• Home
• Discussion Questions
• Lesson Plan
  • "Understanding the Power of Media: Planning a Documentary Segment About Peter: A Juvenile Sentenced to Life Without Parole "
  • Student Handout: The Language of Film and Video
  • Student Handout: Storyboard Organizer
• Additional Lesson Ideas
  • Exploring The Adolescent Brain
  • How Does YOUR State Treat Adolescent Offenders?
• Additional Resources
• Printable .pdf of entire guide
  (Adobe Acrobat required)

Additional Resources

A Note about Internet Resources
Students need to be aware that Web sites sometimes present only one view of an issue. Encourage them to think about Web sites even as they are reading. Guiding questions as they review Web sites are: What to did you learn from this site? What didn't you learn from this site? Who sponsors this site? What bias might the sponsor have? How current is the site?

WEB SITES

FRONTLINE
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/whenkidsgetlife/
The companion Web site to the documentary features a state-by-state map showing statistics on juveniles sentenced to life without parole, profiles of the inmates featured in the report, extended interviews with legal experts, a conversation with the filmmaker and the opportunity to view the full program at any time in streaming video.

Articles About Juveniles Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Colorado

http://hrw.org/reports/2005/us1005/9.htm#_Toc114638432
This Web site is a case study of Kevin C., a juvenile in Colorado sentenced to life without parole

http://www.denverpost.com/teencrime/ci_3636564
This article is headlined "Teen Crime, Adult Time," with a subtitle: "Laws converge to put teens away forever."

http://www.denverpost.com/teencrime/ci_3527304
This article asks whether Felony murder is a "legal fiction."

http://www.denverpost.com/teencrime/ci_3530251
This article points out that the "scars of abuse [were] concealed" until a teen killed his stepfather.

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/reform/ch3_b.html
This article tracks changes in Colorado's juvenile justice system after violence in the 1980s and '90s.

The Teen Brain

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
A FRONTLINE Web site examining the adolescent brain.

http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/may02factsheetadolbraindev.pdf
This PDF file discusses how adolescent brains are different than adult brains.

http://nextdayfoundation.org/RESOURCES.html
The Next Day Foundation was started by Erik Jensen, one of the inmates featured in When Kids Get Life. This page on the foundation's Web site offers a state-by-state listing of resources for teens who need help.

Information About Documentary Films

http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/exp_lang/grammar_film_tv.html
This Web site compares the grammar of written language to the "grammar" of film.

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ebayer/introtodoc.html
This Purdue University course handout lists and discusses how documentaries convey meaning.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0602/p01s02-ussc.html
This article, from the Christian Science Monitor argues that "in 'docu-ganda' films, balance is not the objective."