English News

Ms Mason’s Year 10 English Purple - the Freedom Writers - The Line Game

The students at Wilson High School are used to navigating racial and ethnic divisions. The rivalry between black, Asian, and Latino gangs affect their everyday lives, constantly making them potential victims in a war where only external appearances and group loyalty matter. As a consequence, at school and in their neighborhood, students learn to remain within the confines of their own identity group. However, when Ms. Gruwell begins to teach her class about the historical consequences of ethnic violence around the world, focusing on the stories of Anne Frank in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands and Zlata Filipović in contemporary war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina, her students are forced to confront the horrific consequences of ethnic hatred. Inspired by Anne and Zlata’s experiences, Ms. Gruwell’s students learn to see beyond the barriers of race and ethnicity, discovering that peace and tolerance are infinitely greater goals than remaining focused on people’s different identities. Ultimately, the Freedom Writers commit to focusing only on everyone’s inherent humanity, concluding that there is only one race that matters: the united human race. (Lit Charts)

This film has made an impact on our class who love the Line Game so much that they ask to play it every lesson! It is a game designed to discover our commonalities rather than our differences. Students step on the line if they identify with the topic. Questions are asked “Do you or someone you know…”. We alternate with teacher led questions moving onto relevant real life experience questions that some of the students have written. It is a team building activity that can break down barriers between students that otherwise may lead to bullying or harassment solely based on judgements. I am very proud of their honesty and we get some surprises and laughter that unite our class.