Grade 6-8
,
Lesson

“The Giver”: Jonas Makes a Choice

Updated: August 31 2023,
Author: Lynne Stover

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what it would be to live in a world with little physical or emotional discomfort? Jonas, the main character in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, need not wonder as this is the life he leads. At the beginning of the book Jonas is almost twelve years old. He and his classmates will soon be going to a ceremony where they will be assigned the jobs that they will have as adults. There will be no choices for these young people. The Committee of Elders has taken away all the uncertainty of decision-making from the citizens who live in Jonas’s community. These content people need not worry about deciding what to wear, where to live, what to eat, or even who to marry. All these decisions are made for them, making for a life that is fair, safe, and without want. In this lesson you will take on the role of Jonas and learn how to make a very important decision. There is no right or wrong answer. It all depends how you view the costs (the effort, loss or sacrifice necessary to achieve something) and benefits (what is gained because of an action taken or a decision made) that Jonas will incur by choosing one of the alternatives.

Task List

The Giver, by Lois Lowry, takes place in the future in the Community of Sameness, where everything is fair and safe. It’s here that twelve-year-old Jonas finds himself in a life-changing situation. While receiving memories from his mentor, the Giver, Jonas discovers what his community has given up in order to be without pain, poverty, or fear. When he realizes that individuality, creativity, and the freedom of personal choice are not to be tolerated he knows that his future is no longer certain. What should he do? Should he remain in the only home he has ever known now that he has discovered that along with equality and safety comes heartlessness? Or should he leave to find the unknown Community of Elsewhere? And if he leaves, should he take the baby, Gabriel, with him? If you were Jonas, what would you do? Help him decide by filling in this chart with some of the advantages and disadvantages of the possible alternatives (choices). Upon completion of the chart you will be asked to think about the various costs and benefits and make a choice. Be prepared to share the reasons for your choice with your classmates.

Process

This lesson is based on the award-winning book The Giver by Lois Lowry. You may have read the book or seen the movie. If not, a book synopsis can be found on the inside of the front book jacket flap. There is also an excellent summary at Grade Saver website that will help you understand the book’s plot, characters, and setting.  You may link to it here: https://www.gradesaver.com/the-giver/study-guide/summary

In the book the main character, Jonas, has discovered that all is not well in his “safe and pain-free” community. He will have to make a choice for the first time in his life. Should he stay in his community or leave? Your class, under the direction of your teacher, will complete a Cost/Benefit Grid that will help both you and Jonas make a life-changing decision. Understanding the meaning of these economic terms will help with your decision-making:

  • Alternatives – the different possibilities from which a choice may be made
  • Benefit – reward gained from an action or activity
  • Choice – takes place whenever someone makes a personal decision to use limited resources
  • Cost – the benefit given up when a choice is made
  • Cost-benefit analysis –an analysis of the cost effectiveness of different alternatives in order to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs
  • Incentive – an expected reward or penalty that motivates a person to take an action
  • Opportunity cost – that which is given up when a choice is made; the alternative given up
  • Scarcity – the condition of limited resources, because resources are limited, people must make choices

After you have filled out the Cost/Benefit Grid you will be asked to “vote with your feet” by putting yourself in Jonas’s place and selecting one of these choices: 

  • Leave the community to find Elsewhere.
  • Stay in the community and help the Giver.
  • Leave the community and take baby Gabriel with you.
  • Stay in the community and do your job.

Once you have made your choice and “voted” be prepared to defend your decision.

Conclusion

Once you have helped the class complete the cost/benefit grid, “voted with your feet” and participated in the class discussion, you will record your decision and write a summary concerning the costs and benefits of the choice made.

Assessment Activity

The assessment sheet may be found here: Assessment Sheet Visual.

Note: While answers will vary, your responses should be well thought out, specific in detail, and written in complete sentence form.

Extension Activity

Extension Activity #1  Create a cost/benefit decision grid based on some real life situations that require choices be made. Possible topics could include: what library book to check out, whether to pack lunch or buy the school lunch, which movie to attend, or what activities to do over the weekend.

Extension Activity #2 The community Jonas lives in is an example of a command economy. A command economy is an economy in which most economic issues of production and distribution are resolved through a central planning committee, in this case the Committee of Elders. At the beginning of the story Jonas is anxious to learn what new job he will have for the rest of his working life. It will be a job that fits him, addressing his interests and abilities. The Elders have been watching him and the other students for a year or longer to help them make the best matches between children and jobs. When the Ceremony of Twelve finally takes place, Jonas receives an unusual assignment. He becomes the new Receiver of Memory, the person who is responsible for all of the memories of the community. Do you think it is fair to expect twelve-year-olds to know what jobs they should have for the rest of their working lives? With a partner create a list of at least three reasons getting a job assignment is a good idea and three reasons why it is a bad idea. Be prepared to discuss your list.

Extension Activity #3 Write an acrostic poem based on one of the economic concepts as they are applied in the society featured in The Giver. In this type of poem the letters of each line are lined up vertically to display knowledge of the concept’s meaning. Possible choices include: alternative, benefit, choice, cost, incentive, opportunity cost, and scarcity. You may also choose an appropriate concept of your own.

Example: WORK

Willingness to put forth effort to help

Others remain free from want and worry

Resulted in a society lacking in

Knowledge of freedom of personal achievement

Subjects:
Economics,ELA