THE
GIVER
By Lois Lowry
1994 Newberry Medal Award Winner
A WebQuest for
8th Grade
Designed by:
Amy Cordy,
Jennifer Fouty, Marybeth Malone, and Ekaterina Rohal
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits
Introduction
Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the
Community.
When Jonas turns twelve he is singled out
to receive special training from an old man known as The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of true
pain and pleasure of life. Now it’s time
for Jonas to receive the truth. There is
no turning back. As The Giver transfers the memories, Jonas discovers the disturbing
truths about his utopian world. This science fiction novel by 1994 Newbery Medal winner Lois Lowry captivated millions of
readers. However, many people were frustrated with the ending as they were
often left with unanswered questions. What do you think actually happened?
Task
This is your chance to make
things right and rewrite the ending! The Literature
Journal Committee announced a writer’s contest for a new ending to The Giver. You are welcome to
participate! You are encouraged to be creative, but also to be sure that your new ending flows well with what you have already
read. Before you begin, complete the
Research Activity and Prewriting Activity to obtain sufficient background
information on the concept of a utopian community. This term will be important
in helping you to create your new ending, and to review the story elements
including theme, setting, and plot. Good Luck!
Process
Research Activity - Discovering the “Perfect” World
Step One: What is a Utopia?
Use the following websites to research the concept of “Utopia.” The second website has lots of detailed information on Utopia. Decide which parts are relevant to your project.
Definition of Utopia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia
Utopian Philosophy: How to Achieve it; Merging Reality and Utopia; and Views of What Utopia May Be Like
http://users.erols.com/jonwill/
Step Two: Define Perfect!
Visit
the four sites of Utopias that exist today.
Use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast
two of your choice.
The Acorn Community of
The Farm in
http://www.thefarm.org/index.html
Twin Oaks Community in
Prewriting Activities
Before you begin writing your own ending,
answer the following questions to review the last chapter of the book:
1.
Jonas and Gabriel were cold and tired.
Gabriel was getting weaker. How did Jonas find the strength to go on?
2.
What result did Jonas’s brief encounter
with sunshine have on him?
3.
Jonas “was aware with certainty and joy
that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too,
for the baby.” Why was Jonas so certain?
The ending of The Giver has been
interpreted in two very different ways. Perhaps Jonas is remembering his
Christmas memory - one of the most beautiful that the Giver gave to him - as he
and Gabriel are freezing to death, falling into a dreamlike coma in the snow.
Or perhaps Jonas does hear music and, with his special vision, is able to
perceive the warm house where people are waiting to greet him. In her
acceptance speech for the Newbery Medal, Lois Lowry
mentioned both possibilities, but would not confirm whether one or the other
was correct. Visit http://www.loislowry.com/faq.html
to read the author’s own explanations about the ending.
Requirements for the ending:
1.
Your ending should be at least two
paragraphs.
2.
Visit http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/
to review the basic elements of a paragraph.
3.
Your ending should fully explain what
happened to Jonas and Gabriel.
4.
Pay attention to the grammar and
spelling.
5.
HAVE FUN!
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Evaluation |
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You will be evaluated in the following 4 areas:
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Conclusion
If you enjoyed reading the Giver, you may also like to read other
books by Lois Lowry. Lowry wrote Gathering
Blue, which is not actually a sequel, but a companion novel set in the same
future time, but in a different place, where you will meet Kira.
A very careful reader will find a reference to Jonas in Gathering Blue. The author has also just finished writing the third book, which will link the first
two. Jonas and Kira
will both appear in the new book, but the main character is Matt, a character
from Gathering Blue. The new book
will be called Messenger and the
author says it may just answer some of the questions that still remain in your
mind after reading the first two books.
Interdisciplinary
Connections
Science and Art
While
Jonas was throwing an apple back and forth, he suddenly noticed that it
changed. He was beginning to perceive
color. You will learn how color is
perceived by the human eye. You will
also learn about the Primary colors, the color spectrum, and color mixing.
Step
One: Learn about colors – There’s More than Meets the Eye…
1. Divide into groups and visit the following
web sites:
(note - everyone in the group should be taking notes and
comprehending terms)
http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/mod/light/colorspectrum/pattLight3.html
http://home.att.net/~B-P.TRUSCIO/COLOR.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Colormixing.shtml
2. Each group is to read through their notes
together, discuss their findings, and write a short paragraph reflecting on
what they have learned.
Step Two: Bring your ideas to life!
1.You are going to bring the utopian society from The Giver to life by adding color.
Each group will be given supplies: paper, art brushes, and paint. Your
task is to paint a favorite scene from the book in full color. It will be necessary to practice mixing the
colors before you start your painting.
2. Each group will present their paintings to
the rest of the class and explain how they mixed the colors to achieve their
final result.
Art and History
Family Tree
Jonah
was frustrated because he did not know his grandparents or anything about his
true family. You will be building a family tree to learn about your
family. Please complete the following activities in order:
Step One: Who are these people you live with?
1. Tonight at the dinner table, you are to question everyone
about his or her knowledge of your family and its history. Begin by
listing each person’s birth date and place of birth; then literally branch out
from there, listing cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents -- maybe even some
great-great-grandparents. With some
knowledge of when and where they lived, you can perhaps come up with some ideas
about what their lives were like.
Step Two: How do you grow a Family Tree?
1. Visit the following website and write a letter to the
National Genealogical Society. Be sure to include the information they
request, have the letter proofread by each group member and your teacher, and
then mail it. They will send you sources for continuing your family tree.
http://genealogy.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ngsgenealogy.org%2Fyouthcorrespondence.htm
2. Visit http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_web.html. This
site will provide you with many genealogy sites on the World Wide Web.
Use these sites as references in constructing your family tree.
Step Three: Plant your tree to last a lifetime…
1.
When you have gathered all of your
information, draw your family tree on a piece of posterboard,
perhaps leaving places for photographs and/or a brief story about each person
-- what a delightful surprise it will be for visiting relatives!
OHIO
1. Recognize the importance and function of figurative language.
2. Demonstrate comprehension of print and electronic text by
responding to questions (e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative and
synthesizing).
3. Analyze interactions between characters in literary text and how
the interactions affect the plot.
4. Explain and analyze how the context of setting and the author’s
choice of point of view impact a literary text.
Writing
1. Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the
purpose and audience.
2. Determine the usefulness of organizers and apply appropriate
pre-writing tasks.
3. Use correct spelling conventions.
4. Use correct punctuation and capitalization.
5. Demonstrate understanding of the grammatical conventions of the
English language.
6. Evaluate
the usefulness and credibility of data and sources.
7. Organize
information from various resources and select appropriate sources to support
central ideas, concepts and themes.
8. Communicate
findings, reporting on the substance and processes orally, visually, and in
writing or through multimedia.
Credits & References
The Giver, by Lois Lowry. 1994
The Giver L-I-T Guide, Grades 5 to 9, Educational Impressions, Inc., 1995.
Teacher CyberGuide, The Giver by Lois Lowry, http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/giver/givertg.htm, By Virginia Frank
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