The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Foreword and Freshman Year

Reading Check

1. Who wrote the foreword for The Freedom Writers Diary?

2. What books inspired The Freedom Writers Diary?

3. What was the cause of racial tension in Wilson High School?

4. What does Ms. Gruwell take her students to see in theaters after finding a racist caricature of Sharaud?

5. What bill do the students write about, explaining how it would affect their lives?

6. What novel do the students read that they feel relates to their own lives?

7. Who volunteers to pay for Ms. Gruwell to take her class on a field trip?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why was Ms. Gruwell assigned to teach “at-risk” freshmen in Wilson High School?

2. What is the difference between Ms. Gruwell’s class and the other classes in the school according to the diaries?

3. What comparison does Ms. Gruwell draw between Romeo and Juliet and her students’ own experiences?

Paired Resource

Rodney King Riots

• This article describes the Rodney King Riots, what prompted them, and why the event incited violence.
• The information relates to the text’s theme of Racial Identity and Tolerance.
• Why were citizens angry after Rodney King was killed? What was surprising about the outcome of the Rodney King trials? What was the reaction to the outcome of the trial? What events further fueled racial tensions in Los Angeles? What was Rodney King’s reaction to the rioting?

 Japanese American Internment

• This article describes Japanese Internment camps during World War II.
• Why were the Japanese internment camps created? What happened to Japanese Americans and others during World War II? What did the War Relocation Act do? When was the War Relocation Act repealed? How is this article related to the text’s theme of Racial Identity and Tolerance?

Sophomore Year

Reading Check

1. Where does Ms. Gruwell take students who pass a quiz about King Arthur and Camelot?

2. What does Ms. Gruwell call her campaign to help students with their aspirations of personal change?

3. Whom do the children begin to write letters to after reading her book?

4. How does Ms. Gruwell collect money to pay for Zlata’s trip to see their class?

5. Whom does Ms. Gruwell invite to speak with her students prior to the arrival of Miep Gies?

6. Whom does Miep consider to be a hero?

7. Where do the students meet Zlata and Mirna?

8. How does Zlata respond when asked about her ethnicity?

9. What do the students organize to raise money for Bosnia?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Ms. Gruwell decide to stay at Wilson instead of taking another job?

2. Why do the students have concerns about their class next year?

Paired Resource

Zlata Filipović

• This article describes the experiences of Zlata Filipović during the Siege of Sarajevo and her rise to fame after the publication of her book.
• What connection do people make between Anne Frank and Zlata Filipović? What did Filipović record about the event that started the conflict in Sarajevo? Where did Filipović and her family hide from the siege? What hardships did Filipović encounter during the siege? How is this article related to the text’s themes of The Power of Literature and Writing to Create Change and Individual Heroism?

Gerda Seifer

• This article describes the life of Gerda Seifer and her experience hiding from the Nazis during World War II.
• How old was Seifer when she hid in the cellar from Nazis? How long was Seifer in the cellar? What happened to Seifer's mother? Where did Seifer stay until the war ended? How was Seifer's father discovered? What happened to Seifer after the war? How is this article related to the text’s themes of Racial Identity and Tolerance, The Power of Literature and Writing to Create Change, and Individual Heroism?

Junior Year

Reading Check

1. What continent does Ms. Gruwell visit after working two jobs over the summer to save money?

2. To whom do some of the students in Ms. Gruwell’s class relate in Catcher in the Rye?

3. Who inspired Ms. Gruwell to turn the students’ diaries into a collaborative book?

4. Who is able to donate computers to the class?

5. To whom will the donated computers go after graduation?

6. What do the students decide to call themselves?

7. Where does the class plan to send the book once it is finished?

8. Where does the group travel to present their book?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why are the students reluctant to write about their personal experiences in the collaborative book?

2. How do the students’ opinions of the writing project change?

Paired Resource

“The Freedom Riders, Then and Now”

• This article discusses the activists who fought racial segregation in the South.
• Who were the Freedom Riders? How did the Freedom Riders decide to effect change? What inspired Ethridge to contact the Freedom Riders? What were the consequences for those participating in the Freedom Rides? How did the people who participated in the rides find inspiration to keep fighting for freedom? How is this content related to the text’s themes of Racial Identity and Tolerance, The Power of Literature and Writing to Create Change, and Individual Heroism?

Senior Year

Reading Check

1. What is the focus of Ms. Gruwell’s plan for her students in their senior year?

2. Whom does Ms. Gruwell decide to bring into the classroom to help students achieve her desired goal for the year?

3. What is the name of the college student who came from the projects?

4. What gains the class national attention, garnering letters and donations to the class?

5. Whom does Ms. Gruwell decide to meet with after turning down interviews with TV shows, magazines, and newspapers?

6. What award does the class win, prompting their visit to New York?

7. Who agrees to publish The Freedom Writers’ book?

8. Where do the students plan to meet again after their first year of college?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How do the students draw comparisons between The Animal Farm’s Molly and their own class?

2. What do the students learn about The Power of Literature and Writing to Create Change?

Recommended Next Reads

Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol

• This book is a collection of letters between Kozol and a young teacher, outlining strategies to succeed in the classroom.
• Shared topics include inspiring students, racial inequalities, and teacher interactions.
• Shared themes include Racial Identity and Tolerance and Individual Heroism.
• Letters to a Young Teacher on SuperSummary

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

• This book explores the detrimental effects of a traditional education in contrast to a problem-solving education that empowers students.
• Shared topics include teacher-student rapport, school politics, and inequalities.
• Shared themes include Individual Heroism and Racial Identity and Tolerance.
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed on SuperSummary