The Giver

Thursday, 3/7: Vocab + Relay, Giver + Projects

Tomorrow’s Test:

  • Husker Du for your class (Study the appropriate test.)
  • Vocab. (Duh.)
  • Giver. Both book AND Movie

“Vocab, 3/7.” #11 is not a vocab word from this week. Fill the blank with any word that makes sense in the context of the sentence and paragraph. You will use each vocab word once only. #11 is extra credit.

I had a 1.____ in my judgement and got caught because I didn’t have anyone to help me with a(n)  2._____,  so my mom’s  3._____  escalated into her being really 4.______(ed). I 5.____(ed) out on my bed in my room, tried to find some  6.______(ity) and sighed. I felt the buzz of my phone in my pocket, but when I reached for it, it turned out to be a 7._____. Then I remembered Mom had taken my phone, and I felt another 8._____ of 9._____(ment) come over me. But as I lay there, I began to assess the situation more calmly, and I saw a 10._____ of hope. Maybe this incident was just the *11.____ I needed to change my ways.  But then I turned on the tv and watched some stupid comedy 12.____ for the rest of the afternoon.

Giver Projects. Due next Friday! No partners this time! New options!

Vocabulary Relay!

The Giver. What is up with that ending?

Here’s what Lois Lowry says about it:

Those of you who hoped that I would stand here tonight and reveal the
“true” ending, the “right” interpretation of the ending, will be disappointed.
There isn’t one. There’s a right one for each of us, and it depends on our own
beliefs, our own hopes.

Let me tell you a few endings which are the “right” endings for a few
children out of the many who have written to me.
From a sixth grader: “I think that when they were traveling they were
traveling in a circle. When they came to “Elsewhere” it was their old
community, but they had accepted the memories and all the feelings that go
along with it…”

From another: “…Jonas was kind of like Jesus because he took the pain
for everyone else in the community so they wouldn’t have to suffer. And, at the
very end of the book, when Jonas and Gabe reached the place that they knew
as Elsewhere, you described Elsewhere as if it were heaven.”

And one more: “A lot of people I know would hate that ending, but not
me. I loved it. Mainly because I got to make the book happy. I decided they
made it. They made it to the past. I decided the past was our world, and the
future was their world. It was parallel worlds.”

Finally, from one seventh grade boy: “I was really surprised that they
just died at the end. That was a bummer. You could of made them stay alive, I thought.”

Very few find it a bummer. Most of the young readers who have written to
me have perceived the magic of the circular journey. The truth that we go out
and come back, and that what we come back to is changed, and so are we.
Perhaps I have been traveling in a circle too. Things come together and
become complete

Hmmm.

How can we connect “The Sneetches” and The Giver? How about “Old Glory” and The Giver?

Mooooooooovie

Thursday, 2/28: Husker Du, Vocab + Relay, Giver, POETRY?!

Tomorrow’s Test: Husker Du for your class, Vocab, Giver.

POETRY!?
Something else the members of the Community don’t understand is poetry.

Much of the meaning in poetry comes from the way the poet arranges the lines. In poetry, each line is a unit of meaning. The words a writer uses at the end of each line are specifically chosen to build meaning. In the hands of a poet, one sentence can become a work of art. William Carlos Williams was inspired to write a poem as he was caring for a dying little girl (he was a doctor too). He looked out the window of her room as he sat by her bed, and saw the scene he describes. This is one of the most famous and best-loved, as well as most analyzed poems of all time. Here it is as a sentence:

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens.

Try arranging this sentence into a poem.
FEEL FREE to: chop it up into lines, chop up individual words, repunctuate, not punctuate, play with the capitals. 
Just DON’T: rearrange the order, add or subtract any words. 

Remember: you’re trying to build meaning into the poem with your line arrangement. This could be from the arrangement of syllables to the way the poem looks.

Once you have a version you like, recopy it neatly/artistically onto a clean sheet of paper. I will give extra credit for those who turn in a nice artistic version.

 

We’ll look at the poet’s version in a bit.

 

“Vocab, 2/28.  Used properly or not? Write Yes if the word is used properly in the sentence. Write No if it is not.

  1. The band was so crescendo I couldn’t hear my friend talking.
  2. She yearned for a better life.
  3. The buckle bridge was very old and ready to fall.
  4. I frazzled my homework last night because it was so hard and took so long.
  5. She drank a magnitude of soda and burped all night.
  6. The police were vigilant, watching the house 24/7.
  7. First period acted so regress yesterday; they were just like kindergartners.
  8. He made a feeble attempt at studying, decided he was too feeble-minded, and gave up.
  9. The ghost manifested itself at the end of the hall and scared the bejabbers out of me.
  10. The elephant’s trunk sinuoused out of the enclosure and took the peanut.
  11. He didn’t understand the peril of his situation and thought he was safe.
  12. The magnitude of Jeff Bezos’s fortune is mind-blowing. (About $52 million per day, over $2 million per hour, and $36,000 a minute.)
  13. Lack of sleep for an extended period can result in a regression of your IQ.
  14. The manifest teacher turned out to be an alien!
  15. He was so weak, he feebled when he tried to pick up the barbell.

 

VOCABULARY RELAY!

Giver, 17 & 18.

  1. Now that Jonas is experiencing deep feelings like anger and sadness, what does he realize about his family?
  2. (“quote”) Why is Jonas disturbed by the game his friends are playing?
  3. How do they make the decision about which twin to release?
  4. What is Lily’s theory about Elsewhere?
  5. What memory changed Rosemary?
  6. Why did they change the rule about the Receiver asking for release?
  7. What idea of Jonas’s intrigues the Giver?

Chapter 19… “Bye-bye, little guy.”

Tuesday, 2/26: Husker Du, Vocab, Giver

Kindness Week Continues…

Tonight’s Reading: To the end of Chapter 16, with 1-1-1 for ch. 16 only.

“Husker Du, Period One, Test #7.”
a) adversary  b) aplomb  c) banish  d) grueling  e) perceive  f) disdain  g) dispel   h) engross   i) diminish  j) exhilarate

  • 1. She speaks French and German with equal ______.
  • 2. She has a great _____ for companies that mistreat their workers and refuses to buy their products.
  • 9. confused : savvy :: bored : ______(ed)
  • 17. I think that llama is _____.   a) they’re  b) theres  c) their’s  d) theirs  e) NOTA
  • 22. Up, up, and away flew my beautiful llama balloon.    a) Fragment  b) Run On  c) Correct Sentence

“Husker Du, Period Two, Test #21.”
a) infringe  b) exasperate  c) unscrupulous  d) reprieve  e) profound  f) indolent  g) conspicuous  h) tentative  i) haphazard  j) relinquish

  • 7. It had been raining so much that we ____(ly) planned the picnic for Saturday, but we also made other plans just in case.
  • 10. The word ______ comes from a word that means ethics.
  • 11. If we use the word _____ as a noun, it can also mean an adventure.  a) frivolous  b) exploit  c) contemporary  d) abandon  e) dramatic  f) NOTA
  • 18. What is most likely the main theme of “Old Glory”?  a) That the right to a fair trial is important.  b) That freedom of speech is important.  c) That if people don’t stand up for their rights, those rights might be taken away.  d) That you shouldn’t burn flags.  e) NOTA
  • 26. We can wait here until Carlos calls us. a) Simple   b) Compound  c) Complex

“Husker Du, Period Five, Test #7.”
a) adversary  b) aplomb  c) banish  d) grueling  e) perceive  f) disdain  g) dispel   h) engross   i) diminish  j) exhilarate

  • 1. She speaks French and German with equal ______.
  • 2. She has a great _____ for companies that mistreat their workers and refuses to buy their products.
  • 9. confused : savvy :: bored : ______(ed)
  • 17. I think that llama is _____.   a) they’re  b) theres  c) their’s  d) theirs  e) NOTA
  • 22. Up, up, and away flew my beautiful llama balloon.    a) Fragment  b) Run On  c) Correct Sentence

“Husker Du, Period Six, Test #16.”
a) succumb   b) subsist   c) presumptuous   d) reproach   e) cathartic   f) frugal   g) cobble   h) futile   i) dissemble   j) ambivalent

  • 2. The root of this word means both. ______
  • 7. The root of this word means “to clean out.” _____
  • 8. “I never knew a person more _____ than myself. The fact that I say that shows that what I say is true.”
  • 23. A bunker is another name for a…  a) gun  b) secret stash of food  c) bed  d) hiding place  e) ghetto  f) NOTA
  • 24. Being called a kombinator is a compliment.  a) True  b) False

 

“Vocab, 2/26.” Each one once.
4525002048_2a409b678f_b  cat-1059803_960_720 pfeiffer bridge 24
Transfagarasan "OK, now you've gone back too far."  loud-knob-import-16102730290_afd86417b7_b
weak-man-clipart-1  vectordestiny-american-progress-2 (History Reference.)

 

“Giver 13,14.” Write the distinguishing words OF THE ANSWER.

  1. For Jonas, what is the most frustrating rule of his training? a) The one about medication for pain.  b) The one about talking about his training.  c) The one about rudeness.  d) The one about lying. e) NOTA
  2. What disturbed Jonas the most about the memory of the elephant?  a) The guns.  b) The blood.  c) The brutality of the men.  d) The fact that there were two colors of men.  e) The anguish (pain) of the other elephant.
  3. When the previous successor to The Giver failed, what happened? a) The people had no one to make decisions.  b)  The Receiver was punished.  c) Her memories were released into the Community, and the people felt pain. d) The books were banned when people found out. e) They had to release her.  f) NOTA
  4. What does the Giver say that shocks Jonas?  a) “I don’t even know why they need a Receiver…”  b) “Frightening isn’t it?”  c) “They know nothing.”  d) “And you will (suffer). It’s my life. And it will be yours.”  e)  “Sameness sucks.”   f) NOTA
  5. On p100, when the Giver says, “And next it will be you. A great honor,” he is being ironic.   a) True  b) False
  6. The Giver says that knowing facts without having memories is…  a) stupid  b) conflict-free  c) easier  d) meaningless  e) intelligent  f) NOTA
  7. What makes Jonas feel “desperately lonely”?
  8. The Giver tells Jonas that the memories of pain and suffering give them _____.
  9. What memory was the strongest when the Elders sought the Giver’s advice about increasing the birthrate?
  10. What power did Jonas discover that “frightened” him?

 

 

Monday, 2/25: Homework, Debrief Test #23, Giver.

Homies: Here’s the word from Mr. Calandro:

No Vocabulary this week.  Instead, everyone must do the following:

In your home base classes select ONE act of kindness (more visible is better) that every student in your class will perform throughout the week. (Examples may be: offer to clean up after others at lunch, greet all of their teachers and ask how their day was, offer to help others, give their full attention to others (when appropriate), hold the door for other students, shake hands/give high fives to others and get to know people’s names, offer their seat at a lunch table to someone else, greet other students…) The act should be concrete and students should count how many times they do it each day and we will track it throughout the week.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW (VIA EMAIL) WHAT YOUR CLASS IS DOING AS THEIR ACT OF KINDNESS

So… What’s it gonna be, homies?

Copy homework into planner.

 

Vocabulary Intro.
On your vocab sheet, rate each vocab word 1-4 (write it under the word).
1 = Never seen/heard the word before.
2 = Seen/heard it, but don’t know what it means.
3 = Kinda know what it means.
4 = Own it and can explain to everyone else.

Let’s hear from those with some 4’s.

 

No SAWs. Spin the Wheel of Doom one week early! We will respin if #23 or #24 comes up.

Period One. Test #7: #3. #4, #8, #23, #27

Period Two. Test #21: #4, #8, #12, #17, #23

Period Five. Test #7: #3. #4, #8, #23, #27

Period Six. Test #16. #5, #10, #12, #19, #21

 

Debrief Test #23. Do NOT memorize! Study and UNDERSTAND. READ THE QUESTION.

 

Dah Givah aloud.
Big Questions
Why having choices important? Is it really?
What is a “life”?
“They know nothing…” (p132)
“And next it will be you. A great honor” (p133) ???

 

 

Wednesday, 2/20: S/CD/CX, Giver

“Husker Du, 2/20.” Write the ANSWER, not the letter.

  1. While the llama is a quadruped, he also has fins for swimming.  a) Fragment  b) Run on  c) Correct Sentence
  2. In the beginning, there was nothing but llamas. a) Fragment  b) Run on  c) Correct Sentence
  3. That moment is embarrassing when you realize that your llama just wrote a run on sentence.  a) Fragment  b) Run on  c) Correct Sentence
  4. You can beat the llama’s score you will be part of the elite llama squad.  a) Fragment  b) Run on  c) Correct Sentence
  5. _____ llama was selected for the fair.  a) Charles’  b) Charles’s  c) Charle’s   d) NOTA
  6. The _____ lounge is usually off-limits to students. (More than one.)  a) teacher’s  b) teachers  c) teachers’s  d) teachers’  e) NOTA
  7. _____ llama is that?  a) whose  b) who’se  c) who’s  d) NOTA
  8. John ate and ate, _____, he never gained weight.   a) even so  b) furthermore  c) so  d) therefore  e) consequently  f) NOTA
  9. Joe ate too fast. _______, he had a stomach ache.  a) Nevertheless  b) Furthermore  c) Meanwhile  d) Still  e) As a result   f) NOTA
  10. We have three ____ in our class.  a) Morris’s  b) Morris’  c) Morrises  d) NOTA

“S/CD/CX, 2/20.” (6)

  • Write three sentences about your interview process and/or person. Make one a simple sentence, make one a compound sentence, and make one a complex sentence. Be sure to label which is which. (S, CD, CX)

 

“Giver 7-8, 2/20.” Write the answer, not the letter. Only #10 is collaborative.

  1. When parents want to show special affection for a child, they call him/her by number instead of name.  a) True  b) False
  2. What does the Chief Elder say about the future Twelves’ differences in her speech? a) Nothing; it’s considered rude to mention differences.  b) The differences have determined their futures.  c) The differences have stood out more than in previous groups.  d) The differences still need to become sameness.  e) NOTA
  3. Why did the Chief Elder make a joke about chastising Asher’s old teacher?
  4. Why was Asher punished as a Three?  a) He was rude.  b) He didn’t pay attention.  c) He literally asked for it.  d) He failed several tests.  e) NOTA
  5. The most honored job in the community is the Receiver of Memory.  a) True   b) False
  6. Which of the following attributes does the Chief Elder say Jonas does not yet possess, but will?  a) Intelligence.   b) Integrity.   c) Courage.   d) Wisdom.   e) She says he has them all.
  7. (Quote) What attribute is the Chief Elder unable to describe because she does not understand it?
  8. Why is the Chief Elder unable to prepare Jonas for the pain he will experience?
  9. What makes Jonas feel a “tiny sliver of sureness for the first time”?  a) He is not afraid.   b). He has already experienced pain.   c) The crowd changed like the apple.   d) The Chief Elder has confidence in him.    e) NOTA
  10. Explain what the Chief Elder means when she says, “playfulness and patience could, with maturity, be revealed as foolishness and indolence.”

What if nobody could lie, ever? Discuss and report back.  Benefits? Downsides? Dealbreakers?  Why?

 

Dah Givah aloud.