Grade 6 | Unit 3 | Lesson 16 | The Giver1, pp.

155-159 & 163-170 (RWb & RWa)2

READING TASK
Reading: The Giver, pp. 155-159 & 163-170
Guiding TDQ: Jonas believes Sameness made the Community better. Agree or Disagree.
Alternate Q: What is Jonas’ point of view on Sameness?
CCSS: RL6.1; RL6.3; RL6.6

WHAT THIS LESSON WILL ACHIEVE

This lesson focuses on parts of Chapters 16 and 17. Here, The Giver has been transmitting positive memories to Jonas
and he gives him his favorite: a memory of Christmas, family and love. Jonas is grappling with whether or not the
Community members would benefit from having elements of the memories, like grandparents. He recognizes that his
Community makes sense and has order; yet, it’s missing the warmth of love. At the same time, Jonas is feeling more and
more isolated from his friends. He tries to talk about the wrongness of playing “war,” but Asher doesn’t understand and
things get uncomfortable. He asks his parents if they love him and is corrected for using imprecise language. He stops
taking the pills for the Stirrings and while he enjoys his new emotions and feelings, he also feels terribly alone because no
one else around him feels the same.

In this lesson, scholars will focus on Jonas’ thoughts, words, feelings, and actions in order to understand his developing
perspective on his Community. They will read and annotate with the lens: Does Jonas believe Sameness makes the
Community better?

You’ll know this lesson was successful if scholars are able to state a claim in answer to the guiding question and support it
with details from the novel.
WHAT DOES EXCELLENCE LOOK LIKE?
Exit Ticket | Jonas believes Sameness made the Community better. Agree or Disagree.
Exemplar Response |
Response CFS
Jonas is beginning to believe that Sameness has not made the Community better. -Scholars will make and support
He talks to the Giver about how the feeling of family “was kind of nice” and made a claim (Sameness has or has
life feel more “complete.” He says “I liked the feeling of love” and “I wish we still not made the Community
had that.” Even though he recognizes that deep emotion can be “dangerous,” he better)
knows he liked it. So, even though he understands why Sameness got rid of those -It is clear that the scholar has a
things, he admits that they made life a little better in some ways. Later, Jonas tries working, accurate definition of
to talk to Asher about why the game of war isn’t a good idea. Because Asher Sameness and how it affects the
doesn’t have the memories, he is confused and angered by the conversation. Jonas Community
feels “overwhelmed by sadness” because his friends laugh about the game but only -Provides at least 2 pieces of
he understands the true reality of war. He’s feeling more and more isolated evidence to support the
because Sameness has made his friends ignorant and there is no way that he can assertion from pages 155-159
change that. Therefore, Jonas is beginning to realize that Sameness has not always and 163-170.
made the Community better because its members don’t know what love and loss -Evidence is explained in a way
truly are. that connects back to the claim

KEY THEMES
 Conformity  Control  Emotions

1
All page numbers refer to the new edition of The Giver.
2
This question and parts of the lesson came from the work of Rue Ratray and Eric Snider 
Copyright: Achievement First. Unless otherwise noted, all of the content in this resource is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY) license.
 KEY VOCABULARY
 Hearth (154)  Luxuriating (155)  Concept (157)
 Practical (158)  Risk (159)  Outlawed (159)
 Expertise (168)  Fleeting (169)  Carefree (169)

INTELLECTUAL PREPARATION
 Follow the steps for IPP with a Literature Network Plan
 Ensure that your scholars have copies of the book prior to the start of today’s class (or that you have a system for
doing this efficiently at the start of class), other unit resources (e.g., the text-companion) and a system for taking
notes (if they are not annotating in the book)
 Create and accommodate the homework as necessary for your scholars who need those accommodations. See
sample HW assignment in the unit overview.

PART OF THE READING MODALITY, READING TASK, AND KEY QUESTIONS

LESSON
DIRT Quiz: The teacher should efficiently administer and review the DIRT quiz.
Build the Narrative: A possible question sequence is below:
1) What important memory did the Giver give Jonas? What did Jonas learn from it?
2) What does Jonas ask his parents? How do they respond? Why is this important?
Launch
Set the Purpose: So, we’ve seen that Jonas is receiving more memories from the Giver – many of them
(5-8 minutes)
really pleasant. IN particular, he received the memory of family, love, and Christmas. Today, we’re
going to reread some of last night’s reading and read a new section from Chapter 17 in order to better
understand how Jonas is feeling – about the memories and about his Community and the laws of
Sameness. Here is the question that will get us there…
Prompt “Exemplar response” – Teacher script
Let’s read the prompt Jonas believes Sameness made the Community better. Agree or
aloud. Disagree.
What are the key Reground scholars in the concept of Sameness =
words in this prompt?  The community’s decision to get rid of differences so that
Attack the everything can be the same
Prompt!  The decision to lose animals, colors, seasons, sunshine, snow,
(2-3 minutes) hills
 Shared birthdays, Community rules
 Lack of memories
So, what do we have to Plan:
do to answer this 1) What effect(s) has Sameness had on the Community?
question correctly? 2) What does Jonas think/say/feel/do about Sameness?
Shared Reading: The Giver, pp. 155-159 (“Jonas opened…” to “…the warmth.”)
Contextualize: Let’s pick up on page 155 of The Giver. Jonas has just been given the Giver’s favorite
Heavy-Lifting Loop #1

memory: the memory of Christmas, family, and love. He saw the tree with lights, the family seated
around the tree, and the young child giving out gifts. He saw the grandparents together on the couch,
Read &
(RWb)

smiling. He’s about to talk about this memory with the Giver…
Annotate
Prompt: Does Jonas believe Sameness has made the Community better?
(6 min)
1) Underline the details that reveal the effects that Sameness has had on the Community
2) Underline what Jonas says, thinks and does that reveal his perspective on these effects
3) Label and explain
 + J = S made C better b/c ___________
  - J = S made C worse b/c ___________
Key Idea(s) Evidence
 - J = S made C worse  “Jonas opened his eyes and
b/c Jonas has learned lay contentedly on the bed,
to treasure the still luxuriating in the warm
warmth and comfort and comforting memory. It
of things that are only had all been there, all the
memories due to things he had learned to
Sameness treasure.” (155)
 + J = S made C better  “It seems to work pretty well
b/c things are more that way, doesn’t it? The way
practical, make more we do it in our community?”
sense, and are more (157)
organized (e.g. having  “…I can see that it wasn’t a
places like the House very practical way to live
of the Old and with the Old right there in
Community of the same place, where
Childless Adults) maybe they wouldn’t be well
taken care of, the way they
are now, and that we have a
better-arranged way of doing
things.” (158)
 “I do understand that it
wouldn’t work very well. And
that it’s much better to be
organized the way we are
now.” (158)
 - J = S made C worse  “…it was kind of nice, then,
b/c it took away nice, And that I wish we could be
warm feelings and that way, and you could be
experiences like love my grandparent…” (158)
and family  “A little more complete”
 “I liked the feeling of love…I
wish we still had that…”
(158)
 + J = S made C better  “I can see that it was a
b/c Sameness makes dangerous way to live.” (158)
life a little safer  “…they had fire right there in
that room. There was a fire
burning in the fireplace. And
there were candles on a
table. I can certainly see why
those things were outlawed.”
BPQs
 Reread the top of page 155 –
how is Jonas feeling and why?
 What does Jonas treasure?
How has he learned to
treasure these?
 If Jonas was not the Receiver,
would he treasure these
things? (no) Why? (Sameness)
 So, does this show that J
believes Sameness made the
Community better?
 On page 157 Jonas says that
Sameness makes the
Community “work pretty
well.” What details on page
158 support his claim?
 Come with me to the middle
of page 158. How does Jonas
feel about the memory of
love and family? What is the
best evidence to support your
answer?
 How does this help us answer
our guiding question?
 Lowry italicizes one of the
words Jonas uses to describe
life before Sameness on page
158 – what is it?
 How does Jonas explain this
comment on page 159?
 How does this help us answer
our guiding question?
 (159)

The teacher will cue scholars to discuss the questions posed above and will facilitate the discussion,
Discuss
reinforcing habits of discussion and using evidence to support claims.
(10 min)
See table above for the key ideas that should be surfaced during this discussion.
 Read Aloud or Partner Read: The Giver, p.163-170 (from “Today is declared…” to “…change nothing.”)
Contextualize: Now, come with me to page 163. This is the beginning of Chapter 17. It picks up right
after Jonas talks to Gabe about love while Gabe is sleeping and Jonas decides to stop taking his pills for
the Stirrings.
Annotation & Discussion Prompt: Does Jonas believe Sameness has made the Community better?
1) Underline the details that reveal the effects that Sameness has had on the Community
2) Underline what Jonas says, thinks and does that reveal his perspective on these effects
3) Label and explain
 + J = S made C better b/c ___________
 - J = S made C worse b/c ___________

Key Idea(s) Evidence BPQs

 - J = S made C worse  “The Stirrings had returned, and
b/c Sameness took he felt a little guilty and
away all deep feelings embarrassed about the
from people pleasurable dreams that came to
him as he slept. But he knew he
couldn’t go back to the world of
no feelings that he had lived in so
long.” (164)
Heavy-Lifting Loop #2 (RWa)
 Come with me to page
164. How does Jonas feel
about not taking his pill?
Why?
 Does this show that Jonas
believes Sameness made
the Community better or
worse?

 “...Jonas realized it was a new  What is the best line from

depth of feelings that he was page 164 that supports
experiencing.” (165) your answer?
Read &
 + J = S made C better  “His childhood, his friendships,  Come with me to page
Annotate
b/c it gives people his carefree sense of security – all 169. What has Jonas lost
(8 min)
comfort and security of these things seemed to be because he no longer
b/c everyone is the slipping away.” (169) knows that Sameness is
same  “But he knew that such things the only reality?
had been taken from him now.”  So, what are the benefits
(169) of Sameness?
 + J = S made C better  “With his new, heightened  Jonas has “new,
b/c no one has to feel feelings, he was overwhelmed by heightened” feelings
deeply terrible or sad sadness at the way the others because of the memories.
feelings anymore had laughed and shouted, playing What do they make him
 + J = S made C better at war.” (169) feel as he watched war?
b/c under Sameness, Look for the best detail on
no one feels isolated 169 to describe this
by negative emotions feeling.
 Would Jonas feel this way
under Sameness? Then,
how does this help us
answer our guiding
question?
 - J = S made C worse  “He felt such love for Asher and  Let’s read the last few
b/c it took away for Fiona. But they could not feel sentences at the top of
people’s ability to feel it back, without the memories. page 170 again. What is
love and strong And he could not give them the difference between
connections to each these. Jonas knew with certainty Jonas and his friends?
 other. that he could change nothing.”  How does Jonas feel
(170) about this difference –
does he feel his friends
are better off with
Sameness or not?
 How does this help us
answer our guiding
question?
Discuss The teacher will cue scholars to discuss the questions posed above and will facilitate the discussion,
(10-12 reinforcing habits of discussion and using evidence to support claims.
min) See table above for the key ideas that should be surfaced during this discussion.
Revise & Exit Ticket: Scholars should re-evaluate their answer to the prompt based on the ideas surfaced in
Write! discussion. Then, they will write an open response paragraph in response to the lesson’s guiding
(10-15 mins) question.

HOMEWORK
Assignment: Read pages 170-181 of The Giver. Annotate for the genre-based thinking jobs that are in the text (e.g.,
CMPSLL3). Scholars should also answer comprehension questions as they read.

3
CMPSLL: Character, Motivation, Problem, Solution, Lesson Learned. NOTE: Not all will be evident in this section of text! Teachers
may want to narrow the assignment for scholars.