10 Lesson Plan Ideas for The Giver

Below are 10 quick lesson plan ideas for teaching The Giver by Lois Lowry. If you want detailed daily lesson plans and everything else you need to teach The Giver in one easy download, check out this amazing full unit plan. Lesson Ideas 1. Introduction to the novel: Before diving into the book, introduce students to the basic plot and themes of The Giver. This can include a brief summary of the story, discussion of the setting and characters, and identification of key themes such as individuality, conformity, and the value of memories. 2. Character analysis: Have students choose a character from The Giver to analyze in depth. This could include creating a character map, writing a character sketch, or Read More …

11 Activities for The Giver

Whether you substitute teach or have your own classes, you can never have too many quick activities and assignments on hand to fill the gaps that sometimes arise. Here are 11 good ones that will fit well with The Giver, but can also be used with any novel, play, or short story. And if you really want to save time and reduce your workload, download this full unit plan for The Giver and enjoy stress-free teaching for weeks. 1. Create a Quiz Students create a quiz for the novel, short story, or play being studied. They can use an online quiz-making site like quizyourfriends.com, or do it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. 2. Character Horoscope Students write a Read More …

New Ending Activity for The Giver

This lesson plan comes from my Ultimate Unit Plan for The Giver.  It includes everything you need to teach the entire novel, so you can take a break from prep work.  Click here to learn more. Instructions Start by discussing the ending of The Giver. Did you like the unresolved ending? Why do you think Lois Lowry chose to end The Giver this way? What do you think happened next? Students can then start on the assignment: writing an alternative ending for The Giver. Before students begin writing, they should consider the following: 1) Jonas and Gabriel are cold, tired and getting weaker. How does Jonas find the strength to go on? 2) What effect does the sunshine have on Read More …

Four Attributes Lesson Plan for The Giver

This lesson plan for The Giver asks students to consider the challenges of being the Receiver, and why Jonas was chosen for this role.. In The Giver, the Chief Elder explains that to have any chance of success, the Receiver must possess four essential attributes: intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom. For each of these four attributes, students are to explain what it is, and why it is important for the Receiver.  They must also provide specific examples that show each of the attributes in Jonas.  Finally, they should create a symbol to represent each attribute. I like to have my students create a four quadrant chart for each attribute, with each quadrant providing answers to the questions above. My complete unit Read More …

In Class Essay for The Giver

To save hours of prep time and make teaching The Giver easy, fun, and stress-free, consider downloading the full unit plan. Click here to learn more. Directions You are to write an essay about The Giver. You may choose any ONE of the four topics listed below. You are expected to write clearly, include a thesis, use examples or details from the book as appropriate, and explain your ideas fully. Your essay is due at the end of the period. You may use the following to help you write your essay: Your copy of The Giver Your notes on The Giver Questions Remember, choose ONE of the following: 1. What does The Giver reveal about how much the government should Read More …

The Giver Memory Book

This lesson plan is a great way to really draw students into The Giver as they think about the importance of their own experiences and memories. Start by making a list of emotions – love, fear, anxiety, joy, jealousy, gratitude, etc.  Get students to call them out, and make a master list on the board for them to copy into their notes. Ask your students to then create a Memory Book describing their own memories associated with each emotion.  They can include written descriptions, photos, and drawings.  Students can begin in class by listing the memories they want to include.  They can then start writing their descriptions and collecting their photos and other elements at home. When the books are Read More …

The Giver Lesson Plan Ideas

I want to share a few of lesson plan ideas with you here to help you get started teaching The Giver. If you have any good lesson plans for The Giver, please feel free to share them in the comment section. And if you want to have your entire unit for The Giver planned and ready to teach, click here to try my full unit plan. Character Diary Entry – Students write a diary entry from the perspective of a character in The Giver.  They should make the voice authentic and the topics relevant to the character’s role in The Giver.  Start the lesson by discussing what characterization is and how it is achieved. Letter – Students write a letter Read More …

Dystopian Literature Project

When I am teaching The Giver, I usually have my kids read and report on other examples of dystopian literature. There are so many fun books for them to choose from, many of them written in the last five years specifically for young adult readers. I have the notes and instructions all in a nice printable in my unit plan for The Giver, but you can copy and paste them from below to share with your class. Definitions Utopia = a community or society that is perfect, or nearly perfect Dystopia = a society that is undesirable or frightening Intro Dystopian literature often explores the dangers of trying to serve the greater good by repressing the needs of the individual. Read More …

Peace vs Freedom in The Giver

This is a great lesson plan for The Giver.  It gets students to consider the what the objectives and consequences of rules are. You can then get your students to consider the rules of our own society from the perspectives of law makers and citizens. There are lots more lessons like this in my Ultimate Unit Plan for The Giver. You can download the full unit at http://englishunitplans.com/thegiver/ Instructions Context In all societies, people must determine what balance to have between rules and freedoms. In The Giver, Jonas’ society values stability, peace, and order over freedom and individuality. Strict rules govern all aspects of human behavior, all in an attempt to minimize the possibility of conflict. They have peace and Read More …

Theme Lesson Plan

Theme can be a challenging concept for students.  They often confuse it with topics or morals. I find that every year, no matter which grade level I am teaching, I have to go over theme several times to make it stick. For The Giver, I use a three-part lesson plan to teach theme: notes, statements, paragraphs. Notes I start by asking student to make a list of topics from The Giver. After a few minutes, I get them to share their lists, and I write several topics on the board (freedom, individuality, memory, repression, etc.) Once we have a good list to work with, we go through each topic and discuss what the novel says about it. What does The Read More …

Introducing The Giver

Teaching The Giver can be a lot of fun, but it is essential to get your students hooked on the novel within the first class or two.  Do that, and you can focus on guiding them towards the outcomes you want them to reach.  Fail to get them engaged from the start and you will be battling their boredom for the entire unit. When I teach The Giver, I like to start with an Anticipation Guide, which usually leads to some vigorous discussions.  If you can get your kids to argue with each other about the fundamental issues in the novel, you’ve got them. I give my students a handout with several strong statements related to themes in The Giver.  Read More …