Messenger by Lois Lowry Reading and Discussion: Flexible Schedule
In this 5-week course, students will read and discuss Messenger, the third book in The Giver quartet, by Lois Lowry #academic
Janelle Fila
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
Star Educator
What's included
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read approximately four chapters a week on their own time. Each Sunday, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. There are also daily activities each day like vocabulary words, an I Spy game, word searches and crossword puzzles to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Students will read approximately four chapters a week on their own time. Each week a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. Each Sunday, students will have access to a video that covers the important elements of the week's reading and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. The worksheets will also address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each chapter. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom (so other students may view, comment, and interact as well). I also ask students to submit any vocabulary words the students didn't recognize or passages the students did not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each chapter. Weekly breakdown: Sunday: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each weekly video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the weekly readings. Monday: I post an I Spy challenge and ask the students to list one specific item they can "spy" from the week's reading. Students can also challenge other students (or myself!) to find other items as well. Tuesday through Fridays: I will post a vocabulary word for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. Saturday: I post a link to a crossword puzzle, word search, quiz, Kahoot! or other fun resource the students can fill out to further immerse themselves in this world. Students can share their experience (was there a crossword clue they didn't know the answer to or a word that they just could not find?) in the classroom to share their experience with their classmates.
Learning Goals
Week 1: Chapters 1-4
Week 2: Chapters 5-8
Week 3: Chapters 9-12
Week 4: Chapters 13-16
Week 5: Chapters 17-21
Other Details
Parental Guidance
According to Commonsensemedia.org, Messenger, the third book in Lois Lowry's Giver quartet, links together the first two books, The Giver and Gathering Blue, and leaves the reader reaching for the next. The setting here is known simply as the Village, a safe haven for damaged people and a place of kindness, compassion, and community. But the place is changing for the worse. Villagers are selling their souls for mundane things, and that is unleashing an ominous, evil force that threatens to destroy everything. The mood is turning ugly. There's much to discuss. As in ancient myths, the difference between good and evil is obvious, nature reflects the health (or sickness) of the community, and it takes a self-sacrificing hero to right things again. Matty, Kira, and Leader (Jonas) are graphically attacked by plants and trees in Forest. A major character dies.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of Messenger to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have during out discussion time.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher, tutor, and and currently teach full-time. I have read The Giver series multiple times while in the classroom. It is a book that I gave my son to read as soon as I felt he was old enough to discuss the concepts. Dystopian stories can be tricky to understand, but I love the way Lowry uses a dystopian world to challenge us to think about our own world and current situations. It is a fantastic book to talk about and leads to many eye-opening discussions in the classroom. Reviews
Live Group Class
$9
weekly5 weeks
Completed by 1 learner
No live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
