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Copywork
About This Passage
This is the quiet heart of a very loud chapter. Around Jonas the battlefield is full of cannons and cries, but Lowry slows her words here, inch by inch, so the young reader feels how slowly Jonas has to move because of his own pain. The small act of giving water to a dying boy is the only kindness possible in the whole awful scene, and Lowry wants us to notice that kindness is still possible even in the worst place.
he extended his arm slowly across the blood-soaked earth, inch by inch, and held it to the lips of the boy. Water trickled into the imploring mouth and down the grimy chin.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, retell Chapter 15. How does the Giver feel at the beginning? What does he ask Jonas to do? What does Jonas see and hear and smell in the memory? What does the Giver say at the very end?
Discussion Questions
- The Giver says, 'Please, take some of the pain,' and Jonas helps him to his chair and lies face down to receive the memory. What in the story shows you that Jonas is now acting more like a partner and less like a student? How do you know he has grown since Chapter 14?
- In the memory, Jonas reaches slowly across the blood-soaked earth to give water to a hurt boy even though Jonas's own arm is badly injured. What in the story tells you that Jonas chose to help the boy, and how do you know this choice was hard for him?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
a hurting feeling in the body or the heart
Item 2
to give someone what they need when they are having a hard time
Item 3
a large, strong animal with four legs, a mane, and hooves
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Critical Thinking
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