Free Sample Movie Clip Discussion for Parents (Freedom Writers: A Toast to Change!)

When I posted this, I didn't think of President Barack Obama's theme of change or the tremendous change brought about by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. How fitting that this post be released (and hopefully read and used) this week!

Enjoy this FREE sample movie clip discussion for your family from my latest book for parents: 101 Movie Clips That Get Families Talking :

CHANGE

(A Toast..."the Past is Past")

Movie: Freedom Writers
Studio: Paramount, 2007
Rating: PG-13

TIP: If you decide to do the toast as a family, have some sparkly cider on hand! This movie is based on the very moving book, The Freedom Writer's Diary (Main Street Books, 1999). Also, bad language alert in this clip.

CLIP CUE FOR DVD
Chapter: 10
Clip start: 1 hour, 9 minutes, 55 seconds
Clip end: 1 hour, 15 minutes, 1 second
Clip duration: 5 minutes, 6 seconds

SET UP FOR THE CLIP: In this real-life story, Erin Gruwell, a naive, overly-optimistic first year teacher is assigned to an unruly class full of kids in a racially divided southern California high school. She flounders for a way to connect with her students. A breakthrough begins when Erin assigns her students to keep a journal of their lives.

In this clip, Erin challenges her students to make a toast for change. A "from this moment on, things are going to be different" kind of thing. One young man in particular shares a moving account of what the class has meant to him.

After viewing the clip, discuss these questions:

• Think about the young man who shared his journal entry about being evicted and feeling so bad when he showed up for school. He said the classroom was like home to him and that Mrs. Gruwell was the only one to make him think of hope. Where do YOU feel most at home? Who are the people around you who make you feel special? Who give you hope?
• What one thing from your past do you most need to move beyond? What do we need to break free from in our family's past?
• What more can we do to make one another feel special?
• What hopes do you have for our family and our future?

To start the year, the teacher holds a "toast for change" with her students. (If you decided to do a family toast, distribute the cider now.) Let's take a moment for a bit of silence and think about what the teacher just said. When you are ready, share your "toast for change."

I trust you enjoyed this movie clip discussion! If you would like to purchase this book, it is available through Amazon. Simply click here to be whisked away to Amazon to find out more about the book or to purchase: 101 Movie Clips That Get Families Talking

To find out more information about the DVD, Freedom Writers, click here: Freedom Writers (Widescreen Edition)

In COMMENTS below, let me know what you think about the discussion and the changes to which your family has committed?

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