Happy Monday Do Now Your Do Now is

Happy Monday! Do Now Your Do Now is located in the black trays today Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Read the poem critically and independently. Draw a picture of what you saw in your mind’s eye while reading this poem in the space provided. Answer the four follow-up questions at the bottom. Be prepared to share! Read independently if you finish early.

Announcements 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Second notebook check is this Friday. Completed second draft of your nonfiction narrative is due on Thursday. Grades are updated Quiz on Friday: Vocabulary and Theme Comic books

Theme

What is Theme? �Central idea or underlying message of the text �Rarely stated in the text Must make an inference Use the plot, character, and/or setting

Do not confuse Theme with topic, main idea, or plot! �Theme is the message we take away from the written piece about people, life, and the world around us. �Topic is the main idea of the story. �Plot includes the events in the story.

Universal Theme �About life and/or human nature �Common to people throughout the world �Provides guidance through life

How do I find theme? �Often the title gives us hint about theme. Remember , theme addresses the entire piece of writing �We can state theme in many ways Each of us has prior experiences We are each unique

Identifying Theme �Theme is not the topic, but a lesson you can apply to your life For example: family You should always put your family before your friends

Theme vs. Topic They are both IMPORTANT messages, but the difference is that a theme is a message the author thinks could be true for ANYONE; a theme is considered a UNIVERSAL truth uncovered in the story. An example of a theme could be “Everyone deserves a second chance. ” Sometimes you hear people say “Loyalty is theme of the book. ” They are WRONG!! “Loyalty” is a topic or what the book is about. Is “loyalty” a message? NO! The theme of that story could be, “Loyalty to family is more important than money. ”

Identifying Theme �You can determine theme by examining how the character has changed A dynamic character develops throughout the story What did this character learn through his experiences

Identifying Theme �Conflict can help determine theme Conflict Resolution Theme Helping to feed the poor is beneficial to all involved.

Identifying Theme To determine theme we can ask ourselves 4 important questions: �What challenges does the author write for the protagonist? �How does the protagonist respond to them? �What lessons does he learn? �What is the author trying to teach us through the protagonist?

Is a theme always valid? �Evaluate the writer’s ideas Is theme realistic? Then it is valid. ▪ If you put your best foot forward, you will usually succeed. Is theme idealistic? Then it is not valid ▪ Good people never have any problems.

Scenario #1: I Do Barry liked playing board games, but he hated losing. He hated losing so much that he would do whatever it took to win, even bending or breaking the rules. He'd steal money from the bank and hide it under the couch cushions. He'd skip spaces while he was moving around the board. He'd shortchange others money that they were owed and argue with them about it. Barry's techniques were effective. He did win most of the games that he played, but the people whom he played with were his friends and family, and it didn't take too long until they caught on to Barry's tricks. They tried to tell Barry to stop cheating. They said that the game wasn't any fun when he cheated, but he didn't listen. He continued with his treacherous style of gameplay, until nobody would play with him anymore. Barry may have won a lot of games, but at what cost? What is theme of the story? What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

Scenario #2: We Do Genevieve was obsessed with details. She felt that everything that she submitted to her teacher had to be perfect. For the final project in reading class, students were given one week to use their art skills to bring a scene from a novel to life. Genevieve decided that she would build a shoebox diorama. She spent the first two nights creating an intricately detailed scene far superior to anything that her classmates would produce, but she ended up throwing it away because she didn't like how tape was visible at the bottom of the diorama. The next two nights she worked on a similar diorama, but this time she used glue. Again, Genevieve produced a beautiful product, but she was troubled by how the glue looked when it dried, so she discarded her work again. Over the weekend and into the next week, Genevieve recreated the project a third time. This time she used a special adhesive putty to construct the diorama and was completely satisfied with the appearance. Unfortunately, her project was now several days late and her grade on the assignment was lowered to a C. What is theme of the story? What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

Scenario #3: You Do Jimmy and Eric were huddled by the tire swing. "Why did Scott have to take the kickball? He knows we play kickball at recess. " Jimmy whined. "Maybe we could just do something else. " Eric suggested. "No, I'm going to get back our kickball, " countered Jimmy. Scott was bouncing the kickball against the wall by himself when Jimmy approached him. "Give us back our kickball, Scott!" Jimmy shouted. Scott looked up and down at Jimmy and then continued bouncing the ball against the wall. Jimmy ran up to Scott and tried to snatch the ball as it passed from the wall back to Scott, but he was too slow. He missed and fell onto the gravel and cried out, "Ow! See what you did, Scott!" By now Eric had joined the other two boys and he made a suggestion: "Hey, Scott, maybe we could all play together. " Scott looked at him skeptically, but Eric's warm expression convinced him of his sincerity. "Ok, " Scott muttered as he helped Jimmy back to his feet and asked, "What do you want to play? " The boys agreed on kickball and used the remaining recess time to play. Jimmy and Eric agreed that it was a lot more fun to play with three people and Scott became a regular addition to their recess activities. What is theme of the story? What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?

Exit Ticket: What is the THEME? QUESTION 1 When Nathan first joined the band, he wasn't very good. The first time he tried to play his new tuba, he couldn't even make the large instrument squeak. His teacher told him to keep trying. Nathan practiced his tuba everyday after school. Soon he could play all of the notes in the scales without any mistakes. It wasn't long before he could play songs. His teacher noticed the progress he was making and asked him to play a solo in the winter recital. a. all teachers are always very nice b. practice helps you become better c. if you're not good you should quit d. playing a solo is the most important

Exit Ticket: What is the THEME? QUESTION 2 One of the sections in your literature book contains the following works: a play about a girl with multiple handicaps; a short story about a middle-school athlete injured in practice; several poems written by young teens with serious illnesses; an essay called "The Body. Mind Connection"; and an excerpt from a book about the importance of maintaining a good attitude. What is probably the major theme of this unit? A. Good things come to those who believe and wait patiently, even when things seem bleak. B. A positive outlook can sometimes help people survive unexpected challenges. C. Nobody knows about the troubles some people have until you read about them. D. You don't really have any control over your life, so just deal with it.

Until I pass out your HW… LIBRARY � THREE scholars at a time � You have 2 -3 minutes to find a book to read. � Does the book look interesting to you? Give it a try! � 100% SILENT reading focus at your desk.

Homework Assignment

Happy Tuesday! Do Now Respond to the Do Now in your Reader’s Notebooks: 1. Growing up, my parents always told me, “Above all, be kind. ” Do your parents/guardians tell you any messages or big ideas to live by? What is that message? Why do you think they say it. (If you can’t think of one, think of something your teachers have said to you). 2. When you have children, what message will you tell