Understanding and Discussing Gang Violence

Unit Three

Understanding and discussing gang violence

Graffiti Board50

Discussion about gangs and territory

Whole class work

Comic Strip activity52

Creating a storyboard of a scene

Small group activity

Colombian hypnosis - Augusto Boal 55

Drama Activity

Pairsactivity

Status cards57

Drama Activity

Whole group and pairs activity

Walking debate60

Gang structures

Whole group activity and pairs activity

Discussion groups62

Small Group activity

Diamond Nine activity65

Questioning and placing statements in order

Small group activity

Forum Theatre68

Drama Activity

Whole group activity

“How big do you feel? – Knife Crime” video and

“Carry a knife and the consequences will follow” video 70

Responding to the advertisement campaigns about knife crime

Whole group and small group activity

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Graffiti Board

Discussion and writing about gang violence and territory

Year groups:
2nd, 3rd,TY
Whole group
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic: Making decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship / Concept: Human Dignity and choices, Rights and Responsibilities
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Exploring gang violence and territory
Oral and aural language: Responding to ideas
Writing: Creating and building a graffiti wall
Learning Objective: To discuss thoughts, ideas and feelings about gangs and gang territory and to write responses on a graffiti board.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will work together to discuss their thoughts, feelings and understanding about gangs and gang territory.
Students will develop an understanding of gang identity, roles in a gang and choices that are and can be made.
Students will discuss these ideas as a whole group and create a Graffiti Board display which can be viewed by other students in the school.
Materials: Pens, paper, large sheet of paper for the graffiti board, Blu Tac.

The concept of a Graffiti Board is adapted from: Active Learning and Teaching Methods for Key Stage 3, Northern Ireland Curriculum, A PMB Publication © 2007, Produced by CCEA, Website: [Accessed on: 22nd August 2012]

1. Explain the learning objective to the class.They are going to create a graffiti board together on the large sheet of paper, maybe three A3 or bigger sheets of card stuck together. The graffiti board will be a reflection of their thoughts, ideas, feelings, knowledge and understanding of gangs and gang territory.

1. Ask the class to talk in pairs or small groups about their own understanding of a gang, feelings on gangs or any thoughts on gang territory. Following this these ideas could be discussed further as a whole class.

1. The students contribute any ideas they have in writing on the graffiti board. Explain that this graffiti board can be added to at any time while working on this topic. It may be useful to use a KWL approach, where students write their present knowledge about this topic and some questions about what they would like to find out and once the work has been researched they could add to the graffiti board what they have learnt about this topic. The graffiti board can be displayed in the classroom or the hall for all students to see and consider.

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Group Comic Strip/Storyboard Activity

Active Learning

Small groups activity
Year groups:
2nd, 3rd,TY
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic: Making decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship / Concept: Human Dignity
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Link:Understanding and discussing gang violence
Writing: Creating a storyboard or comic strip
Learning Objective: To explore gang violence by creating a small group storyboard or comic strip.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will work together discussing how the scene from the play and the gang violence can be presented in a storyboard or comic form.
Students will develop an understanding of how a storyboard or comic strip can be used to tell a story.
Students will consider the key moments, images and text that will illustrate the scene.
Materials: Samples of comics or graphic novels, A4 paper, markers, pens, colouring pencils, storyboard or comic strip template, cut out speech or thought bubbles, a copy of the text from the play.

1. Explain the learning objective; the class are going to work in groupsto make astoryboard or comic strip of a scene from Where in the World is Frank Sparrow?Perhaps when Aaron South and his gang confront Kira and Frank, or the final scene when Frank and Kira run and then Frank is swallowed from below and Kira is left surrounded by police sirens (both scenes are available in the photocopiable section)?Consider how the chosen scene could be presented in this format? Does it change how we discuss or show the violence? What effect will it have on how we tell the story?Divide the class into six groups depending on class size. Each group is assigned a group representative who will take notes during the reflection part of the session. Give the group a time limit – 30/40 minutes - to create the storyboard or comic strip as a group using the template. It might be useful to try this activity over two sessions.

2. Each group is given samples of comics or age appropriate graphic novels, a copy of the scene from the play; Where in the World is Frank Sparrow?, colouring pencils, markers,pens, the A4 paper template. Ask the groups touse those materials to create a storyboard or comic strip of their chosen scene. The group can use drawings, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, images, text, anything they believe conveys their chosen scene from the play. Ask the group to decide on who this storyboard or comic strip is aimed at? What age group? How can they appeal to that age group?

3. While the groups are working together the teacher can “visit” the groups and help with any questions they may have.When the groups have completed their storyboards or comic strip explain to the students that they now have five minutes to think about the Discussion and Reflection questions. A copy of these questions is in the photocopiable section. A group representative can write down answers or take notes.

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Colombian hypnosis- Augusto Boal

Drama activity

Pairs activity
Year groups:
2nd,3rd,TY
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic: Making decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship / Concept: Human Dignity
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Self-awareness in a small group, being a leader and a follower in a gang/group.
Learning Objective: To lead your partner around the room using different movements.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will develop an understanding of working together as a pair.
Students will work together in role as a leader and a follower and then swap roles.
Students will develop an understanding of which role they preferred and why.
Students will consider how the characters in Where in the World is Frank Sparrow? led and followed each other in their different roles.
Clear the space for this activity

This activity has been adapted from: Colombian hypnosis pg51, Boal, Augusto, (2002) (2nd ed) Translated by Adrian Jackson, Games for Actors and Non-Actors, London, Routledge

1. Explain the learning objective to the group. Ask the group to find a space for themselves in the room. A cleared room is necessary for this activity or a larger hall space.

2. Ask the group to move around the room, move in different directions and to fill any empty spaces in the room. * Health and safety – remove any chairs or objects that could cause injury when the group are moving in the space.

Explain to the group that you would like them to form pairs. Decide who is A and who is B. A is going to be the leader and B is going to be the follower and when the teacher says ‘Swap’ you can swap over your roles. A is going to lead B safely around the room in different directions and in different ways.However A must place their hand in front of B’s face, about 20 – 40cm away, palm of the hand facing B and base of the palm at B's chin level. A then leads B with their hand. Initially encourage A to move their hand from left to right, up and down, using slow, steady movements. B must respond to these movements. A must ensure that B is safe at all times, but try out different ways of moving around the room. It might be useful for the teacher to model an example of this activity for the class. Encourage the group to use non-verbal communication and to work together. This activity is done in silence. Swap over.

3. When the group has tried the exercise a few times ask the group to come together and to discuss the activity based on the Reflection and discussion questions.

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Status cards

Drama activity

Whole class and pairs work activity:
Year groups:
2nd, 3rd,TY
Learning Objective: To understand the idea of status and roles in a gang.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will develop an understanding of different roles in a gang.
Students will consider what is meant by status in a gang.
Students will work together to discuss the ideas of status and roles in the play Where in the World is Frank Sparrow?
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic:Making decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship / Concept: Human Dignity
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Gangs – status, character analysis and understanding characters
Materials: A deck of cards (joker cards removed), photocopiable pairs question cards.
Clear the space for this activity!

1. Explain the learning objective and the outline of the game to the class. We will be using a deck of cards (with the joker cards removed for this activity) to look at status and roles in a gang.

2. Ask the students what they understand by the word status. As a whole group write down the suggestions on the board or a large sheet of paper. This activity could be done a similar way to the Mind Map about the play in Unit 1. Ask the group to think about the concept of status in relation to members in a gang.

3. Explain that in this context, status is a position in a gang. Status can change. People “play” different status with different people. There is high, middle and low status.

Status Activity:

1. Ask the group to stand in a circle. Shuffle the deck of cards, remove the joker cards.

• King, Queen, Jack and ten are high status cards
• Ace, two, three, four are low status cards
• Five, six, seven, eight and nine are middle status cards
• Ask each student to take a card but to keep the status of the card to themselves.

2. Set the context for the status cards. Everyone is on the main street of a town/city. Ask the students to walk around the space (the main street) with the status of the card they have been given. Ask them to think about eye contact, how they walk, do they greet other people? Bring the group back together in a circle after a few minutes. Discuss with the group how they walked,if they made eye contact or if they greeted people depending on their status card.

3. Play the activity again. Shuffle the deck of cards. This time ask the students to take a card, but not to look at it themselves. This time they will try and determine what their status is from the way other people respond to them. The students hold the card up to their forehead so that it is visible to others but not to themselves.

4. Give a context again – main street, school, shop. Students move around the space and respond to each other according to status. Once again they should consider eye contact, how they walk and greet other people.

5. Ask the group to come back into a circle. Without talking to each otherask them to place themselves in the high, middle or low status group according to what status they felt other people treated them. The teacher asks each status group why they felt they had high, middle or low status. Ask the students to look at the cards.

6. Ask the group to sit in a circle for a discussion about the activity and a follow-on pairs discussion about the play.

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Walking debate

Gang structures

Year groups:
2nd, 3rd,TY
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic:Making decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship / Concept: Human Dignity
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Considering gang violence and responding to statements
Learning Objective: To think about gang violence using a walking debate.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will think about gang violence using a walking debate.
Students will consider different choices they can make in the walking debate.
Students will discuss what they understand by gang violence in the walking debate.
Materials: Paper, signs with Agree, Disagree, Undecided and the statements.

Adapted from: [Accessed on: 25th August 2012]

Also adapted from: [Accessed on: 25th August 2012]

1. Explain the concept of a walking debate to the group. Place a sign saying “Agree” on one side of the classroom and “Disagree” on the other side of the classroom, “Undecided” in the middle space of the classroom. A line could be drawn or marked with masking tape along the floor or an imaginary line could be set for the class to move on and off when they react to the statements. Explain that the students will stand in the middle of the classroom if they are unsure if they agree or disagree with a statement and closer to the “Agree” or “Disagree” sign depending on what they think about each statement.

2. Call out the statementson thefollowing pageto the group. After each statement ask the group to step off the Agree, Undecided and Disagree line again. Discuss their reasons for standing closer to the Agree, Undecided and Disagree signs after calling out each statement.

Statements for the walking debate:

• A gang provides protection.
• Being part of a gang means everything.
• The leader in a gang is more important than the other gang members.
• It would be good if gangs ruled our world.
• Followers should always agree with their gang leader.
• It is important to use violence to defend yourself.
• Sensitivity in gang members is not allowed.
• Rivalry can help build character in a person.
• Being a member in a gang gives you an identity.
• You should always defend your territory.
• More statements could be improvised during the walking debate.

3. When the group have considered all the statements ask the group to sit in a large circle. Discuss the various statements with the group. The teacher can call out the statements again and the group can discuss the statements in more detail. Alternatively, the teacher might judge that it is more appropriate to briefly discuss each statement immediately after the students maker their Agree/Disagree choice. A circle discussion can expand on these brief discussions.

4. To develop this idea the group could consider their own statements and create a walking debate from them.

Unit 3: Understanding and discussing gang violence

Discussion groups

Small group activity

Small groups activity:
Year groups:
2nd, 3rd,TY
SPHE: Belonging and Integrating
Influences and Decisions / Topic:Group work
Topic:Making Decisions
CSPE: The Individual and Citizenship
The Law / Concept: Human Dignity
Concept: Rights and Responsibilities
English:Personal, Social and Cultural Literacy / Unit theme: Gangs, violence, gang violence. Discussion groups- Venn diagram ideas about gang violence.
Learning Objective: To understand the idea of the gangs and different types of gang violence using small group Venn diagrams.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will develop an understanding of what is meant by gangs and the different types of gangs.
Students will consider the role of gang members.
Students will use small group Venn diagrams as a means of discussing gangs, violence and gang violence.
Students will work together to discuss gang violence in the context of the play Where in the World is Frank Sparrow?.
Materials: Larger sheets of paper, pens, markers, whiteboard, whiteboard makers or blackboard and chalk, useful information and advice sheets from Unit 4, photocopiable questions to think about.

1. Explain the learning objective to the group. As in every classroom and lesson ensure that all the SPHE ground rules are in place; ensure that this is a safe environment for discussion and encourage sensitivity to the group and each other when discussing various ideas. In the centre of the whiteboard/blackboard, draw a circle; write the word “Gangs” in one circle. Draw another circle overlapping this circle to create a Venn diagram and write “Violence” inside that circle. Write “Gang violence” in the middle circle. Ask the group to think about these terms. What is their understanding of these terms? Write the group’s ideas on the board. Ask the group to consider if there are different types of gangs, violence and gang violence? Write down any suggestions from the group on the board.