Understanding Theme and Main Idea

Front

Theme

Back

Central message or lesson in a story

Front

Inference

Back

Conclusion based on evidence and reasoning

Front

Main Idea

Back

What the text is mostly about

Front

Identifying Theme

Back

Look for repeated ideas or messages

Front

Making Inferences

Back

Use clues from the text and your own knowledge

Front

Summarizing Main Idea

Back

Briefly state the most important points

Front

Theme Example: Friendship

Back

Importance of having and being a good friend

Front

Literal Meaning

Back

Exact meaning of words or phrases

Front

Inferential Meaning

Back

Deeper meaning beyond the literal words

Front

Theme Example: Courage

Back

Facing fears and challenges bravely