Schedule | TNT Originals | Turner Learning Segmented Viewing Pre-Viewing Discussion How do students define the term "Civil Rights"? What do students know about the Civil Rights Movement? What images come to their minds? Have students read the brief overview of the Civil Rights Movement and have them review the concise timeline of events. As students watch each segment of PASSING GLORY, have them evaluate it as a docudrama-that is, a dramatic interpretation of a historical event. Have them consider the following questions: What information is given about specific trends, events or people? What information is left out of the film? Whose perspectives are presented or not presented? Have students write down their comments at the end of each segment. Father Verrett goes to New Orleans. St. Augustine was the opposing team. Father Verrett shows interest in two boys playing together: one African-American, the other White. Why is he so interested? Why does the woman get up when Father Verrett tries to sit down next to her? How does the opposing team react to St. Augustine's pre-game warmup? Does this seem realistic to you? Why was this scene included? How do the cab driver and Father Verrett differ in their views of the Civil Rights protesters? What can you predict might happen? Travis attends his first day in Father Verrett's history class. How would you characterize Travis' relationship with his grandmother? With his parents? Why is Travis' mother concerned with his interest in sports? What does this reveal about her? How do you interpret Mommit's remark that "even the slaves had a day off"? Who is Little Ricky? What is your impression of him? Why does Little Ricky's friend speak poorly of Travis after he leaves? Why do you think Little Ricky defends Travis? Why does Father Verrett persist in questioning his students about Christopher Columbus even after they tell him they've learned all about "1492" in grade school? Contemporary Connection: What were you taught about Columbus? How do your teachers help you learn multiple perspectives about historical events? Some men gather in the barbershop to discuss sports. Travis witnesses Mike Malone being recruited by Tulane. Coach Connor abandons the team. What does the man mean when he says that he will read the "colored paper" when it is a "colored world"? Do the other men agree with his views? How do they react to Rod from SNCC (pronounced "snick", it stands for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)? How do you account for their reaction? Why can't Travis and his friends get food inside the diner? What is the symbolism of Mike Malone being recruited inside? What does Travis' remark that Mike scored "30 [points] against Immaculate Conception" reveal about his view of Mike? How does this view seem to differ from those of his teammates? What does Travis' father mean when he tells Father Verrett that "'aught' and 'is' is a long ways apart"? How does the team react to Coach Connor's suggestion that they are the "best darned colored team that this state ever saw"? How do you account for this reaction? Father Verrett becomes coach. He promises that they will play Jesuit. He and Father Grant try to convince local Catholic principals. Who were the Moors? What does the textbook say? How is this incomplete? Why is this scene included in the film? What does Father Verrett mean when he says that while "faith is supposed to be above politics," he has learned that often it is not? Why does Father Verrett make Travis play alone against a team of five? Do the other Catholic principals seem to endorse racism? If they don't, what is keeping them from acting on their beliefs? Contemporary Connection: How do Father Verret and Father Grant differ over the proper role of sports? With whom do you agree? How are sports emphasized in your school? In society? How are sports "heroes" treated? Father Verrett enters a "Whites-only" diner. When he is threatened by Mike Malone's father, the team tries to come to his aid. They are arrested. Why does Father Verrett remove Travis from the game? Is it simply because he made the mistake of shooting the ball rather than holding it? What does Father Verrett mean when he tells the team that "When you sit in the back of the bus too long, you begin to believe that you belong there"? Whose influence does Travis show when he tells Father Verrett, "We're a team . . . We can't have one man off grandstanding on his own"? In a similar situation, do you think you would have acted as Father Verrett did? Or as Travis and the team did? How would you have reacted if you had been in Travis' position? After their release from jail, Travis argues with his parents and Verrett faces the Archbishop. Why does Travis' father say that "being right" isn't enough? When Travis' father tells his mother that Travis has "no idea of what's going on," she responds, "We never wanted him to." What does she mean? Are there things that you are protected from? What does Mommit's story reveal about her? About Travis' father? What does Mommit mean when she tells Travis that he needs to "pick [his] shots," that he "needs to make them count"? Does this lesson complement any others he has learned that night? Explain. Why does Father Verrett tell the team that he had wrongly drawn them into a "personal situation"? Contemporary Connection: How would you characterize Travis's relationship with his family? Do you know any families like this? In general, does our society show respect for elders-and the elderly? Travis challenges the Jesuits to a game. Impressed, Father Verrett threatens to expose Chick Viola's heritage unless he supports the game. Why does Little Ricky take the alcohol away from Travis? How does Little Ricky compare his own situation to Travis'? Why do you think Little Ricky's character included in the film? When Mommit says that it is "awful to see a man ashamed of his own self," does she mean Chick Viola only? How do you feel about what Father Verrett does to Chick Viola? In the world in which he lives, is Chick's decision to "pass" more complex than it might appear? Explain. What does Father Grant mean when he says that "We shouldn't be digging tunnels-we should be pushing the walls down"? From whom does he borrow the notion of "walls"? Father Grant talks to the White families of Jesuit; Father Verrett, to the Black families of St. Augustine. They agree to a game. In the last second of the game, St. Augustine wins. What does Travis' father reveal when he tells the story of his own youth? What insights do we gain into the generational gap during the Civil Rights struggle? Why are the families so quiet when they take their seats in the gym? Why did the filmmaker make this decision? Where does Chick Viola sit? Why? Why do you think he made that decision? What does he have to gain or lose? After Father Verrett's "PASSING GLORY" speech, Travis hands out his basketball cards to the rest of the team. Why? In a similar situation, do you think you would have done what Mike Malone did? What does he reject in his father? At the very end of the game, the director cuts away from play action to show Little Ricky announcing the result on the playground court. Why? The film does not end with Travis scoring the winning basket. Why? Contemporary Connection: Have the goals of the Civil Rights Movement been achieved? What remains to be done? How is the "glory" passed? Copyright (c) 1999 Turner Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved.