Sanders

The Giver Art Integration Unit

Lesson 1
*This lesson is to be taught the day before the class starts reading the book.
Relevant Data:
Name of the lesson: A Black and White World
Name of the lesson plan creators: Nae Sanders
Data lesson is to be taught: Day 1 December 1, 2016
Number of participants: 25
Space Required: Desks
Materials: Paper, pencils and colored pencils
Age Range: 9-10
Time required: 20 minutes
Methodology: Visual Arts Instruction
Colorado Content Standards:

● 4th Grade Visual Arts 1.1a: Group works of art based on like characteristics and expressive
features of art and design (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Visual Arts 1.2a: Discuss how characteristics of art are used in specific ways to create
meaning (DOK 1-3)
● 4th Grade Visual Arts 2.1c: Articulate and justify the emotional impact of the characteristics and
expressive features of art and design in a work of art (DOK 3-4)
● 4th Grade Visual Arts 3.1b: Communicate values and belief systems visually (DOK 3-4)
● 4th Grade Visual Arts 3.1d: Generate works of art based on specific themes of personal interest
● 4th Grade Visual Arts 3.2b: Describe observations made during the art-making process (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Oral Expression and Listening 1.1: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders
who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others,
and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.

Topic: What it’s like to live in a black and white world

Focus: The importance of color
Teaching Objectives:

● To help students appreciate the use of colors in the world by drawing with a gray pencil.
● To encourage students to work collaboratively by creating art with a gray pencil versus colored
pencils
● To encourage students to create their perfect world with and without color

Student Objectives:

● Students will enhance their understanding of the importance of color by using visual arts
● Students will explore the theme of living in a black and white world by using black and white ink
● Students will communicate with classmates by enhancing their pictures with color.
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Hook: (1 minute) To begin the lesson, ask students to close their eyes and imagine their perfect world.
What would they see? What would they hear? Who would be there? What colors do they see? Keep
that image in your head as materials are being passed out.
Activities:

● Draw: (7 minutes) Once students receive materials, have them put their perfect world onto
paper using only a pencil. NO OTHER COLORS. Make sure to include all aspects of their world
including people, places and things.
o Discussion/Reflection Questions: (3 minutes)
▪ Does anyone want to share their perfect world with the class?
▪ What made this activity difficult? Why?
▪ How would you feel living in a black and white world?
o Transition: (30 seconds)
▪ Now we’re going to number you off into four groups. In your groups, you’re
going to combine your perfect worlds and create one perfect world but this
time you will be given colored pencils.
● Group work: (6 minutes) Once students are in their groups we will give them colored pencils and
a blank sheet of paper. With these materials, they are to combine their ideas and create one
perfect world.
o Discussion/Reflection Questions: (3 minutes)
▪ Can we get one group volunteer to share their perfect world with the class?
▪ How does your world change after adding color?
▪ Did you find it easier when you were able to use different colors?
▪ Now that we have completed this activity, as a class, we’ll be reading a book by
Lois Lowry called “The Giver” about a community with no color.

Side Coaching:

● Guided Questions

Troubleshooting:

● Bring extra pencils in case students don’t have black colored ink

Bibliography:

● Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 1993. Reprint. New York: Random House, Inc., 2002. Print.
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The Giver Art Integration Unit

Lesson 2
Relevant Data:
Name of the lesson: Skipping Injections
Name of the lesson plan creators: Nae Sanders
Data lesson is to be taught: Day 2
Number of participants: 25
Space Required: Open area to act out scene
Materials: Script of scene we’re acting out
Age Range: 9-10
Time required: 51 minutes
Methodology: Drama and Theatre
Colorado Content Standards:

● 4th Grade Drama and Theatre Art 1.1b: Use voice such as diction, enunciation, projection, and
tonal modulation to communicate characterization effectively (DOK1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and theatre Arts 1.1c: Apply facial expression to communicate motivation and
mood (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and theatre arts 1.2c: Use existing literature and adapt it by creating alternate
endings or by altering the characters or settings (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and theatre arts 2.1a: Demonstrate problem-solving skills through group
interaction (DOK 2-3)
● 4th Grade Oral Expression and Listening 1.1d: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an
experience in an organized manner using appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details to
support main ideas or themes. Speak clearly at an understandable pace (CCSS: SL.4.4)

Topic: Jonas tells Fiona to skip her injection

Focus: Jonas is trying to convince Fiona to skip her daily injection
Teaching Objectives:

● To help students become comfortable with improvisation

● To create a real world connection with the book for students to understand the circumstance
● To encourage students to use their imaginations

Student Objectives:

● Students will improvise a scene from the book with one of their peers
● Students will discuss the situation in the book and tie it into their daily lives
● Students will examine the possible scenarios of when Jonas asked Fiona to skip her daily
injections

Hook: (10 minutes) To begin this lesson, ask students to name some of the everyday things they do
without giving it any thought. Have them discuss with one another what their life would be like if they
stopped doing one of their everyday activities. Come together as a class and discuss some of the things
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students came up with in their discussions. How would they feel? What would life be like? In “The
Giver,” we recently read about how Jonas insisted that Fiona skipped her daily injections and she was
hesitant because that is something she was taught to do everyday without question.
Activities:
● Script Reading: (3 minutes) Ask two students to volunteer to read and act the script between
Jonas and Fiona when he tells her to skip her injections.
○ Discussion/Reflection Questions: (5 minutes)
■ How can you relate to Fiona’s initial responses?
■ Would you react the same way Fiona did? If not, what would you do differently?
■ Would you trust Jonas?
○ Transition: (3 minutes) After the script is read and discussed, students will be asked to
form pairs and will be given the first sentence of the script. Students are to pick a
character between Fiona and Jonas and decide how the conversation could’ve changed
if they were in the same position.
● Improvisation: (5 minutes) Now that students are in pairs and have decided which character
they’d be, Student #1 that chose to be Jonas will read the first sentence of the script and do
everything they can to convince Fiona to skip her daily injections. Student #2, Fiona, would
follow after the first sentence of the script is read and try their best to deny Jonas’ request in a
friendly manner.
○ Transition: (5 minutes) All students must pause mid-sentence and the teacher will pick
on pairs to continue their improvisation. This will continue for half of the groups in the
class.
○ Discussion/Reflection Questions: (5 minutes)
■ How did being the character you chose make you feel?
■ Was it easy or hard to get into character?
■ Who do you see yourself relating to more out of Fiona and Jonas after your
improvisation?
● Improvisation: (5 minutes) Students will now swap characters so that they can understand the
other person's perspective of the situation. They will start off the same as before, using the first
sentence of the script, and then improvise the rest of the script from there.
○ Transition: (5 minutes) Again, all students will pause mid-sentence and the other half of
the groups in the class will be asked to continue on with their improvisation.
○ Discussion/Reflection Questions: (5 minutes)
■ Now that you’ve felt what it was like to be in both characters position, who do
you think you relate with more?
■ If someone were to tell you to skip a daily activity in your life, would you be
willing to do so? If not, what if you really trusted that person?
■ What do you think will happen when/if Fiona follows Jonas’ request and stops
getting her daily injections?
Side Coaching:

● Guided Questions
● Helpful transitions
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Troubleshooting:

● No volunteers
● Students are nervous to improvise in front of the whole class
● Not enough people for paired improv

Bibliography:

● Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 1993. Reprint. New York: Random House, Inc., 2002. Print.
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The Giver Art Integration Unit

Lesson 3
Relevant Data:
Name of the lesson: Escaping from What We Know
Name of the lesson plan creators: Nae Sanders
Data lesson is to be taught: Day 3
Number of participants: 25
Space Required: Open space with desks pushed out of the way
Materials: Just the students
Age Range: 9-10
Time required: 50 minutes
Methodology: Drama and Theatre
Colorado Content Standards:

● 4th Grade Drama and Theatre Arts 1.1a: Utilize gesture and movement to create a character
(DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and Theatre Arts 1.1c: Apply facial expression to communicate
motivation and mood (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and Theatre Arts 1.2c: Use existing literature, and adapt it by creating
alternate endings or by altering the characters or settings (DOK 1-2)
● 4th Grade Drama and Theatre 2.1a: Demonstrate problem-solving skills through group
interaction (DOK 2-3)
● 4th Grade Oral Expression and Listening 1.1: Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders
who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others,
and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective.

Topic: Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes

Focus: Becoming Jonas
Teaching Objectives:

● To guide students to become a character from The Giver through Narrative Pantomime
● To encourage students to work collaboratively by recreating a scene from The Giver
● To encourage students to put themselves in the story through individual scenes

Student Objectives:

● Students will enhance their understanding of The Giver through Narrative Pantomime
● Students will work collaboratively in groups to create scenes from The Giver
● Students will perform their scenes and be given constructive criticism from their classmates.
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Hook: (3 minutes) To begin the lesson, I will be walking the students through a narrative pantomime of
the last scene of the book: where Jonas and Gabriel run off to try and bring color back into their
community.
NARRATIVE PANTOMIME: (Have class start by laying in bed). The night grew dark and your
entire family has gone to sleep. You slowly open your eyes, look around you to make sure no
one is awake. You sit up slowly, climb out of bed, slip on your clothes and shoes and tiptoe down
the stairs and outside. You grab your bike, about to take off to the nurturing center on it, but
bump into your friend instead. As he tries stopping you, you push him out of the way and start
pedaling on your bike faster...and faster...and faster...Finally! You’ve made it to the nurturing
center, so you climb off of your bike, throw it to the side and run inside to find your friend,
Fiona. She informs you that everyone is looking for you, so you quickly run downstairs in the
restricted room, where you find Gabriel. You quickly pick him up, and just before you begin to
open the door, you hear voices. It sounds like a lot of men who must be looking for you. So you
run in hide with baby Gabriel still in your arms, while Fiona runs to distract them. One the coast
is clear, you can finally come out of hiding and book it outside to your bike. You strap on the
baby carrier and begin your mission. As you ride on on your bike, you hear something behind
you, so while still pedaling you slowly look over your left shoulder, and...OH NO!!! They are
coming for you. The scary men from the nurturing center are chasing you on their bikes. You
begin pedaling faster...and faster...and faster...and once they get about 3 feet behind you, you
and Gabriel have finally reached the edge of the community. You go over the edge and hit a
jolting stop at the bottom. You get off the bike, grab Gabriel and begin your treck to find the
bridge. What seems like hours goes by and you have still not found the bridge. The weather
begins to change and it begins to become super cold. You start shivering and stick Gabriel inside
your jacket. Your walk becomes slower and your legs become weaker. Just when you have about
given up, straight ahead in the distance, you see the bridge. You begin running towards it, with
the biggest smile on your face, and you finally cross it. All of the memories come rushing back,
and you can finally rest.

Discussion/Reflection Questions (3 minutes):

● Now that we have acted out the last scene from the book, how do you think Jonas felt
being alone with no one but a baby?
● If you were by yourself in an unfamiliar or new area, how would you feel? Would you be
scared? Excited?
Transition (2 minutes): Alright everyone, I now want everyone to sit in a circle so I can number
you off to make four separate groups. I need ones to sit together, twos, threes, and fours.
Activities:

● Group Work (25 minutes for practice plus 12 minutes for presentations): Each group is going to
be assigned a scene from the book, like we did in our Narrative Pantomime. Once I assign you a
scene, I will give each group about 25 minutes to recreate what they think this scene looks like.
You can act it out, turn the scene into a song, make it into a narrative pantomime, or whatever
other creative ideas you have to make your scene come alive. At the end of your 25 minutes,
each group will have about 3 minutes to present their scene. (After each group presentation, we
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will discuss, as a class, the most engaging parts of the scenes, and the parts where we were a
little confused).
▪ Scenes for each group: The ceremony of giving out the jobs, Jonas’s family home
(what goes on in Jonas’s house throughout the story?), Portraying the Giver,
Working in the Nurturing Center
o Discussion/Reflection Questions: (5 minutes)
▪ How did presenting these scenes give you a better understanding of the book?
▪ How would you feel living in a small community where no one knows how the
world used to be?
Side Coaching:

● Guided questions such as:

o How can we make your scene come alive?
o Do we have all of the characters established in your scene?

Troubleshooting:

● Students didn’t finish the book

● Students don’t know what their scene is supposed to be about.

Bibliography:

● Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 1993. Reprint. New York: Random House, Inc., 2002. Print.
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