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L I T E R AT U R E G U I D E

GRADES 48

The Giver
by
Lois Lowry

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publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Written by Linda Ward Beech
Cover design by Vincent Ceci and Jaime Lucero
Interior design by Robert Dominguez and Jaime Lucero for Grafica, Inc.
Original cover and interior design by Drew Hires
Interior illustrations by Antonio Castro
Photo research by Nia Krikellas

Photo acknowledgments
Cover: From THE GIVER (jacket Cover) by Lois Lowry. Used by permission of Dell Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell
Publishing Group, Inc.

ISBN 0-590-37358-7
Copyright 1997 by Scholastic, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

Table of Contents
BEFORE READING THE BOOK
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

EXPLORING THE BOOK


Chapters 1 7
Summary and Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cross-Curricular Activities: Math,
Social Studies, Thinking Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapters 8 15
Summary and Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cross-Curricular Activities: Language Arts,
Science, Art, Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapters 16 23
Summary and Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Cross-Curricular Activities: Writing,
Social Studies, Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

SUMMARIZING THE BOOK


Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Class, Partner, and Individual Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Evaluation Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

STUDENT REPRODUCIBLES
Be a Giver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Society of Sameness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Toss a Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Answers for Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

Before Reading the Book


SUMMARY
Jonas lives in a carefully controlled community. Each aspect of the
inhabitants lives is monitored. Those who do not fit in or
are too old are released. Special ceremonies mark the
responsibilities of a child for each of the first 12 years. As a
Twelve, Jonas expects to be assigned a lifetime job like everyone else. However, he is chosen instead to be the new
Receiver of Memory. His job is to hold all the memories
denied to the others. As Jonas begins his training with the
current Receiverthe Giverhe experiences for the first
time real feelings of love, joy, pain, sorrow, and other emotions that he has heretofore been unable to fully feel
because of the societys rules. He learns about past events
in history and customs long forgotten. He also learns what
happened to a girl who failed at being the Receiver and
what will happen to a newchild named Gabriel whom his
father has brought home from the Nurturing Center. Jonas
and The Giver make a plan to help the community change
and become whole. Jonas takes Gabriel and flees the community so that its people may begin to experience memories and
break out of their frightening lifestyle.

STORY CHARACTERS
Jonas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Main character who becomes new Receiver
Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sister of Jonas
Asher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best friend of Jonas
Father and Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parents of Jonas
Gabriel (Gabe) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A newchild who lives with Jonas family
Katya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fathers sister
The Giver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Old Receiver; most important Elder
Committee of Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community leaders
Chief Elder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Head of Elders
Fiona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friend of Jonas
Benjamin, Thea, Pierre, Madeline, Inger, Isaac . . . . . . . . . . . . Groupmates of Jonas
Larissa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woman in Hall of Old
Roberto, Edna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . People released from Hall of Old
Phillipa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashers sister
Bruno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fionas brother
Caleb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacement child for boy who drowned
Fritz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Nine; clumsy neighbor
Tanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An Eleven
Harriet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Eleven; number 19
Rosemary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Failed Receiver; The Givers daughter

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Lois Ann Hammersberg Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1937 where her
father was stationed with the United States Army. As an army brat, she spent her
childhood in many places including Japan after World War II. Lowry began her college
education at Brown University but dropped out to marry and have a family. She
finished her degree years later at the University of Maine. Although her high school
year book predicted that she would become a novelist, Lois Lowrys first book of
fiction, A Summer to Die, was not published until 1977. Since then she has written
many popular books for young readers including two Newbery Medal winners,
Number the Stars and The Giver.

LITERATURE CONNECTIONS
Other books by Lois Lowry include:
Number the Stars
Anastasia Krupnik; Anastasia at Your Service; Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst
Switcharound
Us and Uncle Fraud
Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
All About Sam

VOCABULARY
You may wish to draw students attention to the following words before they read
the book. Students might work with partners to create semantic maps showing synonyms for some of the words. For example:
ease

satisfy

soothe

ASSUAGE

comfort

relieve
allay
lighten

calm

You might also encourage students to use words from the vocabulary list when they
answer the questions for discussion in this guide.

intrigued
obsolete
solace
distraught
profound

permeated
ruefully
palpable
scrupulously
tantalizing

luminous
ironic
meticulously
augmented
nurturer

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

navigational
buoyancy
languid
apprehensive
prestige

lethargy
transgression
retroactive
benign
humiliation
unanimous
requisitioned
murky
admonition
acceleration
exuberant
grotesquely

essential
designate
avert
petulantly
reassuringly
exempted
tabulated
conveyance
sinuous
relinquished
ominous
infringed

pampered
impeded
chastise
anguish
indolence
nondescript
excruciating
quizzically
reprieve
unendurable
carnage
gravitate

treacherously
adherence
crescendo
jaunty
remorse
compel
tentatively
indulgently
chaos
pervaded
podium
ecstatic

GETTING STARTED
You might use one or more of these suggestions to introduce the book to the class:
Ask students what they most enjoy giving to others. What do they like others to
give to them? Then write the title of the book on the chalkboard and ask students to
predict what they think it is about. Have students record their ideas in writing journals to look back upon as they read the book.
Ask students what they had for breakfast today. What are their preferences? Are
they able to make choices about what they eat? Then ask how students decide what
they will wear. (If students wear uniforms, discuss occasions when they do have
choices.) Tell students to note what choices the characters in the book have.
Ask students what their favorite colors are. Have them
name things that are those colors. How do these colors make them feel? Ask students to read to find
The theme
out why color is important to the main character
of balancing t
in the book.
he
values of free
Lastly, read aloud quotes from reviews of
dom and
The Giver. You might use those on the book
security is bea
utifully
cover itself or refer to reviews in publications
presented.
such as Booklist, School Library Journal, or
The Horn Bo
The Horn Book Magazine.
ok Magaz
ine

TEACHER

TIP

If students are reading the book as a


class, youll find many opportunities to
stop and ask for predictions about the
characters and what will take place next.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

Exploring the Book


CHAPTERS 1 7

WHAT HAPPENS
Jonas and his family share their feelings after the
evening meal. Jonas explains that he is apprehensive about the coming Ceremony of
Twelve when he will be given his
Assignment. The next day his father
brings home a newchild, named Gabriel,
who isnt doing well in the Nurturing
Center. Jonas notices that Gabe has the pale
eyes that he himself doesa rarity in the
community. One morning at the dream-telling
ritual, Jonas admits that he dreamed about wanting to
bathe his friend Fiona. His parents give him pills to control his
Stirrings. At the community Ceremony, newchildren are placed in families and each
succeeding age group is given something newclothing, responsibilities, or possessions. At the Ceremony of Twelve, each of Jonass groupmates gets a lifetime
Assignment such as Birthmother, Fish Hatchery Attendant, Laborer, or Doctor.
However, the Chief Elder skips over Jonas number; he is not called!

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT


C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. Why does Jonas find it unsettling that he and Gabriel have similar eyes? (Pale
eyes are uncommon in the community; Jonas sees a depth in Gabes eyes.)
2. Why do people take pills for the Stirrings? (It represses their sexual feelings.)
H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS
3. What does it mean when someone is released? (They dont fit in; dont follow
the rules and are removed from the community, probably by death.)
4. How would you describe life in Jonas community? (Its ordered; has many
rules; everyone has a specific role; has lots of rituals and ceremonies; no choices.)
5. Why dont Jonas and Lily know what animal means? (Possible: there are
none in the community.)
6. Do you think there are cars, trucks, planes, buses, or trains within this community? Explain. (No, everyone gets around on bikes. Theres the Ceremony of Nines
for bicycles. A pilot was released after flying over community.)
7. Why might Fathers interest in Gabe cause problems? (Gabe isnt doing well in
the Nurturing Center; bringing him home and calling him his name before he gets
it indicates unusual interest and privilege, and this might be frowned upon. )
8. Why do families tell one another their feelings and dreams each day?
(Possible: It helps to keep their feelings under control.)

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

9. Why is interdependence fostered in the community? (It keeps people from


making up their own minds and from becoming independent thinkers.)
10. In what way do you think the apple changed when Jonas and Asher were tossing it? (Possible: Jonas noticed or experienced something unique about it.)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
11. Significant detail: On the first page, how does the author alert you that there
is something out of the ordinary about a plane flying over the community? (She
capitalizes Pilot; talks about unidentified craft; mentions rules about not flying
over the community.)
12. Suspense: How does the author keep the reader as well as Jonas in suspense
about his Assignment? (The Chief Elder skips him in the Ceremony; the author has
already made it clear that Jonas is apprehensive and maybe different.)
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
13. How do you feel about the standard practices and rituals practiced in the
community? Why? How do you feel about the punishment given for infractions?
14. Would you want your future to be decided by others? Why or why not?
15. Did you have a comfort object when you were younger? What did you call it?
16. How do you feel about the way families are created in this community?

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
MATH: What a Day
Point out that everyone in the community is very busy with assignments and rituals
all day long. Challenge students to create a pie graph for Jonas or another character
showing how a 24-hour period is spent. Students should base their graph on information from the story.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Whats Missing?
Discuss with students what they already know about the community. To help students see that people dont have many rights, prompt with questions such as: Do
parents keep their own children? Who decides what work people will do? Can people
say anything they want? Then have students draw up a list of rights or freedoms
that they think are missing from this community. How does this list compare with
students own lives?
THINKING SKILLS: Seeing Ceremonies
Remind students that there is a ceremony for each group from the Ones to the
Twelves in this community. For example, the Ones are given a name and assigned to
a family, while the Nines get bicycles. Have students list what happens at the different ceremonies for each group. For those ceremonies which arent described in the
story, challenge students to make one up. Discuss the purpose of ceremonies and
why they are important. Then ask students to consider the ceremonies in their own
lives. What ceremony do they celebrate each year? (birthday) What religious ceremonies have they celebrated? What ceremonies will they celebrate in the near
future? How do the ceremonies students celebrate differ from those in the book?

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

CHAPTERS 8 15

WHAT HAPPENS
Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory, the most honored position in
the community. He receives specialand unusualinstructions and begins to feel
apart from his contemporaries. He is also curious about someone who was given this
position 10 years earlier and failed. Jonas begins training with the old Receiver who
now becomes The Giver. This man has books and memories to share with Jonas.
Through the training, Jonas learns to experience colors, history, animals, and various feelings, things that he and the community have never known. He learns that
memories can be pleasurable or painful. He begins to understand that the people
have no choices. At home, his parents fret about Gabriel, who fails to sleep through
the night. Jonas suggests that Gabe sleep with him, and when the baby wakes at
night, he gives him pleasant memories to help him sleep.

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT


C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. Why does Jonas feel a separateness after the Ceremony? (His future will be different; he has been chosen because of certain qualities; hell have an important
and powerful role in the community.)
2. Why doesnt Jonas know about snow? (Community has climate control; Jonas
has never heard, read, or experienced snow.)
3. How does Jonas change Gabes life? (He gives him memories.)
4. Why are there speakers in every dwelling? (People are monitored by the
Committee of Elders.)
H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS
5. Why does Jonas feel terror at not having an assignment at the beginning of the
Ceremony of Twelve? (Possible: He might be released.)
6. Whats the difference between being assigned and selected? (Possible: Others
are given a job; Jonas is chosen for special qualities. It is more of an honor.)
7. What do you think happened to the girl who was chosen ten years ago?
(Possible: something bad, most likely death.)
8. Why are peoples homes called dwellings? (Home suggests a personal environment; dwelling is more functional and impersonal.)
9. Why does Jonas find the instruction about lying so disturbing? (He has never
lied. He wonders if others have received the same instruction and if so, how will he
know if anyone is telling the truth?)
10. Why dont people have more than three books? (Books hold ideas and knowledgethings dangerous to controlled societies.)
11. Why does The Giver say that making choices would be frightening for people?
(They have never done it, might make wrong choices.)
12. Why does Jonas begin to feel frustrated and angry? (He realizes there is so
much that he and others have been denied.)

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13. Why is The Receiver forbidden to share books or memories with other people?
(Elders dont want them to know more; dont want change.)
14. Do you think The Giver is happy with his life? (Answers will vary. He has
privileges and power, but he seems sad and burdened.)
15. What war does Jonas experience? (The Civil War)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
16. Foreshadowing: How does the author foreshadow Jonas gift? (Describes the
incident with the apple that changed.)
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
17. What is your reaction to the instructions Jonas receives?
18. What would it be like to live in a world where you didnt experience color, sunshine, or animals?

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
LANGUAGE ARTS: Be Precise
Remind students that the people in The Giver are taught to use precise language.
Give students an opportunity to exercise this skill with the following activity. Assign
each student a partner. Have the partners sit across the room from one another.
Draw two geometric figures using several shapes of different sizes. Have one set of
partners study one drawing while the other set, across the room, studies the second.
Then ask students to describe the shape they can see in such precise detail that their
partner can draw the shape accurately. Once students have finished their descriptions, have them exchange papers with their partners and try to draw the shapes.
How exact are they? What refinements to the written descriptions are needed?
SCIENCE: Sensory Experiences
Recall with the class how The Giver passes on memories to Jonas. Point out that the
people in the community have been deprived of many sensory experiences such as
color. To determine how important senses are, try this experiment. Blindfold a volunteer and have the rest of the class choose an object in the room. Have the volunteer
try to figure out what the object is without asking any questions that rely on color or
sound.
ART: Colorless Images
Point out that most artists utilize color in their work. However, many artists study tonalities of gray as part of their training. Have students create artworks using only tones of
gray shaded from almost white to almost black. Suggest that students paint pictures of a
scene from the book to show what vision was like for the people in the community.
PHILOSOPHY: Talk About It
The book raises some interesting questions which you might want to explore with
the class. Keep the discussions open-ended to encourage students to think about
these issues. Possible questions might include: Why would people prefer a life of
Sameness? Can you miss something if youve never heard of it? How important are
feelings such as pain and joy to life?
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CHAPTERS 19 23

WHAT HAPPENS
Jonas continues to receive memories and
experiences from The Giver. He begins
to see that there is risk in feelings
such as love. He stops taking the pills
and feels Stirrings again. When his father
mentions that a twin will be released,
Jonas is curious. He learns what this really
meansdeathfrom The Giver and is ripped
apart. He also learns about The Receiver
before him who failed after just five weeks;
she was The Givers daughter. After her death,
the memories she had came back to the people. Jonas and The Giver realize that
if Jonas leaves the community, he will
leave behind a years worth of memories. The Giver will stay to help people
deal with them, to help them become
caring and human. The two plan
Jonas escape. However, when Jonas
learns that Gabriel has been scheduled
for release the next morning, he
leaves that night, taking the baby
with him. They travel on bike by
night, hiding from the search planes
during the day. The weather turns
cold, they are hungry, and Jonas uses his
memories of warmth to save them as they
flee toward Elsewhere.

QUESTIONS TO TALK ABOUT


C OMPREHENSION AND R ECALL
1. Why does Jonas lie to his parents about using the word love? (They have
never experienced it and think its an imprecise, meaningless word while he does
not.)
2. Why was Rosemarys release a disaster for the community? (Her memories
came back to them; people didnt know how to deal with them.) Why was
Rosemarys death a disaster for The Giver? (She was his daughter; he loved her.)
3. What are some of the feelings that people in the community have not known?
(love, care, pride, hope, sorrow, anger, happiness, ecstasy, pain, guilt, worry)
4. What is the hearing-beyond that The Giver speaks of? (music)
5. How does Jonas give the people memories? (He leaves the community; the people are left with all the memories he has.)

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10

H IGHER L EVEL T HINKING S KILLS


6. What memory (holiday) is The Givers favorite? (Christmas)
7. Why does Jonas see love in a family as dangerous? (Hes lived in a different
kind of society; senses that love involves strong feelings that people cant control.)
8. Why cant Jonas communicate with other children any more? (He understands
and feels too much; they dont. Their lives are on a more superficial level. Even
though Jonas loves his friends, they cant reciprocate on the same level.)
9. Why do people assume that twins would be identical in all things? (They dont
understand about personalitiesthat everyone is unique.)
10. Why is Jonas father so cheery when he releases the twin? (He has no feelings
about death; knows nothing; is just doing his job.)
L ITERARY E LEMENTS
11. Authors purpose: Why do you think the author called the book The Giver
instead of The Receiver? (Possible: It is The Giver who realizes what must be done,
that change must take place.)
P ERSONAL R ESPONSE
12. What are some memories you would give to someone you care about? (See also
the reproducible on page 14.)
13. How would you feel about not living with your own family but with one to
which you were assigned?
14. How do you feel about the books ending? What will happen to The Giver? the
community? Jonas and Gabriel?

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
WRITING: Individual Me
Discuss with the class the lack of real personality or individualism in a community
like the one described in The Giver. Point out that in such a society, the community
is more important than the individuals while in other societies, individuals are celebrated above and beyond the community. Follow up by having students write an
essay about what they think is important about being a unique individual.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Painful Memories
Remind students that many of the memories Jonas receives are painful because they
are about war or other disasters in the past. Have students draw up lists of at least
ten events in history that give people pain. Discuss the lists and why the events are
painful.
MUSIC: Hearing Beyond
The Giver speaks of his ability to hear beyond, to understand music. Ask students to
pretend that they are going to share a favorite piece of music with Jonas who will
hear it for the first time. Have them bring in and play for the class the music that
they choose. Ask students to explain why they selected that piece for an introduction to music.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

11

Summarizing the Book


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Use one or more of the following activities to help students summarize and review
The Giver.
CLASS PROJECT: The Comic Version
Assign a chapter of the book to each student. Explain that students should retell their
chapter in eight or twelve comic book frames. Suggest that students map out their
comic book section beforehand to be sure they include the most important events.
Students can then complete the comic book frames in pen and ink and add color if they
wish. Compile the comic book retellings into a class book that includes the whole story.
PARTNER PROJECT: Tell Us More
Begin by asking students what they think happened before the story begins. Why
were people living in such communities? Why didnt they have memories? Why
were their lives so limited? Brainstorm possible explanations with the class. Then do
the same with the ending of the story. Discuss what students think happens to Jonas
and Gabriel. Do they make new lives for themselves? Do they ever return to the
original community? After discussing questions such as these, have students work
with a partner. Ask one partner to write a preface for The Giver and the other partner
to write an epilogue. Invite students to share their extensions of the story.
PARTNER PROJECT: Toss a Memory
Students can work with a partner to play Toss a Memory on page 16. You might
suggest that they refer to their books as they play so that their answers are as complete as possible.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT: In Order
Have students make charts to show the hierarchy of the community in which Jonas
lived. Be sure they include all the different Assignments that people have as well as
The Receiver and Committee of Elders. Encourage students to add any roles they
think might exist but arent specified in the story. Students can use their charts to
review life in the community.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT: Dwelling
Diorama
Remind students that the people in
The Giver live in simple dwellings.
Have students make shoe box dioramas showing such a living place.
Students should begin by reviewing the
descriptions in the book, then create a diorama to
show their interpretation of a typical community
dwelling.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

12

EVALUATION IDEAS
Ask students to think of sets of rubrics to use in assessing one of the summarizing
projects. For example, a rubric for the dioramas might include these objectives:
Did the student show an accurate portrayal of a dwelling as described in the story?
Did the student include enough details?
Did the student show originality in use of materials?
Did the student demonstrate care in execution?

Possible Answers for Worksheets


page 14: Answers will vary.
page 15: Possible: no colors, no sunshine, no choices, no love or other deep feelings, no past, no surprises, no freedom, no personalities, limited experiences, no
new ideas, no books
page 16: Students should be able to respond to each square on the board.
Responses may vary.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

13

Name: ____________________________________________________

Be a Giver
In the book, the role of The Giver is to transfer memories to Jonas. The Giver
does this by laying his hands on Jonas, but you can share a memory in another wayby writing about it. Use this page to help you get started.

1. Think about the kinds of memories you might share. Here is a list to get you
thinking.
happy
sad
surprising

painful
funny
mysterious

triumphant
inspirational
other

2. Write down at least three possible memories. Circle the one that you like best.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. List some vocabulary words that you might use in describing this memory.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. List some sensory details that you want to include.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Write the first line to introduce your memory.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. Finish your memory on another sheet of paper.

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

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Name: ____________________________________________________

Society of Sameness
The community in The Giver has some positive features as well as
some negative ones. Do they balance out? What can you add to the other
side to tip the scale?

Positive Features

Negative Features

order
convenience
predictability
painless
no burdens
no hunger
no decisions
no sad feelings

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

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Name: ____________________________________________________

Toss a Memory
You can play this with a partner. Take turns tossing a penny onto the board. Be prepared to tell your
partner about the topic of the section you land on. If you land on a line, toss again.

FAVORITE
PART

SADDEST
PART

GOAL OF
MAIN
CHARACTER

CONFLICT

MOST
EXCITING
PART

SETTING

SOMETHING
I LEARNED

MAIN
CHARACTERS

RESOLUTION

Scholastic Literature Guide: The Giver Scholastic Teaching Resources

16

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