Lois Lowry's The Giver Book Club
In this 4-week book club, students will use videos, worksheets, writing assignments, vocabulary words, and crossword puzzles to understand Lois Lowry's dystopian novel, The Giver
Janelle Fila
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4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
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What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read approximately 5 chapters a week on their own time. Each week, students will have access to the five videos and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers for each day. Each week, I assign a 1-2 page writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and encourage the students to share their responses in the classroom. They will also write sentences for 12 vocabulary words.Assessment
The more assignments that students complete and the more questions that they share in posts helps me to understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Grading
Please let me know if you would like a grade for this course.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
Students will read approximately 5 chapters a week on their own time in this fast-paced course. They will have access to 5 weekly videos, 5 supplemental worksheets, and a weekly vocabulary crossword puzzle. There is a one-two page weekly writing assignment to gauge the reader's understanding of their previous reading. Weekly Schedule Breakdown: Students will receive 12 vocabulary words that will appear in the week's reading. Students will write individual sentences to demonstrate their understanding of the definitions. They will have access to a weekly online crossword puzzle that will help reinforce the word and their definitions. Students will receive access to five new videos that discuss a different assigned chapter. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, social issues, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. Students will receive a corresponding one-page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers for each day. Students are assigned a one-two page writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions to post in the classroom. Their comments and my feedback wraps up our weekly discussion.
Learning Goals
Week One Chapters 1-5: Students will be introduced to Jonas, his world, and his family unit. The prerecorded videos will discuss how dystopian worlds are different than ours and what the author might be trying to show us by using this model for her storytelling. Students will also learn about Gabriel and his potential importance to the overall story. They will also talk about the Releasing Room. What do students think happens when a member is released? Where do they go? How might this question be important to the overall story?
Week Two Chapters 6-10: What did the students think about the Ceremony? Were they surprised when Jonas got skipped? Are they as nervous as he is about his new assignment? What do they think the Receiver of Memory does?
Week Three Chapters 11-16: Students will meet the Giver and see Jonas' first day as the Receiver. What do they think about Jonas' sunburn? How would they feel if they had to experience pain for the very first time? What is the significance of Jonas seeing the color red? Will this change make Jonas' world better or complicate things for him? Why is the Giver teaching Jonas about pain? Do the students think Jonas was right to share a calming memory with Gabriel? What do students think about his parents' reaction when Jonas asks about love? Do they love him? Does Jonas love Gabriel? How might this relationship be important to the overall story?
Week Four Chapters 17-23: Students will learn the truth about release. Are they surprised or do they feel Lowry hinted at this throughout the text? Students will have a chance to discuss what Jonas should do with his new knowledge. How do students feel about the ending? Was Jonas right to run away? What parts of the story from the beginning make more sense now that students have read the ending? What questions do students still have about the book?
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Chapters 1-5
Vocabulary words, a crossword puzzle, video lessons, worksheets, and a writing assignment Lesson 2:
Chapters 6-10
Vocabulary words, a crossword puzzle, video lessons, worksheets, vocabulary words, and a writing assignment Lesson 3:
Chapters 11-16
Vocabulary words, a crossword puzzle, video lessons, worksheets, vocabulary words, and a writing assignment Lesson 4:
Chapters 17-22
Vocabulary words, a crossword puzzle, video lessons, worksheets, vocabulary words, and a writing assignment Other Details
Parental Guidance
The large reveal at the end of the novel could be disturbing to a young or sensitive student: the elderly and weak people of the community are not sent off as previously thought, but actually put to death.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of Lois Lowry's The Giver 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 when completing the writing assignments. I will provide a link for the students to access the weekly crossword puzzle.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
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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 for three years before teaching on Outschool full-time. I currently also teach English Composition at my local nursing college. I have read Lois Lowry's The Giver multiple times and discussing it with students in the classroom. It is a book that I gave to my son to read as soon as I felt he was old enough to understand the concepts. I love that it uses a dystopian world to challenge us to think about our own world and current situation. It is the perfect story to discuss because it raises a lot of questions about choice, freedom, government regulation, lies, and trust. Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$10
weekly4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 14 learners
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Ages: 8-13
