Yesterday, I blogged about our current study of Theme. In addition to using fables and poetry, I've also utilized video clips and music videos to help students visualize theme - everywhere. Plus, these videos led us to great conversations about Sally (not a real student...) and John having different interpretations of the same video. They didn't have to agree on one specific theme - instead, they had to back up their thinking with evidence (or proof) from the video, story, or poem.
Below you will find some of the videos we used. These led to great conversations - and often times had us rushing to the box of tissues.
P&G "Thank You Mom": Grab your tissues, you'll need them for this one.
Death Crawl: Prepare to be motivated. Oh, and... you'll need those tissues.
Christian the Lion: You'll need more tissues.
Music videos: Using songs like "Brave" by Sara Bareilles and "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson, we discussed the way artists use songs to share a message. We have a growing list of songs that "teach us" something. Other notable songs include: "Happy" and "Compass".
DirectTV commercials: sure, the idea is to purchase DirectTV... but what can you learn from these clips?
How do you practice determining the theme of stories, dramas, or poems in your classroom?
