The Giver

I was in the 6th grade the first time I read Lois Lowry's "The Giver." My mother and I read it together. We were both thoroughly confused.

The next time I read it, I was a graduate student at Temple University in their M.S.Ed in Reading Education program and was only a little more sure of the book's themes and concepts.

The third time I read it, I was preparing to discuss the book with a small group of students a couple of years ago. I had a much better understanding, but was unsure of just how I would go about "teaching" the book. So I didn't.

This time, I have a better understanding of themes, concepts, inferences, ideologies, etc. This time I have a better sense of how I'll go about teaching it, experimenting on a small, select group of students.

Here's my pedagogical approach, talking!

I'll simply gather this small group of students during some lunch periods or during "guided reading" and we'll just talk.

So far, so good!

(I don't do guided reading in 6th grade)