Teach Theme/Moral/Lesson with Songs & Lyrics {Digital Interactive Google Slides}

Hi teacher friends! 

Are you looking for a fun way to introduce and practice the skill of finding theme? This is the only resource you will need for teaching theme/ moral/ lesson with songs! I found myself struggling with how to introduce theme to my students, but then I came up with the idea of using songs and their lyrics. I created this product for use in my own classroom, and when I used it, my students were hooked! They were engaged and motivated - singing along in the classroom, listening closely to the lyrics, and after modeling and practicing with a few songs, they were all able to demonstrate an understanding of theme using these digital worksheets!

My students are at all different levels, and I need to DIFFERENTIATE, which is why each song in this resource has 4 different levels of worksheets*:

1. Song and lyric excerpt (around 2 min) with multiple choice theme statement options
2. Song and lyric excerpt (around 2 min) with open ended theme topic and theme statement
3. Full song and copy of lyrics with open ended theme topic and theme statement
4. Full song and copy of lyrics with open ended theme topic, theme statement, and explanation of theme/ text evidence.

*Only give each student 1 of the versions per song. When I used this in my classroom, I had students all using the same song, but working at different levels of complexity, which is why I created the multiple levels!

Suggestions:

• Use this resource as an introduction to teaching theme and/or citing evidence for theme. 
• Pick one song in this resource to use as a teacher model. Show how to “close read” lyrics to determine theme.Then, have students work together or individually on a different song in this resource to determine theme
• Use as classwork, checkpoints, warm-up or exit-slip, or assessments

Songs included:

• “This is Me” by Keala Settle
• “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman
• “Hall of Fame” by The Script 
• “Colors of the Wind” by Judy Kuhn
• “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
• “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel
• "I've Got a Dream” by Tangled cast
• “I Hope you Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
• “Flashlight” by Jessie J
• “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
• “Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
• “The Best Day” by George Strait
• “The Anthem” by Good Charlotte
• “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts
• “No Such Thing” by John Mayer 
• “Born This Way by Lady Gaga
• “Help!” by The Beatles
• “War” by Bob Marley

***This product purchase comes with free updates. If there is a song not included that you would like to be added, please comment or send me a message and I will update!***