This PowerPoint uses many real-life connections to draw students into the text. It also introduces Bloom's Taxonomy to students (because why keep it secret?) and includes quizzes which utilize higher-level thinking skills. Biblical allusions are mentioned at the end.

1. By Lois Lowry
Chapter Questions

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy

 Taxonomy (n): a system
used to classify things
 Bloom: the last name of
Benjamin Bloom, its
creator
Lower-level
thinking skill
Higher-level
thinking skill

3. Chapters 1 and 2
Pop Quiz

1. What is the main character‘s first name?
2. What is his father‘s job?
3. What ritual takes place at dinnertime?
4. What event is the main character
apprehensive about?
5. What happens at this event?

4. Chapters 1 and 2 Pop Quiz
Acceptable Answers

1. What is the main character‘s first name?
Jonas
2. What is his father‘s job?
Nurturer –OR- taking care of newborns
3. What ritual takes place at dinnertime?
Telling of feelings
4. What event is the main character apprehensive about?
The Ceremony of Twelve
5. What happens at this event?
Twelve year-olds get their assignment—their job for
life.

5. Chapter 1

What was your first impression of this society?
What stuck out to you?
Would you want to live here? Why or why not?
Page 2 – the pilot who flew over is ―released.‖
What do you think this means?
Page 7 – What does ―release‖ mean for the
elderly and newborns?

6. Chapter 1 Quote

Page 8:
―Most of the people on the night crew
had not even been given spouses because
they lacked, somehow, the essential
capacity to connect to others, which was
required for the creation of a family unit.‖
What does this tell us about the society?

7. Chapter 2

What happens at the Ceremony of Ones?
What is the name of the baby that Jonas‘ father
is taking care of? What is worrisome about this
baby?
How are rules changed in this society?
What is the community‘s most important job?
What is life like after the Ceremony of Twelve?

8. Chapter 2 Quote

Page 16
―There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas.
I don‘t think you need to worry about that,‖
his father reassured him. ―And if there
are, you know there‘s an appeal process.‖ But
they all laughed at that—an appeal went to a
committee for study.
What’s so funny here?
What does this say about life in this society?

9. Chapter 2 Quote

Page 18
But her father had already gone to the shelf
and taken down the stuffed elephant which
was kept there. Many of the comfort
objects, like Lily‘s were
soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures. Jonas‘s
had been called a bear.
What does this quote reveal?

10. By Lois Lowry
Chapters 3-5

11. Chapters 3, 4, and 5
Pop Quiz

Describe one practice* from the society in The
Giver that is similar to a practice in our own
society. Explain that similarity in one
paragraph (five sentences).
*Practice (n): a rule, tradition, habit, or custom
When finished, please turn over your paper.

12. Chapter 3 Discussion

What do Jonas and baby Gabriel have in
common? What do you think this will mean?
Would you want the job of a birthmother? Why
is Jonas‘s mother disappointed in Lily for
wanting to be one?
What did Jonas take from the rec center, and
why?
Predictions on what this means…?

13. Chapter 4 Discussion

What did Jonas do at the House of Old? How
did he feel about this job? How would YOU feel
about this job?
What was the celebration for at the House of
Old? What was it like?
Did this celebration change how you feel about
―release?‖
How is the treatment of elderly people similar
or different from the way we treat them?

14. Chapter 5 Discussion

What is the morning ritual for Jonas‘s family?
What was Jonas‘s dream, and what do you
think it meant?
What was his mother‘s explanation for this
dream?
What is the treatment for the stirrings?
How did Jonas feel about the stirrings?

15. Schooling in Germany
Similarities to Society in The
Giver

16. German Schooling

Read the article, ―The ABCs
of the German School
System.‖
Highlight any similarities
you notice to schooling and
career choice in The Giver.
In your group, arrange the
types of schools into a
flowchart.
Call me over when finished.
Example
Flowchart

17. Tracking
The separating of students according to ability

Examples:
American schools (some, not all):
Placing students in different English classes for
low, medium, and high-level and honors students.
Germany:
Sending students to different schools based upon their
ability and career potential.
The Giver:
Assigning children different careers based upon the
observations of elders.

18. Tracking
The separating of students according to ability

Do you think it works in American schools? Why or
why not?
Would you want a system similar to The Giver to
happen in our society?
What is fair about the system?
What is unfair about the system?

19. By Lois Lowry
Chapters 6-9

20. Chapter 6 Discussion

What do fours, fives, and sixes wear, and what
does this teach them?
What do sevens wear, and what does this teach
them?
What does getting a bicycle represent?

21. Chapter 6 Discussion

Why was a replacement child given for 4-yearold Caleb?
Lily, as an eight, got pockets on her jacket. What
did this represent?
If you wanted to leave the community, where
would you go?

22. Chapter 6 Quote

―If you don‘t fit in, you can apply for
Elsewhere and be released. My mother says
that once, about ten years ago, someone
applied and was gone the next day.‖ -Asher
What do we know about the decision-making
processes in this society?
Why do you think this situation was different?

23. Chapter 6 Quote

―If you don‘t fit in, you can apply for
Elsewhere and be released. My mother says
that once, about ten years ago, someone
applied and was gone the next day.‖ -Asher
What do we know about the decision-making
processes in this society?
Why do you think this situation was different?

24. Chapter 7 Discussion

What is Jonas‘ birth number? When do parents
in the community use this number?
How is language viewed in this community?
Do you think language correctness is taken too
seriously? (Consider Asher‘s story.)
What effect does it have on you as the reader
when girls and boys are called males and
females?
Why does Jonas worry in this chapter?

25. Chapter 8 Discussion

What is Jonas‘s Assignment?
What is the difference between the words
assigned and selected?
What do you think the Receiver of Memory
does? Why would it involve pain?
What happens onstage that makes Jonas realize
he might have been the right choice?

26. Chapter 8, p. 61

―We failed in our last selection,‖ the Chief Elder
said solemnly. ―It was ten years ago, when Jonas
was just a toddler. I will not dwell on the
experience because it causes us all terrible
discomfort.‖
Jonas didn‘t know what she was referring to, but
he could sense the discomfort of the audience.
They shifted uneasily in their seats.
―We have not been hasty this time,‖ she
continued. ―We could not afford another failure.‖

27. Chapter 9 Discussion

What does it mean if a name is designated Notto-Be-Spoken? Who did this apply to?
Turn to page 68… What do you make of these
rules?
Jonas is worried about pain.
What do we know about physical pain in this
community? How often does it occur? How is it
handled? What do you think this says about
them?

28. Our Class Receiver
We will designate one student
as the Receiver. This is a high
honor. He or she will:

 Receive information that the
rest of the class will not get to
know.
(This information will not give
him or her any academic benefit.)
 Not be allowed to tell anyone
the information received.

29. Our Class Receiver

The Receiver must have:
 Intelligence: good grades; higher-level thinking
 Integrity: rarely breaks rules; honest; accepts
punishment and learns from it
 Courage: little fear of new tasks or the chance of
failure
 Wisdom, or the ability to acquire it with experience.

30. Our Class Receiver
Vote for one person in class to be
the Receiver. It cannot be yourself.
Your index card should look like
this:

Circle
his/her
name

31. Chapter 10 Discussion

What types of books can be found in regular
households? What do people think of reading?
What is mentioned about The Giver‘s eyes?
―This job has aged me.‖ What does this mean?
What types of memories will the Giver transfer
to Jonas?
What is the first memory transmitted to Jonas?

33. Literature Circle Roles

1. Summarizer
2. Discussion Leader
3. Real-Life Connector
4. Quote-Finder
5. Vocab Wizard
(only for groups of five)

34. Summarizer

 The summarizer writes a detailed paragraph or
two about the previous night‘s reading.
 Meetings are started with this person reading
their summary to refresh everyone‘s memory.
 Specific details are a must! Avoid vague terms
like they, he, stuff, things, etc. and use more
precise words.

35. Discussion Leader

 This person asks the group questions and keeps
the conversation on track.
 They speak after the summarizer.
 Their questions are not ‗yes‘ or ‗no‘ ones. They
are deeper and may ask for the group‘s
opinion, explanation, analysis, or insight.

36. Quote-Finder

 Meaningful chapter quotes are this person‘s
focus.
 Quotes are chosen if they:
 Reveal a character‘s traits
 Reveal a character‘s thoughts
 Foreshadow
 Explain more about the setting/society
 Are puzzling, funny, powerful, or interesting

37. Real-Life Connector

 The real-life connector finds similarities
between the book‘s events and those in our
world.
 They provide group members with more
information about those connections.
 This role requires some research.

38. Vocab Master
(for groups of five only)

 This group member finds five challenging
words from the chapter and teaches them to the
group.
 They will:
 Read the sentence aloud and have other
members guess at its meaning.
 Reveal the word‘s meaning.
 Give a hint or trick to remembering the word.

39. Literature Circle Procedures

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Summarizer explains main events.
Discussion Leader asks questions.
Quote-Finder discusses selections from text.
Real-Life Connector shares connections.
Groups of five: Vocab Master shares new words.
End-of-Discussion Procedures
1. Decide new roles for next time (must be different)
2. Begin reading the next assigned chapter.

40. Literature Circle Guidelines
1.
 Leader is partly
Stay on topic (Discussion
responsible for this.)
2. Be polite; do not interrupt others when they
speak.
3. Don‘t make fun of anyone.
4. If you read ahead, keep it a secret!
If you do not do your job or lose your role sheet, you
must come back for lunch to finish/redo it.

41. Chapter 12

The ―change‖ Jonas has noticed is explained.
―You‘re beginning to see the color red.‖

42. Quiz: 8 points (doubled score)
What could the color red symbolize? List your ideas
by creating a diagram like the one below. Give at
least three ideas, but feel free to list more.
(1 point)
Red
Then, explain in one paragraph:
What is symbolism? What one idea do you
think red will symbolize in this book? Support
your prediction with an example from the text.
(3 points)

43. “Hearing Myself for
the First Time”


44. Chapter 12 Quotes
was many different colors.
―There was a time… when flesh
That was before we went to Sameness.‖
―We‘ve never completely mastered
Sameness. I suppose the genetic scientists
are still hard at work trying to work the
kinks out.‖
―Our people made that choice, the choice to go to
sameness…We relinquished color when we
relinquished sunshine and did away with differences…
We gained control of many things. But we had to let go
of others.‖

45. “Our people made that choice.”
 was convinced to give
How do you think society
up colors and differences?
Imagine you live in this society, and you’ve
been assigned to advertise Sameness
BEFORE it is put into place.
In your lit circle groups, you will create a
persuasive poster that might have been seen
hanging around the community.

46. “Our people made that choice.”
 make a table based
Step One: In your groups,
off of what you know from the book.
Pros of Sameness
Cons of Sameness
Step Two: Create your poster.
Consider using slogans, strong images, and
logical reasoning from your chart and the book.

47. Propaganda: WWII

48. Chapter 14 Discussion

1. How was the second sled experience different
from the first?
2. Why does the Receiver have to hold painful
memories?
3. Why did elders decide not to let birthmothers
have four babies instead of three?
4. What happens when a birthmother has twins?
5. What power did Jonas realize he had?

49. Chapter 14 Quote

Was there someone there, waiting, who would
receive the tiny released twin? Would it grow up
Elsewhere, not knowing, ever, that in this
community lived a being who looked exactly the
same? For a moment, he felt a tiny, fluttering hope
that he knew was quite foolish. He hoped that it
would be Larissa, waiting. Larissa, the old woman
he had bathed.
What do you think Elsewhere is?

50. Chapters 15 and 16

1. What memory makes Jonas never want to return
to the Annex?
2. What happier memories does The Giver transmit
to Jonas?
3. What parts of these memories does Jonas wish
his own community had?
4. What does Jonas decide to stop doing?
5. How is the relationship between Jonas and others
changing?

51. Gabriel

What do you think is Gabriel‘s purpose in the story?
Can he symbolize anything?

52. Real-Life Connection:

China has a population of over 1.3 billion.
As a result, a one-child policy was put into place in
1979.
The policy has since eased up.

53. Real-Life Connection:

South Korean pastor Lee
Jong-rak has set up a public
box in which mothers can
abandon their newborns.
See the documentary trailer.

54. By Lois Lowry
Chapter 20

55. Chapter 20 Pop Quiz
Use complete sentences in answering the
following on your own paper. (You don’t need to
write out the question.)
1.What are Jonas and the Giver
planning to do?
2.The Giver tells Jonas, “When my
work here is finished, I want to
be with my daughter.” What does
he mean by this?

56. Biblical Allusions

Allusion (n): a reference to another text or
historical event

57. Jonah
Authors choose the names of their characters very
carefully. Why might Lois Lowry have given her
protagonist a name so similar to Jonah, a Biblical prophet?

Prophet (n): a person who
serves as an inspired
teacher or proclaimer of
the will of God

58. The Apple

What is the story of
the Garden of Eden?
What does the apple
symbolize?

59. Who is a
Christ-like
figure in the book?

A Christ-like figure makes sacrifices for
the good of others.