Boles Junior High School The Giver - Pre AP English 8 Summer Reading 2018-2019 By Lois Lowry
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Boles Junior High School
Pre AP English 8
Summer Reading
2018-2019
The Giver
By
Lois LowryTo Incoming 8th Graders and Parents:
As PAP English is an advanced and rigorous course load, students need to complete a summer reading
assignment over the novel, The Giver, in advance to prepare for the first 2 weeks of discussions and class
lessons. Please note that PAP students are held to high standards and a fast paced learning style to prepare
them for the Martin AP English program and vertically align with their expectations.
Students are responsible for obtaining or purchasing their own copies of the novels. Half-Price Books, online
stores and the public library are also possible sources.
Please read and annotate The Giver for characterization, plot, mood, and symbolism. Bring the completed
worksheets AND your copy of the novel to English class on the first day of school. The completed assessments
are due on the first day of class and are 2 grades. If you happen to misplace your packet, you may download a
copy from the Boles website.
You must learn the literary concepts as well as the vocabulary listed in this packet. Be prepared to take a test
over the novel, literary concepts, and vocabulary sometime during the first two weeks of school.
We hope you enjoy The Giver.
Have a wonderful summer, and we look forward to working with you in the fall!
8th Grade PAP English
Please feel free to sign up for my student and parent REMIND to get texts throughout the year about major
assignments and due dates.
Sign Up for
Mrs. Oglesby’s Remind.comThe Giver
Pre-Reading Notes
About the Author
Lois Lowry (1937- )
• Lowry’s interest in writing began when she was a child.
• Lowry wrote her first book after she was married, had four children, and graduated from the University of Maine.
• Lowry is best known for her modern stories with lighthearted and sometimes even comic characters that learn to deal with occasionally
serious problems.
• Lowry has become popular with teenage audiences.
• Lowry is a two-time Newbery Award winter for Number of the Stars and The Giver.
• Other awards for The Giver:
o Booklist Editors’ Choice
o Mark Twain Award
• The Giver is Lois Lowry’s first science fiction novel.
Literary Concepts
Theme
The theme of a literary work is an insight about life or human nature that the writer presents to the reader.
• The world is based on misconceptions. (Does the government ever have the right to lie to its citizens?)
• Diversity makes life richer and deeper than sameness does.
Setting
The setting is the time and place in which the action occurs.
The setting of The Giver is an unspecified time in the future in a place similar to Earth that can be described as a utopian community.
Science Fiction
Science fiction is writing in which a writer explores unexpected possibilities of the past or the future by using scientific data and theories as well as
his or her imagination. Most science fiction creates a believable world, although some works create a fantasy world that has familiar elements. These
works often describe safe, utopian societies where people look and act the same and where everyone abides by the same rules. Conflicts usually arise
when the main character becomes aware of the problems in “the system.”
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing occurs when a writer uses hints or clues to indicate events that will occur late in the story.
Connotation
The connotations of a word are the suggestions and associations that go along with the word, stretching beyond its dictionary meaning. By the words
they choose, author can give readers feelings and images as well as literal meaning.
In The Giver, the Word “December” does not just refer to the month. It gives the connotation of cold, darkness, and death that comes to plants in
winter.
Euphemism
Euphemism is a word or term that has mild or vague connotations and that serves to mask the harshness or offensiveness of the actual word or term.
For example, “releasing” is a euphemism for something that happens to people in Jonas’ society.
Irony
Irony is the difference between the way things seem and the way they really are.
Symbolism
A symbol is an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality. In the Giver, symbols are significant to meaning
and a deeper understanding.Vocabulary from The Giver
Background Vocabulary:
1. Utopia (n) a perfect place where people could lead perfect lives.
2. Euthanasia (n) Greek: “easy death”; today refers to the voluntary ending of the life
of a person who is terminally ill; often referred to as mercy killing.
Find the following words in the book and cite the quote in MLA format the quote. Feel free to read from an
online PDF and use Control + F to find the quotes for the vocab. Use the example below. Then write the
definition as used in the book. Be prepared to take an assessment over the words during the first week of school.
Chapters 1-4 Example:
3. Chastisement
Quote: Lily,he decided, would have to learn that soon enough, or she would be called in for chastisement
because of her insensitive chatter (20).______________________________________________________
Definition: - a punishment_______________________________________________
4. Disposition
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ___________________________________________________________________________
5. Ironic
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ____________________________________________________________________________
6. Populate
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ____________________________________________________________________________
7. Serene
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
Chapters 5-8
8. Disquieting
Quote:________________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ______________________________________________________________________________
9. Impulse
Quote:________________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ______________________________________________________________________________10. Infraction
Quote:______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ____________________________________________________________________________
11. Infringe
Quote:________________________________________________________________________________
Definition: ____________________________________________________________________________
12. Meticulously
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
13. Reprieve
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
Chapters 9-14
14. Admonition
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
15. Conspicuous
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
16. Exemption
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
17. Obsolete
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
18. Phenomenon
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
Chapters 15-19
19. Imploring
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________20. Luminous
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
21. Pervade
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
22. Suppressing
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
Chapters 20-23
23. Feebly
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
24. Haphazard
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
25. Impede
Quote:_______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _____________________________________________________________________________
* All information obtained from Literature connections SourceBook: The Giver]The Giver: Guided Reading Questions
As you read The Giver, use the literary concepts packet and your annotations to answer the following questions,
using complete sentences. Please note some questions need textual evidence in MLA format!
1. Based on the background notes, list three elements in the book that make it science fiction?
1._________________________________________________________________________
2._________________________________________________________________________
3._________________________________________________________________________
2. This book creates a utopia through controlling the lives of the citizens. Describe three ways that this society
has tried to create a perfect world.
1._____________________________________________________________________________________
2._____________________________________________________________________________________
3.______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Jonas and Gabriel share what physical trait? What could this symbolize? Support with text
evidence.________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. In chapter 3, Jonas realizes that his eyes gave him a look, “as if one were looking into the clear water of the
river, down to the bottom, where things might lurk which hadn’t been discovered yet.” (21) What might the
author be foreshadowing with this passage?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What happened to the apple Jonas was playing with and what could it symbolize? Please support with textual
evidence.________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. At age twelve, students get their assignments. What assignment were given to the following characters and
why did it fit their personalities?
Fiona:___________________________________________________________________________________
Asher:___________________________________________________________________________________
7. What was Jonas’ assignment? Why was it important and unusual? List the 4 qualities the Chief Elders said the
Receiver of Memory must have.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________8. The Giver explained why the people needed a Receiver of Memory. What were the reasons?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What important question did Jonas asks his parents after his session with The Giver? What was their answer?
What was his reaction?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10.Describe the end of the book. What does “Elsewhere” symbolize for Jonas and Gabriel? Provide text
evidence.________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Theme Analysis: The Giver
A theme from a literary work is an insight about life or human nature that the writer presents to the reader. Please
write an original, universal thematic statement over the following topics in the novel.
Example: Pain:
Painful experiences contribute to emotional, physical, and spiritual maturity which produces true character.
1. Freedom:
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Innocence:
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Choices:
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. Individuality:
_________________________________________________________________________________Read and annotate the following poem by Dan Jaffe entitled “The Forecast”, then answer the questions below. As
the Giver, Jonas would experience a life filled with the best and worst of human experiences. Think about how this
poem connects with the story of Jonas.
The Forecast
1 Perhaps our age has driven us indoors.
We sprawl in the semi-darkness dreaming
Sometimes
Of a vague world spinning in the wind.
5 But we have snapped our locks, pulled down
our shades,
Taken all precautions. We shall not be dis-
turbed.
If the earth shakes, it will be on a screen;
10 And if the prairie wind spills down our
streets
And covers us with leaves, the weatherman
will tell us.
1.The overall mood of the passage is one of
A. Nostaglia
B. Animosity
C. Passionate
D. Sorrow
E. Curiosity
2. In lines, 5-6, the author uses a(n) ____________ to imply that we are shut away from the world.
A. extended metaphor
B. simile
C. onomatopoeia
D. allusion
E. alliteration
3. The imagery in the poem would best symbolize what contrast?
A. life vs. death
B. search for love vs. desire to hate
C. inside world vs. outside world
D. self- inflicted isolation vs. freedom of experience
E. desire vs. denial
4. Which is the best theme that is found in the poem and The Giver?
A. True happiness is lost in the selfishness of others.
B. Self-indulgence will lead to the downfall of mankind.
C. The beauty in life is lost in humanities constant need to control their environments.
D. Friendship is often found in the most unexpected places.
E. The experiences of the past often determine the success of the future.
5. Evaluate the poem and discuss how it connects to themes in The Giver.
____________________________________________________________________________________
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