Giver Packet 2015-2016

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Unit 2: Memories are forever

The Giver by Lois Lowry

"Sometimes I wish they'd ask for my wisdom more often-

there are so many things I could tell them; things I wish

they would change. But they don't want change. Life here

is so orderly, so predictable-so painless.

It's what they've chosen” (Lowry).

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Table of Contents

Grade Description of Page Page #s

/5 Class Notes: “Critical Readers Ask Questions All the Time” & Class Notes: Introduction to The Giver

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Graded separately Create your own Utopia Project 3-4

/12 Pre-Reading Questions 5

/18 During Reading: Characters and their Assignments 6

/5 During Reading: Settings 7

/10 During Reading: Rules of Jonas’ Society 8

/10 During Reading: Ceremonies 9

/10 During Reading: Rituals 10

/10 Setting: Venn Diagram 11

/10 Class Discussion: Themes of The Giver 12

/15 Biblical Allusions & The Giver 13

Graded separately PROMPT—Essay #1: Labels 14 Graded separately PROMPT—Essay #2: Censorship 15 Graded separately PROMPT—Essay #3: Conformity 16 Graded separately PROMPT—Essay #4: Euthanasia 17

/15 Creative Writing 18

TOTAL SCORE: /110

Corrected by: ____________________________ (print name here)

“This packet was graded with honesty and integrity.”

Signed: _____________________________________ (sign here)

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Critical Readers Ask Questions All The Time

Good readers ask questions _____________________, ____________________, and

_____________________ they’ve read the text.

Good readers attempt to answer their questions

__________________________________________.

There are two types of questions

1. _____________________________ questions a. one that doesn’t have a simple answer (ex. ______________________________________)

2. ______________________________ questions

a. Can be answered simply There are three places to find the answers to questions.

1. In _____________________ 2. In _____________________ (inference and conclusion) 3. In _____________________

Introduction to the Giver: Notes

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Creating Your Own Utopia Imagine that you are in a position to create a society from scratch. You and your partner(s)

must attempt to form a culture that is free from the troubles of current society. Such a society

is called a Utopia. You must first identify what you believe to be wrong with the world today;

then you must attempt to correct those problems.

The PRESENTATION Includes:

Formal statement (preamble) of what the utopia stands for

Motto

Flag

Summary of utopia (note the most important aspects of your community)

Your proposal for the Utopian Society will be submitted electronically via the online form to Mrs. Burkholder by 11:59 PM on Day 3 in preparation for your presentation on Day 4.

1) List of Complaints: Make a list of reasons for forming your society. In other words, what do you not like about current society? What are your specific complaints (specific laws, rules, etc.)?

2) Name & Animal: give a name to your society. Your name should reflect the ideals and values of your utopia. What animal would symbolize your utopian society? Explain your choice. You can make up an animal as long as you have a sound explanation for what is symbolizes.

3) Utopian Motto: Create a slogan/motto to which inhabitants of your utopia would adhere (ex: “In God We Trust”).

4) Rules/Rationales: Develop a list of at least ten (10) rules that all community members would follow. Give an explanation and reason for each rule.

5) Law & Order – What sort of system (or systems) will be needed to deal with those who break rules or those who harm others? How will you address conflict resolution? How will you enforce the rules of your society?

6) Provisions for Life’s Necessities: Explain how you will provide the basic necessities for living in your utopia (food, water, shelter, etc.).

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7) Governing Body: How will the government of this utopia be structured? Will you have a democracy, anarchy, a monarchy, or a dictatorship? How will decisions be made in your utopia?

8) Age Rules: list what actions different ages can do (driving, working, voting <if the society votes>, marrying, etc).

9) Members/Citizens – If you don’t have a global utopia, who will your citizens be? How many? What will they do? What rights will they have? How will they gain admittance to your utopia?

10) Children & Education – What are children’s roles in your society? How do they fit in? What will your system of education be like?

11) Economics, Work & Leisure – What systems will be in place for the production and distribution of goods and services (food, clothes, etc)? What about social classes? What form of currency will you use? How is wealth distributed? Will your economy be independent or reliant on the rest of the world? Who will do the work? What does a day in the life of one of your inhabitants look like? What will your military be like (who serves it in?)

12) Religion – What role will religion play in your utopia? What freedoms or restrictions will you place on religious practices?

Group Presentation Rubric

Group Society flag shows effort and aligns with culture of society/flag has color. Symbolism explained. /5

Group Formal statement (preamble) captures the essence of what the utopia stands for. /5

Group Motto and other questions are typed or handwritten neatly. Thorough answers and explanations. /15

Group Summary of essential characteristics of Utopia. /5

Ind. Diligent work shown in class. Presentation—prepared, presentation skills, did not waste time. /10

Group Ideas and presentation appropriate, respectful, and well-planned. /10

Name: Total:

/50

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Pre-Reading Questions Directions: Write down your response to each of the questions below. REMEMBER:

THOROUGH NOT MINIMAL ANSWERS!

These answers are your opinion, but you need to support your opinion with evidence. Use an example from your life, our society, or the world, in general, to support your

reasons.

1. Is it important to embrace diversity in our society? Why or why not? What can be the benefits of

being in a diverse society?

2. What is the purpose of rituals? Should rituals be changed? If so, when and under what circumstances?

3. What is more important freedom or safety?

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During Reading: Characters & their Assignments As you read, describe each character from the novel. You should add to this list throughout the entire book. Consider the character’s personality, assignment, actions, etc. Jonas (1): Mother (5): Father (5): Lily (2): Gabriel (Gabe) (12): The Giver: Asher (3): Fiona (28): Rosemary (140): / 18

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During Reading: Settings Page

Number Setting Description

2 The Childcare Center The after-school center for children

12 The Nurturing Center The place where newchildren are cared for until the Ceremony of One each December

17 The Hall of Open Records The place that lists all vital statistics, including such information as children’s volunteer hours

22 The House of the Old

26 The Rehabilitation Center The place where injured people are helped

27 The small factories Manufacturing centers in town

27 Office buildings Typical office buildings in the center of town

27 Play areas Places where children can play outside

27 Central Plaza The center of the town

27 The auditorium

27 Food distribution The center that delivers food to the town’s inhabitants 3x a day

28 The bathing room The place in the House of the Old where they are bathed by volunteers

32 The Releasing Room

43 Elsewhere

68 The Annex entrance to the House of the Old

The place where Jonas goes to meet with The Giver

73 The Annex room where the Giver lives

A well-furnished room with many books

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During Reading: Rules of Jonas’ Society Page # Description of the Rule

1 The rule against a Pilot flying over the community

3 Your Description:

5 The rule against going to the front of the line

8 Your Description:

9 The rule about the third transgression: a person has to be released

9 Your Description:

12 The rule about not seeing the names on the naming list before they are made public

13 Your Description: The rule that is nearly always broken…

23 The rule about having your hair ribbons tied

23 Your Description: The rule about not removing objects from the recreation area and….

27 The rule against bragging; it is considered a minor rule, like being rude…

30 The rule against looking at another’s nakedness (except for newchildren or the Old)...

34 The rule against riding someone else’s bicycle

48 Your Description:

51 The rule against opening your tunic when the wind was blowing


66 The rules that each Twelve must learn for his or her Assignment


158 The rule against leaving a dwelling at night unless on official business

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During Reading: Youth Ceremonies Lowry’s book describes annual December ceremonies when children receive new privileges and responsibilities as they grow up. The chart below lists the ceremonies with page numbers where the ceremony first appears.

The Ceremony & Page

What Happens

One (11-12)

Newchildren are taken to the stage by their Nurturers to receive their names and their families. This ceremony is also called the Naming and

Placement.

Two No details are given for the Twos

Three (35)

They begin dream-telling each morning

Four (40)

They wear jackets that fasten down the back

Five (40)


Six (40)


Seven (40)

They begin wearing front-buttoned jackets

Eight (18; 22; 45)

1. Page 18:

2. Page 22:

3. Page 45:

Nine (13; 40)

1. Page 13: They get their bicycles with their name tags on it 2. Page 40: The girls remove their hair ribbons

Ten (46)

Eleven (47)

The girls get new undergarments; the boys start wearing longer trousers and shirts with a pocket for a calculator.

Twelve (17-18)

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During Reading: Rituals Pg #

Ritual Description (Quote Required) and Explanation of Ritual (Why do they do this?)

5 The evening of

telling feelings

(the sharing-of-

feelings)

Parents and children would share their feelings in the evening. Jonas’ feelings were too complicated. “He wanted to share them, but he wasn’t eager to begin the process of sifting through his own complicated emotions, even with the help that he knew his parents could give” (Lowry 5). Lily’s feelings “were always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve” (Lowry 7).

7 Release of the elderly

“A time of celebration for a life well and fully lived” (Lowry 7). Explanation:

7 Release of a newchild

“…which always brought a sense of what-could-we-have-done. This was especially troubling for the Nuturers, like Father, who felt they had failed somehow. But it happened very rarely” (Lowry 7-8). Explanation:

48 The Matching of Spouses

Quote: Explanation:

34 The telling of dreams

Quote: Explanation:

44 The ceremony

of loss

Quote: Explanation:

44 The Murmur-

of-Replaceme

nt ceremony

Quote: Explanation:

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Setting: Venn Diagram

Themes & The Giver

Comparing

and

contrasting

helps you

identify

specific

elements in

the story

and decide

whether or

not you feel

they are

important.

Compare

and

contrast

Jonas’

society with

your own.

Society in The Giver

Similarities of both

Your society

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Themes & The Giver The Giver is a book about…

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Topic: Loneliness

Theme: If a person cannot share

feelings, it may result in

loneliness.

Quote(s) to support this theme:

Topic:

Theme:


Topic:

Theme:


Topic:

Theme:


Theme is _________________________________

In other words: What is the author trying to tell the reader about ______________

and/or _________________?

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Biblical Allusion & The Giver Directions: Read the following verses and make connections to the novel. Be thorough, not minimal- at least 5 sentences! You must include quotes from the Bible to support your stance. Jonas—Jonah 4:1-11 (focus on this reference); 1-3 (back story if needed) What connections can you find between Jonah’s feelings in this passage and Jonas’ feeling about his community in The Giver? Gabriel—Daniel 8:15-27; Daniel 9:20-27; Luke 1:19-38 What does the choice of this name for the newchild suggest about Gabriel’s importance in the novel?

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What’s an “allusion”?

a literary device in which the

writer or speaker refers either

directly or indirectly to a

person, event, or thing in

history or to a work of art or

literature. Basically, it’s when

an author refers to something

well-known or famous.

NOTES & EXAMPLES:

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Essay 1: Labels You will type a 1-2 page essay this week (at least 300 words).

It is not a “formal” essay, so you will be able to use personal pronouns (but you

still can’t use dead words or the words “you”/”your”!).

The essay will be in MLA Format and it will be worth 30 points.

This essay is due ___________.

You may have to research the topic a little bit!

The community in The Giver places labels on many things and all people. What types of labels

have been placed on you? Your family? What labels have been placed on other people who are

different than you?

How do labels help? How do labels hurt?

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Essay 2: Censorship Guidelines:

You will type a 1-2 page essay (at least 300 words).

It is not a “formal” essay, so you will be able to use personal pronouns (but no

dead words or the words “you”/”your”!).


This essay is due __________________________


Option 1: Censorship & the Government

Describe the term censorship and discuss why our government should or should not censor what the people see and hear.

You can answer what types of censorship there are, what is censored in our world today, and/or your thoughts and feelings about the topic.

Option 2: Censorship as Christians

Describe the term censorship and discuss why Christian organizations might censor people from certain things.

Also discuss the following: As believers, is it our duty to “censor” ourselves from the music, movies, and trends of the world? What does this look like? How does censorship affect our relationship with the Lord?

Option 3: Censorship & The Giver

Ironically, The Giver is one of the most frequently censored books in America. What aspects of the community do you think receives the most criticism and condemnation? Do any aspects of the society escape criticism?

Remember that you will have to research this topic a little bit, so give yourself some time to complete this assignment.

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Essay 3: Conformity

Guidelines:

You will type a 1-2 page essay this week (at least 300 words).

It is not a “formal” essay, so you will be able to use personal pronouns (but no

dead words or the words “you”/”your”!).


This essay is due _________________________

In The Giver's society, conformity is crucial for the leaders to maintain control over the citizens. Most characters conform, yet, Jonas does not. Consider the following questions as you write this week's essay. Make sure to give specific examples! Why do we conform? How does conformity influence society? How is conformity used to suppress or control people? What are the benefits of conformity? What are the dangers of conformity?

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Essay 4: Euthanasia Guidelines:

You will type a 1-2 page essay this week (at least 300 words).

It is not a “formal” essay, so you will be able to use personal pronouns (but you

still can’t use dead words or the words “you”/”your”!).


This essay is due ___________.


One of the more controversial topics that Lowry touches upon in The Giver is euthanasia, or the practice of ending someone’s life to ease their suffering. Jonas’s community practices euthanasia on very old citizens as well as upon unhealthy newchildren.

a. Discuss the attitude toward euthanasia as expressed in The Giver. b. Does the novel condemn, promote, or conditionally accept the practice? c. You also need to write about why we, as Christians, should or should not support it.

*Research instances when euthanasia has been used in our world and include such evidence in your essay.

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Creative Writing Activity: Chapter 24 Readers of The Giver do not agree about the ending of the novel. You get to create Chapter 24

of The Giver so that others will know what happens to Jonas, Gabriel, and the community. In

this activity, you use details from the story that you already know to think of an ending.

In two paragraphs of 6-8 thorough sentences each, describe your ending in narrative form.

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Documents

Giver Packet 2015-2016