Freedom Writers Diary

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul – Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger (editors)

Kaffir Boy – Mark Mathabane

Statement:

I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised how mature and well collected all these students thoughts were throughout the diary entries. It was a common theme that many of the students in the class could relate fairly well to each others experiences and situation. A lot of that has to due with the simple fact that they live in the same area but at the same time I felt so disconnected from these students at times because I have never had to deal with barely any of their experiences if any.

Question:

I remember one of the earlier entries talked about how it was important that the class material was similar to the children’s experiences so that they could relate to and empathize with the characters. Because Mrs. G. did this is was what made the difference for this person to actually enjoy reading and school.

How does this book relate to other students as far a teaching material? Would this book be useful for children who have more privileged lives and don’t live in an urban project or gang infested streets? What books are appropriate for these children? Is there any crossover/ how specialized does a curriculum have to be for student to obtain value?

Nick