Lesson Plan Outline
Introduction:
 Science Fiction: The Giver, by Lois Lowry
 90 minutes
 English VA SOL 6.4: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction,
narrative fiction and poetry:
f) Use information stated explicitly in the text to draw conclusions and make inferences.
Learning Objectives:
 The student will be able to define the word inference and will recognize clues within literature
that aid in making inferences.
 The student will be able to expand upon the conclusion of The Giver by using their inferences to
write their own extended ending to the story in their class writing journals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence:
Anticipatory Set
Teacher will…
Students will…
Turn on Smart Board, open The Giver notebook
document.
Explain to students that today we will finish reading
the book The Giver. Use notebook doc. page 1 to
review the day’s plan.
Engage the students interactively by including them
in the activity on page 2 of notebook doc to review
parts of a story. As students come to the white
board to move the parts of the story, teacher will
ask questions about the plot diagram:
-“What is the exposition?”
-“Why is the rising action a vital part to the
story?” “What might happen if this part of the
story is rushed?”
-“How soon in the story should the author
include the climax?”
-“Compared with the other parts to a story, how
complex and lengthy do you think the falling
action should be? Why?”
-“What should the author do while concluding a
piece of writing?” “Do conclusions always ‘tie
up’ the loose ends to the story and leave the
reader satisfied?”
Come in to class, and be seated
by the time the bell rings.
Listen attentively.
Activity: Use finger to drag
each part of the story to its
appropriate place on the plot
diagram. Students will
participate if called upon by
teacher, and respectfully listen
when not actively
participating.)
Anticipated
Time Required
Prior to start of
class.
2 minutes
6 minutes
Use page 3 of the notebook document to review
the basic plot thus far of The Giver.
If called upon, state what they
believe to be the appropriate
summarization of the given
part of the story. After stating
response, go to Smart Board,
and move grey box to check
answer.
5 minutes
Lesson Development
Teacher will…
Students will…
Using notebook doc. page 4, define the word
“inference” for children. Explain that we must
make inferences sometimes when the author
doesn’t clearly state exactly what we want to know.
Give children the example:
“If I read a story and have gathered that the main
character is afraid of some type of animal that
is large and brown and lives in the forest, I
might infer that the author is describing a
bear.”
Lead class in an activity to practice making
inferences. Read children a given short passage (on
pages 5 & 6 of notebook doc. for The Giver), and
then have students come to the Smart Board and
record answers in the chart using the pen tool.
(After students write their answers, allow them to
use the “recognize” tool to convert their
handwriting into type on the screen.)
Display page 7 of notebook doc. and instruct
students to find appropriate page in book The Giver
and read final chapter (23) aloud to students.
Lead a class discussion:
-“Who can summarize the ending of this novel?”
-“What questions do you have about Jonas that
were left unanswered?”
-“What are the benefits to leaving questions
unanswered at the conclusion of a text?”
-“What are the possible negative effects of
leaving a passage open-ended?”
Teacher will record answers on the Smart Board
under the given questions (page 8 & 9 of notebook
doc. for The Giver.) Teacher will use pen tool to
convert handwriting into type. Questions listed
above will serve as a guideline for discussion;
teacher will question students further to explain
and defend their responses.
Listen.
Anticipated
Time Required
4 minutes
Actively participate in lesson by
recording their answers in the
appropriate column on the
chart displayed on the Smart
Board if called upon. Listen
attentively and respectfully
while peers participate.
12 minutes
Listen as teacher reads, and
follow along in book.
10 minutes
Participate, and listen
considerately to peer
responses.
8 minutes
Display page 9 of notebook document and instruct
students that they will now participate in a
reflection activity for The Giver.
First, give students approx. 4 minutes to think about
the ending of the novel, and what they believe may
have happened to Jonas and Gabe after chapter 23.
Instruct students to sum up the inferences they
made in a one page “Chapter 24” for The Giver in
their writing journal. Students may choose to leave
the end of their writing open-ended or create a
more conclusive ending to the story.
Tell students that they will now meet in a small
group writers circle to share their extended ending
for The Giver. Notify students that after all
members have finished, they must discuss their
session together as outlined with the questions
listed on the Smart Board (page 9). After the
assignment is clear, the teacher will announce the
pre-assigned group placements of 3-4 students. As
groups meet, teacher will walk around room and
will participate in discussion to encourage students
to analyze more critically by asking questions of
group members.
Sit in silent reflection at desk.
5 minutes
Quietly complete their journal
entries for the day, keeping in
considerations the
requirements for the
assignment.
Share journal entries. Discuss
similarities and differences in
story endings. One member of
each group should record
answers to the questions listed
on the board on a separate
sheet of paper to turn in.
10 minutes
10 minutes
Conclusion…
Teacher will…
Students will…
Notify students that we will now review the plot for
The Giver. Hand out a plot diagram and instruct
students to fill in chart themselves, identifying the
five major components to the story.
Review the plot diagram for The Giver with class
(page 10 of notebook document on Smart Board).
Ask a student to describe the story’s resolution, as
given to use by the author (Lowry). Write in
student response under “resolution” on chart.
Collect student hand-outs after the review activity.
Have students each come to board to participate in
a class vote using page 11 of notebook document:
“How did you feel about the ending to Lowry’s The
Giver?
a) Loved it- I appreciate Lowry’s open ending,
and will be thinking about Jonas and his plight
for days.
b) It was okay- The book was good, but I would
have preferred a little more to the ending.
c) Hated it- I don’t care for the open-ending, I
would prefer to have all the answers when I
Complete the hand-out.
Anticipated
Time Required
5 minutes
Participate in class discussion
and listen to peer responses.
3 minutes
Participate by choosing the
appropriate response to the
polls. Sit quietly and
respectfully as other students
record their answers.
4 minutes.
finish a book.”
Students will be instructed to not call out or
comment on peer responses.
Display page 12 of notebook document and quiz
students to review the definition of inference.
Review “At Home” writing assignment, to be due in
two class periods. (Display page 13 of notebook
doc., which explains assignment to children.)
Listen to review question, and
respond when asked to answer
question.
Record assignment in agenda,
ask questions if clarification is
needed.
2 minutes
4 minutes.
“At Home” Writing Assignment:
“Create your own two page story, on any topic. Include plenty of context clues, but leave some
questions unanswered. Your work may be handwritten or typed. Write you concluding paragraph on a
separate piece of paper.
On Monday, you will share your story with a writing circle, whose members will make inferences about
your short story to write their own conclusions to your work.”
Assessment
Formative:
 I will assess student learning by paying attention to student responses and participation in
discussion, as outlined in the lesson plan and the Smart Board notebook document I will use
with this lesson. I will call upon students who are not actively participating to encourage their
contribution to the class discussion, so that I am better able to gauge their understanding. I will
pay particular attention to students participation during discussion related to the definition of,
and making of inferences in given pieces of literature.
Summative:
 Students will received daily participation credit by participating actively in their group.
Participation will be graded giving credit for two components: completion of journal-writing
assignment and sharing of writing assignment with peers.
 I will grade the plot diagram students complete to count towards class participation points.
References:
lablou. Inference and Prediction [SMART notebook lesson]. Retrieved 14 October 2011 from
http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=inferences&subject=English+Language+Arts&grade=Gra
de+6&grade=Grade+7&grade=Grade+8&region=en_US.
Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. New York, New York: Dell-Laurel Leaf.
Scholastic (2011). Graphic organizer: Plot diagram. Retrieved 14 October 2011 from
http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=35528&Nty=0&_N=fff&Ntk=Printables_SI&query
=plot+diagram&N=0&No=0&Ntt=plot+diagram.
Appended Materials:



Content Organizer
Differentiated Learner Organizer
Plot Diagram Worksheet
I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance during the completion of this
work.
Content Organizer
Curriculum Framework Essential Understandings:
Science fiction is a type of literature that presents a story in imaginary and often futuristic settings.
A story has five basic parts:
-Exposition: the beginning of the story which sets the scene for future action
-Rising action: smaller events that cause tension to rise for the character(s)/reader
-Climax: the main event in the story which acts as a turning point for the main character
-Falling action: any action after the climax that allows for loose ends to begin to tie up
-Resolution: the ending to the story, in which the problem is worked out.
Materials and Lesson Preparation:
I will need: Smart Board notebook presentation for The Giver, the novel The Giver, copies of plot
diagram handout for students, grade book
Students will need: the novel The Giver, reflective journal, course notebook, pencil
Content Information and Vocabulary:
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a science fiction novel for young adults. It is set in a futuristic seemingly
utopian society where all citizens are assigned jobs, and are raised to grow up accepting all rules and
practices for what they are. Jonas, a young boy of twelve is chosen to study under The Giver, who
passes along the secrets of the world in which they live in. Jonas begins to see that there is a dark side
to their civilization and decides to set off on his own to make a difference in the world.
Inference- a conclusion reached by a reader who has made a personal connection with the text, after
combining prior knowledge with information from the reading; an inference cannot be proven.
Connections (Cross-Curricular and Real-World):
Cross curricular- Social studies: During the unit in which we read The Giver, we will discuss society and
the various roles humans play in their societies. We will also discuss what happens when one or more
people break societal norms.
Math: On slide 11, we will vote as a class to judge student opinions of the novel. We will be making a
class chart to determine the approval rating for the ending to The Giver. (As a “class community,” the
voting students will do is also a social studies skill.)
Real-world: Learning how to make inferences effectively is a valuable skill that can be used while reading
material in just about any subject area. Students will be able to apply what they learned in this lesson to
coursework at school, and personal reading selections at home.
Instructional Modifications to
ASSIST students…
 I will start the lesson by
reviewing what we have
read so far in The Giver. I
will use a plot diagram
organizer to help visual
learners more easily
understand the layout of
the story. This review will
help all learners to
remember where we are in
the story.
 I will read aloud chapter 23
from The Giver by Lois
Lowry to model appropriate
tone and pacing in reading.
 Review worksheet and
subsequent discussion of
plot diagram will help
students to make sense of/
organize the plot as they
understood it.
 Students have the option to
handwrite their homework,
or type, to allow the
students to express their
creativity in the form in
which they are most
comfortable.
Differentiated Learner Organizer
Major Instructional Strategies…
Instructional Modifications to
CHALLENGE students
 I will use an interactive
Smart Board lesson to
encourage student
participation and to make
the discussion of literature
more engaging.
 After teaching the word
“inference,” I will lead the
class in several examples in
which we make inferences.
First, I will demonstrate for
the students how I would
make an inference, and then
we will make inferences
together. After reading The
Giver, students will
demonstrate their ability to
make inferences
independently through their
journal entry.
 Class discussion
incorporated throughout
lesson to engage learners
and allow students to learn
from each other.
 Oral language practice for
students, when sharing their
written journal entries with
peers in a writing group.
Students will be required to
participate in group
discussion to practice
reflecting on and
constructively critiquing
peer work.
 Students will be challenged
to write an extension
chapter after reading
Lowry’s ending to The Giver.
This will require creativity,
synthesis, and analysis of
material read in the closing
chapter(s) of the book.
 Through the “At Home
Writing Assignment,”
students will be required to
reflect upon what they’ve
learned in today’s class
about inferences in text to
create their own stories.