6th Grade Unit: The Power of Choice
Key Concepts/Themes: Choice: To Conform or To Be True to Yourself/ The Individual
Rationale/Goals: Students will consider the role of how the individual influences society and how the element of choice can impact a community. Students will understand different points of view when considering choices characters and people make in relation to their community. Students will be able to make informed decisions regarding choice and individuality and argue and support their point of view.
By the end of the unit, students will answer the following writing prompt:
In the Giver, many characters in the novel view individuality and society differently. Think about the point of view of the Elders, Jonas and the Giver in relation to the choice they make regarding whether to maintain their individuality or to conform to the beliefs of the community for the benefit of the society as a whole. Which point of view do you most agree with? Is it better to maintain your individuality or to conform for the greater good of the community?
Write an argument defending your position on the role of choice in society. Support your argument with evidence from the text, citing specific examples from the point of view of the Elders, Jonas or the Giver. Be sure to introduce your claim clearly, organize your evidence and reasons clearly in order to demonstrate understanding of the text.
Essential Questions:
Skills
Novels:
This unit is written using The Giver, by Lois Lowry. However, other novels that fit the same theme would also be appropriate, such as the following:
Key Concepts/Themes: Choice: To Conform or To Be True to Yourself/ The Individual
Rationale/Goals: Students will consider the role of how the individual influences society and how the element of choice can impact a community. Students will understand different points of view when considering choices characters and people make in relation to their community. Students will be able to make informed decisions regarding choice and individuality and argue and support their point of view.
By the end of the unit, students will answer the following writing prompt:
In the Giver, many characters in the novel view individuality and society differently. Think about the point of view of the Elders, Jonas and the Giver in relation to the choice they make regarding whether to maintain their individuality or to conform to the beliefs of the community for the benefit of the society as a whole. Which point of view do you most agree with? Is it better to maintain your individuality or to conform for the greater good of the community?
Write an argument defending your position on the role of choice in society. Support your argument with evidence from the text, citing specific examples from the point of view of the Elders, Jonas or the Giver. Be sure to introduce your claim clearly, organize your evidence and reasons clearly in order to demonstrate understanding of the text.
Essential Questions:
Skills
- How does an author develop or convey a character’s point of view?
- How does a writer develop and support a compelling argument?
- How does awareness and/or a sense of self influence choice?
- How does society influence choice?
- Who has the power in a society?
- Authors use various methods to develop or convey a character’s point of view.
- When people read, they analyze the situations in a text in order to make decisions about the world around them.
- People write in order to communicate their point of view, as influenced by their own experience and analysis of text.
- In order to communicate effectively orally and in writing, people use proper conventions of English, as well as a variety of techniques, including figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meaning.
Novels:
This unit is written using The Giver, by Lois Lowry. However, other novels that fit the same theme would also be appropriate, such as the following:
- The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
- Divergent, by Veronica Roth
- The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
- The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
- Lois Lowry Newbery Speech for The Giver
- “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost
- "Collectivism, unlike individualism, holds the group as the primary, and the standard of moral value." -- Mark Da Cunha
- He who loses his individuality loses all. -Ghandi
- No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent. -William Ellery Channing
- Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. -Albert Einstein
- To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
- Political Cartoons (Click image for link):