Unit 1, Lesson 5THEMES OF ELISA’S DIARY

C R E A T E D B Y : M . C H R I S T O F F , E N R I C H M E N T S P E C I A L I S T , F I E L D L O C A L S C H O O L S

• Students will understand what themes are and will write them.

• Students will visualize story details.

• Students will use the Visualize Strategy to identify theme.

OBJECTIVES FOR TODAY

A theme is the big idea or lesson the author wants

the reader to know and learn.

THEME

As you read, you will use a Graphic Organizer: Inference Map to record details like the ones below to make inferences about the story’s themes.

• Elisa’s Qualities• Elisa’s Motives• Elisa’s Actions• Important Lessons Elisa Learns

THEME

• Qualities are personality traits that make a character think and act in certain ways.

• A character’s motives are the reason for his or her behavior.

• A character’s actions show how he or she responds to conflict and to other characters in the story.

• Ask yourself, “ What important life lesson does the main character learn?” This lesson is the story’s theme.

ANALYZING THE MAIN CHARACTER

Visualizing is using the text details to form pictures in your

mind.

VISUALIZE

Use the Inference Map to identify

sensory details in the story that will

help you from mental pictures of

the characters’ behaviors.

VISUALIZE

INFERENCE MAP: THEME PP. 124-125

How did a member of Elisa’s family help her overcome a fear during

her first visit to America? Support your answer with details from the selection.

Detail: Elisa heard a ________ and thought it was a __________.

Detail:Her ________ showed her that it was _________ instead.

Detail:Elisa had never seen a _________ before, and she _____________ them.

Theme:Sometimes people ________ what they

don’t _____________.

INFERENCE MAP: THEME

Describe Elisa and what she

learns.

pp. 125-126

Detail:Elisa is ___ to the United States.

Detail: Elisa wishes she could ________ to the same

_____ as her brother, so she can feel ________.

Detail: Elisa does not try to

meet _________ in America.

Theme:Moving to a ____ country can be

difficult, especially if you don’t speak the

_________.

INFERENCE MAP: THEME PP. 126-127

How did another member of Elisa’s

family try to help her when the family first moved to America?

Support your answer with details.

Detail: _______ told Elisa he uses his ______ to help him ______________.

Detail: _________told her that a neighbor learned _______ from the __________.

Detail:______ said Elisa should be watching _______in _______.

Theme: You can _____ yourself by __________ different things.

INFERENCE MAP: THEME

How does Elisa feel and what does she do? pp. 128-130

Detail: Elisa does not like ________. She is _________ when speaking in class.

Detail:Elisa is friendly with _______ who is also new. She likes his

________ about _____________.

Detail: Elisa writes about _______ for school.

She shows her _________to ______.

Theme: __________ what you know with _______

helps you to find _________ in common and make

________.

INFERENCE MAP: THEME P. 132

Do you think Elisa will use her experiences with Jose to help the

students that she teaches? Support your answer with details.

Detail: Detail: Detail:

Theme: Elisa will share the lesson she learned about ……