• analyze the issue of gun violence in our country, and speculate on the causes.
• express an understanding of how the loss of lives caused by guns can impact victims' friends and family members.
• create a visual representation that expresses their thoughts and feelings on gun violence.
• reflect on the causes of gun violence and develop a plan to create a gun violence-free society.

Civics
Understands the sources, purposes, and functions of law, and the importance of the rule of law for the protection of individual rights and the common good

Art
Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines

Life Skills
Contributes to the overall effort of a group

English
Scans a passage to determine whether it contains relevant information
Uses discussions with peers as a way of understanding information

1. Preview the GunShots video.
2. Consider how you will divide the class into groups for the activities.
3. Bookmark the following sites:

http://www.pomc.com/
Parents of Murdered Children provides emotional support to help parents and other survivors deal with their grief.

http://www.pomc.com/murderwall.cfm
Stories from the Parents of Murdered Children's Web site.

http://www.pomc.com/song.cfm
Songs from the Parents of Murdered Children's Web site.

http://www.millionmommarch.com/
The Million Mom March is a national grassroots, chapter-based organization dedicated to preventing gun death and injury, and supporting victims and survivors of gun trauma.

http://www.gunfree.org/content/frame_home.html
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is a national group working to reduce gun violence.

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY

• Do you know someone who has been injured or killed by a gun?
• Do you personally have access to a gun?
• Compared with the other 25 industrialized nations, children in the United States are 9 times more likely to die a firearm-related death. What do you think are some of the reasons for this?
• In 1998, 30,780 people in the United States died from firearm-related deaths. How many people live in your town or city? What percentage of your population is 30,780? (Alternate question: If your town has less than 30,780 people, how many towns your size would you need to combine to reach a population of 30,780?)
• What do you think about the phrase, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people"?
• Playwright Anton Chekhov was quoted as saying, "If a gun is on the mantle in the first act, it must go off in the third." How might this quote relate to real life?

If students are interested in finding more facts on guns, they may visit the following sites:

http://www.pahv.org/facts/index.htm
http://www.gunfree.org/content/resources/frame_resc_intro.html
http://www.nraila.org/

The purpose of this activity is for students to connect on a personal level with the loss of life caused by guns in our country.

1 . Read the following quote from the Murder Wall page from the Parents of Murdered Children Web site:

"We always know the name of the offender, but we seldom ever see or know the name of the victim. The Murder Wall is a strong and loving reminder, not only of my husband Monte, but of all those who die by violence in our country. " - Sharon Tewksbury, West Chester, Ohio

2. Visit the Silent March site at http://www.silentmarch.org/ . (The Silent March displays empty shoes representing people who die each year from gun violence.)

3. Explain to students that you are going to create a Silent March in your classroom. You may decide to use the shoe concept, or you may brainstorm other ways to create a Silent March. (i.e., Bring in shirts on hangers and hang them from the ceiling.)

4. Ask each student to collect memories of a person who was killed by a gun. This may be an actual person they know, or a person from the Murder Wall…Honoring Their Memories page from the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, Inc. Website. http://www.pomc.com/murderwall.cfm

5. Have students write a memory of their selected person on a piece of paper.

6. Ask each student to bring in a pair of shoes. (This should be a pair that can remain in the classroom for an extended period of time.)

7. Ask students to place the written copy of the memory into one of the shoes.

8. Arrange the shoes in the classroom or another area of the school.

9. Allow time for the students to read the messages in the shoes.

10. You may want to invite other classes into your room to view your Silent March.

The purpose of this activity is for students to envision how a gun violence-free society might look, and what can be done to make this a reality.

1. Write the following quote on the board:

"Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not." - Robert Kennedy

2. Ask the class the following discussion questions:

• Who was Robert Kennedy?
• Do you know how he died?
• The first part of the quote reads, "Others have seen what is and asked why." What does gun violence in our country look like?
• What are some of the reasons for this?
• The second part of the quote reads, "I have seen what could be and ask why not." What do you think our society could look like in regard to gun violence?
• Do you think your vision is an attainable goal?
• What do you think happens when people hold the view that things will never change?
• What can you personally do to end gun violence in our country?

3. Break the class into small groups to create an "I Have Seen What Could Be Society" - a society free from gun violence.

4. Visit the following websites to learn about what people are doing to end gun violence. Students should take notes on the ideas you want to remember.

http://www.silentmarch.org/
Silent March

http://www.pomc.com/
The Society of Parents of Murdered Children

http://www.millionmommarch.com/
Million Mom March

http://www.gunfree.org/content/frame_home.html
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

5. After you have finished researching these sites, discuss which ideas you might want to include in your project. Brainstorm additional ways to help create your I Have Seen What Could Be Society.

Include the following in your project:

• Describe what your society will look like.
• What can you do to help stop gun violence?
• What role could the schools play?
• What would the government need to do?
• How could you help to inform and educate adults?
• How will you get the message out to younger children?
• How can you teach people to resolve conflicts peacefully?

6. Present your I Have Seen What Could Be report to the class. This could be in the form of a play, mural, video, PowerPoint presentation, Website etc.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Using the information that you have learned about gun violence in our society, create a school or community project to help end gun violence.

Allow students to choose one of the following options:

In this option students visit the site, select a photograph that intrigues them, and write a short story or essay about the picture.

Tom's Song — Inspired by the story of a father waking up his wife to tell her their son Tom had been killed.

Always In Our Heart — Inspired and written for those who have lost a loved one.

Insanity — Written in response to the death of three children in the same newspaper on the same day.

(Students may choose to bring in songs of their own on this topic.)

In this option students listen to the songs, and write song lyrics for a song of their own.

http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?prmID=1477

back to top