ALCA Members PLC Domains Data Standards Map Plan Curriculum Assessment Strategies

THE GIVER: What is an ambiguous ending?

Author Lois Lowry intentionally left the plot of The Giver unsolved. How did this make you feel? Were you left hanging on the edge of your seat, confused and dazed, or were you possibly mad at the author? Some people enjoy solving the plots themselves. Others feel cheated because they want to know the rest of the story. This activity will allow student to write the rest of the story, based on their feelings and evidence from the book. (This is one of six ALCA lessons over the book.)

Engaging Questions

  • What was the condition of Jonas and Gabriel toward the end of the journey?

  • Do you think Jonas might have been hallucinating at the end of his journey?

  • Why do you think Lois Lowry chose to use the Giver's favorite memory at the end of the journey for Jonas?

Teacher Goals

  • The students will learn the meaning of an ambiguous ending.

  • The students will write an alternate ending to the novel The Giver, based on their feelings, personal experience, and the novel's textual evidence.

Required Resources

Optional Resources

Steps

  1. Reading and Reflection

    After the students have completed the novel, they should reflect on the final chapter.

  2. Discussion

    The class should discuss the physical conditions of both Jonas and Gabriel.

  3. More Discussion

    The class should discuss how the change of weather and landscape made the journey especially difficult.

  4. Considerations

    The class should discuss the details of Jonas's final sled ride and consider the outcome.

  5. Alternate Ending

    The students should write an alternate ending to the novel, based on their feelings, personal experiences, and the novel's textual evidence. The students will need to have evidence from the novel to back their theory of the ending.

Teacher Notes

  • The ending of The Giver is discussed openly on the net. Truly, it is left up to the individual reader to determine what became of Jonas and Gabriel.

Learner Notes

  • The book gives many clues to a possible ending, both in a positive and negative way. Have fun creating a different ending.

Mentor Notes

  • The ending of The Giver is discussed openly on the net. Truly, it is left up to the individual reader to determine what became of Jonas and Gabriel.

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