NCJ Number
148507
Date Published
1970
Length
197 pages
Annotation
This teacher's manual for a school curriculum unit on gangs provides the teacher background information on gangs and presents suggested lesson plans.
Abstract
The unit focuses on the violent gang, not the social or nonviolent delinquent gang. The unit is for junior high and senior high school students. Students for whom violent gangs are an urgent, daily concern should gain perspectives that will help them cope with the problem. Other students should correct misconceptions about gangs and deepen their understanding of a serious urban problem. The four lesson plans address the inner needs that gang membership fulfills, the risks inherent in gang activity, locating or initiating alternative sources of stimulation and fulfillment for potential gang members, and the nature of prejudice and discrimination as a factor in producing violent gangs. The unit may be used in a variety of ways: to relate the unit to current events, to work the unit into the direct study of prejudice and discrimination, and to use it in the study of city problems. Background information on Philadelphia gangs is included for those teachers who wish to develop their own classroom activities. Suggested activities are described in this manual. Bibliographies of short stories, films, books, and community resources are appended, along with the Bopping Game: a gang war simulation for the classroom. If the entire unit is used, it should take from 3 to 6 weeks.