Dear Class of 2019,
Before the fun actually begins in August, I would like for you to read books that have
been especially chosen for you. Incoming eighth graders are required to read two books, The
Giver by Lois Lowry AND one of the choice books. The Giver is set in a society which is at first
presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows
a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and
strife by converting to "Sameness”.
Your second book is a choice between the sequel Son or one of the companions, Gathering
Blue or Messenger all by Lois Lowry.
The assignment will be due the first day of school. Students who do not turn this in on
the first day of school will receive a zero. This assignment will be worth 50 points, and a
multiple choice quiz on the books the first week of school will be worth 50 points for a total of
100 points. Both literary element questions and comprehension questions will be on your quiz.
For each of the following sections of The Giver your assignment is to copy a passage that
is important to the storyline. Each passage must be a minimum of one sentence in length and a
maximum of twenty-five lines. Label and underline each section, Chapters 1-7, 8-13, 14-19, and
20-23.
After you copy the passage, add quotation marks and put the page number in parentheses.
The period is after the parentheses. Next, write a short answer (3 or more sentences) to
describe how the passage from the book is either about setting, character, rising action,
conflict, theme, climax, falling action, resolution, mood, tone, symbol, or irony. Your short
answer should be written in third person, typed, double space, size 12, and Times New Roman.
EXAMPLE:
Chapters 1-7
“Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up,
scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny” (Lowry 3).
This passage describes important characters from the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. Not only does this
passage illustrate the difference between the main character Jonas and his best friend Asher, but it also further
reveals characteristics of Asher. Unlike Jonas who was sure to use the right words, Asher was not good with
proper language, and many times it was comical.
After reading the second book, complete the attached plot line on the second book
only. Label each of the five parts of the plot line (exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, and resolution) and apply each element to your second book by telling what happened at
that point in the book. Be sure to include the main character and the main conflict and be
specific.
Please actually read the books as it will be obvious through your quiz and class discussions
if you did not. I am excited to be your teacher next year! If you have questions over the
summer, you can email me at [email protected] .
Sincerely,
Beth Morse
!