How to Teach Theme, English Teacher Help, Free Lecture Slides, High School Teacher Vlog

[@rosalielouis1295]

I could just cry. Thank you for being willing to share! You've gave me such great ideas to implement in my classroom! Bless you! You are a teacher to many!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

My pleasure, Rosalie! I just wish I had the time/energy to make more videos. Glad this one was useful. :)

[@jenniferberglund3630]

One way we introduce theme is to start with this, "After reading this story, a person learns that...." This lead in seems to work with many of my middle school students.

[@aishindran314]

this really helped me with my assignment. thank you!

[@travis1russ]

As a man who wants to write and read better, and as a father who wants to translate those valuable skills to his children...... Thank you.

[@schroederfamily1391]

I agree with your explanations completely! I use the one word subjects to describe motifs in literature. Theme for HP: People try to store their essence in mementos of the past, but to truly live, one must learn, grow, and change. Theme for Shrek: Love at first sight is a hoax. People don't see there soul mate at first glance.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Schroeder Family Loving these, Schroeder Family! Keep 'em coming, everyone.

[@marykrause2111]

Thank you so much! I loved the part where you directly spoke to me as a middle school teacher and not to worry if the themes are vanilla! You da best!!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

For sure, Mary! They need to start somewhere, right? :) Glad you're here with me.

[@breeeloovee]

Seriously, can I just be you?! I would love to see how you teach tone! And maybe even how to teach how to write a well crafted essay!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Funny, Breeanna! I'm actually working on a video right now about how to write an essay's introductory paragraph and I'm hoping that one'll be ready to be uploaded on Saturday. The whole essay process is l-o-t for one video, so keep an eye on the channel for pieces and parts. If you keep watching, I'll keep filming! :)

[@michellebrownhydeparkms5698]

Love your vids... Keep em coming! I am a middle school English and reading teacher of highly gifted students so your high school material works well for me! You have been a life saver for me this year. Thanks a million :)))

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Michelle Brown [Hyde Park MS] Thanks so much, Michelle, for taking the time to let me know this. I’m so glad these ideas are working for you. Success!

[@sarahlindahl4101]

I am so happy I discovered you this morning, thanks to a colleague putting material on Teachers Pay Teachers. You are a wonder. and I have so many great new things to do now! Thanks for helping revitalize my classroom!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sarah Lindahl So glad you found me, Sarah! ;)

[@claudiamariapereira6098]

I love your videos. I do agree on your method. Thanks for sharing

[@mycreativity2010]

Wish every English teacher is just like you. You are the best. Thanks

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Aw, thanks so much! :)

[@vivianverratti4778]

I love this. I love your analogies and your explanations. This is great. You’re great. Thank you!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Vivian Verratti Love the love, Vivian! So glad you found my channel. :)

[@jaredprentis]

As an early career teacher in Australia your videos are awesome!!!!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Aw, Jared, I'm so glad you found my channel! Helping our newest colleagues find their footing is definitely one of my favorite things. Happy (almost) new year! :)

[@vickycurtin5622]

This was harder than I thought it would be! For HP I can suggest this theme: The coming of age is a journey to discovering and cultivating your unique gifts and powers. This also involves realising the impact of your contributions on society - good and bad. Bit long-winded HA! I bet your students could do a better job honing this :D

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Creating solid theme IS hard work, Vicky, for sure! And that's what makes it interesting, right? :) I like where you're going with this one. Maybe, "Even the meekest people have the power to dramatically influence society..." I dunno, need to kick this one around a bit. Thanks for throwing this out for us to chew on!

[@vickycurtin5622]

Yes, definitely interesting! Thanks for the challenge :D

[@big5.780]

i needed this my grades are do tomorrow omg thanks laura love u and god bless !!!!!!

[@xochitlflores8704]

This is awesome Thanks!! Shrek Sometimes we have to accept us for who we are and what we look like even if everyone around us thinks were ugly. only we know our self worth. Once we do that we can find our selves.

[@sdelzio1]

Awesome Laura! And including the community is a great idea, too. All of us together create the Great Mind. You asked for ideas for themes for well-known books. How about my favorite Disney movie: The Jungle Book. A middle school theme may be "You have to grow up." A deeper, more interesting high school theme could be: "Growing up can mean leaving good things behind." (like Ballou the Bear)

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Love it, Suzanne! Thanks for getting the party started. I'd even ramp up your high school version and change "can mean leaving" to "requires us to leave." And now you've got me thinking...perhaps the line between adulthood and childhood is the willingness to sacrifice. Good stuff!

[@pushparavindran9207]

Very clear and precise, thanks dear

[@teresamanyosa]

I really appreciate your insights. Love your style!!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Teresa Mañosa Thanks so much, Teresa. Glad you're here! :)

[@noreenbills2980]

Just spitballing here but.... The author's message in Harry Potter could be about the quest to know one's true identity and to accept their destiny. Loved the video!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Cool, Noreen! And then I'd ask, "Okay, so what is Rowling saying about that quest?" ;)

[@annvandewater25]

This is soooo useful. Thank you!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Thanks for watching, Ann! Glad you found me. :)

[@shakespearaamina9117]

I think you are amazing indeed! Just perfect. I thank you and congratulate you for this spirit and passion! Bless you!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Thanks so much, Amina, for your kind words. I'm glad you're here with me. :)

[@khyraen]

Harry Potter: In order for the next generation to reach their full potential, the previous generation must allow them to take great risks. Shrek : Only within the context of our relationships can we suss out the ugliest parts of our personality and transform them.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Excellent, Charlene! I'd want to read both of those papers. :)

[@jacethebest]

We user Shrek for a themed example before watching this video. One that we thought of was, "Community is needed for growth and change."

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Love it!

[@AngelineFlores-qg2fi]

My question that I have always struggled with is how do we actually push students to dig deeper?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

A lot of modeling + They watch me "think out loud" + We throw group ideas on the board and improve them + Lots of low-stakes practice with feedback from me. It's a lot of work, but you can get them there. Regardless of what they say, kids want to learn, think deeply, and be able to powerfully express those thoughts.

[@Steven_Reeder]

Great slides! Thanks for sharing.

[@SarahWheeleeTravels]

This is awesome! Thank you and I needed you last year lol

[@sharonmistry3748]

You are awesome. I have learned so much from you. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work. Hope to be like you someday

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sharon Mistry You are incredibly kind, Sharon. Glad you found the channel and that these materials might be useful to you. :) Happy summer!

[@BallPitEnthusiast]

Thank you because I'm really bad at this.

[@oneiceb5974]

Thank you

[@natysgames16]

this video made in 2017 and im fucking watching this in 2021 dam

[@Koreanbosuji]

I am watching it and it's almost 2023!! What a shame that we did not get a teacher like this for our child or our high school!! Each one one of those kids would have grown up to write some superb college essays

[@user-ok3he2yv7o]

I wish you can do part 2 i have idea but I didn't get it yet , i will be thankful

[@candicebrown9055]

Hi! I would love these slides, but I can no longer find them on TPT or your website. Are they located elsewhere? Thank you!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Hey! Sorry about the broken link. Yeah, they're on my blog: laurarandazzo.com/how-i-teach-theme-free-slides/

[@candicebrown9055]

Thank you! :)@@laurarandazzo1158

[@chinazaified]

Awesome thanks

[@laurarandazzo1158]

chinazaified Aw...and thank YOU for watching! :)

[@akaaka2879]

ThAnkyou this really helped me study

[@laurarandazzo1158]

I'm so glad, Ailsa. :)

[@Koreanbosuji]

I am so tempted to share your videos with our high school teacher :-I She could stop demoralising the kids with her constant nagging, "you all are just not serious about class" / "why can't you respond when I ask you questions" - all this while she sits on her chair and reads the texts and throws random boring questions like, "so what do you think is happening hear?" THAT's it!!! I feel so frustrated!! Anyway watching this video cheered me up SOOOO much - that teaching English Lit and Lang is NOT impossible; to children who MAY not have the easiest facility with words and thought expression and communication and interpretation. That handholding them until they can "walk" is possible. Like you said in another video 90% of the kids out their will struggle always and BUT given the tools to carry with them they won't be lost and helpless and manage fine .. even begin to enjoy reading and writing 'deeply' and 'forage' on broader pastures. Thanks for creating this Vlog

[@Koreanbosuji]

LOVE how you speak so comfortably from your car ;-p

[@brittmoseley4932]

For Shrek= You must write your own story! The evidence would be all the changes to the classic fairy tales and to the classic characters.

[@Aiodeus]

Teaching some students how to read and get the theme. How do you teach students how to generalize a value if they are only absorbing the surface level?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

It definitely takes practice, especially for 14- and 15-year-olds, Aiodeus. I start with guiding questions, full-group discussion, and lots of modeling. This isn't something that comes naturally for a lot of our kids, so scaffolding is definitely needed. Hope this helps!

[@katec7417]

For Harry Potter - I would think it is a bit different. He is learning that ‘becoming a leader in crisis means you have to break laws’. He is fighting a psychopath - not your normal human. He also is learning that you need to understand the background of the psychopath to defeat him. It is the same story in the Enigma decoding in World War II - the weakness of the psychopath is that they are rigid and use fear to rule. You need flexibility and love to defeat them.

[@mariomazzi7894]

Thank you!

[@laurarandazzo1158]

You're welcome! :)

[@mariomazzi7894]

I will just start teaching theme to my 5th/6th graders in a special education class,. Do you think that I could start with one-word topics before we delve into some"cliche" themes?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Sure, Mario, you can start with one word. It might sound something like this: "Okay, students, what's this story about?" "Friendship." "Yes, great, now let's dig deeper. What is the author saying about friendship? What do we learn about friendship from this story?" And then let the conversation roll from there. Hope this helps and that you're having a great summer! :)

[@mariomazzi7894]

@@laurarandazzo1158 Thank you so much!

[@omosumoru2653]

A theme I think for shrek could be In life we do not necessarily get all we want but what counts is making the most of what we have

[@laurarandazzo1158]

That's a good life philosophy, too, Omos. Thanks for this! :)

[@omosumoru2653]

@@laurarandazzo1158 Thanks for the reply I'm currently a college student and was just looking for videos to help with a theme analysis essay. This is amazing thanks so much

[@rodgalloway6340]

You are addressing theme as moral of the story. Right?

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Rod Galloway As long as it’s bold, arguable, and can be supported by textual evidence, I suppose folks can use any label they like. I usually stay away from “moral of the story” because my teens tend to think that means a simple, safe, or obvious message from the author and I want them to dig deeper to find what’s unique and interesting in the works we read.

[@rodgalloway6340]

@@laurarandazzo1158 Got it Laura. Thank you for your thoughtful and timely response. All the best!

[@hirokiito5460]

Harry Potter: The Author´s message to the reader is that friendship and love are the most powerful tools to defeat the evil.

[@suzettepenfold2011]

Shrek: You have to do your own hard work to get your desired outcome.

[@laurarandazzo1158]

Thanks, Suzette, for sharing this! I'm a fan of removing second-person pronouns (you/your) from formal writing, so maybe we could flip the sentiment and create something like this: The characters of Shrek prove that shortcuts lead only to failure. It's your same idea but from a different angle. I'm not 100 percent in love with this theme yet, but I have to go get ready to go to work and have run out of time to tinker. Have a great Friday!

[@Meg_Milking]

are teacher is making us watch this

[@JurijFedorov]

I write screenplays and wanted to watch it for that. It's very much about teaching and not so much about theme, but good video. Sound needs to be fixed though.

[@JCResDoc94]

6:40 oh! voldermort was the hero all along! i can see that now. have you considered video essays next? check out Lindsay Ellis. you know, or not. im not your teacher. ♥☼

[@BallPitEnthusiast]

Ugliness is meaningless if true love rules over

[@laurarandazzo1158]

So...beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Love is blind?

[@BallPitEnthusiast]

yes

[@ramoneisgay6310]

Bru why are u doing a KZbin video in ur car my man, and what I pulled out from this work is your homeless.

[@sharonpattee93]

Is the basis for your writing program the Jane Shaffer method?