"It's Your Theme Song"

	Basing my idea for this project on the turmoil Ally McBeal goes through 
to select her personal theme song, I have used this as an end of the year 
project for both eighth grade and tenth grade students...it worked well on 
both counts, and provided surprising and unique glimpses into different
students' tastes. 

	The assignment: Students choose one song that reflects their _____ 
grade level)year. It must represent several thoughts or feelings they had 
over the year, and not simply be a reflection of yesterday or of last week. 
They should also choose a song that fits their personality (i.e. upbeat 
students will choose 'happy' music, more thoughtful or relaxed students will 
probably choose more reflective or soothing music). Most likely, the song will 
be from a band or singer that they really like.
 
	Students need to bring in a copy of the lyrics, and a written explanation 
of why this song fits their experiences of the year...they also need to select 
a particular line or passage from the song that they really empathize with, 
and include their discussion of this line in their explanation. The day it's 
due, students need to bring in a copy of the music, and briefly explain their 
reasons for selecting the song, and play a short (10-15 second) clip from it. 
Most students are familiar with the music anyway, but for those who don't know 
the song, it helps to illustrate the meaning and tone for them. 

	Inevitably, some students want to choose two or three songs. The point 
is to select ONE, which will really force them to reflect on their overall year. 
Particularly with the tenth graders, they were definitely more thoughtful and 
reflective of their song selections ("Everything I do I do it for you" by Bryan 
Adams on the theme of friendship) than the eighth graders ("No Scrubs" by TLC on 
the theme of ugly guys). 


Aimee Arreygue
English Teacher
Fullerton High School
Fullerton, CA