Staff Report / Alexandrialocal.org

**Students at Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet Study "The Giver" in English Class**

In Alexandria, Louisiana, Ms. Williams’s English class at Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet focused on the young adult novel "The Giver." The lesson began with students analyzing the character Jonas and his changing perspective to determine a theme of the book.

Students were tasked with finding textual evidence to support their analyses. After discussions in small groups, Ms. Williams called on representatives from each group to share their findings with the class.

Following these presentations, Ms. Williams introduced the SODA method to help students formulate strong claims. SODA stands for specific, original, defensible, and arguable claims.

The lesson concluded with students practicing writing strong claims that illustrated the novel's themes. The engagement and enthusiasm of the students were evident during the lesson.

Source: Rapides Parish School Board | Alexandria LA

Source Type: School

Source Location: Alexandria

Alexandria, LA

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