9/10 English: You Are the Heroes

Last week, we began our Freedom Writers narrative writing experience, looking back at the experiences of the students in Room 203 in Mrs. Gruwell's English class at Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles.  One of the scenes that has always stood out to me is the moment in which Miep Gies, the woman who housed Anne Frank during World War II, tells the students: "You are the heroes."

Today, we will rewatch this powerful scene (along with the Anne Frank scenes before it). Then, we will answer the questions below.

1) Pick one or two similarities between the lives of the students in Mrs. G's classroom and Anne Frank. Explain how those experiences are similar (at least three sentences).
2) Think about the following quote from Miep Gies. What does she mean by "turn on a small light in a dark room?"

3) Think about Miep Gies's quote: "You are the heroes." How does she define hero?

11/12 English: Freedom Writers Journaling Activities

As we continue to discuss the work Erin Gruwell has done with Freedom Writers, I am increasingly interested in what stories you have to tell. For each day this week, you are going to keep a journal that gives me some idea about the story of your lives.

Pick one of the following prompts and write in the journals I gave you today.  Please leave them in my classroom in the box I have set aside.  No one will see these but me!

Writing Prompts:

1. Write about a time when you made a snap-judgment about someone, thinking they were different than who they actually were.  Discuss who you thought they were and who they ended up being when you got to know them. Think: Mrs. Gruwell before her students understood her—who did they think she was before they go to know her? Who did they think she was after they saw the real Mrs. Gruwell?
2. Consider some interaction you have had with a person from the “wrong” race, religion, or part of society. Tell a story about your interaction. Stretch your imagination and try to tell the same story from their point of view.
3. Write about a period in your life when you felt stuck behind a façade (an outward appearance that was hiding who you really were), in which others saw you differently than you saw yourself. Write a story about taking off that mask.
4. Write a story about a person who made a difference in your life.
5. Write a story about an event that made a difference in your life.