the giver creative writing prompts

PRESTO PLANS

prestO PLANS

ENGLISH TEACHER RESOURCES

Sent straight to your inbox

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS

Sign up to receive 10 ready-to-use ELA resources your students will love! 

10 FREE ELA RESOURCES

Teaching Students How to Annotate Poetry

8 Ways Teachers Can Celebrate Student Success 

Bulletin Board Ideas for Middle & High School English

ON THE BLOG

teacher favorites

an ELA facebook community

TEACHERS' LOUNGE

join us in the

Engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom with my best-selling, full-year bell-ringer set. Each day includes a unique and creative task. Topics include grammar, vocabulary, writing, and figurative language.  

Full Year of English  Bell-Ringers (Vol 3)

teacher resource

Top categories, i'm bonnie from presto plans.

I’m a curriculum writer, literacy educator, and all around book lover with a passion for helping English teachers engage their students with creative, high-quality resources. My mission? To make teaching English a whole lot easier for you, teacher friend! 

Hello, Teachers! 

The Giver: 8 Creative Class Activities

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a teacher’s dream novel. The complex dystopian plotline, dynamic characters, and thought-provoking themes provide so many opportunities for teachers to foster text-to-self and text-to-world connections. Critical thinking activities that allow students to empathize with the characters are a must-have in any novel unit. Below are 8 of my favorite activities for The Giver   that do just that.  

1. The Ceremony of 12 Simulation

This first activity is always a class favorite. It allows students to empathize with Jonas and his friends as they are assigned careers by the Chief Elder during the Ceremony of 12 .

How This Activity Works:

Welcome students to the classroom with a colorful poster for The Ceremony of Twelve. Once they are all settled, immediately transform into The Chief Elder. Address the class explaining that although they have spent the last 11 years learning to fit in and standardize their behavior, that this ceremony will celebrate their differences. Then, one-by-one present each student with their new job and a designated card that states all of the roles and responsibilities. After each student gets their assignment, have the rest of the class say in unison, “Thank you for your childhood.”

Give your students a choice of assignment. They can either fill out an application for a job switch or write a journal discussing their feelings on their new role in the community!

2. Seeing Beyond Activity

In The Giver , Jonas has the capacity to ‘see beyond.’ This means that Jonas, unlike the other members of the community, can use his senses from memory that allow him the ability to see color. This fun, seeing beyond class activity allows students to step into Jonas’ shoes to understand his ability to see beyond.

Students enter the classroom to a colorful poster welcoming them to Seeing Beyond. Ask them to circulate the room to different areas that have hidden image optical illusions. Some will be able to see the hidden pictures, while others will not.

After the activity, students work with partners to discuss how they felt when they were or were not able to see the hidden image. They will also discuss how it felt to successfully or unsuccessfully help someone else see the image and how this relates to the novel.

3. Memory Transmission Activity

Through his role as The Receiver, Jonas receives transmitted memories of the past from The Giver. This FREE memory transmission activity allows students to empathize with both Jonas and The Giver as they will both receive and transmit memories. This one has always been a real hit with my students!

Put a colorful poster on the door welcoming your class to The Giver’s Annex. Then, transform into The Giver and give each group of students descriptions of new memories that Jonas will receive.

Some of the memories involve painful memories, like homelessness, while others involve more positive memories like Neil Armstrong’s arrival on the moon! Students discuss prompting questions that will have them understand the value of keeping the world’s memories safe. After all the memories have been transmitted, they will shift into the role of The Giver. In this role, they will transmit one important historical memory to Jonas of their choosing.

4. The House of Old Activity

The elderly in The Giver are seemingly treated with the utmost respect and care in The House of Old , but the reader soon learns that things are not as positive as they appear. The elders of the community are killed (a.k.a released from society). This activity allows students to examine how the elderly are treated in different cultures/countries in the world and how this compares to how they are treated in Jonas’ community.

Students will enter the classroom to a colorful poster welcoming them to The House Of Old. They participate in small group discussions with information cards that provide details about how the elderly are treated in different cultures. When they are done, they fill in the blank card with how the elderly are treated in the novel and share with the rest of the class!

5. Dream Sharing Activity

In Jonas’ community, everyone must share any dreams they have with their family members. On the surface, dream sharing seems like a good way to keep open communication about inner feelings. In reality, however, it is another way that the government can keep control of the thoughts of their citizens and squash any independent thinking. This activity allows students to interpret their own dreams and consider what deeper meaning their dreams may have.

After reading chapter 6, a poster welcoming them to Dream Sharing greets students at the door. Break the class up into groups of 4 and tell each group to imagine they are family members. Each group receives dream prompt cards with common topics for dreams that have symbolic meanings. Each student shares a dream they remember which connects with one of the topics. If they can’t connect with any topic, they can share any dream they remember.

After everyone has shared their dreams, give each group the Dream Interpretation Cards that explain the symbolic significance of each dream topic. Students discuss and reflect on how it felt to reveal a dream and consider whether or not this would be a good practice in their everyday life.

6. A World Without Pain Activity

In Jonas’ community, members are sheltered from feeling any physical or emotional pain. While this theoretically seems like a peaceful way to live, Jonas soon learns that feeling no pain desensitizes people and doesn’t allow them to appreciate positive emotions. From pain, people are also able to learn from mistakes and avoid making those same mistakes again in the future. This activity brings this idea to the forefront by showing students a real-life example of someone who feels no pain.

Students work in groups to read information about people who feel no physical pain. You could have them research Gabby Gingras or Ashlyn Blocker, for example. As a group, students discuss whether or not they would like to live a life without physical pain and what challenges they might face if they chose yes. Then, they work with their group to brainstorm a list of advantages and disadvantages to living a life free of emotional pain.

7. The Telling of Feelings Activity

Jonas and his family participate in a nightly ritual called The Telling of Feelings  where each person describes an emotion that they experienced during the day and discusses it with the others. Help students understand what this ritual would be like by forming classroom families and simulating the practice.

After reading chapter 2, put students into groups. It is preferable that groups consist of two boys and two girls, but it isn’t necessary. Tell them that the group is their new family and they are to assign roles (parents and siblings).

Each student gets a “Feelings Card” that they fill out in preparation for the ritual. Students must choose a precise word that describes a feeling they had that day. Each member of the group shares their feelings while the other members listen carefully.

After the ritual, have students discuss whether or not they could see themselves doing this with their family, if it would make a family closer, and why they think this is a required ritual in Jonas’ community.

8. Family Forming Activity

In The Giver , couples can only have 2 children as mandated by the government. While this may seem completely removed from the modern-day, this activity will teach students about China’s one-child policy and allow them to consider how it relates to the novel.

This activity works best with a bit of pre-reading discussion. Students discuss how they would react if the government limited the number of children they could have. Ask them if they think this could or would ever happen.

After some discussion, have them read an article or watch a video on China’s one-child policy. I have students record their thoughts as they read using a graphic organizer. The one I use has them consider their thoughts, what they learned, and something that surprised them. Ask students to make a connection between this policy and the events of the novel.

Grab a ready-to-use unit plan with over everything you need to teach  T he Giver (340 pages/slides of eye-catching powerpoints, printable assignments, questions, vocabulary, and interactive class activities) by  clicking here .

I hope you found this helpful! If you are interested in more tips and resources for developing students’ reading skills in ELA, click here.

share this post

VISIT THE BLOG

Snowball writing: collaborative writing activity, 10 ideas to make your teachers’ lounge a positive space.

Send students on an online date with a book

7 bell-ringer ideas for middle and high school english.

Search the blog for what you are teaching

PRIVACY   |

CONTACT   |

© PRESTO PLANS  |

I’m Bonnie, a curriculum writer, literacy educator, and all around book lover on a mission to make English teachers’ lives a whole lot easier! 

resources sent to your inbox!

10 FREE ENGLISH TEACHER

@PRESTOPLANS

FIND ME ON 

sent straight to your inbox!

10 days of ELA TEACHER

5 Engaging Activities to Teach The Giver

After jumping into the world of middle school ELA, I have to say that The Giver is my new Gatsby . In other words, it’s my new favorite whole-class novel. It’s even better than Gatsby (sorry, old sport), and it’s such a gem of a book that it just might keep me teaching middle school forever! The Giver is engaging, thought-provoking, and accessible! My favorite part of teaching it is watching how inquisitive, curious, and invested my students become as they read. The book definitely sparks a lot of curiosity on its own, but I deliberately teach this book to hook and engage students from the start! I love to play up the “mystery” of it all, encourage students to ask lots of questions, take note of all the interesting things they observe, and start guessing about what’s really going on in the community. 

If you’re ready to similarly engage your students, then here are 5 of my favorite activities for teaching The Giver !

1. PRE-READING LEARNING STATIONS

Learning stations are my favorite strategy for hooking my students before reading. They’re so versatile, engaging, and effective that I use them at the beginning of almost every single unit/novel! A good set of pre-reading learning stations will preview essential background information AND spark students’ curiosity before they have a chance to turn to page 1. 

For The Giver, here’s what that looks like:

• Students learn about the genre (dystopian/science-fiction).
• Students debate essential questions through an engaging anticipation guide.
• Students explore the differences between utopias and dystopias.
• Students preview and react to a few of the community’s strict rules.
• Students play a creative word challenge game designed to get them thinking about the power of language in the book!

As you can see, these activities hook and prepare students for further reading! These print/digital pre-reading learning stations are available separately HERE or bundled with other resources for The Giver HERE. For more information about creating your own learning stations, check out the following blog posts:

• 10 Reasons to Implement Learning Stations
• How to Create Engaging Learning Stations
• How to Facilitate Successful Learning Stations
• 10 Ideas for Virtual Learning Stations

2. MOCK CEREMONY OF 12

Chapter 8 of The Giver is practically begging to be acted out in front of an audience of middle schoolers, so take advantage of this and host your own mock Ceremony of 12. It’s a tiny bit of extra effort and work, but I promise you it’s worth the memorable experience. Not to mention, a mock ceremony is a great way to review the chapter, spark connections, and facilitate rich discussions! Here’s what I did to host our Ceremony of 12:

• I created Assignment cards for different jobs in the community. During the ceremony, I assigned these randomly!
• I wrote up a script so I didn’t have to totally wing it as the Chief Elder.
• I designed ceremony programs for my students, so they could follow along during the ceremony. These programs also prompted them to answer a few essential questions and reflect on the chapter/ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, I donned a black gown (from my college graduation) and a wig (at my students’ request). I also sported a gavel just for fun, and of course, I acted as ridiculous as possible. The whole experience was so much fun for me and my students! 10/10, definitely recommend!

You can find all of these mock ceremony materials, as well as thorough teacher instructions, in this growing unit bundle for The Giver.

3. QUESTION TRAIL

A question trail is my go-to activity to mix things up and break the normal routines of any novel unit! If you’re unfamiliar with it, a question trail is a unique, kinesthetic activity that gets students up and moving on a “trail” of questions around the classroom. 

This activity consists of different multiple choice “stations” or “spots” around the room. At each station, students answer a multiple-choice question. Each answer (a, b, c, or d) will send the students to a different station. If students answer each question correctly, they will travel to each station and complete a full circuit. If students answer a question incorrectly, they will eventually find themselves at a station they’ve already completed, which tells them that they need to backtrack. This gives you clear, immediate feedback so you can see who is getting it (“on the trail”) vs. who is not (“off the trail”).

This means a question trail is a great way to review a chapter with both comprehension and analysis questions. I like to do a question trail after Chapters 16-17 of The Giver, just to make sure students are understanding the book and the standards we are practicing before the climax in Chapter 19. Of course, you can create your own question trail for any chapter/s in the book. If you’re interested in my student-ready question trail for Chapters 16-17 of The Giver, you can check it out HERE. To learn more about how to create question trails, head to this blog post.

4. ACTING OUT CHAPTER 19

When you spend so much time cultivating students’ curiosity and playing up the mystery of “release,” it only makes sense to do this dramatic chapter justice! My students read most of the book for reading homework, but I purposefully do not assign Chapter 19 as reading homework! I selfishly want to witness their reactions to learning what “release” really means. To make the most of this scene, I like to transform the chapter into a script and have students act it out in front of the class. 

Don’t feel pressured to buy props or get too fancy.  In fact, using baby dolls as props might be taking it too far! Because it was 2021, my class ended up using two identical bottles of sanitizer spray for the newchildren twins. Yep, it got that weird, but it was hilarious. If your students are anything like mine, this will make for a memorable reading experience and give you a great chance to reflect, discuss, and process the chapter after the acting!

5. THE GIVER FILM ANALYSIS

I absolutely love facilitating film analysis during/after reading novels, and The Giver is no exception! Film analysis is an engaging, accessible way to scaffold the challenging skill of literary analysis. With the right structure, guidance, and questions, watching a movie can prompt critical thinking and spark rich discussions. I know many fellow ELA teachers don’t like the film adaptation of The Giver because it changes so much from the book, but I think it offers the perfect opportunity for discussion & analysis. 

In addition to asking students to compare/contrast the text and the film, try asking them why they think the film directors made certain changes and how these changes affect the audience. These kinds of questions spark more thoughtful insight and engaging discussions. For print/digital worksheets with these types of questions, check out these The Giver Film Analysis resources. For more information on successfully facilitating film analysis for any novel, head to this blog post!

I hope these ideas help you jumpstart your unit planning for The Giver ! For more engaging activities and resources for teaching this book, check out this growing unit bundle full of learning stations, quickwrites, vocabulary resources, and more! If you have any questions about these activities or how I teach The Giver, leave them below and I’ll do my best to answer. 🙂

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

You may also enjoy:

Why you should teach a novel in …, how to use the “what do you …, 10 activities for teaching the hunger games, why you should teach dystopia to your …, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Check out my most popular posts!

August 5, 2018: why i don’t review the syllabus on the first day …, december 16, 2018: 10 ideas for planning engaging novel units, december 11, 2017: comfort in the classroom with flexible seating, july 21, 2018: teaching american literature: my units & favorite lessons.

Novel Study: The Giver: Post-Reading Response Prompts

After completing the novel The Giver  by Lois Lowry, give students a chance to reflect on the major themes and events of the story with these response writing prompts! Featuring ten prompts about The Giver , students will choose five prompts to respond to on a separate piece of paper. Click "View answer key" to see sample student responses. Designed for seventh- and eighth-grade students, this worksheet is part of a novel study unit on The Giver . For more novel-specific activities, be sure to check out our full set of worksheets related to The Giver .

View aligned standards

• Find a Library
• Browse Collections
• Writing Prompts for the Giver

By Maria Polson Veres

Add Book To Favorites

Is this your library?

Sign up to save your library.

With an OverDrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for at-a-glance information about availability. Find out more about OverDrive accounts.

Maria Polson Veres

08 May 2014

Find this title in Libby, the library reading app by OverDrive.

Search for a digital library with this title

Title found at these libraries:.

These thought-provoking writing prompts will deepen readers' understanding of Lois Lowry's classic novel, The Giver. Prompts are closely connected to the text and include a wide variety of writing topics. 50 prompts.

Here are two of the many writing ideas you'll find in Writing Prompts for The Giver:

*Jonas volunteers at many different places before career assignment day. Write entries from a journal he might have kept, describing his experiences at each job.

*Write a persuasive letter to the Committee of Elders explaining why grandparents should be a part of their grandchildren's lives.

Use the prompts for daily journaling, longer writing assignments, collaborative writing, and short-answer or essay test questions. Many writing topics can also be adapted as discussion questions. However you choose to use them, they're sure to help readers get the most out of their exploration of The Giver.

Prompts are arranged in chronological order for easy reference and aligned to Common Core State Standards for writing (CCSS). With something for every writer, this booklet is an ideal resource for homeschoolers and classroom teachers.

About the Author: Maria Polson Veres has been helping writers find their creative voices for more than twenty years. She holds an M.A. in English and has taught writing to students of all ages. Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published in Jack and Jill, Country Woman, and many other magazines. An avid reader of YA and middle-grade fiction, she is often caught stealing her daughter's books.

DraftSparks ✨

12+ ‘The Giver’ Writing Prompts

My Kindness Journal

Describe how a kind act made you feel and how it affected others.

The Gift of Giving

Describe a memorable experience where your family demonstrated kindness or generosity.

Red Envelopes: The Gift of Blessings

Write about receiving your first red envelope during Chinese New Year, or imagine what it might feel like.

Gift of Kindness

Recount a meaningful act of kindness you witnessed or experienced on Christmas Eve.

The Withered Rose

Create a scenario where a character gifts another a wilted rose, signifying that their relationship is fading or will soon…

The Unwanted Gift

Imagine a scenario where a character receives a gift they deeply dislike but pretend to love it to not hurt…

Cultivating Kindness

Write about an act of kindness you’ve done recently and discuss its ripple effect.

The Ripple of Compassion

Reflect on acts of kindness, either you’ve done or received, that have deeply touched your spiritual side.

Unfolding the Acts of Kindness

Reflect on acts of kindness you have bestowed upon others, regardless of their size or significance.

Random Acts of Kindness

Journal about a time you were the giver or recipient of a random act of kindness.

The Ripple Effect

Write about a small act of kindness you’ve done or received and how it changed your day or life.

A Gift That Meant More

Write about a holiday gift that seemed insignificant at first but grew to have profound meaning.

Memories Matter: The Giver and Descriptive Writing Memoirs

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

In this lesson that tightly integrates personal writing, research, and thematic response to literature, students discuss the importance of having a recorded history of humanity. As they explore this topic, they gain a deeper understanding of the horror of Jonas's dystopian society in Lois Lowry's The Giver . This understanding generates a keen interest in and context for the descriptive writing of students' own history. Students gather ideas from several sources, including their own memories, interviews, and photographs, and then write their own descriptive memoirs.

Featured Resources

Interactive Timeline : Use this online tool to help students record a sequent of historical events.

Story Map : Use this online tool to map out the elements of students' original writing. The tool can also be used to analyze the characters, plot, and setting of a piece of literature.

From Theory to Practice

Using literature as a model text for student writing is widely regarded as a sound strategy for engaging students, both as readers and as writers. This practice is especially effective when the connection between model text and student writing is reflexive, as in the case of The Giver , in which storytelling and memories are central to understanding and appreciating the literature. Students should be led to understand, as Jeffery Wilhelm notes in You Gotta BE the Book: Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents , that storytelling is "a primary way of knowing and organizing our personal knowledge of ourselves and the world. Storying defines humanity, makes us human, empowers us in being who we are, and makes it possible for us to conceive of being more than we are" (52-53). Reading stories about memories and storytelling while writing such stories themselves, students build literacy skills and gain an appreciation of the importance of narrative and history in their lives.

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Copies of The Giver by Lois Lowery

• Excerpt from Chapter 10 of The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Reflecting on the Importance of Memory
• Memories Matter: A Look at the American Memory Website
• Descriptive Writing Analysis
• Thinking about Varied Expressions of Memories and History
• Memories Matter: A Descriptive Memoir Project
• Descriptive Memoir Rubric
• Planning Your Descriptive Memoir
• Descriptive Memoir Peer Review Sheet
• Reflecting on The Giver and the Descriptive Memoir Project

Preparation

• Obtain copies of The Giver for student use. This lesson is designed to begin at Chapter 10 of the book and uses Chapters 10 and 11 explicitly. Connections to other parts of the book are at the teacher's discretion. Time for drafting and peer editing may be interspersed into the reading of the book or left as a culminating activity upon completion of The Giver .
• Prepare copies or transparencies of all necessary handouts.
• Familiarize yourself with the American Memory Website and directions for the related Memories Matter: A Look at the American Memory Website handout. You may wish to have a look at the "This Day in History" entry for the day you will be visiting the site to be familiar with the specific content as well as site layout and functionality.
• Obtain access to an Internet connected computer lab for Sessions 2, 5 and 6. Bookmark the American Memory Website and the ReadWriteThink Interactive Timeline and/or Story Map .
• Preview the ReadWriteThink video and lessons and the NPR podcast referenced in Session Four . Determine the best method for sharing appropriate information from these resources with your students.
• Test and familiarize yourself with the ReadWriteThink Interactive Timeline and/or Story Map and determine which is best suited to the needs of your students. Ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

Student Objectives

Students will

• think critically about the importance of memory and history in their own lives and in larger historical contexts.
• analyze prose passages for descriptive techniques.
• use multiple sources of information to create their own personal descriptive writing.

Session One

• Before starting Chapter 10 of The Giver , place a transparency of the Excerpt from Chapter 10 of The Giver on the overhead projector. Ask for two student volunteers to read the parts of The Giver and Jonas, as you read the narrated elements of the excerpt.
• Focusing on The Giver's comments about wisdom and shaping the future, facilitate a brief discussion of the importance of memory, history, and storytelling. Encourage students to use examples from their lives, history, and the book to support their points.
• Read Chapter 10 together and continue discussion.
• Conclude class by distributing the  Reflecting on the Importance of Memory handout for students to respond to for the next session.

Session Two

• Begin this session by discussing students' responses to the Reflecting on the Importance of Memory handout.
• Explain that during this session students will be taking a break from reading The Giver and visiting at a Web site that believes very strongly in the importance of memory as they do some research connected to today's date and their birthday (or another significant date of their choice).
• Distribute copies of the  Memories Matter: A Look at the American Memory Website handout and discuss the activity. Have students choose a date for their independent research and record it in the appropriate space on the handout.
• As a class, go to the American Memory Website and complete the column for "This Day in History" by looking through the information, following links as appropriate. Model for students the process of recording the event, summarizing some key facts, and reflecting on the event's significance.
• Give students time to research and respond to their findings for the date of their choice.
• End the session by having students share some of their reflections for their individually chosen dates. Discuss why such a website is important, especially in light of the conversation at the beginning of the session. Depending on your group, you may also wish to discuss the problems inherent in a Website that chooses just an event or a few events to feature. Who or what is represented? Who makes those decisions?

Session Three

• Review with students their work from the previous session, reminding students of the content and presentation on the American Memory Website .
• Distribute the  Thinking about Varied Expressions of Memories and History questions and ask students to choose one of the prompts to respond to briefly.
• Tell students that in this session, they will discuss responses to Option One, saving responses to Option Two for a future session.
• Discuss responses to Option One, which will likely involve comments about the factual, perhaps dry nature of the content and presentation on the Website.
• Connecting to students' responses about the personal and descriptive nature of an account they write about their own lives, distribute and discuss the Descriptive Writing Analysis handout. If necessary, quickly elicit examples of sensory details that fall into each of the five categories.
• As you read Chapter 11 of The Giver in class, complete handout together, modeling the understanding of how Lowry's descriptive choices function.
• At the end of the session, give students time to choose their own experience to render through descriptive language. Remind them that language related to the various senses should be chosen appropriately; they need not refer to all five senses and may rely more heavily on one or two than the others.
• Ask students to convert their list into a paragraph for the next session. Their paragraph should not reveal the experience explicitly.

Session Four

• To begin this session, have students share some of their completed paragraphs. Classmates should try to determine what experience the author is trying to convey, as Jonas did in The Giver.
• Collect the completed paragraphs and provide formative feedback on students' use of description to convey an experience. You may wish to use the Descriptive Memoir Rubric as a guide to potential areas of feedback, but such formal response is not necessary at this point.
• Explain to students that this paragraph is an example of the type of writing they will be doing in their upcoming memoir assignment. Distribute and discuss the Memories Matter: A Descriptive Memoir Project handout. Stress the ways that memoir differs from other personal narrative writing such as biography and autobiography. See the Resources section for support in this regard.
• Refer back to the Option Two responses from the Thinking about Varied Expressions of Memories and History questions as you go over the assignment. Students will likely have mentioned their friends' and families' memories and photographs as good sources of information about their own personal histories. These two types of sources will be the focus of future activities, but feel free to allow students to use sources such as official documents, their own past writings (formal and informal), family videos, or other valid options to complete the activity.
• See the ReadWriteThink lessons Family Memoir: Getting Acquainted with Generations Before Us and The Year I Was Born: An Autobiographical Research Project for ideas on teaching memoir and interviewing.
• Watch the ReadWriteThink video Helping a Teen Plan and Conduct an Interview and read the accompanying show notes.
• Listen to this NPR podcast in which Walter Dean Myers talks about the importance of storytelling, writing his memoirs, and using photographs as inspiration.
• See the ReadWriteThink lesson A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative for ideas in helping students move from picture to story.
• Give students a date by which they need to have chosen an event (and related photograph and interview subject) to write about. By this date they will have the photograph in their possession and they will have interviewed the friend or family member for their memories of the chosen event.
• Note: You may wish to have an intermediate date by which students tell you what they are planning for the memoir. As necessary, guide students as they select topics at this point.
• Continue to read and discuss The Giver in the intervening sessions.

Session Five

• Ask students to get out their interview notes and photograph as you distribute the Planning Your Descriptive Memoir handout.
• Discuss with students how to use their notes and resources to brainstorm as many details, words, phrases for use in their draft.
• Distribute and discuss the Descriptive Memoir Rubric to guide students as they begin writing.
• Demonstrate for students how to use the ReadWriteThink Interactive Timeline and/or Story Map as they move to the drafting phase of the assignment.

Session Six

• Give students time to continue writing their memoir.
• Remind students of the information on the Memories Matter: A Descriptive Writing Project handout and Descriptive Memoir Rubric as they begin their work.
• Inform students that they need to have a completed draft of their descriptive memoir ready for peer review in the next session.

Session Seven

• Have students select a partner for the peer review activity.
• Distribute the Descriptive Memoir Peer Review Sheet and discuss the expectations for the review process.
• Give students time to complete the review process. As students finish, they should begin planning their revisions.
• Announce the date by which revised descriptive memoirs need to be submitted for evaluation.
• Students write one memoir in this lesson, but memoirs typically appear as a collection of narrated events. Have students choose several topics from the list on the  Memories Matter: A Descriptive Memoir Project handout and make a collection. As a final step, they should introduce and dedicate the memoirs to give readers an overview of the collection.
• Have students present their memoirs through brief speeches. Peers can provide additional feedback for continued revision and refinement.
• Pair students and help them convert their memoirs into audio interviews like the ones featured in StoryCorps . Collect the audio files and house them on a class Web page.
• The personal and reflective style of writing in memoirs is similar to what readers find on many blogs. See the ReadWriteThink lesson plan Weekly Writer's Blogs: Building a Community of Support for tips and suggestions to get your students blogging their memoirs.
• Explore the biological nature of memory in addition to the aspects of memory discussed in these activities with the ReadWriteThink lesson Discovering Memory: Li-Young Lee's Poem "Mnemonic" and the Brain .

Student Assessment / Reflections

• In Session Four , provide formative assessment feedback regarding students’ ability to incorporate sensory detail.
• Use the Descriptive Memoir Rubric to evaluate student work.
• After students have finished the memoir writing process and The Giver , ask them to complete the  Reflecting on The Giver and the Descriptive Memoir Project handout for additional confirmation of their new learning.
• Calendar Activities
• Student Interactives
• Lesson Plans

The Story Map interactive is designed to assist students in prewriting and postreading activities by focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution.

Students generate descriptive timelines and can include images in the description.

Add new comment

• Print this resource

Explore Resources by Grade

• Kindergarten K

Crossword Puzzle Generators

Ella Enchanted Activities

The Giver Teaching Ideas

• By Gay Miller in Book Units

November 21, 2016

• Middle School Novel Study

Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=3818

Click on the button below to follow this blog on Bloglovin’.

Clipart Credits

Caboose Designs

Teaching in the Tongass

Chirp Graphics

Sarah Pecorino Illustration

© 2024 Book Units Teacher.

Made with by Graphene Themes .

Writing Prompts for The Giver

Publisher description.

These thought-provoking writing prompts will deepen readers’ understanding of Lois Lowry’s classic novel, The Giver. Prompts are closely connected to the text and include a wide variety of writing topics. 50 prompts. Here are two of the many writing ideas you’ll find in Writing Prompts for The Giver: *Jonas volunteers at many different places before career assignment day. Write entries from a journal he might have kept, describing his experiences at each job. *Write a persuasive letter to the Committee of Elders explaining why grandparents should be a part of their grandchildren’s lives. Use the prompts for daily journaling, longer writing assignments, collaborative writing, and short-answer or essay test questions. Many writing topics can also be adapted as discussion questions. However you choose to use them, they’re sure to help readers get the most out of their exploration of The Giver. Prompts are arranged in chronological order for easy reference and aligned to Common Core State Standards for writing (CCSS). With something for every writer, this booklet is an ideal resource for homeschoolers and classroom teachers. About the Author: Maria Polson Veres has been helping writers find their creative voices for more than twenty years. She holds an M.A. in English and has taught writing to students of all ages. Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published in Jack and Jill, Country Woman, and many other magazines. An avid reader of YA and middle-grade fiction, she is often caught stealing her daughter’s books.

More Books Like This

More books by maria polson veres.

The Giver Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans and Ideas for Teaching The Giver

10 Lesson Plan Ideas for The Giver

Below are 10 quick lesson plan ideas for teaching The Giver by Lois Lowry.

If you want detailed daily lesson plans and everything else you need to teach The Giver in one easy download, check out this amazing full unit plan .

Lesson Ideas

1. introduction to the novel:.

Before diving into the book, introduce students to the basic plot and themes of The Giver . This can include a brief summary of the story, discussion of the setting and characters, and identification of key themes such as individuality, conformity, and the value of memories.

2. Character analysis:

Have students choose a character from The Giver to analyze in depth. This could include creating a character map, writing a character sketch, or creating a timeline of the character’s actions and development throughout the novel.

3. Discussion of themes:

Lead a class discussion on the themes present in The Giver , such as the dangers of conformity, the importance of individuality, and the value of memories. Encourage students to share their own thoughts and opinions on these themes and how they relate to their own lives.

4. Comparative analysis:

Have students compare and contrast The Giver with other dystopian novels, such as 1984 or Brave New World. Encourage students to consider how these novels explore similar themes and how they differ in their portrayal of dystopian societies.

5. Creative writing:

Encourage students to get creative by writing their own dystopian stories or creating alternative endings to The Giver . This activity can help students practice their writing skills and explore their own ideas about dystopian societies.

6. Role-playing:

Divide the class into small groups and have each group create a role-play based on a scene from The Giver . This activity can help students practice their acting skills and gain a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations.

7. Research project:

Assign students to research a real-world example of a dystopian society or government control. This could include topics such as censorship, propaganda, or surveillance. Have students present their findings to the class and discuss the ways in which these examples relate to the themes of The Giver .

8. Art project:

Encourage students to create a piece of art (such as a painting, drawing, or collage) that represents a theme or character from The Giver . This activity can help students practice their artistic skills and express their interpretation of the novel through visual media.

Divide the class into two teams and have them prepare for a debate on the topic of individuality versus conformity. Each team should present arguments for and against each side, using examples from The Giver as well as real-world examples.

10. Group discussion:

Divide the class into small groups and have each group discuss a specific theme or question related to The Giver . Some potential discussion topics could include the role of memories in shaping our understanding of the world, the dangers of a society that values sameness, or the importance of free will. Encourage students to share their thoughts and listen actively to their peers.

Creative Writing Prompt Generator

Inspire your creative writing with ai.

• Start a new writing project: Generate a unique prompt to inspire your next short story, novel, or poem.
• Break through writer's block: Use a creative prompt to get your creative juices flowing and overcome writer's block.
• Teach creative writing: Generate a range of prompts for your students to practice their creative writing skills.
• Expand your writing skills: Use different prompts to explore new genres and styles of writing.
• Spice up your writing routine: Break out of your routine and try writing something completely new with a unique prompt.

New & Trending Tools

Ai sentence rephraser, ai article outliner, ai writing style adapter.

Mastering Brandon Grotesque Font in Canva: A Step-by-Step Guide

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Choosing the Right Font Size and Weight

Understanding the characteristic features of brandon grotesque, utilizing kerning and tracking for professional typography, exploring effective color combinations with brandon grotesque, incorporating stylistic alternates and ligatures for a unique design, utilizing hierarchy and alignment for visual impact in canva, tips for pairing brandon grotesque with other fonts in your designs, frequently asked questions, future outlook.

When it comes to for your design project, there are a few key factors to consider. Firstly, think about the overall aesthetic you want to achieve. A larger font size can make a bold statement and grab the reader’s attention, while a smaller size can create a more subtle and elegant look. Experiment with different sizes to see what works best for your specific design.

In addition to font size, the weight of the font also plays a crucial role in the overall appearance of your design. Bold fonts can add emphasis and make certain text stand out, while lighter weights can create a more delicate and airy feel. It’s important to strike a balance between choosing a font size and weight that are legible and visually appealing. Remember to consider the readability of your text, especially if it will be viewed on different screens or in various lighting conditions.

Brandon Grotesque is a modern sans serif typeface that has gained popularity for its unique characteristics and versatility. One of the standout features of this font is its geometric shapes and clean lines, which give it a sleek and contemporary look. The balanced proportions of the letters make it highly legible, making it suitable for a wide range of design applications.

Kerning and tracking are essential tools in the world of typography that can elevate your designs to a more professional level. Kerning refers to the adjustment of space between individual letters, ensuring a harmonious and balanced appearance. By fine-tuning the spacing between letters, you can achieve a more visually pleasing and polished look in your typography.

Tracking, on the other hand, involves adjusting the overall spacing between groups of letters in a word or sentence. This allows for greater control over the density and readability of your text. Utilizing both kerning and tracking effectively can help improve the legibility and aesthetic appeal of your typography, making your designs stand out from the crowd. Remember, the devil is in the details when it comes to typography, so be sure to pay attention to these subtle yet impactful elements in your design process.

When it comes to choosing the right color combinations for your designs, Brandon Grotesque can be a fantastic font choice to work with. Its versatility and modern appeal make it a great option for a variety of projects. To enhance your designs even further, here are some tips on .

First and foremost, consider using complementary colors to make your text really pop. Pairing a bold shade from Brandon Grotesque with its complementary color can create a striking contrast that draws the eye. Additionally, experimenting with analogous colors can create a harmonious and cohesive look for your design. Play around with different shades of Brandon Grotesque to find a color scheme that speaks to the mood and message of your project. And don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone – sometimes the most unexpected color combinations can result in the most stunning designs.

Incorporating stylistic alternates and ligatures into your design can elevate the overall aesthetic and provide a unique flair to your work. Stylistic alternates are variations of specific characters that offer different shapes or styles, giving you more options to play with in your design. By utilizing these alternates, you can create a more customized and personalized look that sets your design apart from the rest.

When designing visuals in Canva, utilizing hierarchy and alignment can greatly enhance the overall impact of your design. By strategically placing elements in a clear and structured way, you can guide the viewer’s eye and communicate your message effectively. Hierarchy helps to establish the importance of different elements within the design, allowing viewers to easily navigate the information presented.

By using alignment, you can create a sense of order and unity in your design. Aligning elements along a common axis helps to create a harmonious composition, making the design visually appealing and easy to follow. Experiment with different alignments such as left, center, or right alignment to see what works best for your design. Remember, consistency is key when it comes to alignment to maintain a polished look throughout your design.

When pairing Brandon Grotesque with other fonts in your designs, it’s important to consider the overall aesthetic you want to achieve. One effective way to complement Brandon Grotesque is to choose a secondary font that contrasts in style but harmonizes in overall feel. For example, pairing it with a serif font like Lora can create a sophisticated and elegant look for your design.

Another tip is to pay attention to the weight and size of the fonts you are using. Mixing bold and light versions of fonts can create visual interest and hierarchy in your design. Consider using a font like Playfair Display for headings to make them stand out while using Brandon Grotesque for body text to maintain readability. Play around with different combinations to see what works best for your specific design project.

Q: What is Brandon Grotesque font? A: Brandon Grotesque is a modern, elegant sans-serif font known for its clean lines and versatility.

Q: Why should I consider using Brandon Grotesque in Canva? A: Using Brandon Grotesque in Canva can help give your designs a sleek and professional look, making them stand out.

Q: How can I access Brandon Grotesque font in Canva? A: Brandon Grotesque is a premium font available in Canva Pro. You can easily find it in the font selection menu .

Q: Can I adjust the size and spacing of Brandon Grotesque font in Canva? A: Yes, in Canva, you have full control over the size, spacing, and other aspects of the font to customize it according to your needs.

Q: What are some tips for mastering Brandon Grotesque font in Canva? A: To master Brandon Grotesque in Canva, start by experimenting with different sizes, colors, and pairings with other fonts to create visually appealing designs .

Q: Are there any design best practices when using Brandon Grotesque font in Canva? A: When using Brandon Grotesque in Canva, it’s important to keep your design clean and balanced, utilizing negative space and alignment effectively for a polished look.

Mastering Brandon Grotesque in Canva is simple with this step-by-step guide. Elevate your designs and standout!

Best Minimalist Fonts on Canva: Simplify Your Design with Style

Barbara Font Canva: A Classic Font for Timeless Designs

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Reach out to us for sponsorship opportunities.

Welcome to Creative Writing Prompts

At Creative Writing Prompts, we believe in the power of words to shape worlds. Our platform is a sanctuary for aspiring writers, seasoned wordsmiths, and everyone. Here, storytelling finds its home, and your creative journey begins its captivating voyage.

© 2024 Creativewriting-prompts.com

• Rating Count
• Price (Ascending)
• Price (Descending)
• Most Recent

The giver writing prompts

Resource type.

The Giver Argumentative Essay Prompt and Graphic Oranizer Writing Prompt

Depth and Complexity Novel Study for The Giver

THE GIVER Essay Questions & Speech Writing Prompts w Rubrics (Persuasive) Thesis

The Giver Cite Textual Evidence Writing Prompts

The Giver Assessments BUNDLE Writing Prompts , Presentation, Essay

The Giver Quickwrites/Bell-Ringers: Engaging Writing or Discussion Prompts

The Giver by Lois Lowry Power Pack: 23 Journal Prompts and 12 Quizzes

THE GIVER by Lois Lowry - Writing Prompts (1 per chapter)

The Giver by Lois Lowry - Text Analysis Writing Prompt, Text Based Evidence Unit

The GIVER - Free- Writes Writing Prompts - Print & DIGITAL

The Giver Journal Prompts by Chapter

The Giver Comprehension Questions and Writing Prompts

The Giver Unit/Middle and High School/Themes, Writing Prompts , and Assessment

The Giver Novel Study BUNDLE Unit Activities, Chapter Quizzes Questions Tests

THE GIVER Activity - Quickwrite Writing - Chapter Questions Journal Bellringer

The Giver - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6

The Giver : Digital Pre-Reading Materials

The Giver Unit Novel Study Pre Reading Questions Project Tests Writing and More

The Giver Novel Study, Cross Genre Resources and Tests Included

Memory Unit Plan - ELA Paired Texts, Literature Reading, Writing Prompts Packet

The Giver - Literary Analysis Novel Study Activity with Sticky Notes

Novel Study: The Giver by Lois Lowry- Distance Learning

" The Giver " Chapter Assignments and Activities

THE GIVER Activity - Quickwrite Journal Writing Questions DIGITAL Chapter

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think