1. * casual : nonchalant :: serious : ___________
2. * humane : cruel :: alert : ________
3. * help : impede :: separate : ___________
4. * steady : tremulous :: sloppy : _________
5. Everyone brought _________ homework today.
6. Many fans burned ___________ own pirate copy of the cd.
7. All of the cheese was still in ________ packaging.
8. (1) Which doesn't fit, and why? precise, microscopic, explosion, grateful, humane

Themes in Martian Chronicles.

1. "Big Ideas That Lead to Themes" sheet.
2. 1 paragraph response. Use a separate sheet.
3. Start with Organizer. Pick a story from Martian Chronicles.
• Pick three or four from the "Big Ideas" list to put in the first oval. Circle the big one.
• Skip the four boxes for now.
• Fill in the author's message in the bottom oval. What did the main character(s) learn or discover?
• Now pick the four main events in the story, and fill in the boxes.
4. Write the paragraph.

a) "'The Million-Year Picnic' is a story about ____________." (Example: "The Outsiders is a story about loyalty, the importance of family, friendship, and overcoming stereotypes.")
b) "But it's mostly a story about ________." (Pick the "big one." Example: "But it is mostly about overcoming stereotypes.")
c) Use the boxes from the organizer to give a brief summary of the story. Use words like First, and then, next to string the events together. Try to make sure that the events you tell about match the theme you picked.
d) Now write your last sentence like this: "Timothy (learned, discovered, realized, etc.) that ___________." (In a sentence, explain what Timothy learned about the theme you put in your "But mostly..." sentence. Example: "Ponyboy discovered that to overcome stereotypes, you have to look past the surface and try to understand people.")