The Gorp's Gift Activities

1. Brainstorm beliefs about guns. Determine if the beliefs held by students are identical, similar, different, unrelated, or contradictory.
2. Ask students to make a list of priorities their school should have in order to make it a safe place for learning.
3. Think about Gorp's message: GUNS HURT. How many different ways can they express the same idea? Brainstorm a list.

Synthesis

1. Write letters to the President to let him know what needs to be done to make your community a safe and healthy place in which to live.
2. Have students compile a list of community services or people that kids could turn to in order to steer their lives away from violence.
3. Guns are just one sign of violence. Have students make a list of other ways in which people are violent.

Evaluation

1. Make a human graph. Have students stand along a continuum to express agreement or understanding of a concept, idea, or process. For example: Those who agree never to touch a gun versus those who disagree. (Children stand in a line to express where they stand on the issue.)
2. Stage formal debates that involve students in research to prepare for the debate. Some debate ideas include: Should violent movies and video games be censored? Should guns be banned? Should violent TV be taken off the air? Should the channel be changed when a violent show is on television? Who should do the changing? (You, a parent, a babysitter, a chip put into the TV set by a censor?) Who decides what is violent? Should the government censor what we can see? Can we each make our own smart choices?

Adapted from The Gorp's Gift Teacher's Guide by Tracy Osburn.