As students in sixth grade read The Giver by Lois Lowry for one of their reading assignments, they had the opportunity to bring the book to life with an interactive learning experience in Maria Pirani's English class.
"We held a "Ceremony of Twelve" in my classes," Ms. Pirani shared. "In the book, children get their life assignments or jobs at the age of 12. The book shows what happens when total security threatens freedom of choice."
For the interactive activity, students were assigned "jobs" from the book and challenged to write a journal reflection about what qualities make them good for the job or to fill out an application for another position.
"It was so much fun seeing the students get into this activity. Some of them were jumping up and down as the day began looking forward to their job assignments," Ms. Pirani said. "I love immersive reading experiences because students make deeper connections to the characters and situations in the novel. They are also able to grow in empathy by putting themselves in someone else's shoes."
Having students fill out applications and reflect on their positive qualities gave them confidence and motivated them to write because they wanted their positions.
"The students even read their applications and reflections aloud," Ms. Pirani said. "I was so proud of the way they handled this activity and am excited to do another!"
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