Unit 2:

Memories are forever

The Giver by Lois Lowry

"Sometimes I wish they'd ask for my wisdom more oftenthere 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).

Table of Contents
Grade

Description of Page

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Class Notes: Critical Readers Ask Questions All the Time &
Class Notes: Introduction to The Giver
Create your own Utopia Project
Pre-Reading Questions
During Reading: Characters and their Assignments

Graded separately

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Page
#s
2
3-4
5
6

During Reading: Settings

During Reading: Rules of Jonas Society

During Reading: Ceremonies

During Reading: Rituals

10

Setting: Venn Diagram

11

Class Discussion: Themes of The Giver

12

Biblical Allusions & The Giver

13

PROMPTEssay #1: Labels

PROMPTEssay #2: Censorship
PROMPTEssay #3: Conformity
PROMPTEssay #4: Euthanasia
Creative Writing

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15
16
17
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TOTAL SCORE:

/110
Corrected by: ____________________________ (print name here)

This packet was graded with honesty and integrity.

Signed: _____________________________________ (sign here)

Critical Readers Ask Questions All The Time

Good readers ask questions _____________________, ____________________, and
_____________________ theyve read the text.
Good readers attempt to answer their questions
__________________________________________.
There are two types of questions
1.

_____________________________ questions
a. one that doesnt have a simple answer
(ex. ______________________________________)

2.

______________________________ questions
a. Can be answered simply
There are three places to find the answers to questions.
1.
2.
3.

In _____________________
In _____________________ (inference and conclusion)
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 Lifes Necessities: Explain how you will provide the basic necessities for
living in your utopia (food, water, shelter, etc.).

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 dont 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 childrens 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.

Group

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

Group

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

Group

Summary of essential characteristics of Utopia.

Ind.

Diligent work shown in class. Presentationprepared, presentation skills, did not waste time.

Group

Ideas and presentation appropriate, respectful, and well-planned.

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Name:

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Total:

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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 characters personality, assignment, actions, etc.
Jonas (1):

Mother (5):

Father (5):

Lily (2):

Gabriel (Gabe) (12):

The Giver:

Asher (3):

Fiona (28):

Rosemary (140):

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During Reading: Settings

Page
Number
2
12

Setting

Description

The Childcare Center

The Nurturing Center

17

The Hall of Open Records

The after-school center for children

The place where newchildren are cared for until
the Ceremony of One each December
The place that lists all vital statistics, including
such information as childrens volunteer hours

22

The House of the Old

26
27
27
27
27
27

The Rehabilitation Center

The small factories
Office buildings
Play areas
Central Plaza
The auditorium

The place where injured people are helped

Manufacturing centers in town
Typical office buildings in the center of town
Places where children can play outside
The center of the town

27

Food distribution

28

The bathing room

The center that delivers food to the towns

inhabitants 3x a day
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 Annex room where the
Giver lives

73

The place where Jonas goes to meet with The

Giver
A well-furnished room with many books

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During Reading: Rules of Jonas Society

Page #
1
3

Description of the Rule

The rule against a Pilot flying over the community
Your Description:

5
8

Your Description:

9
9

Your Description:

The rule against going to the front of the line

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

12
13

The rule about not seeing the names on the naming list before they are made public
Your Description: The rule that is nearly always broken

23
23

The rule about having your hair ribbons tied

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

27
30
34
48

The rule against bragging; it is considered a minor rule, like being rude
The rule against looking at anothers nakedness (except for newchildren or the Old)...
The rule against riding someone elses bicycle
Your Description:

The rule against opening your tunic when the wind was blowing

51
61

Your Description:

66
99

Your Description:

158

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

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

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During Reading: Youth Ceremonies

Lowrys 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
What Happens
& Page
Newchildren are taken to the stage by their Nurturers to receive their
One
names and their families. This ceremony is also called the Naming and
(11-12)
Placement.
No details are given for the Twos
Two
They
begin dream-telling each morning
Three
(35)
They wear jackets that fasten down the back
Four
(40)
They wear jackets that fasten down the back
Five
(40)
They wear jackets that fasten down the back
Six
(40)
They begin wearing front-buttoned jackets
Seven
(40)
1. Page 18:
Eight
(18; 22; 45)

Nine
(13; 40)
Ten
(46)
Eleven
(47)
Twelve
(17-18)

2.

Page 22:

3.

Page 45:

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

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

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During Reading: Rituals

Pg
#

Ritual

The
evening of
telling
feelings
(the
sharing-offeelings)

Parents and children would share their feelings in the evening.

Release of
the elderly

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

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

Jonas feelings were too complicated. He wanted to share them, but he wasnt 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).
Lilys feelings were always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve (Lowry 7).

Explanation:

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
MurmurofReplaceme
nt
ceremony

Quote:
Explanation:

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Setting: Venn Diagram

Society in 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.

Similarities of both

Your society

Themes & The Giver

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Themes & The Giver

The Giver is a book about

Topic: Loneliness

Topic:

Theme: If a person cannot share

Theme:

feelings, it may result in

loneliness.
Quote(s) to support this theme:
Quote(s) to support this theme:

Topic:

Topic:

Theme:

Theme:

Quote(s) to support this theme:

Quote(s) to support this 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.
JonasJonah 4:1-11 (focus on this reference); 1-3 (back story if needed)
What connections can you find between Jonahs feelings in this passage and
Jonas feeling about his community in The Giver?

Whats 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, its when
an author refers to something
well-known or famous.
NOTES & EXAMPLES:

GabrielDaniel 8:15-27; Daniel 9:20-27; Luke 1:19-38

What does the choice of this name for the newchild suggest about
Gabriels importance in the novel?

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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 cant 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!).
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!

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

One of the more controversial topics that Lowry touches upon in The Giver is euthanasia, or
the practice of ending someones life to ease their suffering. Jonass 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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