...takes on a new meaning when you're reading the The Giver. During our morning announcement, Ms. Wilson reminded students of their "early release" (aka half-day) on Wednesday which sent many students into a tizzy because in the novel, release appears to mean banishment or even death! It was a serendipitously appropos choice of words, unbeknownst to our principal, as we are looking at euphemisms in the novel and pondering why Lois Lowry might use them. It seems ironic given the community's value of "precision of language."
In addition to this language study and reading and discussions of the novel, we will take a look at short articles on utopias, including one attempted right here in Florence in the 1800s. The Northampton Association of Education and Industry was established in 1842 as a utopian community in which "the rights of all are equal without distinction of sex, color or condition, sect or religion." A core value of this community, of which Sojourner Truth was a member, was the abolition of slavery. There is a link below to the article and Historic Northampton website; the virtual tours are interesting and informative. As we analyze the community of The Giver, we will be deciding whether it is a utopia, and whether the trade-offs to achieving this are worth the result.
Homework: reading & completing charts as needed:
Monday: Ch. 10 & 11
Tuesday: Ch. 12 & 13
Wednesday: Ch. 14 & 15
Thursday: Ch. 16 & 17
Friday: Ch. 18 & 19; Vocabulary activity introduced today due 12/14
Northampton Association of Education and Industry article/Historic Northampton
Giver Vocabulary Activity/Rubric
