1. The Giver Theme Notes.notebook
November 20, 2013
11/20/13
8th Grade Language Arts
Agenda:
Assignments:
-Chapters 14-15 in The Giver (TH)
-Comments (F)
1. Independent Reading
-Spelling Test (F)
2. The Giver themes/big topics
-vocab Unit 6 (F)
-Vocab Writing (T 11/26)
-Interview Questions (M 12/2)
1

2. The Giver Theme Notes.notebook
November 20, 2013
Symbol:
Symbol for Jonas: "dove" "destroyer"
"peace"
6. Why do you think Lois Lowry chose this name for her main character? Do you think her
choice was deliberate?
7. What impact, if any, does this name have on the story?
2

3. The Giver Theme Notes.notebook
November 20, 2013
Interview Essay
Overall Objective/Goal: Making a Connection to History through Literature and Writing
Students will connect the importance of learning about history/family history with their understanding of The Giver
What to do: Prepare for, conduct, present and evaluate an interview of one of your oldest living relatives or family friends.
• Select the person who will be interviewed and conduct a preliminary interview to determine if the formal interview will be
about a particular historical event, time period or about the person’s life.
• After the topic of the interview has been determined, a list of questions will be prepared. The type of questions that will be
asked will be determined by the topic of the interview. The name of the person who will be interviewed and the list of questions
are due Monday, December 2nd. (must be typed)
• Write questions that will encourage narrative answers rather than questions that can be responded to with a yes or no.
• Responses to the questions will be recorded by taking notes, video taping, or tape recording. Due Monday, January 6th.
3

4. The Giver Theme Notes.notebook
November 20, 2013
Class Presentation: The results of the interview will be presented to the class on Thursday and Friday January 9th and 10th.
Requirements:
• The introduction to the presentation will include a description of the person interviewed, why you selected that
person and an explanation of the topic of the interview and the type of questions that were asked.
• The body of the presentation will be the information gathered during the interview and presented in narrative style
from the third person perspective.
• If the interview was video or audio taped, excerpts from the tapes may be used as part of the narrative.
• The conclusion will be an evaluation of the interview. The evaluation will include answers to these questions: What new
insights did you gain? Did the interview change your opinion or perspective about something? Was the source biased about
any of the topics?
• A typed essay will be turned in at the conclusion of the class presentation. Have the copy signed by the person
interviewed to demonstrate their approval of your summary. (use middle school standard format)
4