Students have read "Nadia the Willful" and have participated in class discussion on the story. Students have learned about theme and have completed the Events and Theme worksheets.

Students will be able to work in groups of 3-5, and each group will complete a visual representation of theme in "Nadia the Willful" that complies with the Theme Project Rubric to 100% accuracy.

The purpose of this lesson is to reinforce the lesson on theme. It also provides instruction for a variety of learning styles including visual, interpersonal, artistic, and tactile.

1. Reiterate theme: Remind students that we talked about theme on Monday. Ask for a volunteer to define theme again for the       class.
2, Introduce the Activity: Explain to students that they will be working in groups on a Theme Project. Explain the rubric for the theme project.
3. Begin Activity: Divide students into groups of about 3-5 students. (I had them line up in order of birthdate and then counted them into groups of four). Hand out materials to each group. Materials include paper, markers, and rubrics. Indicate that each group is responsible for turning in a completed project with the rubric. Both the project and the rubric must have the names of each student in the group.
4. Circulate around the room to assess student progress, answer questions, and give positive feedback.
5. Absent students: Absent students should complete a theme statement and drawing. There is a smaller, worksheet version of this.

This was certainly a very successful lesson. Theme was a challenging concept for the students, and this project helped to bring the idea to fruition. Students enjoyed being creative, and they worked well in groups. I ended up dividing the groups up randomly by having them organize themselves in order of birthday, (a good activity since it allowed them to move around) and then placing them in groups of four. I learned that even the most random pairings, like deliberate ones, still create groups that donÕt function well together. One group was completely composed of students who did not understand theme. But group work did allow me to circulate groups and discuss theme with this group to move them along. Ultimately, most groups received full points on projects, and everyone seemed to have a good grasp on theme. If I did this again, I would keep the activity the same. Handing back graded theme worksheets at the beginning of the project is a must so that groups can use their ideas to choose a theme. It is also a must to circulate and monitor, and to add time for sharing in the end. I do need to remember that this does take about 1-2 class periods to complete.