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After giving thought to the importance of her friendship with the other Cheetah Girls, Chanel
turns down the offer. All three girls come to the conclusion that no role or achievement is worth
destroying a friendship. Now the girls decide to convince Vik and his uncle to cast Gita as the
lead. The uncle agrees that sheʼs perfect, and the movie ends with a wedding scene from
Namaste Bombay in which the Cheetahs sing and dance the title song, "One World."
Objectives:
By viewing the program and participating in the activities, students will:
•
•
Consider the balance between friendship and personal ambition
Be exposed to cultural and visual aspects of India
Pre-Viewing Questions:
1. What do you know about India? Where is it located? How many people live there?
What sort of government does it have? What language or languages are spoken there?
What religion or religions are practiced there?
2. What are the most important aspects of friendship? Have you ever had to decide
between loyalty to a friend and doing something you really wanted? How did you handle
that decision? What do you wish you had done, in retrospect?
Post-Viewing Questions:
1. What led to the bad feelings between the Cheetah Girls related to the audition?
2. Why did the Cheetah Girls decide to support Gita for the starring role?
3. What are important qualities of a friendship? How do the Cheetah Girlsʼ friendships rate
in the areas of honesty, acceptance and helpfulness? Give examples from the movie.
4. What did you notice in the movie about Mumbai? What did you notice about Rajasthan?
How would you compare those places to your hometown?
Activity #1: The Poetry of Friendship
Curriculum Connection: Language Arts, Character Education
Materials needed: Copies of poems and lyrics
The Cheetah Girls song, “No Place Like Us,” is about their friendship. The lyrics can be found
below. Share some other song lyrics or poems about friendship with the class. Some
possibilities are:
• “If” by Rudyard Kipling
• “Love and Friendship” by Emily Bronte
• “Your Catfish Friend” by Richard Brautigan
• “A Blessing” by James Wright
Work as a class to identify the use of rhythm and meter, metaphor and simile in the example
below. What is the songwriter's point of view? What might the songwriter believe about
friendship? Assign students to write a poem or song about friendship, in the format of their
choice.
Activity #2: Friendship Role-Play
Curriculum Connection: Language Arts, Drama
Have your students role-play the following situations:
•
Imagine you are Dorinda. When you see Chanel and Vik holding hands right before the
audition, what do you think? How do you feel? What might you say to Chanel that would
lead to an argument? What might you say that would lead to a better understanding
between you?
•
Imagine you are Vik. You went to NYU Film School and you are getting your big chance
at making a movie. On the other hand, the producer is your uncle. Chanel is urging you
to stand up to your uncle, saying that itʼs not your big chance if itʼs not the movie you
want to make. What do you say to Chanel? What do you say to your uncle?
•
You and two partners are the Cheetah Girls. Youʼve just returned to the United States
from India. Youʼre trying to tell Galleria about the trip. What do you say to her? What
did you learn about India and about yourselves? What will your next steps be, personally
and with the Cheetah Girls?
Activity #3: Indian Celebrations
Curriculum Connection: Social Studies, Language Arts
Materials needed: Activity sheet
In the movie, the entire cast travels to Rajasthan for Holi. Holi is also called the Festival of
Colors. It takes place over two days in the later part of February or March. The first day is
observed with nighttime bonfires, symbolizing the burning of the demon Holika. On the second
day, people throw colored powder and water at each other, which is thought to have medical
significance. There are many celebrations in India (a partial list is below, though many more
exist). Have each student pick one celebration to research, using the activity sheet at the end of
this guide. Ask them to share their results with the class. To extend the experience further, pick
one holiday to celebrate as a class. Invite community members, serve authentic food, decorate
the classroom, and observe as many customs as possible. Ideally, find someone who
celebrates the holiday to help with authenticity.
• Independence Day
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Republic Day
• Eid
• Gandhi Jayanti
• Onam
• Diwali
Activity #4: Bollywood
Curriculum Connection: Language Arts, Social Studies, Media & Visual Arts
The term “Bollywood” refers to the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.
Bollywood is the largest film production center in India and one of the largest in the world.
Bollywood cinema has its own language, history, influences and conventions. For instance,
Bollywood films are mostly musicals; are often well over two-hours long; mix action, romance and
comedy; and tend toward the melodramatic. Show students a Bollywood classic, then discuss
the movie as a group. What movies that youʼve seen does it remind you of? How is it similar to
and different from classic Hollywood movies?
Activity #5: Indian Geography
Curriculum Connection: Geography, Language Arts
Materials needed: Activity sheet
The movie has two main settings in India: Mumbai and Udaipur. Mumbai is in the state of
Maharashtra, and Udaipur is in Rajasthan. There are 28 states and 7 union territories in India (a
list is below). Have each student pick one administrative division to research, using the activity
sheet at the end of this guide. Ask them to share their results with the class. Use the similarities
and differences in the student reports to paint a picture of Indiaʼs diversity. Administrative divisions
of India, including 28 states and 7 union territories:
States:
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Orissa
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Union Territories:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Chandigarh
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Daman and Diu
Lakshadweep
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Puducherry
Activity #6: Crossword
Curriculum Connection: Language Arts, Social Studies
Use the attached activity sheet to review key vocabulary from the movie.
Resources
Books:
Canfield, Jack et al. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School. Publisher: Chicken
Soup for the Soul, 2008.
Gregory, Deborah. Cheetah Girls Series. Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children.
Kalman, Bobbie. India Series (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures). Publisher: Crabtree Publishing
Company, 2002.
Martin, Ann M. and Raina Tegelmeier. Baby-Sitters Club Series. Publisher: GRAPHIX.
Spinelli, Jerry. School Daze Series. Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks.
Teacher Created Resources and Elaine Jackson. India. Publisher: Teacher Created Resources,
2008.
Williams, Julie and Angela Martini. A Smart Girl's Guide to Starting Middle School. Publisher:
American Girl Publishing, 2004.
Web Sites:
Disney Channelʼs Cable in the Classroom Web Page
http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/cableintheclassroom/
Cheetah Girls Official Web Site
http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/originalmovies/cheetahgirls/franchise/index.html
Itʼs My Life at PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/
CIA World Factbook: India
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html
National Portal of India
http://india.gov.in/
India Travel and Tourism
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india