Dystopian Lesson Plan- Three Day Set

Rationale: Students will better their reading comprehension and be able to apply their
accumulated knowledge. They will be able to effectively summarize and identify key characters
and events within a text or reading.

Standards:
7.2- Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
- What is the theme throughout the story? How does the theme develop over time?
Summarize the story in small groups before the individual activity of designing a brochure.

7.3- Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes
the characters or plot).
- How does the utopia affect Jonah and shape his views? Does Jonah act and think the
way that he does because of the people and rules he is surrounded by?

7.6- Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters
or narrators in a text.
- Why do you think Jonah has such a different view from the rest of the people
living in the utopia? How is he different from everyone else?

Objective: Students will read and understand The Giver. They will demonstrate their knowledge
by applying what they learned to activities in the classroom. They will become familiar with the
vocabulary and characters. They will also develop a brochure outlining Jonahs utopia and a
utopia of their own design.

Procedures:
Day 1- Students will read The Giver by Lois Lowry in a reading workshop. They will share ideas
and thoughts on the vocabulary and plot/ setting. They will make a list of all of the terms that
they are unfamiliar with and define them. Establish an overall understanding of the story.
What is a utopia? Can you describe the utopia where they live? Who are some other
characters and how do they fit into the story?

Day 2- Students will work in groups to make a summary of The Giver. Each group will either
write a summary in the form of a paper or essay or develop a script to act out a summary of the
book. After each group is done, the class as a whole will go over the central ideas/ summarize the
book so that everyone will have the same basic idea (with a bit of their own twist/ ideas).
What do you consider to be the major events in the story? How would you characterize
Jonah, how does he fit into the society? Why do you think everyone else conforms to the
society, unlike Jonah?

Day 3- Students will first make a brochure depicting Jonahs utopia. Students will be asked to
create a brochure of their idea of a utopia. They will include the setting, the people who live
there, the laws/ rules, and a brief description of a day spent there. They will then write about
whether or not Jonah would like or dislike/ fit in in their utopia. They can use paper, a computer,
art supplies, and any other classroom resource they need.

Engagement/ Anticipatory Set: The students will be given the choice of writing a paper summary
or a script, giving them the opportunity to summarize what they have read and giving me the
chance to assess what they have understood from the book. The students will be engaged by the
topic/idea of not only a utopia, but the idea of their own design of a utopia. They will be able to
connect what they have read to a fun activity where they are in control of the design. This is also
where they have freedom and choice; they can choose the design, the layout, and the materials
that they choose to work with.

Mentor- Teach and Model: During the mini lesson I will provide examples and strategies of how
to summarize and pick out key details. I will go over plot, setting, and character development so
that they all have background knowledge before beginning any group or individual work. I will
participate in summarizing and model how their summary paper/ script could look. I will also
have an example of a brochure or participate in making one with them.

Guided Practice: Before this lesson, I will implement a short story (even a few paragraphs of
another story) so that the students can learn how to effectively summarize what they have read.
The guided practice in this lesson will be the summarization as a class, we can work together to
create an accurate depiction of the characters and events. The summary papers and scripts will be
done in groups that I will be helping, so I can guide them at that point as well.

Independent Application: The students will be asked to create a brochure of the utopia where
Jonah lives as well as a brochure of their own perfect utopia. This will show if they understand
the idea of a utopia and if they can apply the knowledge.

Materials: The students will use their notebooks as they are reading to take notes and practice
summarizing. They will use laptops to create their group paper or script- shared google doc. And
they will also need paper/ laptops, art supplies, and a printer to print their brochures.

Assessment: The assessment is implemented throughout this lesson. I will assess their reading
comprehension when we work as a group to understand the book. I will assess their
summarization strategies when they work in teams or groups to create a summary paper or script.
I will assess their knowledge of the utopia depicted in the book when they design the brochure.

Differentiation: Just like assessment, differentiation is also implemented throughout the lesson
plan. Students have a choice of how they want to summarize The Giver. They can choose to use
their essay skills or they can use creativity and make a script/ play of the events in the book.
They also have a chance to be assessed without being tested. I will be able to gage their
understanding and application of ideas through activities and projects.
- Students who prefer writing have a chance to display their learning
- Students who prefer to speak/ act in front of the class have a chance
- Students who prefer art/ creativity activities can utilize their skills
Technology Connections: Students will use their chrome books to access google drive and utilize
a google doc when working in groups to make their summary. They will also have the
opportunity to use the chrome books when designing the brochures. I think it is important to use
technology but I also want to give choice as to whether or not they have to use it (they can use
paper and art supplies to make the brochure but they can also print one out).

Future Connections: This lesson will be helpful to them in the future. They will gain the
importance of summary and the value in understanding character and plot development. They
will also be able to identify key ideas and main events in a text that they are reading, which is a
very important skill.