Teaching theme is one of those skills that everyone seems to teach slightly
different. Some accept one word as an acceptable theme and others accept themes
with story specific information. As I embarked on teaching my 5th
graders theme, I wanted to make sure that I taught them correctly, so I did
some research…. and checked with a middle school English teacher :)
Since theme is the life lesson or message, it’s important that the
theme is written in a statement. The one word concept (ex. friendship,
individuality, loyalty) is the thematic topic. The theme is a sentence or
statement about the topic. Remembering that the theme is a universal lesson, it
should not be story specific. A strong theme is woven throughout the entire
text and is supported by the text, but the theme is something that is implied
and inferred by the text. (Ex. Love is all you need, Earn respect by giving
respect, etc.)
After looking at several different graphic organizers but not
finding one that was “just right” for my purposes, I decided to create my own.
I used the idea of a tree from the blog I'm Lovin' Lit, but changed the order
around.
First, have students determine the topic and write it in the center,
in the “knot”. Next, students write the theme, statement about the topic, on
the leaves of the tree. At the bottom where the roots are, students write the
details from the story that support the theme.
This graphic organizer is a great way for students to learn and
practice this skill or use as a guide when writing or having a discussion about
the theme of a story. To get your FREE copy, click here.
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