Bellwork for Monday, April 29, Theme versus Topic. How can you distinguish a theme from a topic? Background to the Story: Mount Vesuvius Erupts

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1 Name: Date: Core: Bellwork for Monday, April 29, 2013 Brainstorm a list of situations in which you would be willing to take a risk for another person. Compare your lists with those of your classmates. What differences and similarities do you see? Theme versus Topic Most stories center around a theme or central idea about life that the writer shares with readers. A story s theme is different from its topic, or what the story is about. A topic can usually be stated in a word or two. For example, love is a topic. A theme is typically more complex than a topic, and is usually described in a sentence. For example, love can help people solve their differences is a theme. How can you distinguish a theme from a topic? Read the following ad for a movie: Two friends. One championship tennis trophy. How far will each player go to win and can their friendship survive? In this ad, the topics are tennis and friendship. A theme might be Friendship matters more than a trophy. Background to the Story: Mount Vesuvius Erupts In the year A.D. 79, the volcanic mountain Vesuvius erupted in southern Italy. It poured burning lava and ashes over the countryside and buried the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Of Pompeii s estimated population of 20,000, at least 2,000 were killed. After the eruption, Pompeii lay undisturbed for almost 1,700 years, until its ruins were discovered in the late 1500s. The remains of the city, preserved by volcanic ash, present a picture of life in the Roman Empire, as if it had been frozen in time.

2 Reading Strategy READING HISTORICAL FICTION THE DOG OF POMPEII (pp ) Historical fiction may include real or made-up settings, events, and characters from the past. Directions: In the chart, record details of the setting and events that make the story come alive. Details from the story (list at least three of each) Food Clothing Transportation Houses Entertainment The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius

3 THE DOG OF POMPEII (pp ) Literary Analysis THEME VERSUS TOPIC The topic of a story is what the story is about. It can usually be stated in a word or two. The theme of a story is the overall message about life that the writer shares with readers. It is usually more complex than the topic. You can often determine a story s theme by looking at the thoughts and actions of the characters. Directions: Keeping in mind the topic of friendship, record important details about Tito and Bimbo s thoughts and actions in the web. Then in the center, write a sentence expressing the story s theme. One detail has been filled in for you. Theme: Bimbo wakes Tito after Vesuvius erupts.

4 Reading Check POMPEII AND VESUVIUS (pp ) Directions: Recall the information in the excerpt from Giovanni Caselli s nonfiction book and Ellen Hale s online article. Then answer the questions in phrases or sentences. 1. How have people learned much of what they know about Roman life, according to the excerpt from In Search of Pompeii? 2. Why does the author of In Search of Pompeii say that visiting Pompeii is like entering a time machine? 3. According to the excerpt from In Search of Pompeii, what did Giuseppe Fiorelli, the Director of Excavations, number during the excavation at Pompeii? 4. What does Pliny the Younger describe in A Survivor s Letter from In Search of Pompeii? 5. According to Italians Trying to Prevent a Modern Pompeii, what are authorities doing so that fewer people live in the Mount Vesuvius danger zone?

5 Skill Focus POMPEII AND VESUVIUS (pp ) AUTHOR S PURPOSE AND MAIN IDEA In nonfiction, the most important idea that the writer communicates is called the main idea. You can often figure out the overall main idea of a selection by paying attention to smaller main ideas that appear in individual paragraphs or longer sections of the selection. To really understand the message a nonfiction writer wants to communicate, you need to determine the author s purpose, or the reason the author is writing. To figure out the author s purpose and main idea of a paragraph or a section, try the following: Look at the subheading, such as Pompeii: The Evidence. It should give you a good idea of what the section is about. Find the topic sentence, or the sentence that states a paragraph s main idea. The topic sentence is often, but not always, the first sentence in a paragraph. It makes a statement that the rest of the paragraph supports. Directions: Use the chart to list the main ideas of each selection. Note that In Search of Pompeii is broken into three sections. Identify a main idea for each of these sections. Source Main Idea Author s Purpose (include evidence) In Search of Pompeii Section 1 Pompeii: The Evidence Section 2 Uncovering Pompeii Section 3 A Tragic Day Italians Trying to Prevent a Modern Pompeii

6 WALL INSCRIPTIONS FROM POMPEII AD 79 In AD 79, the city of Pompeii (in Italy) was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. The lava and ash from Mt. Vesuvius completely buried the city. Sixteen hundred years later, remains of the city were discovered preserved in the layers of ash. Excavation of Pompeii started in the 18th century and yielded much valuable information about life in ancient Roman times. For example, many messages were found scratched on the city walls. They include advertisements, announcements for gladiator fights, and notices for upcoming elections. READING FOCUS Why do you think the Pompeiians wrote on the walls? (Write your answer in the space below.) ILLUSTRATE What type of image might have been painted alongside the following announcements? Circle one of the following inscriptions, and write it on the back of this page. Then, draw an image that explains these words with pictures. Effort, spelling, appearance, etc. count. Use labels, and fill the entire space! Notices of Gladiatorial Games, etc. Twenty pairs of gladiators provided by Quintus Monnius Rufus, are to fight at Nola May 1, 2 and 3, and there will be a hunt. The gladiatorial troop of the aedile 1 Aulius Suettius Certus will fight at Pompeii May 31. There will be a hunt, and awnings will be provided. Twenty pairs of gladiators furnished by Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens perpetual priest of Nero, son of the Emperor, and ten pairs of gladiators furnished by Decimus Lucretius Valens his son, will fight at Pompeii April 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. There will be a big hunt and awnings. Aemilius Celer wrote this by the light of the moon. Election Notices and Appeals Vesonius Primus urges the election of Gnaeus Helvius as aedile, a man worthy of public office. Vesonius Primus requests the election of Gaius Gavius Rufus as duumvir, 2 a man who will serve the public interest do elect him, I beg of you. Primus and his household are working for the election of Gnaeus Helvius Sabinus as aedile. 1. aedile: a public official 2. duumvir: one of two judges Excerpt from Pompeii: Its Life and Art by August Mau, translated by Francis Kelsey (New York: Macmillan, 1899), chapter 57.