The Giver

! ELA 8 ! Sept. 17 Nov. 6 ! Miss Tarnowski !

! Gilbert Paterson ! Novel Study Unit !

Table Of Contents:
I. Overview and Rationale
II. Connection to the ELA Strands
III. Literature and Resources
IV. Assessment and Evaluation
V. Essential Questions
VI. Learner Objectives
VII. General Learning Outcomes
VIII. Handouts and Resources

The Giver Unit Plan

! ELA 8 ! Sept. 17 Nov. 6 ! Miss Tarnowski !
! Gilbert Paterson ! Novel Study Unit !

I. Overview and Rationale

The Giver is an excellent novel for younger readers as it explores a diverse range of
topics including but not limited to: the gift and burden of choice, the power of stories, social
justice, morality and ethics, the individual versus society, utopian and dystopian societies,
coping with pain and grief, and the significance of memory. All of these themes developed
within the novel The Giver are very relevant to todays student. Junior High students are at
a pivotal point in their lives where they are making choices about who they are as
individuals and where they will fit into society. This coming of age novel explores the
power of the individual and the power language; important concepts for young readers to
process.
This unit is designed to encourage the grade 8 students to hone their critical
thinking skills by answering some of the more philosophical questions and issues posed in
the novel. Students will be encouraged to relate to the experiences of Jonas and to compare
/ contrast his world to their own world. By comparing their own life stories and
experiences to Jonass, students should develop their own perspective on some of the
issues presented in the novel such as societys control over the individual and choice, the
nature of truth, euthanasia / assisted suicide, the sacrifices that societies and communities
make for security, conformity vs individuality, the role of the family and what it means to
be human.
Content will be presented in a combination of direct instruction, class discussions,
reading and working in small assigned reading groups and listening to the audiobook.
Students will have daily class work time with their assigned reading groups to read and
discuss the novel. Assigned activities will include character sketches, reading
comprehension questions, personal response questions, vocabulary etc. Students will be
expected to participate in in-class discussions and debates and to voice their opinion.
Students will be assessed both formatively and summative via their work in their Learning
Logs and reading quizzes. Students will have the chance to work collaboratively on two
major creative projects: an Interview with a Character skit and a cumulative creative
project. Students will work in small groups to produce and present a skit version of an
interview talk show episode based on the characters and relationships from The Giver.
Students will have the option to work alone or work in partners to create a final project.
Students will be given choice as to the product of their final creative project. Summative
assessments will be a final unit test (comprised of questions from the daily reading comp
and vocabulary as well as a few new deeper thinking questions) and an in-class written
response. To conclude we might be able to watch the film if it comes out on DVD in time!
Students will then do a comparison / contrast written assignment highlighting which
version of the story they enjoyed more, what was different and why certain components
made the book better than the movie or vice versa.
This is a very provocative book and there are some scenes or topics that students
could find disturbing or alarming. Specifically the topic of euthanasia (the concept of
Release) and the way that we treat the elderly, the young, and the infirm, could trigger
strong emotions in children who have dealt with death or loss. Teaching and learning
surrounding these topics will be sensitive, gentle and serious. I think that exploring these
issues is valuable for students and thus the benefits outweigh the negatives.

II. Connection to the ELA Strands

This is how the 6 ELA Strands will be integrated throughout The Giver Novel Study Unit:

The Giver
"The Road Not Taken"

Interview Skits,
Puppet Shows, Class
Debates and
Discussions, Reading
aloud in class and in
reading groups

Learning Logs,
Interview Script, Unit
Exam, In-class Essay,
Written Response &
{Compare/ Contrast
Essay}

Read

Speak

Write

English
Language
Arts
Listen
The Giver Audiobook,
Puppet Shows, In-class
discussions, Interview
Skits, Imagine by John
Lennon
{Film?}

View

Represent

Puppet Shows,
Interview Skits,
Character Sketces,
{Film? }

Interview Skits,
Character Sketches,
Creative Project
Puppet shows

GLO 1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts,
ideas, feelings and experiences.
GLO 2: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and
respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.
GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
GLO 4: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity
and artistry of communication.
GLO 5: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and
collaborate with others.

III. Literature and Resources

Primary Texts
Novel: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Audiobook: The Giver (Youtube) Narrated by Ron Rifkin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0A9i6UK7TQ

or: by chapter https://mrnorthern.wikispaces.com/The+Giver+Audio

Poem: The Path Not Taken by Robert Frost

Film Trailer: The Giver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJNNugNe0Wo

The Giver 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvp6FnYWRZU ! gives too much

away!

Film: The Giver The Weinstein Company and Walden Media, 2014. Directed by Phillip
Noyce

Youtube Videos

Dystopia/ Utopia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A7CHIlgNW0 "3:40

Utopia VS Dystopia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7R1eBnHvBI "Teacher Talking
2:40
" Paragraph (What will the future look like in 100 years, how will things be different,
housing technology, transportation, government, entertainment and resource
availability? Why do you think the future will look this way?
Childrens Literature Experts Sharing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9NUfk8nLc
(15:12)
Good vs Good Enough (Freewrite): Why is should we keep on trying wven though we make
mistakes / perfection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIY4Rya92P4#t=126

Supplementary Texts

Lois Lowrys Website: http://www.loislowry.com/

http://www.slideshare.net/mhorn3/the-giver-intro - Great slideshow on Overarching
ideas from the text, background info etc.

IV. Assessment and Evaluation

Formative Assessments

# In-class discussions
# Reading Group Discussions
# Character Sketches (integrated into Learning Logs)
# Vocabulary (integrated into Learning Logs)
# Key Questions/Personal Response Questions (integrated Learning Logs)
# Formative In-Class assignments
Summative Assessments

Reading Comprehension Quizzes

Learning Logs
Unit Test (comprised of questions from key questions, reading comp and vocab)
Interview with a Character skit presentations (group, class, and teacher
evaluation)
# In Class Written Response
# Final Creative Project (self and teacher evaluation)
#
#
#
#

Community Group Project

In this project students will create and define their own utopian community. Students will
decide on things such as how their community will be governed, what the demographics
for the community will be, transportation, culture, a name for the community and a slogan
for their community. This project will focus on GLOs 1, 3 and 5 as students are responding
to thoughts, feelings, ideas and experiences about community, they are managing ideas and
information by making a poster, and they are working collaboratively with others.
Logbooks

In these logbooks students will respond to and explore the text The Giver in a variety of
ways. Students will explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences though personal
journal entries (GLO 1). They will also comprehend and respond critically to The Giver
through comprehension and analysis questions on the text (GLO 2). Students will enhance
the clarity and artistry of communication primarily through vocabulary, group and class
discussions and writing assignments (GLO 3). Students will use their logbooks as a tool to
manage the ideas and information they encounter during our novels study unit (GLO 4).
Finally, the collaborative aspect of Language Arts will be deeply developed through reading
groups, class and group discussions and shared projects or assignments (GLO 5).
Puppet Show

In this project students will work in groups of 4-5 people to create a puppet show that
depicts the events, conversations, and conflicts that occur within designated chapters from
The Giver. This assignment will focus on the choices text creators make to tell a story such
as setting, dialogue and characterization (direct and indirect). This project will focus on
GLOs 3, 4 and 5 as students are managing ideas and information from the chapters by
making a puppet show (3), and they are enhancing the clarity and the artistry of their
verbal / visual communication skills (4) and finally as they are working collaboratively
with others (5).

1.1 Discover and Explore

Express ideas and develop understanding
- revise understanding and expression of ideas by connecting new and prior knowledge
and experiences
- review, reread discuss and reflect on oral, print and other media texts to explore,
confirm or revise understanding
- seek out and consider diverse ideas, opinions and experiences to develop and extend own
ideas, opinions and experiences
own growth in effective use of language to revise and extend personal goals

2.1 Use strategies and Cues

Use comprehension strategies
- enhance understanding by paraphrasing main ideas and supporting details, and by
re-reading and discussing relevant passages
- take notes, make outlines and use strategies such as read, recite, review to
comprehend and remember ideas and information

2.3 Understand Forms, Elements and Techniques
Understand techniques and elements
- identify and explain characters qualities and motivations by considering their
words and actions, their interactions with other characters and the authors or
narrators perspective
summarize the content of media texts and discuss the choices made in planning
and producing them

2.4 Create Original Text

Generate ideas
- create oral, print and other media texts related to issues encountered in texts and in own
life
Elaborate on the expression of ideas
- retell oral, print and other media texts from different points of view
Structure Texts
- Create oral, print and other media texts with both main and minor characters
- choose forms or genres of oral, print or other media texts for the particular affects they
will have on audiences and purposes
Focus Attention
- experiment with several ways to focus on a topic, and select a form appropriate to
audience and purpose

3.4 Share and Review
Share ideas and information
- communicate ideas and information in a variety of oral, print and other media
texts, such as interviews, minilessons and documentaries.
- integrate appropriate visual, print and/ or other media to inform and engage the
audience

4.1 Enhance and Improve

Appraise own and others work

- share draft oral, print and other media texts in a way that will elicit useful feedback
- evaluate how particular content features contribute to, or detract from, the overall
effectiveness of own and others oral, print and other media texts; make and suggest
revisions
Enhance artistry
- experiment with figurative language, voice, sentence patterns, camera angle and music to
create an impression or mood

4.3 Present and Share
Present information
- plan and facilitate small group and short, whole class presentations to share information
Enhance presentation
- present information to achieve a particular purpose and to appeal to interest and
background knowledge of reader or audience
Use effective oral and visual communication
- plan and shape presentations to achieve particular purposes or effects, and use feedback
from rehearsals to make modifications
Demonstrate attentive listening and viewing
- anticipate the organizational pattern of presentations, and identify important ideas and
supporting details
- use appropriate verbal and nonverbal feedback to respond respectfully

5.2 Work Within a Group
Cooperate with others
-propose ideas or advocate points of view that recognize the ideas of others and advance
the thinking of the group
- use opportunities as a group member to contribute to group goals and extend own
learning
Work in groups
-contribute ideas, knowledge and strategies to identify group information needs and
sources
Evaluate group process
- evaluate the quality of own contributions to group process, and offer constructive
feedback to others; propose suggestions for improvement

V. Essential Questions
Why do we read stories? In what ways are stories like or unlike our lives?
Why do we conform?
With all the diversity of society is conformity worth considering?
What are the dangers of conformity?
Why does society need rules?
Is a perfect society possible? Is it something that we really want?
Why is history important? Why is knowing where we came from and our past
important?
# Are peace, happiness and general comfort worth any price?
# How much should a government be able to control your individual rights for the
benefit of the society?
# Could something intended for the good of society really be bad?
# What makes an ideal society?
# What makes people happy? Would you rather live in a society that was safe but
required you to conform to the rules, or a society that was dangerous/ chaotic but
you have personal freedom and choice?
# How truthful do you think our society is?
# What is the role of the family?
# How should we treat the elderly?
# What does it mean to be human?
# What do you think of arranged marriages? What are the pros and cons?
# To what extent should we numb our emotions?
# What are the connections between choice, morality and justice? How can you apply
your beliefs about these big ideas to your own life?
# How much power should the government have over people?
# What do you think of euthanasia / assisted suicide? Why? Relate this to Canadas
most recent ruling. (http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/07/physician-assisted-death-is-going-to-
#
#
#
#
#
#
#

become-legal-canadas-right-to-die-debate-almost-over-doctors-say/

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canadians-divided-on-keeping-doctor-assisted-suicide-ban-report-finds1.1861336
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipVF-)

IX. Handouts & Resources

Getting to Know YOU

Hey there! Since we are going to be spending a lot of time together in the
next 4 months, it would be great for me to get to know a bit more about
who YOU are! Answer the following questions as best you can!

A. What is one song I should definitely check out?


B. What is one book (or comic book, or graphic novel, or magazine) that I
should definitely read?



C. List a few of your interests (sports, hobbies etc.)




D. What TV shows, movies, or videogames do you think I should watch or
try?




E. What are you good at in Language Arts?




F. What is something that you find hard in Language Arts?


G. Is there anything else I should know about you and/or whats going on
in your life so that I can treat you fairly? (You dont have to get super
personal here just let me know if your time will be limited because
you play a lot of sports, you work a part time job, or you have extra
responsibilities at homethat type of thing. )

If you are done, you can draw me a picture.


Gilbert Paterson Middle School
CONQUER

THYSELF

THEN

CONQUER

THE

WORLD

ELA 8

Teacher: Miss Tarnowski

Room: 103

Contact: Amy.Tarnowski@lethsd.ab.ca

Days and Times:

Monday 10:45 11:35 & 2:10 3:00
Wednesday 8:10 9:00
Thursday 8:10 9:00 & 2:10 3:00
Friday 10:45 12:00

Class Description:
Welcome to grade 8 English Language Arts! In this class we will explore the six strands of
English Language Arts; reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing to
discover new things about ourselves, other people, and the world around us.


I will be teaching the ELA class until the end of December, so this is a brief outline of what
we will cover in our time together. We will be starting with a Grammar Unit, which will last
approximately 2 weeks. After the completion of our Grammar Unit we will begin a novel
study on The Giver. For the remainder of the term we will be doing a Short Story Unit. In
order for students to be fully prepared to enter high school, a special focus for this year will
be essay writing.

Assessment and Evaluation:

Students grades are based on the following:

80% - Classwork (assignments, projects, quizzes, unit tests etc.)

20% - Final Exam

Behavioural Expectations
Students are expected to take responsibility for their learning by participating fully in
classroom related activities and by completing all assignments.
The following are requirements within the classroom:

Please arrive on time with the required resources for the class
Be prepared to participate fully and to try your best
Take responsibility for your own learning and your own actions.
Be respectful of other people and the learning environment.

Homework and Plagiarism Policies

You cannot cut, paste, or buy enlightenment - students are expected to submit original
work. Students can expect regular homework to practice or reinforce concepts that have
already been taught. Occasionally, larger projects or group work may be assigned which
will require additional time to complete outside of classroom hours. Students are
expected to hand in assignments on time except under exceptional circumstances.

Absences and Lates

Students are expected to be prompt and attend class regularly. It is the students
responsibility to inform me of any planned absences ahead of time. In the case of planned or
unplanned absences, the student is responsible for making up any missed assignments in a
timely fashion.

Signposts Notes
Signpost

Quotations

Significance

Contrast and
Contradiction

Tough Questions

Aha Moment

(when a character does

something that contrasts with
what you would expect or
contradicts his / her earlier
actions or attitudes, stop and ask:
Why is the character doing
that?)
(when a character asks himself /
herself a difficult question, stop
and ask yourself What does this
question make me wonder
about?)

(when a character realizes,

understands, or finally figures
something out, stop and ask
How might this change things?)

Again and Again

(when you notice a word, phrase,
idea or image or situation being
mentioned over and over, stop
and ask Why does this keep
coming up again and again?)

Words of the Wiser

(when a character (usually older
and wiser) offers the main
character serious or sage advice,
stop and ask What is the life
lesson and how does this affect
the character?)

Memory Moment

(when the author interrupts the

flow of the story to tell you about
a memory (flashback), stop and
ask, Why might this memory be
important and Why did the
author choose to include it?)

11

Imagine (John Lennon)

Lyrics:
Imagine there is no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You, you may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will live as one

12

Interview a Character Assignment

We know from reading The Giver that the world that Jonas lives in is
very different than our world today. You assignment is to create a skit where
you interview a character from the book. Your interview should reflect what
life is like in The Community, how the society works, what jobs people have,
where they live, the rules that govern the community. (assignment details
are a work in progress)


Tips:

% Be creative.

% Write a Script (you will hand it in to Miss T).

% Keep things appropriate for the audience and setting that we are in.

% Keep your skit to 5- 10 min in length.

% Practice before you present.

13

Self & Peer Evaluation Form

Presentation Evaluation Form

14

The Giver Study Questions

Here are some questions to help remind you of ideas from the novel.

What is the setting for the novel? Why is this important?

What are some words of the wiser that we see in this novel?

What are some comparison / contrasts in the novel?

What are some symbols and themes that we see in this novel?

What is the importance the idea of conformity?

What is the importance of colour in the novel?

What are some of the allusions used in this novel?

What is an example of flashback in the novel?

What is an example of foreshadowing in the novel?

Is Jonas a flat or round character? Is Jonas a static or dynamic character?

What is the main type of conflict in this novel?

What would you say the climax of the novel is?

What is the importance of authority in this novel?

What life lessons do we get from this novel?

Written Response Questions:

1. What is your opinion of the idea that significant events can change an
individuals perspective?
2. What is your opinion of the idea that certain people and experiences influence us
in important ways?
3. What is your opinion of the idea that order and safety are important qualities?

4. What is your opinion of the idea that uniqueness is an important quality?

5. What is your opinion of the idea that our beliefs are influenced by the actions of
others?
6. What is your opinion of the idea that a moment of crisis can have significant
consequences?

15

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