CECsst.246


TITLE:  BIKO AND WOOD'S  What does freedom really mean?

AUTHOR:  Donald Peters, Crossroads School;
         Anchorage, Alaska

GRADE LEVEL:  11 - 12

OVERVIEW:  There are some concepts in teaching that are near
impossible to understand.  Most of my students can not
understand why Germans followed the Nazi orders in the death
camps.  It is my opinion that freedom is a concept that most
students and or teachers in the United States are unable to
understand.  I looked for a lesson that would make our
students stop and think about the freedom that they have.
If you don't have any bad days it's impossible to understand
what a good one really is.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  "Cry Freedom" movie.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

CONCEPT BUILDING
Locate the movie "Cry Freedom", if you have a Blockbuster
Video in town I am sure you can find it there.  "Cry
Freedom" is the real life story of Steven Biko and Donald
Woods.  Mr. Biko was an activist in South Africa working for
the end of Apartheid.  Mr. Woods was the publisher of a
major newspaper.  I could spend the next six pages telling
you the story but I would not do it justice and if you have
chosen to use this lesson you are going to watch the movie
anyway.  It's a long movie and will take two or three class
periods to finish.  The whole lesson could take two to three
weeks if you're good.  Script the movie and make up
questions for your class to answer.  I start them out with
one every thirty seconds and then stretch the  time and the
level of thinking needed to answer the question.  Allow time
to brief and debrief before and after each class as the
students will have many questions.  The movie will teach the
concept of freedom and you the teacher will be presented
with a host of teachable moments.

Two words to the wise:
     One, the last few minutes of the film are very graphic.
I usually delete them.
     Two, the very end of the movie lists all of the
activist that were killed in South Africa by the government
and is very moving, don't miss it.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:

AFTER THE FACT
There are many different ways you can go with this movie
afterwards.  Here is a list of a few:

1)   Have your students research the history of South
     Africa.
2)   Follow South Africa in the news and compare and
     contrast how it has changed.
3)   Divide your class into first class and second class
     citizens.  Let them spend a day with the rules and
     regulations that could have been found under Apartheid.
     It is amazing how quickly the first class will look
     down on the second class.
4)   Have your students research laws in this country that
     have restricted citizens.  (I.e.,  black codes,
     Japanese internment camps, voting laws, etc.)

I have used "Cry Freedom" for three years and it has always
put my classroom on edge.  Good luck and have fun teaching!