acclaimed author Alan Moore redefined graphic novel story-telling with Watchmen and V for Vendetta. In Batman: The Killing Joke, he takes on the origin of comics’ greatest super-villain, The Joker, and changes Batman’s world forever.”
Read: Choose from a wide selection of Batman graphic novels, books, and comics and read what interests your learner most.
Writing Fiction
Children & Teenagers
Write a Short Story: Create a narrative of your own about Batman protecting Gotham. Incorporate existing villains or create one of your own.
Leadership & Entrepreneurism
Teenagers
Research: Dig into the story about Bob Kane taking credit and all the profits for Bill Finger’s creative genius that produced the multi-billion dollar franchise. If it is true, what is there to learn from this story about how to protect your intellectual property?
Children & Teenagers
Teach: Batman exemplifies a very strong internal locus of control. He shows in every comic and movie that he believes our actions define us, that there are controllable reasons for failure, and anything is possible. His ‘can do’ attitude wins the hearts and minds of others every time.
Social Sciences
Philosophy & Logic
Children & Teenagers
Create a Teachable Moment: Consider the incredible amount of focus and resources Batman spends on physical training, engineering work, and tactical effort to take vengeance on criminals of Gotham for what they have taken from him. While the story is fictional, it is a pattern seen among people in the real world who accomplish greatness. German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, said “he who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” What is your ‘why’ in life?
Psychology
Teenagers
Watch & Read: Watch the History Channel’s Batman Unmasked TV documentary for added insight about the psychological phenomenon of Batman. To go deeper, read Travis Langley’s highly-rated Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight. In it, he contends that the concept of archetypes (as described by psychologists Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell) are characterized in the Batman mythos. Batman represents the “shadow archetype,” representing a person’s own dark side. Bruce Wayne confronts his own darkness while in his early years and decides to utilize it for strength against criminals. The author takes the Jungian stance that we all must face our “shadow selves” in order to harness it for good – or else it will harness us for bad.