Loudoun County Public Schools



Freedom Writers Study Guide

I. Imagery: Similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc

Write 5 sentences using imagery correctly:

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2.

3.

4.

5.

II. Commas: know the different rules of commas (specifically, but not limited to, FANBOYS, lists, introductory phrases, etc)

Write 5 sentences using commas correctly:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

III. Semi-colons: know when you should and should not use semi-colons (remember their need to be complete sentences both before and after the semi-colon)

Write 5 sentences using semi-colons correctly:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

IV. Active and Passive voice: make sure you understand the difference and can identify whether or not sentences are active or passive. Also be prepared to fix passive sentences and make them active.

Write 5 sentences using active voice correctly:

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2.

3.

4.

5.

Write 5 sentences using passive voice correctly:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

V. Freedom Writers

1. What is the teacher’s full name?

2. Ms. G spends a lot of time during her students’ freshman year discussing the holocaust and discrimination; what specific act from the first section caused her to discuss these issues?

3. Be prepared to discuss some of the many conflicts in the book (give at least 2 examples for each section below):

Man vs. man:

Man vs. society:

Man vs. self:

4. Who is Zlata? Where is she from? Why is she important? The students in the book also compare her to another young girl they read a book about; who is this other girl?

5. What are two ways that Ms. G. makes learning fun and interesting for her students?

6. What is a theme of the book (remember, a theme is the message the author is trying to send. This means that the theme cannot be war, it must be overcoming war or war dehumanizes people, etc)—you may not use a theme that you used to answer one of the other theme questions on this study guide!

7. How does Zlata respond when asked if she is Croatian, Muslim or Serbian? Why is this important to the book? How does this relate to a theme in the book?

8. Many students have discussed the role of death in their lives (either from losing friends, family, or witnessing a death). Be able to recognize some of the more obvious/important deaths from the book; be able to identify which death was not in the book.

Describe one of these deaths (use details so we know you have actually read).

9. How are the lives of the Freedom Writers war-like? How do individual Freedom Writers win particular battles and why? Do any or all of them win the war? Give examples.

10. How do the Freedom Writers evolve over the course of 4 years?

11. Where do the Freedom Writers get their name from? Aka, why are they called the Freedom Writers?

12. The Freedom Writers found parallels between their lives and the literature they read for Gruwell’s class. What effect did finding those parallels have on the Freedom Writers? Are there connections that you made between yourself and an aspect of the text? Why or why not?

13. Do you think writing can lead to change? Can writing really make a difference (for the individual or a larger group)? Why or how? Use Freedom Writers to show your point.

14. What was your favorite part of Freedom Writers? Why?

VI. Essay- For the essay component of this test you will be given four journal entries from the book, you must choose one of the four and then you will write a college essay as either the person from that journal entry or as yourself (about their topic). Remember that you may use first person in a college essay and that you should use imagery. Most importantly, remember that you are trying to sell yourself to the college; you want to make yourself (or the diary entry person) look good. Remember to include an introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion.

Diary 5: This Freedom Writer describes how buying and carrying a gun provided a sense of strength and protection even though it was dangerous. Think of the troubles you face in your life.

Diary 9: This writer states, “What goals do I aim for? I don’t aim, because I don’t have any goals; instead I deal with what comes. Think about yourself and your view of the future. What are your plans?

Diary 96: The student in this entry decides to become involved in her school and make a change.

Diary 141: Though cystic fibrosis is debilitating, it did not stop this writer from achieving a goal; it merely forced the writer down a different path. There are many people who overcome their physical or medical issues to achieve. Describe a person you know or know of who overcame a physical or medical issue to achieve their goal and thus become an inspiration.

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