writing assignment the giver

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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.

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Curriculum  /  ELA  /  6th Grade  /  Unit 2: Challenging Authority: The Giver  /  Lesson 1

Challenging Authority: The Giver

Lesson 1 of 32

Readings and Materials

A note for teachers, target task, key questions, enhanced lesson plan.

Explain the characteristics, purpose, and development of the genre of dystopian fiction and define important terms related to this topic.

Video:  “How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler” by TED-Ed 

Article:  “The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually Begins With A Book About Utopia” by Charlotte Ahlin (Adapted by Fishtank ELA Staff.) 

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Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

This reading lesson depicts sexual assault and harrassment. Be mindful of how your students may respond.

As a part of intellectual preparation, consider exploring the following resources to build your own knowledge about dystopian fiction. These materials are relatively complex, as they are written for an adult audience, and may be confusing or inaccessible to students. If being used as supplements in the classroom, we recommend using an excerpt of the articles or providing them to students who may need more challenging materials.

• Article: " Dystopian Fiction: An Introduction " by John Joseph Adams ( Tor.com )
• Article: " Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics " by ReadWriteThink 
• Article: " Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction " by Shelby Ostergaard (CommonLit)
• Video: " Why are we so fascinated by dystopian fiction? " by Imagine Learning (YouTube)

Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved

Writing Prompt

What is the goal of dystopian fiction? How does it maintain its relevance in the present day?

Sample Response

An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.

Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding

How did events in the real world lead to the development of the genre of dystopia ? Support your answer with examples from the video. ("How to recognize a dystopia")

What are the common characteristics of the protagonists in dystopian fiction? What role do they typically play within the story? ("The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually …")

Why are dystopian novels often set in the future? What message do they convey to readers? ("The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually …")

Exit Ticket

Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.

Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text

an imagined place where everything is perfect, especially as related to government and society

an imagined, nightmarish society in which people are oppressed and all aspects of their lives are controlled by the government

Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.

To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

Book:  The Giver by Lois Lowry  — Chapters 1–2

While reading, answer the following questions.

How is Jonas feeling at the beginning of the book? Why? Use the word "apprehensive" in your answer. 

What does Jonas' family do every night after dinner?

What happens every December in the community?

What is Jonas' father's job? Who is Gabe?

How are families structured in the community?

Bring your most engaging lessons to life with comprehensive instructional guidance, detailed pacing, supports to meet every student's needs, and resources to strengthen your lesson planning and delivery.

Common Core Standards

Language standards.

L.6.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Reading Standards for Informational Text

RI.6.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Supporting Standards

Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit

L.6.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.6.4.b — Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).

L.6.4.c — Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.

L.6.4.d — Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

RI.6.1 — Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RI.6.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

RI.6.7 — Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

RI.6.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6—8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Speaking and Listening Standards

SL.6.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.6.2 — Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

SL.6.3 — Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

SL.6.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Writing Standards

W.6.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content

W.6.2.a — Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

W.6.2.b — Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

W.6.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.6.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

W.6.9.b — Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not").

W.6.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

• “How to...”
• “The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually Begins With A Book About Utopia”

L.6.6 RI.6.2

Explain how specific words, sentences, and passages in the first two chapters of The Giver help establish the setting.

RL.6.5 W.6.1.c

Determine the meaning of unknown words in The Giver and explain the impact of specific words and phrases on the mood and tone.

L.6.4 RL.6.4

Evaluate what kind of person Jonas is, based on the way he responds to specific events and his community's values in Chapters 5–6 of The Giver .

RL.6.2 RL.6.3

Explain how specific passages from Chapters 7 and 8 of The Giver  use juxtaposition to develop the plot and fit into the overall structure of the text.

Draw conclusions about Jonas based on the way he responds to specific events in Chapters 9–10 of The Giver .

RL.6.3 RL.6.5

Analyze how Jonas responds to events and how he changes as he continues his training in The Giver .

Explain how author Lois Lowry develops several thematic topics in Chapter 13 of The Giver .

Analyze why Jonas makes certain decisions and analyze how the events of Chapters 14 and 15 advance the overall plot. 

Analyze how Jonas changes and why in Chapters 16 and 17.

RL.6.3 RL.6.6 W.6.1.c

Explain how specific words and phrases develop mood, tone, and meaning in Chapters 18 and 19 of The Giver .

RL.6.4 RL.6.5

Explain how Jonas has changed as a result of witnessing the release of the newchild. 

Analyze the changes in Jonas' character at the resolution of The Giver .

Determine universal themes for the novel The Giver and explain how the author develops those themes.

Socratic Seminar

Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, demonstrating a deep understanding of the text and topic by posing and responding to questions, and providing evidence to support ideas.

SL.6.1 SL.6.1.a SL.6.1.c SL.6.4

• Analytical Writing Rubric, Mid-Unit Task (G6, U2)

Unpack the prompt for a multi-paragraph essay, study an exemplar, and begin to gather evidence.

W.6.1 W.6.5 W.6.9

Draft a strong claim statement and create an outline for a multi-paragraph essay.

W.6.1 W.6.1.a W.6.1.b W.6.5

Draft and revise strong body paragraphs, incorporating feedback from peers.

Craft a strong introductory paragraph, complete with hook, context, and sub-claims.

W.6.1 W.6.1.a

Use pronouns appropriately in writing.

L.6.1 L.6.1.a L.6.1.d

Identify arguments an author makes about screen time and explain whether or not claims are supported by credible reasoning and evidence.

• “Less Screen...”
• “Why the Screen...”

Identify arguments and claims authors make about screen time and explain whether or not claims are supported by evidence.

RI.6.2 RI.6.8

Explain how specific sections of an article fit into the overall structure of the text and help to develop meaning.

Explain how specific sections of an article fit into the overall structure of the text and help to develop meaning.

• “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true”
• “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true (transcript)”

Identify arguments and claims a speaker makes about screen time, and explain whether or not claims are supported by reasoning and evidence.

• “The Harmful...”
• “Don't Limit...”
• “Kids Must...”

Create a poster of pros and cons of parents limiting kids' screen time and appropriately cite evidence.

W.6.2 W.6.8 W.6.9

Unpack an argumentative essay prompt, write a strong claim statement, and begin to outline the essay.

Draft and revise two strong body paragraphs.

W.6.1 W.6.1.a W.6.1.b W.6.1.c

Draft strong introduction and conclusion paragraphs.

W.6.1 W.6.1.a W.6.1.e

Revise essays for tone and add transitions to clarify reasoning and connections between ideas.

W.6.1 W.6.1.c W.6.1.d

Use pronouns appropriately and incorporate any edits to final drafts. 

L.6.1 L.6.1.c L.6.1.d W.6.5

Assessment  – 2 days

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The Giver Essay Topics & Writing Assignments

Essay Topic 1

Jonas is anticipating the Ceremony of Twelve with fear. He discusses his fear with his family when he returns home. Write about an event where you felt tremendous anticipation. How did you soothe your feelings? Did you discuss your feelings with your family or did you find another way to express yourself?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter Two readers learn about the importance of following "The Rules." However, some rules are routinely broken. Discuss the rules that are routinely broken in The Giver, then compare them to the rules of American society that are routinely broken. How does breaking the law, even minor laws, affect society as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

Gabriel has pale eyes; Jonas has pale eyes; The Giver has pale eyes. Describe the ways in which the characters in The Giver use physical characteristics to impart, judge, and interpret meaning. In what ways do...

(read more Essay Topics)

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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.

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• Kindergarten K

Introduction to The Giver

Summary of the giver, major themes in the giver, major characters in the giver, writing style of the giver, analysis of the literary devices in the giver, related posts:, post navigation.

Doug Lemov's field notes

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01.09.19 Sample Lessons For The Giver From Our Middle Level English Curriculum

Students start off our Giver unit writing about this picture: “Why might someone want to live in a neighborhood like this? Why might someone not want to live in a neighborhood like this?”

I’ve been blogging quite a bit this year about the English Curriculum my team is writing.

• I shared an overview of our goals and methods here .
• I shared some examples of how we’re approaching vocabulary here .
• I shared some examples of the ‘sensitivity analysis’ questions we use for Close Reading here .
• I reflected on why we believe in basing our curriculum on shared books and using lots of oral reading here .
• I wrote at least a little about choosing books here .
• I wrote at least a little about the three types of writing we intended to try to use here .

So many colleagues have expressed interest in learning more that I thought I’d share a couple of sample lessons so you could see how a typical session plays out in full.  Since The Giver is arguably my all time favorite work of youth fiction I thought I’d share some examples from our unit on it- though i am also choosing the book because Jen Rugani , who’s been the lead developer on the book, has done such an exceptional job.

Here then is the first lesson from The Giver.  The first document is the packet that students work in.  The second is the teacher-facing lesson plan.

Some things to notice about the Packet

PDF Here: ( 1- The Giver Student Packet_ pages 1-6 )

Lots of (Low Stakes) Writing : Students write constantly in short manageable bursts… often at low stakes such as in the Do Now where they start by thinking in writing with no wrong answers–a good example of a formative prompt… don’t worry- we’ll balance it with more summative prompts too.

Vocab: We chose words that were especially useful in analyzing the book so kids could start using them productively. Our approach to vocabulary is knowledge-based. We start with the definition and then practice using the words in different contexts.

Embellishments : Notice the pictures of the two jets? The people singing a hymn? We’re constantly adding tiny pieces to build background knowledge.

Embedding : Speaking of knowledge, we add short nonfiction texts every lesson to build deeper background knowledge and ensure students read lots of nonfiction.

Annotation : When students read on their own there’s an annotation task so they mark the text up for a specific purpose and are engaged and attentive.

Developmental Writing : Like so many of you, we’re big fans of Judith Hochman’s The Writing Revolution.  You’ll see lots of Hochman-inspired writing exercises designed to build students mastery of the art of and tools for writing great sentences.

Some things to notice about the Lesson Plan 

PDF Here: ( 1- The Giver Lesson Plan_ pages 1-6 )

Content Driven Objective: The goal is to understand something important about the book.  Different types of questions–inferences, say, get asked in the service of that goal. They are not the objective themselves.

Teacher Friendly: Plain talk and a limited amount of text so it;s easy to use!

Reading Three Ways: Students read aloud, teachers read to students and students read silently. Teachers have significant leeway to decide how much of each is the right balance for their class.

Homework Options: Schools and teachers have different philosophies about what kind of homework and how much. So we always give teachers options. One option is always to complete things from the days lesson. Or to re-read. Or to do retrieval practice. And there’s also a new assignment you can give- usually with some writing,

Key Ideas : most of the text is things to notice about the book versus things to do and say. This is because all of the things to do and say are written pretty clearly in the packet so you don;t have to keep them in your head.  You just have to think deeply about the work students do. The Key Ideas jog your memory and make sure you don’t miss something important… or spend all lesson worried that you will.

Another example:

No lesson is exactly characteristic of the whole so I thought I’d share a second example.  This one, Lesson 9, focuses a little bit more on Close Reading , Jen notes–something we value deeply and do in a distinctive way.

PDF Here ( 9- The Giver Student Packet_ pages 74-81 )

You’ll notice similar vocabulary tasks. Lots of writing. More annotation tasks. But also lots and lots of questions about specific sentences- what they mean and how their meaning is made. There’s lots of Sensitivity Analysis but also lots of other slow reading such as explaining what “a crescendo of united enthusiasm” means and explaining “Who or what is “relieved from discomfort” in a line on page 74,

We hope you enjoy these samples as much as we’ve enjoyed creating them.  Our hope is to have 24 book units (6 per grade level, 5-8) with daily lessons ready for next school year and 10 per grade level by the following year.

Look for more updates here.

7 Responses to “Sample Lessons For The Giver From Our Middle Level English Curriculum”

This is so exciting!! Thank you so much for sharing. The lesson plan version has the track changes comments on it – is it possible to post a copy without the track changes?

yikes. yes. i’ll upload clean ones and a few more samples later today

Is “Uprising” by Margaret Peterson Haddix on your list of books?

no. but i just ordered a copy. 🙂

I highly recommend it. I use it with my eighth graders when we cover The Gilded Age and make lots of modern day connections with work safety laws, mass production and factory/working conditions today. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on it – and if you’d consider using it.

Would you be willing to share the book selections for 7th and 8th grade?

here’s the current proposal: https://teachlikeachampion.org/blog/books-included-reading-reconsidered-english-curriculum/

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The giver assignment

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How to Teach The Giver

• by Rachel Natbony

Lois Lowry's The Giver has become a standard in middle school classrooms because it is a great introduction to dystopian fiction. It allows young readers to become acquainted with the genre before they move on to denser novels like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and George Orwell's 1984 . To prepare students for reading The Giver , you could give a brief introductory lecture about some elements of dystopian fiction, such as blind consent from all citizens, distrust of the outside world, and constant government surveillance of civilians.

Discuss the effects and motivations of Lowry's devised reality in which only one person—The Receiver of Memory—holds an entire society's emotional memories and human experiences. What perspective do readers gain from envisioning a society that operates without these key personal ties? How does this dystopia reflect our own society? Be sure emphasize this key point: A society without pain and suffering might sound ideal until you also consider living without love and happiness.

For many of your students, The Giver may be their introduction to common literary elements, including imagery, figurative language, and theme. Make sure to designate time for these crucial components to ensure that students do not overlook the rich qualities of Lowry's novel. Particularly noteworthy points of discussion include the symbolism behind the color red, overarching themes of memory, societal order, and coming of age, and the character growth of both Jonas and The Giver and how they serve each other.

Give this impressive tale a go in your classroom—you'll be glad you did!

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Summary of The Giver

• Publication Date: 1993
• Length: 256 pages
• Lexile Measure: 760
• Recommended Grade Band: 6-8
• Newbery Medal (1994); Regina Medal (1994); William Allen White Award (1996); Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Eleven-year-old Jonas is at the Ceremony of Twelve to receive his job assignment, a role he will hold for the rest of his life. In his community, "the Elders" control every aspect of life. They dictate who will marry whom, where children get to live, and what jobs people have; they eavesdrop on every household in order to make sure everyone is following the rules. Jonas's assignment is to replace The Receiver—a man who harbors all of society's recollections of happiness, love, pain, and death. By passing his knowledge on to Jonas, the Receiver of Memory becomes The Giver. As Jonas receives more memories from The Giver, he comes to question the community and the means by which the Elders maintain order. When he discovers their darkest secret, Jonas knows he has to escape, even though it might cost him his life.

Content Warning: This novel contains incidents of murder and assisted suicide.

What Your Students Will Love About The Giver

• Experiencing new memories with Jonas
• Debating the ethics of the dystopian society
• Jonah's epic escape

Potential Students Struggles With The Giver

• Shocking incidents of death, including assisted suicide and the inhumane euthanization of infants and the elderly
• Some students might overlook implicit meanings (e.g., "releasing"= death).

Learning Objectives for The Giver

• Identify common elements of dystopian fiction within the novel.
• Discuss the ways in which Jonas's community deals with issues such as care of the elderly, sexuality, education, and suicide
• Consider the sacrifices required for the community to achieve "Sameness."
• Trace how Jonas changes throughout the novel, and consider how the novel can be categorized as a coming-of-age or loss-of-innocence story.
• Identify euphemisms the community uses, and determine what they really mean.

Literary Elements in The Giver

• Foreshadowing
• Third-person limited narration

Major Themes in The Giver

Coming of Age/Loss of Innocence – Only after receiving The Giver's memories does Jonas come to understand the corruption in his community.

Related Works:

• The Outsiders , by S. E. Hinton
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower , by Stephen Chbosky
• Tuck Everlasting , by Natalie Babbitt

Individual vs. Society – Jonas's newfound knowledge isolates him from the rest of society.

• The Hunger Games , by Suzanne Collins
• Fahrenheit 451 , by Ray Bradbury
• Divergent , by Veronica Roth

Choices – Jonas's new memories allow him to call into question the Elders' methods of control; he learns that taking away people's choices will not create a happier humanity.

• 1984 , by George Orwell
• The Diary of a Young Girl , by Anne Frank
• Of Mice and Men , by John Steinbeck

Other Resources for The Giver

• A film adaptation of The Giver premiered in 2014. It stars Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes, and Meryl Streep. It is rated PG-13 and runs for an hour and thirty-seven minutes. The movie differs significantly from the source material—the characters are older, the community is not devoid of color, a love triangle has been added, and the ending is no longer ambiguous. Check out the trailer!
• Interview with Lois Lowry
• NPR interview with Lois Lowry
• Q & A with Lois Lowry from New York Times Magazine
• Emotional scene featuring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, and Taylor Swift from The Giver (2014)
• Two-minute doodled summary by Minute Book Reports
• AV Club article: "Lois Lowry's The Giver was a YA dystopia before they were cool—or violent"
• A teacher's review of The Giver

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The Giver Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans and Ideas for Teaching The Giver

The Giver Memory Book

This lesson plan is a great way to really draw students into The Giver as they think about the importance of their own experiences and memories.

Start by making a list of emotions – love, fear, anxiety, joy, jealousy, gratitude, etc.  Get students to call them out, and make a master list on the board for them to copy into their notes.

When the books are complete, ask each student to share a memory with the class, similar to how the Giver transfers his memories to Jonas.

Remember, some of these memories might be intensely personal, so make everything voluntary, and make sure the environment is safe for sharing.

Finish by discussing the importance of emotions and memories.  What is the value of our memories?  Would we be better off without some of them?  How do we benefit from other people’s memories, as Jonas does in The Giver ?

For more great lessons, see my Ultimate Unit Plan for The Giver .

One thought on “The Giver Memory Book”

Thank you so much for the great lesson plan for The Giver. I love how this helps students make connections between the text and their own experiences.

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