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What Makes A Hero?

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What Makes A Hero?

Read the story about Florence Nightingale. Then use clues from the story to answer the questions. A hero can be someone who helps others, even when the work is difficult.

A nurse who made a difference

Florence Nightingale was born in 1820. When she grew up, she trained to be a nurse. In 1854, she travelled with a team of nurses to help sick and injured soldiers in a hospital in Scutari, which is now part of Istanbul, Türkiye. The hospital was crowded and dirty. Florence and the nurses cleaned the wards, brought fresh supplies and cared for the soldiers. Florence often checked on patients at night, carrying a lamp to see by. People began calling her “the Lady with the Lamp”. After the war, Florence worked to improve hospitals and nursing. Her careful work helped make hospitals cleaner and safer. She is remembered for using courage, kindness and determination to help other people.

Look for the clues

Use details from the story to decide what Florence did and what those actions show.

1.Where did Florence travel in 1854 to help sick and injured soldiers?

To a hospital in Scutari
To a school in London
To a farm in Scotland

2.Choose two things Florence and the nurses did to help at the hospital.

Cleaned the wards
Brought fresh supplies
Built a castle
Taught soldiers to sail

3.Fill in the missing word: People called Florence “the Lady with the ” because she carried one when checking patients at night.

4.True or false? Florence worked to make hospitals cleaner and safer after the war.

TrueFalse

5.Match each action to the quality it can show.

Caring for sick soldiers
Helping in a difficult hospital
Keeping on working to improve hospitals

Courage
Kindness
Determination

6.Why might carrying a lamp at night have helped Florence care for patients?

7.Name one way Florence helped people and explain why that action could be seen as heroic.

8.Put these events in time order by writing 1, 2 and 3: Florence travels to Scutari; Florence is born; Florence works to improve hospitals after the war.

9.Complete the idea: A hero does not have to wear a costume. Florence showed heroism by…