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?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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.
Name
Date
Core
THE DOG OF POMPEII (pp. 326-336)
Reading Strategy
READING HISTORICAL FICTION
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
Name
Date
Core
THE DOG OF POMPEII (pp. 326-336)
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.
Detail:
Detail:
Theme:
Detail:
Bimbo wakes Tito after Vesuvius erupts.
Detail:
Name
Date
Core
POMPEII AND VESUVIUS (pp. 340-346)
Reading Check
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?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Name
Date
Core
POMPEII AND VESUVIUS (pp. 340-346)
Skill Focus
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
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”
Main Idea
Author’s Purpose (include evidence)
Name
Date
Core
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 aedile1 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.