Themes!

Themes Classwork /8

Mrs. Koza

10^th Grade English

Name:__________________________________________ Section:__________________________

Themes!

An idea you can talk about in lots of different ways

Each set of lines below has a theme. What is it? (3 points)

So, yesterday it was my friend Stacey.

Two days ago I had to get something in my locker.

Three days ago Mr. Rich kept me too long!

But today... I'm late because I didn't hear the bell!

What's the theme?

__________________________________

In Chemistry, Mr. Ap helps us after school.

In English, I get too much of it.

For Geometry, my older brother helps me.

By the time I start on Global, my favorite TV show is on.

What's the theme?

___________________________________

Becky told me it was Marie.

Marie told me it was really Teresa.

Then, of course, Teresa blabbed on Becky.

And in the locker room, I heard it was me!

What's the theme?

____________________________________

Now, make your own!

(5 points)

In this activity, you will work in a group to brainstorm different ideas that fall under the same theme. Be prepared to write your own riddle (like the ones on the other side of this sheet) and share it with the class! (We'll be trying to guess the theme!)

Theme (I will provide this to your group): _______________________

With your small group, brainstorm some different ways you can talk about your theme. Come up with a few examples or situations in which your theme comes up (these will be your clues). What does this idea make you think of?

Now, choose an example and turn them into clues for your riddle:

Line 1:

Line 2:

Line 3:

Line 4:

Journal for the day

All sections:

What is your favorite book / fairy tale / story? What do you like about it? Why?

Journal for the day

All sections:

Freewrite!

Journal Project - Due Friday, October 2

Don't forget that Journals will be collected on Friday. This is 40 points towards Classwork and 40 points towards Projects. Work on it tonight!

More Strong Paragraphs

This paragraph is a response to the poem "Against Idleness and Mischief," and addresses the concept of theme, which we discussed in class today.

This is a TEAC paragraph:

Topic Sentence

Examples

Analysis

Conclusion

What is the central theme of "Against Idleness and Mischief?"

 The central theme of "Against Idleness and Mischief" is that hard work is important because it is the key to staying out of trouble. The busy bee is like the ideal individual--hard-working as she collects honey from flowers and builds wax cells to store it. The speaker says that he would also be busy like the bee, warning that "Satan finds some mischief still / for idle hands to do." The busy bee is constantly occupied, and therefore has no time to be idle; therefore, no time for mischief. By following the speaker's example, good children can do the same if they want to stay out of trouble.

Notice that the topic sentence answers the question, stating the central theme of the poem. The next two sentences provide details from the poem that support the central point. The examples show that the bee is good and hard-working. The example also shows that the speaker of the poem believes that working hard is a good thing, and helps keep young people away from "mischief." Therefore, the bee is a model to be followed, since hard work will help keep you out of trouble.

Classwork assignment:

Write a TEAC paragraph answering the following question:

What is the main theme of "How doth the Little Crocodile?" Label each sentence according to the TEAC model (Topic sentence, Example, Analysis, Conclusion).

Journal for the day

All sections:

What does it mean to "read between the lines?" Give an example of a time when you had to read between the lines.

Journal Rubric

Journal Rubric

Mrs. Koza

10^th Grade English

Name: ________________________________________ Section: ________________________

Your Journal will receive two grades: one for classwork and one project grade. Both are a total of 80 points. Here is how it breaks down:

Classwork (40 points):

	20 points	15 points	10 points	5 points	0 points	Your Points
Do you have all your entries?	All entries are present and some response has been made	At most 2 entries are missing	At most 5 entries are missing	Most entries are missing	There are no entries
Are all your entries one page?	All entries have a response of at least one page	Most entries have a response of at least one page	Half of entries have a response of at least one page	Most entries have a response of less than one page	No entries fulfill the one page requirement
Total:					40 possible

Project (40 points):

For the project grade you will choose 4 entries from your journal and write a 300 word reflection on your writing. Choose your entries according to the following criteria:

Exemplary Entry: This entry is your favorite of all. It is a reflection of what you like about your writing.

Most Challenging Entry: This entry was difficult to write about. It's probably not your favorite, but it shows you struggling with the question, even if you think your response doesn't make sense.

Needs Improvement: This might have been an off day, or maybe your internal editor was at its worst. This entry could use some work.

Most Experimental: This entry reflects you as a no-fear writer. Even though it may not be the best or most creative entry, you certainly let yourself write what was on your mind without reservation.

Reflection:

Each 300 word reflection should cover these areas:

1. Why did you choose it for that criterion?
2. What do you think you did very well for this entry?
3. How could you improve next time?

	10 points	7 points	5 points	3 points	0 points	Your Points
Exemplary Entry	Reflection answers all 3 questions fully, showing that the student has thought about the quality of his or her writing, and is open to and aware of next steps towards improvement.	Reflection mostly answers all 3 questions, showing that the student has thought somewhat about the quality of his or her writing, and shows some awareness of next steps towards improvement	Reflection partially answers all 3 questions, showing that the student has limited understanding of the quality of his or her writing, with limited awareness of next steps towards improvement	Reflection does little to respond to the 3 questions, demonstrating little to no awareness of the student's writing quality, and little to no sense of next steps towards improvement	No reflection has been turned in.
Most Challenging Entry
Needs Improvement
Most Experimental
Total:					40 possible