1. Final Group Project / Individual Argumentative Essay “Without the utopians of other times, men would still live in caves, miserable and naked; utopia is the principle of all progress, and the ease into a better world.” - Anatole France

2. When students read The Giver, they are often amazed and frustrated by the lack of choices the members of the community have. Just as startling is the state of ignorance in which Jonas and the other community members live. The community in The Giver was created as a Utopian society; however, at what price do they have the benefits of peace and provision? The Giver shows a society that is very different from ours. Jonas’s world seems perfect on the surface. There is no war, hunger, fear, or pain. Everything is orderly and controlled. The everyday decisions that we take for granted are not available. Residents do not get to decide what they wear, eat, or even their own career. What aspects of the community are Utopian? Would living in such a society make life better, more equal, or easier? We wouldn’t have crime or poverty. Is it worth giving up our choices for a perfect world? Now it is your turn to learn about Utopias and create your own!

3. The year is 3012. You and your team members have been given the opportunity to start a new society on a deserted island that is fully equipped with all needed amenities and modern technology. The island is not owned or under the influence of the nation. It is the responsibility of your group to inhabit the island in any manner that you choose. By completing the following assignments and working cooperatively, your group will build the “Perfect Society” and will sell your society to the class by means of a product and presentation. Later, you will write an individual argumentative essay in which you not only present the pros and cons of your society, but your goal is to persuade your reader to believe in the power of your utopian world.

4. TEAMWORK! The entire team should work on completing Step 1 together. Steps 2-3 should be completed individually and shared/discussed afterwards to come to an agreement. Please update your assignment sheet after these team discussions. Steps 4-8 should be discussed as a group and agreed upon prior to filling out the information on your assignment sheets. The brochure will be created in computers as a team. Individuals may work on individual portions, but only one piece will be submitted for both individual and team grades. Brochures will be submitted to Mrs. Hugo by a specified date in order to allow copies to be made for the class. Presentations will be a team effort, with both an individual grade and a team grade.

5. Use the following resources with your group to define “utopia” in your own words. Record this on the portion of your assignment sheet labeled “Step 1: Part A - Definition of Utopia.” Definition of Utopia Use the next resource with your group to identify the pros (good things) and cons (bad things) of a utopia. Record this on the portion labeled “Step 1: Part B – T- Chart.”” Utopian Beliefs

6. Using the three-column Venn-Diagram on your assignment sheet labeled “Step 2: Comparison of Utopias,” compare and contrast two of the utopias in the links below. Write 5- 8 facts about each community and their “utopian visions.” Remember you are looking for main ideas relating to their vision of society. Victory City Twin Oaks Community in Virginia Eastwind Community Emma Goldman Finishing School Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage For additional, intriguing information on four utopias of the past that didn’t work out, see the following link: 4 Utopian Communities That Bombed Miserably

7. Since the island is not owned or under the rule of a nation, you must decide on the type of government under which you wish to live. View the following websites in order to gather research for your team on the major forms of government and answer the questions on your assignment sheet in the section labeled “Step 3: Government – Parts A-B.” Different types of government CBBC Newsround Types of Government Forms of Government Questions: What type of government will you have (dictatorship, oligarchy, direct democracy, or representative democracy)? Who will make the rules, and how will they be enforced if they are broken? What are some of the rules that your country will have? Is there a limit on how many members are accepted into your community? What is the process to becoming a member of your community (i.e.interview, application, etc.)?

8. On your answer sheet section labeled “Step 4: Education / Education,” provide the answers to the following questions after lengthy discussion with your group. Questions: What subjects will be required? (What skills do you want to emphasize in your community? Think about the jobs you want to prepare them for. What ages will attend? How will your education system be different from our current one? Does your educational system include holidays? What does a school day look like? How many hours a day do children attend? What special features will your schools have to help students? Will organized recreation areas and activities be a responsibility of the school system?

9. On your answer sheet section labeled “Step 5: Employment,” provide the answers to the following questions after lengthy discussion with your group. Questions: What kind of jobs/ businesses will you have in your society? How will students be trained for their employment? Think about the society in The Giver and how they train for and assign jobs. Will your society be similar or different? How will you provide for those who are unemployed or will you not provide for them?

10. On your answer sheet section labeled “Step 6: Outside Influences,” provide the answers to the following questions after lengthy discussion with your group. Questions: Will you be a self-supporting community (provide your own food, waste disposal, etc.), or will you need to get some things from outside the community? If you will be self-supporting, what are all the things that your community will need that you will need to provide for? If you will trade with other countries, what will be your policies about trade? What kind of things or services will you need to get outside of your community? How does your community feel about allowing visitors or letting members of your community visit other places? Will individuals earn money in return for their services, or will they receive goods and services in return for their work?

11. Think about the society in The Giver and the different benefits and responsibilities they had there. On your answer sheet section labeled “Step 7: Responsibilities,” provide the answers to the following questions after lengthy discussion with your group. Questions: What will the responsibilities be of the children in your community? At what age do children start having adult responsibilities? What will adults' responsibilities be? What about the responsibilities of the elderly? At what point do you consider someone elderly? How should the community members receive medical care? Is medical care "free" for all community members? If so, who pays for it? (Make sure this aligns with your system of government.) What will happen to the elderly when they begin to age and need assistance? How will you provide for them?

12. On your answer sheet section labeled “Step 8: Transportation / Housing,” provide the answers to the following questions after lengthy discussion with your group. Questions: What type of transportation will your community use? Think about pollution. What type of transportation will your community have and/ or provide? Will you have any special means of transportation other than roads? (subways, air shuttle, trolley, etc.) Will there be provided housing for community members? Will members “own” their own housing? What will the housing look like? Will there be different options for different sized families?

13. Fast forward one hundred years. Your utopian society is thriving. All of the careful planning that you put in prior to the society's inception has paid off, and citizens enjoy life as close to perfection as humanly possible. A reasonable and lucid legal code has eliminated crime nearly altogether. Savvy city planning allows for fast, efficient transportation options with minimal pollution. Insightful economic policy had resulted in a diverse and innovative workforce that meets the food and other production demands of the population. However, there is one problem: You failed to accurately calculate your population growth; the birth rate has fallen below replacement level, and your society has begun to experience depopulation. Instead of scaling back the scope of your society or encouraging citizens to have more children, you will seek to correct the problem by means of attracting immigrants to your utopia. However, it so happens that that the last century saw myriad utopian societies pop up all over the world. Additionally, nearly all of these experienced success equal to your own. It's a buyer's market! Therefore, you must initiate an aggressive marketing campaign to win new residents to your utopia

14. Create a brochure in computers class that develops interest in your society. The media should be pleasing to the eye and informative, as well as grammatically correct. You will share this piece with the class in a formal presentation. That is to say, no matter what you do, you will be getting up in front of the class to present your utopia. The presentation should be divided equally among group members. Ultimately, you will not merely present the information dispassionately; rather, your goal should be to convince your audience that yours is the only utopia to which they should relocate. Use any combination of the following modes to display the information gathered in Steps 3-8: Charts / Graphs Maps Lists Descriptive Paragraphs Pictures Other ideas can be approved by your teacher Note – You will want to come up with an enticing, creative name for your new society! Any other information you would like to include may be included, as long as they do not distract from the main categories. Extra Credit: Create and include an advertising jingle that will further interest in your community. The song must be both catchy and informative.

15. It is CRUCIAL that each and every student invest in this team effort. There will be an individual essay that allows you to promote and defend your position of why YOUR utopian society is FABULOUSO…