BUILDING CHARACTER: THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

DO NOW: 11/11/15 (5 MINUTES) Answer all of the following questions in complete sentences. You will be graded for all of the written work you complete today. 1. What does forgiveness mean to you? And do you have to forget in order to forgive? Can you truly forgive someone without forgetting? 2. Were you ever forgiven for a wrongdoing that you think may have been difficult for someone to forgive. Explain the situation. *Students will be asked to volunteer answers for each question, which will count towards your participation grade. ** There will be 10 short response questions to answer in all, and each question will be worth 5%. Your final writing prompt will be 1 full page and will be worth 50% of your grade. ***The expectation is that you are silently working on your Do Now Questions and that your cell phone or headphones are not out, visible, or in use at any point throughout this class.

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS Everyone in this class has been betrayed, let down, or disappointed by someone we care about. One of the things that makes us human is the feelings of anger, distrust, and resentment that we may sometimes feel toward these people. So what makes forgiveness so powerful, you may ask? Forgiveness has been proven to make people happier, live longer, and have greater mental stability. It can also make us feel more carefree and less weighed down by our past. In this Seminar, we are going to explore stories of forgiveness, and at the end we will have the chance to practice some forgiving of our own.

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS#1 GUN VIOLENCE Have you ever thought that it was difficult to forgive someone? Take a look at this example and answer the following question:this example 3. Would you have forgiven this person? Why or why not? Do you understand why she forgave this person? Why or why not? Has anyone in your family or a family friend been harmed by gun violence? If so, did the victim’s family respond in a similar or different way to the woman in the video? Explain. (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out) Take a look at this video about what Oprah says about forgiving people.this video 4. What is she trying to say that forgiveness really means? Do you agree with her definition of forgiveness? Why or why not? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS #2: KIDNAPPING Select two volunteers to take turns reading paragraphs in the article to the left. Then answer the question below. 5. Why do you think that Chris’s act of forgiveness “brought peace to them both?” Could you have done the same thing if you were in his shoes? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS #3: ABUSE Watch this videoWatch this video and answer the following question: 6. What is the first word you think of when it comes to Rihanna and why? What parts of her interview stood out to you the most? Do you agree with or respect her decision to forgive Chris Brown? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS #4: DEADBEAT DAD Watch this interview about Lebron’s feelings toward his father and towards his children. (start at 2:50 and end at 5:15)this interview Now, listen to this poem entitled “The Correct Spelling of Father.”this poem 7. Do you think that either the poet and/or Lebron has forgiven their fathers for their wrongdoings? If so, how have they shown it? If not, what would be your advice to them in doing so? Why do you think it’s more difficult for some people to forgive outsiders before their own family? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS #5: JEALOUSY AND MURDER Watch this video that explains how Jennifer Hudson dealt with dealing with the man who murdered her mother, her brother, and her nephew.Watch this video 8. Jennifer Hudson lost three of the most important people in her life, but still chose to forgive the killer. How can her act of forgiveness allow us to take minor offenses done to us into perspective? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

STORIES OF FORGIVENESS #6: MASS SHOOTING Watch this video of Ana Grace Marquez-Green’s parentsthis video reminisce about their 6 year old daughter who was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting. 9. What do you think makes it possible for people to forgive while they are still grieving? Have you ever had to forgive Someone when the pain they’ve caused is still fresh? Explain (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

IS IT EVER OK NOT TO FORGIVE? Watch this video by Bishop T.D. Jakes, and listen to what he has to say about the harmful effects of unforgiveness.this video Then, after watching the video, using your own thoughts and those expressed in his video, answer this question: 10. Is it ever ok not to forgive? Who does not forgiving hurt more in the long run, you or the person who did you wrong? What are some examples of the ways that not forgiving has harmed you or someone you know in the past? (3 minutes of silent writing and then 2 minutes to share out)

HOW WE COPE AS A CLASS Oftentimes, when we feel betrayed by someone close to us we keep our feelings bottled up and fail to share them with anyone else. Expressing your thoughts either through speaking or writing can be very rewarding and can help you to cope with difficult situations. Class Poll: Raise your hand to vote Are you someone who copes with disappointment by: A.Sharing your feelings to several other people OR B.Keeping everything bottled up One person who voted each way should share a benefit and a flaw from each method

AN EXERCISE IN FORGIVENESS Well, today we are going to express our feelings and show forgiveness through writing! Writing Prompt: For this exercise, think about someone who has harmed you, let you down, or really disappointed you at some point during your life. Write a letter to this person saying 1) What things the person has done to cause you to write this letter, 2) Your feelings when the situation first happened, and how you feel about the situation now, 3) The long term effects, if any, their actions have had on you, 4) How you moving on and forgiving him/her can benefit your life, and 5) If the past could be forgotten, how would you like your relationship to be with this person going forward. Start your letter of as “Dear _____” This activity should be taken seriously. You should silently be writing for the next minutes. *As you are writing, keep Oprah’s definition of forgiveness in mind: “Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.”

THINK, PAIR, SHARE After you finish writing your letters, share parts of your letter or your entire letter with 1-2 other people. We will do this for 5-10 minutes and then have time for the entire class to come together to share as a whole. *You will not be required to turn in your letters, but you can if you’d like and you will be graded for completing it either way. Consider sharing it with the person you wrote to.