ThemeThe Life lesson of a story

or The real world connection

Welcome!

• Bellwork

What is theme?

• Theme is the life lesson of a story.

The secret to figuring out theme is: use INFERENCING!

Use Inferencing

• The author is not going to come out and just tell you the theme.

• That means you have to THINK

• Ask yourself- “What could I learn from this story?”

You have to look for the BIG IDEA!

Identify the BIG IDEAS

• Big Ideas are 1-2 word general topics.

• What are the Big Ideas involved in the story? For example: friendship, family, honesty, selfishness...

Make it a Lesson

Learning the Life Lesson

• What is the “truth” or central idea the story reveals about life?

• Look at general applications that fit a large group of people.

• What can the text teach all of us?

Where’s the Support?

PROVE IT!

• ANY theme can be considered valid IF you can support it with textual evidence!

Let’s Practice1. Katie Clean invited Messy Missy to her house to work on their biology project, but Katie Clean had no idea what a visit from Messy Missy entailed. First of all, it was raining and Messy Missy neither bothered to take her boots off nor thoroughly wiped them on the doormat. Then Messy Missy ate a bag of hot chips on Katie Clean’s white bedspread without asking, and Messy Missy is a sloppy eater, so hot chip powder got all over the bedspread. Katie Clean tried to be polite and ignore Messy Missy’s sloppy behavior, but then Messy Missy threw her chip wrapper on the floor. Offended, Katie Clean pretended that she was sick and asked Messy Missy to leave. The next day Katie Clean asked the teacher if she could work by herself. After explaining her situation, the teacher allowed Katie to work alone. Messy Missy would have finished the assignment by herself, but she spilled grape soda all over her assignment.

www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/theme-worksheets/

• What BIG IDEAS do you see?

• What life lesson from this story could we learn?

• Justify your answer with textual evidence.

With your amazing shoulder partner- answer the following

questions

Let’s practice finding the THEME.

Remember to ANNOTATE!!

Welcome!

Movie/ Theme Match Up

Let’s Check Our

Homework

What is theme?

Theme is the message that connects all the pieces together.

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Theme connects reading to real life.

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Think of a water droplet landing in a pond.

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Click on the water droplet

for a video link.

Like the ripples a water droplet makes, finding the theme helps us connect outward, past the

details and main idea.

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Theme in Three Easy StepsStep 1:Find the “big idea” or general topic in the text.

Step 2:Find out what the characters say or do related to the topic.

Step 3:What is important to learn about the “big idea” or topic? Write a general statement or life lesson that is not specific to the text you have just read.

This is the theme!

How easy was that!!?

How to Paint a Donkey

by Naomi S. Nye

She said the head was too large, the hooves too small.

I could clean my paintbrush but I couldn't get rid of that voice.

While they watched, I crumpled him,

let his blue body stain my hand.

I cried when he hit the can. She smiled. I could try again.

Maybe this is what I unfold in the dark, deciding, for the rest of my life,

that donkey was just the right size.

Read the poem

Add to your chart

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back to the

poem

to closure

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a painting of a donkey

an adult says, the head too large, the

hooves too small

the child crumples the

donkey

the child lies awake at

night, thinking the donkey was just the right

size

Be true to your own heart.

Theme in Three Easy StepsStep 1:Find the “big idea” or general topic in the text.

Step 2:Find out what the characters say or do related to the topic.

Step 3:What is important to learn about the “big idea” or topic? Write a general statement or life lesson that is not specific to the text you have just read.

This is the theme!

How easy was that!!?

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Now, let’s Write a Summary of the Theme

Introduce the title and theme.

A theme in the poem “How to Paint a Donkey” by Naomi S. Nye, is “Be true to yourself.” (Nye)

Use text evidence to support the theme.

In the poem the author wrote, “Maybe this is what I unfold in the dark, deciding, for the rest of my life , that donkey was just the right size.” (Nye)

The author realized that it was a mistake to listen to the person who said that the hooves and head were the wrong size. She will listen to her own ideas from now on.

Explain how that evidence supports the theme.

Restate and explain the theme

By listening to her own ideas, she will do what she believes is right in her heart, and that will show she’s being true to herself. This is a good theme because you always can depend on yourself to make good decisions.

OOPS! Don’t add

your opinion!

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It’s Time to Put it all Together. A theme in the poem “How to Paint a Donkey” by Naomi S. Nye, is be true to yourself. In the poem the author wrote, “Maybe this is what I unfold in the dark, deciding, for the rest of my life , that donkey was just the right size.” (Nye) The author realized that it was a mistake to listen to the person who said that the hooves and head were the wrong size. She will listen to her own ideas from now on. By listening to her own ideas, she will do what she believes is right in her heart, and that will show she’s being true to herself.

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by,

bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper,

“instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”

“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”

“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “We have got

plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no

food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had

collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

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preparing for winter

the grasshopper

plays and sings all summer and doesn’t prepare for

winter

the ant works all

summer and stores food

for the winter

the grasshopper

has no food in the winter

Prepare ahead for the times of need.

Theme in Three Easy StepsStep 1:Find the “big idea” or general topic in the text.

Step 2:Find out what the characters say or do related to the topic.

Step 3:What is important to learn about the “big idea” or topic? Write a general statement or life lesson that is not specific to the text you have just read.

This is the theme!

How easy was that!!?

It’s Your Turn!

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Your writing should:Introduce the title and theme.Use evidence from the story to support the theme. Explain how that evidence supports the theme.Restate and explain the theme.NOT state your opinion.

Use your graphic organizer an the text to summarize a theme of “The Ant and the Grasshopper.”

Closure!Copy each question and answer (in complete sentences) on pg. 24:

What is theme?How is it different from main idea?How do we find a theme in a piece of writing?What do we include in a summary of the theme?

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