Utopian Society

Right now we are having our students read The Giver by Lois Lowry.  This book takes place in a dystopian future/society where the main character Jonas lives in a world that is completely structured and controlled by the Elders, AKA the ones in charge.  The way everyone dresses, what everyone talks about, and what everyone does for a living is determined by these elders.  Before we had our students begin reading the book, we assigned a project where they had to form their own perfect societies in groups.  Each day of the week we introduced different elements they had to include in their society:  name, seal, itinerary, government, business letter, advertisement, map, and laws/rules.  The students really enjoyed this project.  Each group came up with what they valued the most and what they would do to make the world literally perfect.  At the end of about two weeks, each group presented their society to the class.  I realize that seventh graders need a lot of lessons on time management.  They still expect the teacher to tell them when to do everything instead of taking responsibility and managing their own time.  Overall, this project really allowed students to begin thinking about the theme of control and how much is a good thing.  For those of you who have not read The Giver, go read it.  Every time I read it I gain something new and enjoy it every time.