Empathy and Compassion: The missing elements
in a “perfect” world without pain
Four Class Discussion Activities and Group-response Activities for understanding themes of The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Developed by Joseph Mlinar for Grade 9 Language Arts
Four Class Discussion Activities and Group-response Activities for understanding themes of The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Grade 9, 8-10 days, 75-minute class period or 15 days, 55-minute class period
Day OneObjective: Students will work in small discussion groups to read, evaluate, respond, discuss, and report on themes and their own ideas about a work of literature.
WI DPI ELA Standards applied: A.12.2, A.12.3, C.12.2, C.12.3
Lesson Purpose and Goals: Students will work in small discussion groups (4-5) to reread, evaluate, and respond to three sections of the novel and teacher-guided questions focusing on the theme of the necessity for empathy and compassion in response to pain and human suffering. Discussions and activities will reveal the difference between a society that has largely eliminated both empathy and pain, like Jonas’, and real-life society that both causes pain and human suffering and seeks to alleviate it through social relief institutions and organizations.
Student Actions: Groups will report their discussion to the class by selecting their group’s major ideas. Whole class discussion will be conducted in a circle with each group forming a part of the circle. Each group member may report an idea that he/she determines is the most important one, and the class may ask questions or provide comments and clarification.
Teacher Actions: The teacher will serve as a moderator to guide group discussions with prompt-questions, encourage written responses from group members, and guide their selection of main ideas. The teacher will moderate class discussion by encouraging elaboration, questions, and examples from the novel and from student’s own experience. If necessary, the teacher will provide prompts to initiate or stimulate discussion.
1. Group discussion activity:
In groups of 4-5, students will reread pages 107-113 and 118-120. Small group discussion will focus on their shared responses and close reading of the passages and on these prompts (one for each group):
1.)How is the experience of pain and human suffering different in Jonas’ society compared to our society?
2.)What does the Giver teach Jonas about the purpose of pain and the memories of it he gives to Jonas?
3.) What role does the Giver, and Jonas as the Receiver, play in their society regarding the experience of pain and human suffering?
4.)Does the absence of pain and human suffering in Jonas’ society make it a better way of life?
5.)How do the pleasant memories provided by the Giver help Jonas to handle the painful memories? What is the effect upon Jonas of having both?
Students will record their group responses and select main ideas relating to their own responses and the prompt question. They should compose a written, group response that organizes their main ideas and their response to the prompt question.
2. Class Discussion activity: With the groups forming a class discussion circle, each group will report on the main ideas of their discussion. One group member will read the prompt question to the class and another can provide their written response to it. This continues with each group and class discussion of each group’s ideas.
Teacher Actions: The teacher will facilitate group presentations and moderate the class discussion. A summary class discussion of this topic may be prompted by this question: What has our discussion of these ideas shown you about the major differences between Jonas’ society and ours? Write about these differences in your journal.
Evaluation: Make informal evaluations of individual and group participation by observing and participating briefly with each group. Record comments on Group Discussion Log.
The Giver Discussion Activities
Day Two Objective: The student will respond individually in writing and in a small group discussion, to share perspectives on the point of view of a character from the novel.
WI DPI ELA Standards applied: C.12.2, C12.3, D.12.1, D.12.2
Method - Teacher Actions: The teacher will initiate a brief class discussion pertaining to the previous day’s discussion, by writing the word “Empathy” and its definition on the whiteboard: The ability to identify with another person; to recall similar feelings and experiences as a result of individual or shared circumstances; to understand another’s situation, feelings motives, and responses.
Elicit individual responses for class discussion with the question: What characters in The Giver display the ability to empathize---where, when, how, with whom?
Student Actions - Individual writing activity: Students will write journal responses to these questions, and then use these written responses for small group discussion:
What are some examples from your life where you either helped someone feel better about the pain they were experiencing by letting them know that you understood what they were going through, or somebody helped you?
Who do you or can you turn to if you are suffering pain or other difficulties in your life?
What is the purpose in Jonas’ society for having no one but the Giver and the Receiver to carry memories of pain, war, hunger, and other human suffering?
3. Prepared Interview and enactment activity: Students choose one character from The Giver who they want to understand better and try to influence. They develop questions to ask that character and imagine the character’s responses to these questions. Students write out this question and answer, character-study in the form of an informal chat, an urgent and life-altering argument, an application-interview for release, a notification of release, removal to “Elsewhere”, or even a plan of escape. The idea is to have a discussion with a character about their feelings, questions, or even blind acceptance of their life, childhood, assignment, and future. Students take turns in their small groups enacting their dialogues with a partner.
Evaluation: Make informal evaluations of individual and group participation by observing and participating briefly with each group. Record observations on a Group Discussion Log. Collect the student’s individual interview dialogues to check for completion, quality and content of ideas. Evaluate as a Level 2 assignment. 10 points. Take-home evaluation:
The Giver Discussion Activities
Day Three Objective: Students will understand the essential characteristics of effective and respectful listening, self-evaluate their skills and form a plan for improvement.Students will discuss and form a position on a moral and ethical question pertaining to social responsibility as paralleled in the novel. Students will develop an argument to support their position and prepare a presentation of their position.
WI DPI ELA Standards applied: A.12.2, A.12.3, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3, D.12.1
Method – Teacher Actions: Teacher presents a mini-lesson on the essential characteristics of an effective and respectful listener. (See O’Keefe, Virginia. Speaking to Think, Thinking to Speak. 91-93 and student handout)
Student Actions: Students compare their own individual, listener surveys with the mini-lesson characteristics and devise a plan for improving listening weakness and noting improvement. (15 minutes)
Group Discussion Activity: Have students discuss, in small groups, how their individual understanding of what the term “release” meant to them at different stages of its use during the story. Does “release” seem to mean the same thing for everyone? How do different characters, or the Community as a whole, regard the concept of “release”? Have students share their responses in small groups. To deal with the macabre nature of this concept of radical social control, students will create a Petition for Change. In groups, students will answer these questions to form a position for a class debate (Handout):
- In our society, for what situations or circumstances is the word “release”, or “released”, used to explain a change in one’s life or social standing? Is it positive, negative or both?
- In The Giver, what circumstances apply to the act of “Release”? Name them, and the characters involved.
- In our society, what parallels can you see for the term “Release”, as it is used in The Giver? What are the differences?
- In your group, form a position on the question of “Release” in Jonas’ society. Is it ever justified? Has it been justified in the story? How would you change it?
- Reread pages 152-155. As a group, answer this question: What will happen to the society during and after it goes through what the Giver describes in the plan; after the memories of pain, suffering and the truth about release, come flooding back? Discuss the changes in Jonas’ society that this will create. How will this change the society after Jonas is gone?
- Choose a character, from the story, which remains to experience this change. Write up a
memory for your character of some circumstance of pain, human suffering, a cause for “release”, or an act of compassion, help, aid or life-saving action that this character remembers as a new memory. With this memory, have the characters explain the change that they believe this spells for their lives. Have the character present both this memory and the change it suggests as his/her contribution to a Petition for Change. You will present your group character’s memory and petition to the class. You must also present evidence from the story, of your society’s actions and memories, for why you advocate your position and petition.
Teacher Action: The teacher will conference with each group about the form and content of their character memory and their petition. Provide support for the formation of an effective group argument.
Evaluation: Make informal evaluations of individual and group participation by observing and conferencing briefly with each group. Record observations on a Group Discussion Log.
Students will fill out and maintain the Listening Action Plan (see handout)
The Giver Discussion Activities
Day Four Objective: Students will present an effective argument in defense of a position of moral and ethical social conduct. Students will present an effective argument to generate a debate and engage in a discussion to reach consensus. The student will practice respectful listening habits as well as cognitive and critical listening and speaking skills.
WI DPI Standards applied: A.12.3, C.12.1, C.12.2, C.12.3
Group and Class enactment of Memory Petitions for Change:
Student groups present their character’s Petitions for Change to the class. Imagine the class is the Ceremony of Loss for Jonas. Begin with the teacher announcing, as Chief Elder, that the chosen Receiver of Memory has left the community and escaped to Elsewhere. Begin the chant of his name. As the chant dies away, the teacher, as the Elder Receiver, announces that he has chosen to stay and help the community deal with the loss and with the new memories of pain, suffering, confusion, and the realization of a future without a Receiver of Memories. He calls on individuals to share their visions, and memories for the future and their Petitions for Change. Groups then present their character, either by electing one to play the role, or by sharing the task. The class, as the Community, will discuss what to do about the question of “Release”.
Teacher Actions and Evaluation: Use a rubric to evaluate each group’s presentation of a Petition for Change for organization, and clarity of argument, effectiveness of their supported position and character, quality of ideas and character expression.
The Giver Discussion Activities
Day Five Objective: Students will work in small groups to respond to and discuss themes of a literary work, relate those themes to examples and the purposes of social structures and institutions. Students will conduct research and compile a report of their research to contribute to class discussion of the central theme of a literary work.
WI DPI ELA Standards applied: F.12.1, A.12.1-4.
Class Discussion - Teacher Prompt: Recall our definition of ‘empathy’. Do the citizens of Jonas’ society know the experience of “empathy”--how, why or why not? What are examples from the story that explain this?
Class discussion and Brainstorm activity: Class will compile a list of social institutions, organizations, local services, international governmental and non-governmental organizations that manage and alleviate human pain and suffering. This can be accomplished by class brainstorming of circumstances that cause pain and human suffering such as war, famine, disease epidemic, natural disaster, environmental degradation and displacement, poverty, manmade environmental disaster, revolution, refugee migrations, local healthcare challenges, local medical emergency care etc. These topics can be used as search terms and topic platforms for specific research of a chosen organization or institution. Teacher will add examples of organizations as needed. (Examples: Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Local hospital and social services, State Dept. of Children, Health and Human Services, PLAN International, UNICEF, CARE, Save the Children, International Adoption Network and so forth.)
Student Actions - Group Research Report activity: Students willwork in their small groups to research specific examples of social institutions and organizations that serve the alleviation of human suffering in the world. Each group will choose one institution, organization, or example of relief work or social assistance locally, or around the world, to profile, summarize, and present. Students may use visual aides and written reports. Students will conduct research using Internet and library materials, periodical indexes, and newspaper indexes. Groups will report on the organization’s bi-line and formation, cause (examples of human suffering to which it responds), its mission, and its practices.
Teacher Actions: Teacher will assist individual groups with their selection and research of a relief organization and facilitate the division of tasks within groups. Teacher will provide a format for the group to use to construct their written and presented report based on the information gathered. The teacher will monitor and facilitate computer or other research methods, guide students, compilation of information and help with ideas for presentations.
Teacher prompt to focus reports: Look back to The Giver on page 113. Why does Jonas want every one to share the responsibility of holding painful memories? Why has this been removed from their society? What’s the effect of this on a society? What’s the difference?
Evaluation: Assess individual student participation and groups’ cooperative work and efficiency. Note strengths and weakness of individual students and groups. Log observations.
The Giver Discussion Activities
Day Six Objective: Students will conduct research and compile a report of their research to contribute to class discussion of the central theme of a literary work. Students will work collaboratively in small groups to compile a well-organized body of research for the understanding of a social institution or organization, its purpose, responsibilities and contributions. Students will compile a presentation of their findings using various visual, written, oral and artistic means, and materials. WI DPI ELA Standards applied: C.12.1, D.12.1, D.12.2
Method: The previous day’s research and compiling activities are continued and completed. Students will prepare a format for presenting their research profile of a relief organization.
Student Actions: Students may use art, poster materials, skits and written materials, primary and secondary sources, brochures, and articles to enhance their own presentations. Each group must compile a written report detailing these research points:
- The name and location of the organization’s head quarters, offices, or main facilities.
- Where it does its work (countries, community, etc).
- What circumstances, conditions, events has and does it respond to?
- What is its “Mission” or “Statement of Purpose”?
- What are its practices?
- Briefly, describe your method of presenting your information.
Each group must turn in a copy of its written report by the end of the hour. This may be in the form of an expanded outline of their presentation.
Teacher Actions: Teacher will assist individual groups with their selection and research of a relief organization and facilitate the division of tasks within groups. Teacher will provide a format for the group to use to construct their written and presented report based on the information gathered. The teacher will monitor and facilitate computer or other research methods, guide students, compilation of information and help with student’s ideas for their presentations.
Evaluation: Assess individual student participation and groups’ cooperative work and efficiency. Note strengths and weakness of individual students and groups. Log observations.