LITERATURE CIRCLES / PLANNER · GRADE 7 WORKED EXAMPLE

Plan a circle: “The Giver”

Lois Lowry (1993) · novel · grades 6–8 · ~2–3 weeks. Rights: Copyrighted.

Kit section 5 (group agreement & calendar) filled in for one text — a finished plan students see before writing their own. Tinted italic = sample answers.

Preview note: Copyrighted — use a previewed edition. Contains “release” (euthanasia) and mature ideas. Verify all plot details against the book.

Copyright: Independent educational companion to The Giver by Lois Lowry. Students need lawful access to the novel; this planner does not reproduce or replace it and is not affiliated with the author or publisher. Verify all plot details against the book.

Text, group, and target

Text / author / edition	“The Giver” — Lois Lowry (1993). Novel.
Group / period / dates	Jonah’s group · Period __ · Meetings ___ & ___
Grade / TEKS target (p. 3)	Grade 7 · §110.23 — 7(A): theme through characters/events; 6(C,D): support inferences, summary; 1(D): student-led discussion.
Learning intention	We are learning to explain how Jonas’s growing awareness reveals a theme about memory, choice, and individuality.
Success criteria	I bring one open question, cite two details with chapter (paraphrased), respond to a peer, and name how my thinking changed.

Reading map & calendar

Chunk	Read through	Meeting date · leader
1	Ch. 1–7: the community, the Ceremony, and Jonas chosen as Receiver.	Wk 1 · Leader: Jonah
2	Ch. 8–15: training with the Giver — memories of color, pain, and love.	Wk 2 · Leader: Ari
3	Ch. 16–23: learning what “release” means, and the escape with Gabriel.	Wk 3 · Leader: Sana

Members & first-meeting jobs (p. 7 roles)

Member	First job	Rotates to (next meeting)
Jonah	Questioner	Summarizer
Ari	Summarizer	Clarifier
Sana	Clarifier	Evidence tracker
Cruz	Predictor	Questioner

Text-specific discussion questions (open — more than one answer)

Predict: Jonas is chosen for a unique, “honored” role — what might the community be hiding behind Sameness?
Question: Why might the community trade memory and color for “Sameness”?
Clarify: What does “release” turn out to mean, and how does it change Jonas?
Summarize: Trace what Jonas gains and loses as he receives memories, without opinion.
Interpret the theme: How does Jonas’s awakening reveal a theme about memory and choice? Use two details (paraphrase).

Optional Jigsaw lenses (p. 4): Character (Jonas and the Giver) · Setting (the engineered community) · Theme (memory/individuality vs. Sameness) · Plot (the decision to leave) · Symbol (color and the sled).

LITERATURE CIRCLES / STUDENT PREP WORKED EXAMPLE

Sample 3–2–1 notes: Sana, theme lens

Name: Sana · Home group: Jonah’s group · Period __ · Meetings ___ & ___ · Section: “The Giver,” Chunk 2 · Expert lens: Theme

What a finished prep looks like. Kit section 6 / Organizer A completed for one reader, so students can compare their notes to a strong model. Paraphrase and short references only — no long copying. Paraphrase only — no quotations; verify details against the book.

Questions

Is a painless life worth the loss of choice?

Why must Jonas leave to change anything?

3 · Important ideas

1. The community removes pain by removing memory and choice.

2. The Giver transfers memories that bring both joy and suffering.

3. Jonas decides that freedom is worth the risk of pain.

Vocabulary

Sameness = the community’s erasure of difference.

Receiver = the one who holds the community’s memories.

2 · Supporting details

1. Jonas first perceives color where others see none (early training). → Suppressed individuality. (Verify against the text.)

2. Jonas learns that “release” means death (later). → The hidden cost of a painless society. (Verify against the text.)

1 · Summary in my own words

Jonas discovers that his community’s comfort depends on erasing memory and choice, and he leaves to restore them.

Bring to the circle

My interpretation: A life without pain or memory is also a life without love or real choice.
Synthesis (two lenses): Jonas (character) enacts the theme: his awakening shows that memory and choice, though painful, are what make us human. Text points (paraphrased): first color (Chunk 2) and learning of “release” (Chunk 3).
After discussion: My thinking became clearer once the group compared evidence.

TEKS evidence: 6(C,D) supported inference; 7(A) theme through characters/events; 1(D) response to a peer.