copyright 1999, Sirpa Grierson

An Interview with Lois Lowry Hendershot, Judy, and Jackie Peck.  "An Interview with Lois Lowry, 1994 Newbery Medal Winner."  The Reading Teacher.  48.4 (1994) 308-9. Lowry was impressed to begin work on The Giver when she was visiting her ill mother.  During that time, she pondered about what the world would be like if there was no illness of infliction.  In her deep perusal through the idea Lowry created this novel. Efferent and Aesthetic Stance:  Understanding the Definition of Lois Lowry's The Giver as Metaphor Menexas, Vicky.  "Efferent and Aesthetic Stance:  Understanding the Definition of Lois Lowry's The Giver as Metaphor."  Journal of Children's Literature.  23.2 (1997) 34-41. Noticing that children read efferently or aesthetically, Menexas set out to prove that this novel should be read aesthetically.  Students should read the text then discuss their reactions to the text with others in order to become aware of different responses.  Making News Connections Swiderek, Bobbi.  "Making News Connections."  Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.  41.7 (1998) 584-85. This article provides an interesting view on making connections to young adult literature.  While reading The Giver, Swiderek had her class find articles in the daily newspaper about euthanasia.  The kids were able to connect the ideas to the novel.   Anastasia Agonist's:  The Tragicomedy of Lois Lowry Kimmel, Eric.  "Anastasia Agonistes:  The Tragicomedy of Lois Lowry."  The Horn Book Magazine.  63.2 (1987) 181-87.   Kimmel examines some of Lowry's different takes on comedy in her many books.  His ideas are insightful to Lowry's writing technique and style.  She is not afraid to take chances or explore mentioned ideas (ie.  The Giver). Doubletalk:  A Literary Pairing of The Giver and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy Lehman, Barbara A., and Patricia R. Crook.  "Doubletalk:  A Literary Pairing of The Giver and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy."  Children's Literature in Education.  29.2 (1998) 69-78.   These two children's literature professors pondered over introducing classics into their curriculum.  They discovered if a recently published popular book was compared with a classic then the children were more eager to learn about the latter.  They were also able to compare the authors literary techniques. Learning About Lois Lowry DiNuzzo, Toni, et al. "Learning About Lois Lowry." Lowry Page. 24 February 2001. http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/lowry.html This informative Internet site includes a short biography about Lowry, a commentary on her writing style and genre, book reviews of some of her most acclaimed works (including The Giver), a list of awards that she's earned, and a list of works about Lois Lowry. It also includes links to pages about young adult and children's literature. This site would be helpful for both teacher and student gathering background information for the novel and discovering what other novels by Lowry would be enjoyable. Opening to unit on The Giver Faircloth, Mary Lou. "Opening to unit on The Giver." The North Carolina Teachers' Network. 24 February 2001. http://www.teachers-connect.net/TNT/mlp0043.htm This site offers a thoughtful lesson plan for high school students when they study The Giver. Faircloth details lesson objectives, activities and pre-activities, homework, and expectations for a two-day unit. This is a thorough and useful lesson plan for a teacher. The Giver by Lois Lowry Frank, Virginia. "The Giver by Lois Lowry." CyberGuide: Teacher Guides and Student Activities. 24 February 2001. http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/giver/givertg.htm This creative site details a lesson plan to last several days to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Lowry's The Giver. The lesson plan requires computers and student access to the Internet. After exploring United States history and global diversity, collecting and analyzing data, and writing about their findings, students will hopefully be more personally involved with the novel and able to see its greater implications in the world around them. "Favorite Newbery Books of Sixth Grade Students, Teachers, And Library Media Specialists." Kerby, Ramona N. Reading Research and Instruction (1999): 131-41. This source provides results from a study done on favorite Newbery books. The favorite of adults was The Giver. Boys chose Maniac Magee and girls chose Number the Stars as their favorites. It briefly elaborates on the standards of Newbery Books as well. #664. The Giver Kuhn, Nicola. "#664. The Giver." Teachers Net. 24 February 2001. http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/664.html This site offers a pre, during, or post reading activity for Lowry's book, The Giver. Aimed at middle school students, the activity described has students study the power that color or music has on emotions, and then apply their responses to the novel. This lesson is directed toward middle school age youth. It is about the exploration of color and emotions. The students observe their feelings on color and compare to feelings from the other students. Doubletalk: A Literary Pairing of The Giver and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy Lehman, Barbara, and Patricia Crook. "Doubletalk: A Literary Pairing of The Giver and We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy." Children's Literature in Education 29.2 (1998): 69-78. In this article, Lehman and Crook explore the power of literature by comparing two books that seem like an unlikely pair. They study the similar or dissimilar aspects of the books by looking at four main elements: theme, language, symbolism, and structure. Through their exploration, these authors show that two books can enhance the reading and enjoyment of literature, and be valuable tools in becoming a more effective teacher. Rationale: The Giver Livingston, Lori. "Rationale: The Giver." National Council of Teachers of English. 24 February 2001. http://www.ncte.org/notesplus/rationales/Livingston1999aug.shtml This is a wonderfully informative and broad site that tells so much about the novel. It includes essays about appropriate audience, plot summary, theoretical support and redeeming values, and literary qualities. It also includes a summary of reviews, and ideas for teaching objectives, methods, and assignments. The author even addresses why the novel should not be banned, and provides a list of alternate books that deal with similar themes found in The Giver. An Interview with Lois Lowry Lowry, Lois. "An Interview with Lois Lowry, 1994 Newbery Medal Winner." The Reading Teacher 48.4 (1994/1995): 308-309. This is a delightful yet brief interview with Lowry about her Newbery Medal winner, The Giver. In the interview Lowry answers questions about her inspiration for the novel, her work as a writer, how she feels about its use in the classroom, and more. Efferent and aesthetic stance: Understanding the definition of Lois Lowry's The Giver as metaphor Menexas, Vicky. "Efferent and aesthetic stance: Understanding the definition of Lois Lowry's The Giver as metaphor." Journal of Children's Literature 23.2 (1997): 34-41. In this article, Menexas analyzes Louise Rosenblatt's theoretical continuum by asserting that characters within a text read like readers of a text. For instance, drawing from Rosenblatt's theory on aesthetic and efferent readers, Menexas describes how characters in The Giver function scientifically and then how Jonas starts to see the world artistically. Likewise, scientific readers seek information when they read, ignoring personal feelings about the sound and rhythm of words, and artistic readers bring attitudes, assumptions, and imagination to their reading. The world of Sameness in the novel indicates efferent approaches to reading, while the world of Sensation represents the aesthetic approach to reading. By using examples from The Giver, Menexas argues that the aesthetic approach is more beneficial, and encourages teachers to modify their lessons in order to teach their students this more valuable approach. Teacher's Guides: The Giver "Teacher's Guides: The Giver." Random House. 24 February 2001. http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/give.html This interesting website contains a message from Lois Lowry about the ending of The Giver, a brief summary of the book, and teaching ideas for the classroom. It also includes a list of reviews about the novel and awards it has received. "The Giver by Lois Lowry." Schmidt, Gary D. Teacher's Guides. 18 October 2001. http://www.story-house.com/teach/free/giver.html The author compiles his ideas on illustrating certain issues inside the classroom. He discusses classroom activities that have to do with thematic connections and interdisciplinary connections. Thematic connections include: feelings, euthanasia, family relationships, and diversity. Interdisciplinary relationships include: science, philosophy, sociology, language arts, and history. "#473. The Giver." Shreeves, Robin. Teachers Net. 18 October 2001. http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/473.html This is an idea of a visual activity for students while reading the novel. Intended for middle school students, it uses black and white film and requires students to analyze their observations. The Pleasure of Thinking Sumara, Dennis. Davis, Brent. VanDerwey, Dolores. "The Pleasure of Thinking." Language Arts 76.2 (1998): 135-143. The authors of this intriguing article explore the interactions between elementary school teachers, fifth and sixth grade students, and parents from the community when they read and discussed The Giver. They analyzed the value of relationships that were developed through discussion and study of Lowry's novel. By involving a number of parents from the community in meetings and discussions of the book, boundaries between "teacher" and "parent" broke down and became an event interesting to all. They both discovered new and rewarding aspects into community involvement and the education process. Furthermore, when teaching the novel to children, the researchers and teachers implemented text-marking, rereading, post teaching focus group interviews to evaluate the impact of the novel on students' relationships. The novel was found to have a profound impact upon everyone involved, especially so because shared reading practices within the community enhanced learning and made the study of the novel more enjoyable. This article is an analytical study of collective thinking among parents, students, and teachers. This study was on The Giver.They comment on thinking skills and the many possibilities of learning that result with shared experiences. "Making News Connections." Swiderek, Bobbi. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 41.7 (1998): 584-85. This article is written by a middle school teacher who summarizes his experience of teaching The Giver. He helps his students relate the story to realistic news events. It discusses controversial issues presented in the book. The Giver- Lois Lowry http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/guides/give.html Random House has a great site for finding background information on literature. This is also a site to help teachers find ways to teach a novel, and provides outside links to other sources. The History Teacher –Poem by Billy Collins This poem by Billy Collins is a great poem for setting up a controversial novel. This poet is also easier to understand for students. Concentration Camp http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia Encarta Encyclopedia is a great site for finding historical background, articles, pictures, popular quotes, documents, and other information. This is a great source for any teacher who is trying to find interesting information to set up and support a novel. Images of Holocaust victims http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery This site for teachers has a plethora of information such as history, documents, images, etc. on the Holocaust. Excerpt from Utopia Written by Thomas More. This novel helps students to understand the meaning of the word “utopia” and to help then to understand what a “utopian society” could be like. More, Thomas. “Utopia.” The Norton Anthology of British Literature 17-18th Century. 7th edition. Vocabulary for The GIVER www.webenglishteacher.com http://www.janaedwards.com This vocabulary list has been created by an English teacher. She has compiled the words under the groupings of sections within novel. This is a good site for finding activities for teaching novels. Images of Holocaust victims hair, and Zyklon B Containers http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/GALL31R/85742.htm http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/13112.htm #664. The Giver http://teachers.net/lessons/post/664.html This is another great site for teachers; it has many ideas for activities for teaching, news on education, and curriculum guides. Meanings for the names Jonas and Gabriel http://tools.oxygen.com/babynamer Encarta has a link to this site. It has a lot of good information on some names, but it does not have in-depth information for all names. #473 The Giver http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/473.html Program of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/document/PROGRAM.htm The Giver and Shade’s Children: Future Views of Child Abandonment and Murder –Article Written by Melissa Gross taken from the journal Children’s Literature in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2, 1999 Why Clone? http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_761595302/Cloning_Ethics.html Post: 8th grade AR books for the Holocaust http://teachers.net/mentors/accelerated_reading/topic1583/1.13.04.19.45.39.html Here is list literature that students can read for a Holocaust Unit. Many of these articles and novels would be good for a student of any grade to read to gain a better understanding for why the community in The Giver inhibits rather than helps and protects people. Reading Activities (compiled by Bonnie Weeks) |Pre-Reading | During Reading | Post-Reading | Pre-Reading Activities Hurst, Carol. “Featured Author: Lois Lowry”. Children’s Literature Newsletter. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/llowry.html>. The author of this article gives great background detail into Lois Lowry’s life. This allows students to get to know her as a person as well as being introduced to her writing career. It is also beneficial because her individual works are discussed and the reasons she had for writing them. This permits students to connect the text with their own lives. “Spotlight on Lois Lowry”. Random House. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/results.pperl>. This is a short bibliography page on Lois Lowry. It is good for a brief introduction and contains many informational facts on her life. By allowing students the opportunity to read this article, they will gain a greater understanding of Lowry’s life. Faircloth, Mary Lou. “Opening to unit on The Giver.” Lesson Planet. 8 July 1997. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanet.com>. This web site gives many different lesson plans that can be used for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading activities. The plans are easy to understand and give the necessary information and work-book questions that can be used to give to students. This is a beneficial site because it helps bring in many aspects of studying the text. Students will be able get in-depth with the text. Faircloth, Mary Lou. “Opening to unit on The Giver.” Lesson Planet. 8 July 1997. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanet.com>. This web site gives many different lesson plans that can be used for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading activities. The plans are easy to understand and give the necessary information and work-book questions that can be used to give to students. This is a beneficial site because it helps bring in many aspects of studying the text. Students will be able get in-depth with the text. Schmidt, Gary D. Random House. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://randomhouse.com/teachers/guides/give.html>. This site contains information on many texts, The Giver being one of them. It contains many useful ideas of teaching as well as discussion topics. Another additional benefit of using this site is that it shows how to connect the text to many other areas of study, i.e. science, philosophy, sociology, etc. Frank, Virginia. “The Giver by Lois Lowry.” Teacher Cyber Guide. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/Giver/givertg.htm>. This compilation of lesson plans is useful in allowing students to connect the text to their own lives and history. The activities that are planned out include: exploring the Library of Congress, studying the rights of freedom, collecting and analyzing data, as well as their own personal career search. This source is good for students’ learning and understanding because it allows them to understand the specifics in the book in relation to their own society. Frank, Virginia. “The Giver by Lois Lowry.” Teacher Cyber Guide. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/Giver/givertg.htm>. This compilation of lesson plans is useful in allowing students to connect the text to their own lives and history. The activities that are planned out include: exploring the Library of Congress, studying the rights of freedom, collecting and analyzing data, as well as their own personal career search. This source is good for students’ learning and understanding because it allows them to understand the specifics in the book in relation to their own society. During Reading Activities Faircloth, Mary Lou. “Opening to unit on The Giver.” Lesson Planet. 8 July 1997. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanet.com>. This web site gives many different lesson plans that can be used for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading activities. The plans are easy to understand and give the necessary information and work-book questions that can be used to give to students. This is a beneficial site because it helps bring in many aspects of studying the text. Students will be able get in-depth with the text. Faircloth, Mary Lou. “Opening to unit on The Giver.” Lesson Planet. 8 July 1997. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanet.com>. This web site gives many different lesson plans that can be used for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading activities. The plans are easy to understand and give the necessary information and work-book questions that can be used to give to students. This is a beneficial site because it helps bring in many aspects of studying the text. Students will be able get in-depth with the text. “Arguments Against Euthanasia.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://www.euthanasia.com/page4.html>. This article gives good information on the argument against euthanasia. The benefit of including this is that it gives students the outlook on euthanasia in their times in comparison with the times in the novel. “Reasons for Euthanasia.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://www.euthanasia.com/page4.html>. This article gives arguments for euthanasia. This is to counter the opposite side which allows students to see both ends of an argument. This teaches them to look at many persepectives. The benefit of including this is that it gives students the outlook on euthanasia in their times in comparison with the times in the novel. After Reading Activities Faircloth, Mary Lou. “Opening to unit on The Giver.” Lesson Planet. 8 July 1997. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanet.com>. This web site gives many different lesson plans that can be used for pre-reading, during reading, and after reading activities. The plans are easy to understand and give the necessary information and work-book questions that can be used to give to students. This is a beneficial site because it helps bring in many aspects of studying the text. Students will be able get in-depth with the text. Frank, Virginia. “The Giver by Lois Lowry.” Teacher Cyber Guide. 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/Giver/givertg.htm>. This compilation of lesson plans is useful in allowing students to connect the text to their own lives and history. The activities that are planned out include: exploring the Library of Congress, studying the rights of freedom, collecting and analyzing data, as well as their own personal career search. This source is good for students’ learning and understanding because it allows them to understand the specifics in the book in relation to their own society. Wilkins, Janice. “What’s the Story?” Beacon Learning Center. 2003. 14 Oct. 2004 <http://beaconlearningcenter.com/search/details.asp?item=722>. This source gives a lesson plan for the students to continue the story. This is a good source because the plan includes the state standards, description, preparation, procedures, etc. It also contains the link to the “6+1 Traits of Writing”. Thennis, Steve. Helena, MT. Sept. 2001. The idea of the in-class debate comes from Mr. Steve Thennis. He teaches a class called Science Seminar at Helena High School in Helena, Montana. This class is a bio-ethics class. One of his teaching tools is to lay out debate subjects and assign sides to the students. This is a useful teaching strategy because it allows students to get personally involved in their studying, as well as seeing the purpose for it.

Back to Lowry's Page

 

Reading Resources and Unit Guide for this Novel