Who is the Dalai Lama...and why should we care?

As I'm sure you're aware, our first week back from Spring Break was devoted to answering the question above...in anticipation of our all school field trip to Key Arena to partake in the "Seeds of Compassion" children's day with his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. We began our investigation with a look at PBS's "Biography: the 14th Dalai Lama" which gave us a "Dalai Lama 101" grasp of this amazing figure's life and legacy. Then Bert devoted two cores to reminding the girls what they already know about Buddhism, explaining the historical significance of the Dalai Lama, and highlighting the ongoing international issues surrounding the conflict between Tibet and China. Finally, we watched and commentated Martin Scorsese's award-winning film "Kundun" - based on the early life of the 14th Dalai Lama. Thus, by the time Monday, April 14th rolled around, SGS 8th graders had a firm grasp of the history and current issues pertaining to the Dalai Lama and could readily respond to the initial question posed!