1. Guidelines for Final Socratic Seminar on The Giver  Make sure that you open this presentation in Keynote so that you can view all of the text!  You are going to add your prep notes to your ALREADY EXISITNG Google Doc that is titled, “Giver Discussion.” BACKUP YOUR THOUGHTS IN PAGES/NOTES/ETC.  For our final discussion on this book, you will need to spend some time prepare critical ideas to share in tomorrow’s fishbowl discussion.  Bullet points are fine, but make sure that they are adequate enough to guide and demonstrate your thinking  It will not be enough to simply talk; your ideas must add depth to the discussion!  Make sure that you come up with several ideas for each question so that way you will have something to share, even if somebody takes your first idea.  Remember: Thoughtful preparation now means effective participation (aka: success!) later.

2. Socratic Seminar Questions: 1 & 2 1.The community in The Giver has attempted to be a Utopia, but we know that they were not able to achieve this. Why do think that this did not happen, meaning why did this attempt fail? Do you think that it is ever possible for a Utopia to exist? Explain your thoughts on both of these ideas. 2.Prior to this unit, we spent some time exploring the concept of irony (think back to our reading and discussion over “The Lottery”). What examples of irony do you see in this novel? Support with specific examples.

3. Socratic Seminar Questions: 3 & 4 3.We know that Lois Lowry ended the book ambiguously. What would be the point of doing this? Consider why she didn’t simply end the book with a concrete ending (and please do not say it was to make more money by allowing her to start a series!). What would be her message in doing this? Explain your ideas. 4.We have spent some time discussing “sameness,” “utilitarianism” and their priority over individual choice/freedom. Which do you think has the higher value in OUR society? What evidence/examples do you have to support your thinking?