“If you were to be
lost in the river, Jonas, your memories would not be lost with you. Memories
are forever.”
The Giver
Written
by Lois LowryPublished by Random House Children’s Books, 1993
Memories,
Color, Pain, Utopia, Knowledge, Sameness
Awards:
Newbery
Medal (Won, 1994) Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (Nominated, 1993)
Land of Enchantment Book Award (Won, 1997)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Won, 1994)
Arizona Young Reader's Award (Won, 1995)
Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (Won, 1996)
Golden Sower Award (Won, 1995)
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Won, 1997)
Young Reader's Choice Award (Won, 1996)
Garden State Teen Book Award (Won, 1996)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (Nominated, 1994)
American
Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Award (Nominated, 1994) American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Award (Nominated, 1995)
Sequoyah Book Award (Won, 1996)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Won, 1996)
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (Won, 1996)
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Won, 1996)
Summary:
The
Giver is an elderly man who holds all the memories of what we know as the
normal world. The Giver and Jonas, his
apprentice, live in a world of no color or memories. At 12, like all adolescents, his elders
assigned him a job, his role being much more complicated and intense and possible
more than Jonas can handle.
Reading
Level:
Lexile Measure: 760L
Suggested
Delivery:
Read aloud
Key
Vocabulary:
Disquieting, Restored, Transgression, Vividly, Inadequate, Reflective
a) Discuss the importance of memory with your students, or formal history. Why do we bother keeping a running record of the past?
b)
Since this book is challenging and deals with some difficult topics, implement
this novel into your classroom in the form of a read aloud. This way students can address their comments
and questions at the time of reading and avoid confusion.
c) I always suggest that teachers write a rationale explaining the purpose of their units. The same goes when you tackle The Giver. The novel is known to cause controversy, but if you have strong, concrete reasons backing your decision, no parent can object.
d) Have students investigate the other three novels in the series, utilize the author’s website, he provides a short synopsis of each, which is sure to attract your readers.
Comprehension Strategies:
Pre-Reading:
Before reading, ask students to complete a survey about their opinions of a perfect society. This will activate their thinking about global issues, such as overpopulation, hunger, and unemployment. Be sure to allow ample time for brief discussion about all ten questions.
During
reading
Ask
students to mark areas where Lois Lowry evokes symbolism or imagery, along with
an explanation on how it promotes the storyline. For example, the first color Jonas sees, the
color red, or baby Gabriel, the sled, or the river.
Post
Reading
To
encourage and promote your students’ personal connections to the story, have
them complete the webquest found at, http://www.nycsd.k12.pa.us/tchr/webquests/giver/default.html. The students will “search for their role” in
Jonas’ society, make a list of their own interests, choose a specific
occupation from “The Giver” and based on this assign three friends roles and
explain their reasoning.
Writing
Activity
Students
will create logographic cue cards using the symbolism they discover throughout
the novel. On one side, they should draw
the image the novel refers to and on the other side write what the image means
and its significance in the novel.
Electronic
Resources:
This is a great resource if you are looking for quick ideas of symbolism in The Giver.
http://www.shmoop.com/the-giver/symbolism-imagery.html
http://www.tallmania.com/Giver.html
Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Ms. Flodine,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great book and you have chosen some exceptional comprehension strategies. The pre-reading strategy is a good way to activate prior knowledge. The students are going to have various responses to what they feel is a “perfect society” and thus make for good discussion. Your writing activity is creative and engaging. Logographic cue cards are a great way to bridge the student’s knowledge of the symbolism throughout the book.
-Mr.Ramos
Ms. Flodine,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog about the Giver. This is an exceptional choice for a read aloud and I especially liked your electronic resources to support the text. Creating a webquest will provide students the opportunity to integrate technology into the classroom. As the ever changing 21st century is developing into a technology based learning environment, it is important to keep up with the trends and provide students the opportunity to expand as a learner through the use of technology.
Creating a webquest will help students to build their inferential comprehension through connecting their personal experiences with the story.
Also, The Giver is a great resource to talk about symbolism, as you identified under your electronic resources. This is a great idea and well written blog; I will definitely be using some of your teaching suggestions in my future teaching career. Thank you!