The document discusses identifying themes in stories. It explains that the theme is the underlying message or lesson of a story, not its topic. It provides examples of identifying the themes of hardship and perseverance in Michael Jordan's story, and themes of friendship and self-sacrifice in Charlotte's Web. Readers are encouraged to identify themes using evidence from the text and think about common themes like friendship, honesty and courage they have seen in other stories.
6. Identifying Theme
In his 10th grade year of high
school, Michael Jordan tried out
for the varsity basketball team at
Laney High School in Wilmington,
North Carolina. But at five feet
and eleven inches tall, the coach
believed that Jordan was too
short to play at that level, so
Jordan was cut from the team.
7. Identifying Theme
Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat
him. In fact, it pushed him to work
even harder. He trained vigorously
and grew another four inches the
following summer. When he finally
made the varsity squad, Jordan
averaged 25 points a game and went
on to become one of the greatest
basketball players in history.
9. Identifying Theme
In his 10th grade year of high
school, Michael Jordan tried out
for the varsity basketball team at
Laney High School in Wilmington,
North Carolina. But at five feet
and eleven inches tall, the coach
believed that Jordan was too
short to play at that level, so
Jordan was cut from the team.
10. Identifying Theme
Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat
him. In fact, it pushed him to work
even harder. He trained vigorously
and grew another four inches the
following summer. When he finally
made the varsity squad, Jordan
averaged 25 points a game and went
on to become one of the greatest
basketball players in history.
11. Identifying Theme
W is the topic? W
hat
hat is the
theme?
Michael Jordan
worked hard to
become a
professional
basketball player.
Hard work pays off.
14. Themes in Literature
At the end of this module, you’ll
be able to:
Identify common themes found
in literature.
Identify a theme of a story and
use text evidence to support it.
16. The Ugly Duckling
Topic
An ugly duckling
grows up to be a
beautiful swan.
Theme
Self-Confidence,
individuality, don’t
judge a book by its
cover
17. Now you Try
Click the Link to read along with Ene m y Pie by
Derek Munson.
http://safeshare.tv/w/vTDYoAJXAT
18. Ene m y Pie Theme
W
hat is the theme?
A. A boy makes friends with his enemy.
B. Making enemy pie will make enemies
go away.
C. The best way to get rid of an enemy
is to make him your friend.
D. Making pie for people will always
make them your friend.
19. Ene m y Pie Theme
W is the theme?
hat
A. A boy makes friends with his enemy.
B. Making enemy pie will make enemies
go away.
C. The best way to get rid of an
enemy is to make him your friend.
D. Making pie for people will always make
them your friend.
20. Text Evidence
The boy thinks Jeremy Ross is his
enemy.
His dad makes him spend a day with
Jeremy Ross.
The boy doesn’t want to give him the
enemy pie because he had fun.
He takes Jeremy Ross off of his
enemy list.
21. Common Themes
What other common themes have you seen in
stories you have read?
Friendship?
Honesty?
Loyalty?
Courage?
Cooperation?
Kindness?
Perseverance?
Compassion?
Hello class! Today we will be learning about identifying the theme of a story. Click through the slides at your own pace using the forward and backward arrows.
A theme in a story is what the author is trying to teach you about life or human nature. The topic, on the other hand, is the main idea or the gist of what the story is about. Write the definition in your reading response journal.
Themes are usually not stated in a story. You must infer based on the story plot and what you know. It doesn’t just apply to what is happening in the story, but the world or mankind as a whole.
Listen to the following story and read along. Then identify what you think the topic and the theme of the story is. Remember- the topic is what the story is about, but the theme is the lesson that the main character learns. Take a minute to discuss it with a partner and write down your thoughts.
If you picked something like “Hard work pays off” or “Work hard and you can achieve anything,” you’re on the right track! The topic is about Michael Jordan playing basketball. It is the small world of the story, but the lesson you can learn from him is that with hard work, you can accomplish your dreams too. The evidence that supports the theme is that Michael didn’t give up when he was cut from the team. He worked even harder than he did before to become great.
We can find several common themes throughout literature. In Charlotte’s web, Charlotte the spider weaves words such as “Some Pig” into her web to help save her friend Wilbur, a pig, from being made into bacon. She sacrifices being able to see her children hatch from the egg sac to ensure his safety. This evidence points to the themes of friendship, self-sacrifice and perseverance.
Now we are going to listen to Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. Read along and take notes about the main character’s actions and words. Think about the lesson he learns throughout the course of the story. Write down 3 things that the boy does that make you think he is learning a lesson.
Think about the lesson the boy in the story learned. How can you apply this to your life? Use that knowledge to choose your answer.
The answer is “C” the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him your friend. We know this because The boy thinks Jeremy Ross is his enemy at first. Then, his dad makes him spend a whole day with Jeremy. The boy has fun and decides to take Jeremy Ross off of his enemy list. Because of all of these things, he learns that getting to know your enemies is a good way to get rid of them- in the process, they become your friend.
Think about stories you have read or movies you have watched. What are some of the lessons you have learned from them? Did you learn about true friendship? Being honest is always the best, even when it’s hard? Be kind and compassionate to those who need it most? Take a few minutes a talk to your friends about what books or movies you have seen with these themes. Write down three themes you have read in a book or movie and the book or movie title you found it in.
Remember- theme is the message the author wants you to learn. It goes beyond the characters and plot of the story and applies to the world in general.
