Civil Disobedience Pictures 2017

While we've moved on to study Hinduism, I thought I'd post some samples of the civil disobedience pictures my students drew this year.  I always love their creativity, and seeing what they've come up with.

So, for the blog post today, just check them out:

A Community in Mourning

We don't understand ourselves.  How can we understand others?

Today we started off class reading a New York Times article about a United Nations researcher who was working for peace in the DRC when he was kidnapped and killed.

The story touched on many parts of the 7th grade curriculum that I am to talk about: human rights, citizenship, democracy, The U.N., and The U.N. Security Council.  As they were non-violently looking to solve serious global conflicts, it made sense to read the article right after watching and discussing Gandhi.  There were many parallels.

But The New York Times article didn't mention one thing: Michael Sharp was from Elkhart County.  He graduated from Bethany Christian, and many in our community are mourning the loss of a friend, a former student, someone they knew from church...

Social studies, in the abstract is impotent.  We understand the ideas, but only when they get close to touching us - or actually, heaven forbid touch us - do we understand power.

After MJ (as his friends and teachers called him) was kidnapped, his father said this:

"I have said on more than one occasion that we peacemakers should be willing to risk our lives as those who join the military do.  Now it's no longer theory."

That idea of peacemaking reminded me of a scene we just watched:

There is great injustice going on right now in the DRC.  And Michael Sharp was making it visible.  But he also did it without hate, or violence.  The NYT article mentions him going to church in order to build relationships with mass murders.  "Mr. Sharp, 34, had been in Congo for five years, with an enviable network of rebel commanders and local leaders, most of whom he had met in church.  'Michael told me one time: 'Rebels go to church.  You build relationships with them there,' said Rachel Sweet, a researcher who knew him."

And, he had much success.  In a separate article, which we didn't read in class, it says that his joint work with the Congolese Council of Christian Churches had, "convinced some 1,600 fighters to give up arms."

MJ had many friends around here.  On social media, the outpourings of grief were troubling and moving.  It was a reminder that social studies is real people.  Real consequences.  And it was a reminder that our students have many paths laid out before them.

I've had my quote of the day quote on my back board for several days now.  I put it up well before the news broke.  I put it up because we had just learned of Gandhi's assassination, and it was from his holy book, The Bhagavad Gita.  "The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.  There was never a time when you and I and all kings gathered here have not existed and nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist."

Though Gandhi and Sharp were different: different nationality, different customs, different ethnicity, different religions, different theology...  They were able to find commonality with people vastly different than themselves in their work towards peace.

Students in my class can earn extra credit if they read and discuss this blog post with an adult.  After you read it and discuss it, write 5 sentences about your discussion.  Have the adult you discussed with sign the paper.  Make sure your name is on it, and turn it in tomorrow.

Gandhi, King, Silver Lining

PART 1: Gandhi and the Silver Lining

We finished watching Gandhi last week.  Although we skip a lot, we watch a significant portion.

At the end of the movie, students often ask questions about Gandhi's assassination.  Why was Gandhi assassinated?  Who killed him?  What happened to the man who assassinated Gandhi?

Today we read an article from The Guardian that was published the day after the assassination.  (Read it HERE.)

Gandhi's assassination was similar to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.  Both were assassinated by extremists within their own religion, because the extremists thought they were giving too much away to "the other."

The partition of India-  (Adults, ask the student you're reading this with if they know what "partition" means.  If not, have them click on the word... You're welcome.) - The partition of India into India and Pakistan was a major blow to Gandhi who wanted a unified India.  And, depending on the sources, there were somewhere between several hundred thousand and two million deaths during/due to the partition alone.  For an old man advocating non-violence, one can imagine how trying it was.

Gandhi had been planning a trip to Pakistan in the name of reconciliation when he was shot.  (It's more complicated than this, involving money owed by governments, the threat of weapons purchased with that money, etc... but this is a blog for 7th graders.  If you're interested in it, research it on your own.)

To the point: I had a thought today that I don't think I'd had before.  While Gandhi's assassination is a tragedy, the silver lining is that it's better that he was killed by a Hindu than by a Muslim, the British, or his own fast.

Throughout the film we kept coming back to the principle that, "the only demons we have to fear are those that lurk in our own hearts."

My guess is had Gandhi gone to Pakistan and been killed by a Muslim, many Hindus would have used it as pretext to fight.  Or even if he had died on his own during the fast.  -Or earlier killed by the British in prison or such.

That Gandhi was killed by a Hindu precluded the possibility of  the Hindus taking revenge on themselves.  And it appeals to Gandhi's broader message for individuals to "be the change."

PART 2: King

A couple weeks ago, Mr. Krecsmar asked me if I realized it was the anniversary of MLK's march from Selma to Montgomery.  I did not.

Many students draw parallels between the lives of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.  They were both fighting for civil rights.  They both endorsed nonviolence.  They both fought racism and ethnocentrism.  They were both unjustly imprisoned.  They both practiced civil disobedience.  They were both assassinated.

The Selma marches occurred in March of 1965, and were mainly over voting rights.  The tactics used by King mirrored that of Gandhi.  Those used by Alabama State Troopers mirrored the British.

Here's a clip of the actual Selma footage:

Here's a brief (1:12 minute) interview with Ava DuVernay, who directed the movie Selma:

This is a short promo for Selma which includes parts of the bridge scene:

And last, this is a clip from "Turn-Around Tuesday" - not to be confused with "Bloody Sunday":

I hope you took the time to watch one or two of the videos.  Keep in mind that this was in our United States, and only a little more than 50 years ago.  Some of you have parents who are over 50.  Most of their parents are over 50.  My point is, we're watching Gandhi and thinking about what happened long ago in a land far away...

If you read and discussed this blog with an adult, I'm hoping the adult asked you some questions about it.  To get the extra credit, write at least 5 sentences.  Maybe tell me whether you agree with my "silver lining" comment.  Compare what you saw in the Selma clips to what you saw in Gandhi.

When you wrote at least 5 sentences about your conversation, have the adult you read the blog with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.  Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it.

Spoilers: Am I Spoiling Gandhi?

We watch large portions of Gandhi in 7th grade social studies.  It had been part of the curriculum long before I got there, and it doesn't look to be going anywhere.

Spoiler alert: Gandhi dies.  As Gandhi was born in 1869, and the film was released in 1982, it shouldn't come as any surprise that Gandhi dies in it.

But what many... maybe most? of my students didn't know was that Gandhi was assassinated as a 78 year old.  (I mean, who assassinates a 78 year old?  Just let the man live out his life...)

Here's the thing, though: the movie starts out with his assassination.  In the past, I've shown the beginning first.  Then, after some discussion with colleagues, I kept his assassination a surprise.  I'd go back and forth from year to year.  Unsure which I liked more.

In 1982, when the film was released, the majority of people going to see it knew what had occurred.  They knew who Gandhi was, what his life was about, and how he died.  Like watching a movie about a husband and wife that work on separate floors of 1 WTC in August 2001 - we know where that story is going.  And it would make sense to start with the planes.  Or the opening of the Titanic with a submarine exploration of the boat.  We already know.

But a 7th grader watching in 2017 (or whenever you're reading this) has little background on Gandhi.  And they're not tied to him.  So, watching some random man get killed at the beginning of the movie cheapens how horrifying the assassination really was.  It makes sense to let them see the man, his cause, and develop an attachment to him so they can perhaps more fully grasp what happened.  Context is everything.

Students can get extra credit if they read and discuss this blog post with an adult.  Even though it wasn't brought up in this particular blog post, we've been been discussing India's independence movement for a while.  So, they should discuss the following: who was Gandhi?  What was he fighting for?  Was he successful?

Write at least 3 sentences about your discussion, have the adult you discussed with sign the paper, and put it in the extra credit tray on Monday.

Reincarnation - Google Drawings

Although we're now disucussing the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, we spent some time yesterday figuring out how google drawings work.  I'm sure there will be a lot of ways I could use them in class.  As with everything, there's a lot of potential - if I could just figure out how to access it.

Students could make diagrams, flowcharts, posters, etc... from various topics we've studied throughout the year.  I had them start off with the reincarnation cycle.  I didn't take it for a grade, because we were figuring it out together.

Some students shared with me what they did.  I'll put those up here for you to look at.  Tell me what you think.

If students want extra credit, they should have read and discussed the blog with an adult.  Which of the diagrams do you like the best?  Why?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each one?  If you were in class today, you could tell them a little bit about the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict.

Write down your thoughts from the conversation on a scrap of paper.  Have the adult you read and discussed with sign it.  Then turn it in tomorrow for extra credit.

It took Gandhi (and the Indian National Congress, etc...) a long time before they gained independence from the British.  I'm not expecting to fully understand google docs or drawings overnight.  But I want to be sure to use whatever tools I have at my disposal in order to be the best teacher I can be.

  (As long as those tools are genuinely enhancing the education of my students.)

Civil Disobedience Pictures

I've graded the civil disobedience pictures, so even though we've moved into studying Hinduism I'm posting several.  Check them out.  Discuss them.  Explain how they're portraying civil disobedience.  Then, vote for your favorite.

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog, you should talk about some of these pictures with an adult.  Tell them what's going on, why, and how they show civil disobedience.  Then, in the comments, tell me which one is your favorite and why.  (If for some reason it won't let you post a comment, you can write out your choice and let me know...)

Make sure to tell me who you are in the comments section.

If you have friends on social media, you could remind them about the extra credit.  Believe me, some of your friends could use the help.  Also, feel free to repost your favorite picture.

If you didn't finish your picture, you should probably consider doing that.

Gandhi's Assassination: Some Comparisons

Gandhi and King:

I have previously posted some of the similarities between these two figures.  You can read about it here.  I don't know if I mentioned how similar they were in death.  ...Two day's before Gandhi's assassination, he said, "If I am to die by the bullet of a mad man, I must do so smiling.  There must be no anger within me.  God must be in my heart and on my lips."

And King, in his famous, "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech said, "Well, I don't know what will happen now.  We've got some difficult days ahead.  But it doesn't really matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.  ...Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has it's place.  But I'm not concerned about that now...  I've seen the Promised Land - and I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get to the Promised Land.  So I'm happy tonight - I'm not worried about anything.  I'm not fearing any man."  King said this the day before his assassination.

It says speaks to their preparation, does it not?  To their convictions, their principles?  Add that to their long list of similarities.

Comparisons on other assassinations:

Of course, we can also compare the assassination of Gandhi to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995, or the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981.  In all three cases, these leaders were assassinated because they were working toward peace.  Members of their own groups felt they would give too much away - and the pendulum would swing too far to the other side - giving their enemies the upper hand rather than bringing about peace.

If I have a class where some students still seem baffled as to why a Hindu (Godse) would kill another Hindu (Gandhi) when it seems like they should be on the same side, I ask them this question:

Have you ever been friends with two people who don't get along?  And have any of you been in the situation where one of those friends comes up to you and tells you that you have to choose?  Who are you going to be friends with?  How do you decide?  What do you do if, while stalling one friend starts making fun of the other behind their back?  If you join in, you're in trouble with the other friend.  If you don't join in, are you taking their side?

Maybe you said to the person demanding you make a choice: why can't all three of us be friends?  Why don't we try to work it out?

And what if  that friend replies, this is impossible?

That was the situation Gandhi was in.  And when he continued to argue for peace between Hindus and Muslims, Godse interpreted that as Gandhi having made up his mind - and siding with the Muslims.

If you want extra credit tonight for reading and discussing the blog talk about what Gandhi decided to do.  Did he make the right choice, or not?  Could he have done anything differently?  If so, what?  Have you ever been in a situation where you were caught in the middle?  How did it work out?

When you're finished, write a paragraph of some thoughts from your conversation.  Have the adult you read with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow.

Gandhi and Plate Glass Windows

Gandhi (and The Indian National Congress) are moving closer and closer to independence from the British.

There are a couple ideas Gandhi reiterates throughout his life.  Essentially, he says that the Indians are upset with the British, because the British do not treat Indians as equals.

But, Gandhi says, Indians do not treat each other as equals.

In the movie, Gandhi said that before Indians could (or should) try to gain independence from the British, they would need to, "prove worthy of it."

Gandhi outlined 3 things that had to happen for a successful independence:

1. Hindu/Muslim Unity
2. Outlaw "Untouchability"
3. Defy the British

India was ready to defy the British, but was it ready to accept Gandhi's challenge to get along internally?

When I was a kid, my mom went to the store to buy a gallon of milk and maybe some other groceries.  My sister was upstairs reading, and my brother and I were out in the yard playing.  I'm not sure what all happened, but I know that he swore at me, and then I spit on him.

He told me he was going to spit on me back, so I ran into the house and locked him out.

Our back door had a huge plate-glass window in it.  He started pounding on it, saying he was going to break it if I didn't let him in.

I, of course, was willing to do no such thing.  I laughed at him and went upstairs.

He kept pounding on the window.  My sister, concerned, told me I should probably go downstairs and let him in.

Just as I got to the door, his fist came through it.  Glass went everywhere.  We were both barefoot.  

His clenched fist hung in the air on the other side of the door as he said, "I... I told you I would break it."

Before my mom left, I remember telling her that we could handle it.  Surely, she could leave for 5 minutes and get a gallon of milk.  The grocery store was only a couple blocks away.  "We'll be good," we said.  "Trust us."

To my students: If you want the extra credit for reading and discussing the blog, you were supposed to have read and discussed it with an adult.  If you've done this, find a scrap of paper and explain what my story has to do with the Indian Independence Movement.  How are they similar?  Is it a fair comparison?  Do you think the Indians are ready for independence?  Why or why not?  (I would discuss all of this with an adult before writing it down...)

When you're done, have the adult you read and discussed with sign the paper.

Turn it in tomorrow.

Gandhi and MLK

We watch 2 legitimate movies every year: Gandhi and Promises.

Right now, we're watching Gandhi.  If you haven't seen it, it's quite good.  It won best picture in 1982.  (Incidentally, a lot of good things came out that year: E.T., Rocky III, Halloween III, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Poltergeist, Tron, Annie, ...Me...)

As we close out Black History Month, I thought it might be nice to highlight some of the similarities between Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.  (We don't do this in class, so my students may not be familiar with it.  I just thought it might be a good addition...)

• Both Civil Rights Leaders
• Both believed in and practiced civil disobedience
• Both were practitioners of non-violence
• Both are seen as the key leaders of movements that were much, MUCH larger
• Both exemplify one side of a a movement that had many sides
• (See Martin Luther King vs Malcolm X, Or Booker Washington vs W.E.B. DuBois)
• (See Gandhi vs any of the not so non-violent movements for Indian independence)
• Both spent substantial amounts of time in prison
• Both were gifted public speakers
• Both were also known for their religions
• Both have made significant literary contributions
• And of course, both were assassinated

While they both had their differences as well, it is interesting to see what all they had in common.  If you can think of anything else, feel free to write it in the comments.

Students in my class may get extra credit if they read and discuss the blog with an adult.  Students, please give the adult a summary of what's happened in the movie so far.

Then, write a 3-5 sentence summary on a scrap of note paper.  Have the adult you read the blog with sign the paper.  Turn it in on Monday in the extra credit tray.  Make sure that your name, date, and hour are on the paper.

(Image Credit)

(Image Credit)

Initiative

We're learning about the Japanese invasion/colonization of Manchuria as well as Japanese imperialism in general - but I wanted to take a break from that for a moment.

(Oh, but first - if you weren't here - or didn't finish your map you can download it HERE.  It's due tomorrow.)

Today while we were in the computer lab, I wanted to remind the students of all the extra credit policies I have.  There are quite a few: this blog - you know about it... you're here.  The geography games, watching/ relating the news and current events to what we're studying, etc...

At the beginning of the year I try to hammer in the point that social studies touches everything.  Everything.  It is ubiquitous, yet we often have a hard time connecting our lives to social studies because... you know... who does that?... 

I tell the students, "hey, if you're watching TV or a movie, reading a book or playing a video game and you see something that relates to this class, write me a paragraph telling me about it and I'll give you some points."

I want students to take some initiative - and ultimately I want them to take what they're learning in here and connect it to their lives.

I'm sure many - maybe all - students do this anyway, but I don't often get told about it.

After spring break Anna turned this in:

Not only that, but she wrote a rough draft first and asked Mr. Ogle to look over it - which he did.  (Seriously, this school corporation is fantastic.  It seems like everyone always goes above and beyond the call of duty.)  Check it out:

I thought it'd be worth sharing what she wrote and giving her some kudos for it:

Futurama to Social Studies

     Mr. Habecker, over spring break I watched this show called Futurama.  The whole thing reminded me of Gandhi's act for equality among people.

     At the beginning, the first thing I noticed was a meeting of the rich people who were talking so badly about the mutants.  It's how the priests treated the untouchables.  The priests treated them like dirt.

     Next, the mutants had to carry around passes given out by the mayor that only lasts one day.  They would have to carry it around to go anywhere.  It was like when the Indians had to carry passes around in South Africa.

     A guy named Fry jumped into the lake that turns you into a mutant in order to see what it's like in their shoes - like when Gandhi dresses and acts like a poor person to see their point of view.

     Next, they had civil disobedience because they just sent the sewage back up - not harming anyone, but just to show what they think is wrong.  Gandhi used all kinds of civil disobedience acts like: burning the passes, he wouldn't pay court fines, and all of those freedom walks.  He did this to show that what was going on was wrong.

     Lastly, all the mutants took a march for equality/freedom.  This reminds me of when Gandhi has that march to the Indian Ocean to gather salt.  They both were for freedom.

     That's all the similarities I saw.  If you think you might want to see this, it is season 7 episode 11 or 12.

For an assignment that's supposed to be rather low-key, I thought she did an exceptional job.  There are so, SO many connections to what we've been studying.  Nice job.

To get the extra credit for reading the blog, you're supposed to read it and discuss it with an adult.  If you did this, find a scrap of paper and complete the following: tell me a connection between my social studies class and a show, book, movie, video game (or whatever) that YOU like.  It doesn't have to be a long paper, just a connection or two.  ...Think about everything we've been talking about since the beginning of the year.

When you're done, have the adult you read and discussed the blog with sign the paper.

Turn it in tomorrow.

See you then.

Civil Disobedience

WOOT!  WOOT!

Spring Break!!!

We worked right up until the end!  Students turned in their civil disobedience pictures today.  (Download them HERE.)  I'll have them in the grade book before too long, but my wife asked me to get home as soon as possible today.  She's probably going to roll her eyes at me when I told her I typed up a blog post before leaving.

I took some pictures of students with their pictures.  Check them out:

I'd like to say thanks to these students for letting me post their work to the blog

...I'd like to, but I won't.  Just kidding guys: thank you.

I hope everybody out there has a fun, safe spring break.  If you want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog, you were supposed to have read and discussed it with an adult.  To prove you did this, find a scrap of paper, and write down which of the drawings is your favorite.  Then, have the adult sign the paper.

Turn it in Monday.  Not THIS Monday - NEXT Monday.  ...But you already knew that.

(Bonus extra credit if you share this post with your friends.  And double bonus if on your scrap of paper you explain what each picture is showing - and how it shows civil disobedience.)

Gandhi, Snowden, and DWB

I'm sorry to have been gone the past couple days, but that's just the chaos of life, I suppose.

Imagine with me that what is happening in Gandhi is now.  How do the British view him?  Is he a hero?  Is he a terrorist?  It seems like most of the British view him as a terrorist; some kind of threat - at least to the empire.  He claims no less - he openly admits that he believes the British Empire to be evil, and that he wants India to be governed by Indians.  But should this - nonviolent noncooperation against evil - be considered terroristic? ...Maybe it is too much of a jump, because now I'm asking you to presuppose that the British Empire is evil - and most British - at the time - would have disagreed.

And there's a scene where Gandhi had just documented much evil the British were perpetuating against the Indians: forcing them to work without pay, denying them water, raising rent on the starving in order to finance hunting expeditions, etc...  ...And the one British man says to the governor, "You've turned him into some kind of hero.  Back home children are writing essays about him."

I'm getting to my point: whenever/whatever we're studying and learning, we each bring out own thoughts to the process.  And I couldn't help but think of something/someone we'd studied about not too long ago.  Did you make this connection too?...  Edward Snowden.

The British in the 1930s and 40s were having the same discussions about Gandhi that we're having about Snowden today.  Is he a hero?  Is he a terrorist?  Is he a traitor?  And whatever he is, what does that make me?  If he's a hero, does that make me/us wrong?  And how should I as a person respond?  How should we as a nation respond?

Education is all about making connections.  We do this in Language Arts when we read - we insert ourselves into the book.  When the actions of the protagonist remind us of the times we've quarreled with our brother.  The time we had to make a sacrifice we didn't feel like we could make.

Here's another connection I made in Gandhi: remember that scene where the British tell him to leave, or they'll arrest him?






Gandhi asks about the charge.  He says, "I'm an Indian travelling in my own country, I see no reason for trouble."  ...Essentially Gandhi was saying he was about to be put under arrest for being an Indian in India.  Here's the connection I made:






Maybe you're unfamiliar with the term DWB.  It refers to real (or perceived) instances of racial profiling: Driving While Black.  The issues we are struggling with at our point in history, here in the United States, are the same issues with which previous generations have had to deal.  In the past (maybe this year) questions have arisen over the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the laws in Arizona where police could ask for immigration papers even if the driver hadn't broken any laws, the stop and frisk policy in New York.

Today, I'm not writing about whether any of these events or policies in our own culture are good or evil, right or wrong; I'm only saying that everything should be viewed through the lens of history.  Neither am I saying that these events are the same and therefore interchangeable: they're not.

But it would benefit us to look at their similarities, and their outcomes.  Who was the moral force in the past?  How has history judged each side?  What does that teach us about ourselves and who we want to be?


If you're reading this for extra credit, discuss it with an adult and then write a 3 or 4 sentence response.  Do you think the historical connections and similarities that I made are valid? If you can think of any other connections between Gandhi or the Indian independence movement and our own culture, please include them.

Have the adult sign the paper, and turn it in on Monday.

If you happened across this blog some other way, feel free to leave a comment.  (Students, you may always leave comments on here as well.)

Crazier Days

Today was one of the craziest days I've had in a while... it was interesting...

Once again, I'm bummed out about missing Gandhi, but excited to get back into The Hunger Games tomorrow.

It was nice to see what all the kids got out of Gandhi.  We talked a little about civil disobedience and cell phones, questions they had from the movie, and grades, grades, grades...

ISTEP Tomorrow!  Get a good night's sleep!

To get the extra credit today, discuss instances of civil disobedience found in the film Gandhi.  Also, Gandhi cared most about nonviolence.  He cared about it more than gaining independence.  Given all the violence that the Indians went through to get their independence, Gandhi thought his life was a failure.  Do you agree with him or not?  Was his life a failure?  Why or why not?

To prove you read this blog entry, write the following sentences: "Maybe India should make iodized salt...  I read and discussed the blog with ___________________."  Then, have the adult you read and discussed the blog with sign on the line.

Missing Gandhi

I can't believe I'm missing Gandhi.  It's one of the high points of the year.

I'm not posting much today, but I want to make sure you have the opportunity to get some extra credit if you want it.

For today, just discuss with an adult what happened in the film.  What's going on between the Hindus and Muslims?  The British and the Indians?  How are Jinnah, Nehru, and Gandhi all interacting?  Gandhi said that there were 3 main things that would have to happen in order for Indian to have a successful independence.  Do you remember what those three things were?

After you discuss that with an adult, write the following on a piece of paper: "Tunisian fruit-vendor/ Katniss Everdeen.  I discussed the questions about Gandhi with_______________"  Then, have the adult you discussed the question with sign the line.

Amritsar Massacre

I understand that the students got to the Amritsar Massacre today.  (You can watch the clip below.  Fair warning, it's probably the most intense scene in the movie.)





The Indian Independence Movement is interesting.  It's interesting because it mainly manifested itself nonviolently.  Now, that's not to say there wasn't a loss of blood.  There was much blood lost - as this clip shows.  But it's different than the U.S. route to independence - through war.  Or, Australia - which gained its independence gradually over the course of many years without any bloodshed at all.

To get the extra credit for today's blog entry discuss what has happened so far in Gandhi with an adult in your household.  Make sure to mention the Amritsar Massacre and what happened to General Dyer (if you know.)  Talk about what Gandhi wants, and why.  Discuss what is meant by civil disobedience and nonviolent, noncooperation.

Then, to prove you read and discussed the blog, write down the following sentences: "All hail Cowells-ji!  I read and discussed the blog with _____________________."  Have the adult you discussed the blog with sign the paper.

¡Gandhi!

It seems as though Mr. Cowells, Mr. Swanson, and Mr. Frantz watch Gandhi the way I read The Hunger Games.   ...You know... stopping every few seconds or minutes to talk about how it ties in with social studies.

I'm sure it's super-annoying, but no doubt also super helpful.  There is SO much in that movie.  It's one of the top 3 things I'm asked every year by former students: have you started Gandhi yet?  And generally, it's followed by some accolade or another...  My point is the interruptions enhance the film rather than detract from it.

To get the extra credit tonight, discuss what you watched in class with an adult that you live with.  I want you to mention 3 different places the film was stopped and discussed.  Tell why Mr. Cowells (or whoever stopped the film) stopped it and what they were pointing out.

Finally, write down the following quote on a piece of paper, and have the adult sign it.  "I discussed three times the movie Gandhi stopped with the person who signed this paper."

One last thing.  I had some people ask about pictures of my new baby.  Here are a couple.  I'll add Mr. Frantz too.  I hope he doesn't mind.  He seems like a nice guy.