1.  Pick up a handout.  Add your new notes to page 12.  What was the best thing you did this weekend? Tell the people at your table and explain why.  What was the best thing you did this weekend? Tell the people at your table and explain why. DO NOW

2.  Watch “For the Birds.” For the BirdsFor the Birds  Be ready to discuss:  What are some of the topics of this film clip? Make a list.  Obviously, there are birds in it, but birds wouldn’t be a very good topic. Rather, Pixar uses birds as characters to talk about what?  Choose one of those topics (the one you think the film focuses on the most). What does the author want you learn about that topic?

3. Objective(s) You just created a list of topics and explained one possible theme of the film clip, “For the Birds.” Didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you? We’ll continue that work today with “Conquering Fear.”  I can generate a list of topics by determining what subject(s)/object(s) the text is mostly about.  I can identify one possible theme by stating the message, moral, or big idea the text teaches me about one of the text’s topics.  I can support my claim(s) by using evidence from the text.  Tell someone at your table what we’re working on today.

4. TermDefinitionMnemonic 1. topic 2. theme (semi)New Vocabulary “big idea” of the text; the UNIVERSAL lesson, moral, or message the author wants you to understand about the topic. subject or object the text is mostly about; [usually a noun (person, place, thing, or idea) but not always.]

5. {{ TOPIC  subject/object  less than 5 words  clues found in title, headings, captions, graphic features  look for repeated words/phrases THEME  “big idea”; message, lesson, or moral about the topic  one sentence  must make inferences to find it So…what’s the difference?

6. Option A: When you love someone, you’re willing to do anything to protect them from harm. Which of these options is a topic? Which is a theme? Which is supporting evidence? Option B: Love. Option C: Katniss shows how much she loves Prim when she volunteers to enter the games in her place.

7. { This means that as long as you can support the theme you believe you see with adequate supporting evidence that makes logical sense, you will most likely be correct. Most texts have multiple topics, and therefore also have multiple themes.

8.  What are some “topics” that you saw in “Conquering Fear”?  Talk to your group and be ready to share; we’ll be writing all of your ideas on the board. So let’s practice.

9. Theme “Proof” No.1: courage The most courageous people are sometimes those who feel the most fear. “The sound woke Miobe, but instead of running away, he walked toward the sound saying aloud, ‘I will conquer you, fear” (Scholastic 18). “For a moment he though, ‘I don’t know these people at all. They might be unkind to a stranger.’ But he straightened up and walked right into the village saying aloud, ‘I will conquer you fear” (Scholastic 18). “Miobe shivered and his heart fluttered, but he was determined. ‘I must conquer fear!’ he said, and he set off” (Scholastic 19).

10. Theme “Proof” No.2: foolishness Foolish are those who do not make decisions for themselves. “Everywhere the people cowered. The little children hid inside, refusing to go to school” (Scholastic 19). “‘We cannot work,’ they told Miobe. ‘If we go into the fields, the monster will come down and get us.” (Scholastic 19)”. “’Who are you?’ he asked. ‘How did you become so small?’” (Scholastic 19).

11.  What process can you use to identify the theme of a literary text? Time for some metacognition.

12. 1. Generate a list of possible topics. 2. Choose one topic that you can follow throughout the entire text. 3. Determine the big idea (author’s message, moral, lesson learned) for that topic. 4. Find at least three pieces of evidence (from different paragraphs) that “prove” your claim. One possible process.

13. Did we meet our objectives today?  I can generate a list of topics by determining what subject(s)/object(s) the text is mostly about.  I can identify one possible theme by stating the message, moral, or big idea the text teaches me about one of the text’s topics.  I can support my claim(s) by using evidence from the text.