1. Bell-ringer: 12/1/14
Read the short story and identify the theme (lesson). Write it in your notes.
Jenny was so excited. She had a pack of Starburst in her lunch and she had been looking forward to eating them all morning. Lunch finally came and Jenny sat down to eat her Starbursts when her friend Judy sat next to her. “Let me get the pink ones,” asked Judy. Jenny liked the pink ones best, but she thought Judy was funny and Jenny wanted Judy to like her, so Jenny gave Judy all of her pink Starbursts. Before Jenny was done giving Judy the pink ones, Carrie sat on the other side of Jenny. “Let me get the red and the orange ones, Jenny. Remember when I gave you that Snickers?” Jenny did not remember that, though she did remember when Carrie ate a whole Snickers in front of her, but Jenny thought Carrie was cool, so she gave her the red and the orange Starbursts. Now that she only had the yellow ones, Jenny was not so excited about eating starbursts anymore.

2. Theme

3. What is Theme?
A main idea, moral, or lesson conveyed in a provided text. The message may be about life, society, or human nature.
Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly.

4. THEME is THE MEssage

5. Instructions: For each proverb, you must identify the theme
Then briefly explain WHY it is appropriate

6. Proverb #1
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. -author unknown

7. Proverb #2
Once there was a mean little boy who lived in a small village. This mean little boy loved to mess with people, so one day he ran up to a sheep herder and shouted, “WOLF! WOLF! A wolf is attacking the town!” The sheep herder grabbed his staff and ran to defend the town, but realized he had been fooled when the boy started pointing and laughing at him. “Ha ha! I made you jump,” said the boy. Then the boy ran up to a farmer and shouted, “WOLF! WOLF! A wolf is attacking the town!” The farmer grabbed his pitchfork and ran to defend the town, but when the boy started pointing and laughing at him, he realized he had been tricked. As the boy went back to his family’s farm laughing about the funny trick he played, he saw a real wolf in his father’s chicken coop. As the wolf ate all of his father’s chickens, the boy screamed over and over again, “WOLF! WOLF! Please help us!” But nobody came to help him.

8. Proverb #3
Angie loved to draw. She made colorful designs of people’s names with bright hearts & flowers, but she lost own markers, so she borrowed her teacher’s. The school day was ending, but Angie wanted to keep coloring, so she took the teacher’s markers home and lost them in her messy room. She came back to school the next day and wanted to color again, so she asked the teacher for more markers. The teacher replied, “Sure, Angie, but this is my last pack.” Angie said she would be careful, but by the end of the day the markers were scattered all over the floor and the custodian swept them up and disposed of them. When Angie came in the next day, she asked the teacher for more markers, but she was disappointed to find that there weren’t any more. “I don’t know where all of my markers went,” said the teacher, “but I don’t have them.” Angie had to draw her pictures with drab pencils.

9. Proverb #4
Jenny hated reading class. She didn’t understand point of view or figurative language, and not knowing how to do the work frustrated her. She asked the teacher for help, but he spoke so fast and used such big words that she still couldn’t understand. The teacher asked if she understood, and she nodded her head, but she didn’t. Jenny’s friend Katie knew that Jenny was having trouble, and, rather than just giving Jenny all of the answers, Katie explained to Jenny how to solve the problems. Katie spoke clearly and at Jenny’s level, and Jenny was happy that she finally learned how to do the work. Later in the week, Katie was having trouble in math class. She didn’t understand coordinates and was really frustrated. Seeing that Katie was having problems, Jenny, who understood math very well, taught Katie coordinates. Both girls made honor roll that quarter.

10. Bell-ringer: 12/2/14
Read the short proverb and identify the moral (lesson) of the story. Write it in your notes.
Once upon a time there was a Miser (someone who doesn’t like to spend money) who used to hide his gold at the foot of a tree in his
garden; but every week he used to go and dig it up and brag over
his wealth. A robber, who had noticed this, went and dug up the gold
and ran away with it. When the Miser next came to brag over his
treasures, he found nothing but the empty hole. He pulled at his hair,
and threw such a fit that all the neighbors came around him, and
he told them how he used to come and visit his gold. 
"Did you ever take any of it out?" asked one of them. ”No," said he, "I only came to look at it." "Then come again and look at the hole," said a neighbor;
"it will do you just as much good."

11. Instructions: For each song, you must identify the theme
Then briefly explain WHY it is appropriate

12. Brainstorm……..
Which themes should we be paying attention to as we listen and read the lyrics?
Love Acceptance
Identity
Overcoming Adversity
Good vs. Evil
Friendship
Perseverance
Loss of Innocence
Unreturned Love
Ill-Fated Love
Loyalty
Heartbreak

13. Song/question 1: KATY PERRY, “Firework”
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, Drifting through the wind Wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin Like a house of cards, One blow from caving in? Do you ever feel already buried deep? 6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing Do you know that there's still a chance for you 'Cause there's a spark in you You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July 'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh" As you shoot across the sky-y-y

14. song/question 2: bill withers, “lean on me”
Sometimes in our lives We all have pain, we all have sorrow But if we are wise We know that there's always tomorrow Lean on me when you're not strong And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on For it won't be long 'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on Please, swallow your pride If I have things you need to borrow For no one can fill those of your needs That you won't let show You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand We all need somebody to lean on I just might have a problem that you'll understand We all need somebody to lean on

15. Song/question 3: bon jovi, “it’s my life”
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted No silent prayer for the faith-departed I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd You're gonna hear my voice When I shout it out loud It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive It's my life

16. Song/question 4: tim mcgraw, “live like you were dying”
I went sky divin', I went rocky mountain climbin', I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu. And I loved deeper, And I spoke sweeter, And I gave forgiveness I've been denying, And he said someday I hope you get the chance, To live like you were dyin'. He said I was finally the husband, That most the time I wasn't. And I became a friend a friend would like to have. And all the sudden goin' fishing, Wasn't such an imposition. And I went three times that year I lost my dad. Well I finally read the good book, And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do If I could do it all again. And then. Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity To think about what you do with it, What could you do with it, what can I do with with it, what would I do with it.