Theme

Theme

Open Ended

Have you ever encountered a story that taught you an important life lesson? Describe a book, movie, TV show, or song that communicated a meaningful message about the world. What lesson did you learn?

Theme

A theme is an underlying message in a text. It teaches readers "the moral of the story." There can be many themes in a single text.

An author will use a theme to communicate his or her ideas about the world. For example, an author might want to teach readers that ordinary people can be heroes or that lying can lead to dangerous consequences.

Multiple Select

Theme is ... (check all that apply)

• a lesson or moral

• what the story is about

• universal (can apply to many)

• the topic of the story

• summary of what happens in the story

Multiple Choice

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• A 35-year-old woman named Essie and her brother.

• A small apartment in Austin, Texas.

• Telling the truth may cause you pain, but in the end, it's better than lying.

• Essie lied to her brother about her identity for two years, but she finally decided to tell him the truth.

Multiple Choice

You can often infer the theme of a piece of literature by ...

• evaluating how a character has changed

• sharing a character's experience

• determining how the conflict has resolved

• ALL of the above

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about theme is TRUE?

• Authors NEVER use the same theme twice

• Themes only repeat in short stories

• All poems have the same theme

• The same themes can occur in different stories/different authors

Multiple Choice

Themes are universal because ...

• all humans share common experiences

• authors add them to make the writing meaningful

• the entire universe enjoys them

• the stories go on forever

Multiple Choice

Identify the theme:

She sobbed for hours trying to think of a way out of having to tell her father she wrecked her new car. After stewing over it for quite some time, she called her father on his cell phone. "Thank you," he said.

• Sometimes crying is good for you

• it's important to be honest

• Driving a car is a big responsibility

• Experiencing loss/grief is difficult

Multiple Choice

Identify the theme:

The phone rang. She dropped the phone and tears began to drop onto her check. Her lip quivered as she pictured the scene that was described to her. "NO!" she wailed.

• Honesty is the best policy

• It takes courage to live life

• Experiencing loss/grief is difficult

• You should never answer a mysterious phone call

Multiple Choice

Identify the theme:

There was a ragged old woman following behind me as I walked down each aisle. She had a strange look on her face, as her missing teeth distorted her smile. I rushed to try to avoid her, as I was a little nervous about what she might do. Come to find out, I dropped some money and she was trying to return it to me.

• Never trust someone you do not know.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.

• Always be aware of your surroundings

• Keep what is valuable close to you.

Multiple Choice

Identify the theme:

Jim was stacking boxes at work. There was a certain height he had to reach. He stretched his body, but could not reach to place the final box at the top. Bill happened to see Jim struggling and came to his rescue, since he was a foot taller.

• Teamwork can accomplish a goal

• Tall people are the best

• Work hard to reach a goal

• Working hard will get you far

Multiple Choice

Unlike the topic of literature, a theme ...

• can be expressed in one word

• always shows the setting

• is always stated directly in the text

• cannot be just one word

Multiple Choice

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• Fear is more dangerous than any beast.

• A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army.

• A fear of heights.

• "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."

Multiple Choice

Identify the theme:

"You can do it!" shouted her father, as he pushed Chloe and let go. She was going on her own, but suddenly fell. She cried, but said, "Again, daddy!" This time she went farther but fell into the ditch. A few moments later, she was riding down the street, smiling from ear to ear.

• You should sacrifice for others

• Your family will do anything for you

• When you are greedy, you will fall down

• You should never give up

Open Ended

Identify a theme that could be used to describe this picture.

Open Ended

Identify a theme that could be used to describe this picture.

Open Ended

Identify a theme that could be used to describe this picture.

Open Ended

Identify a theme that could be used to describe this picture.

Open Ended

Identify the theme of "Let it Go" from Frozen.

Open Ended

Identify the theme of "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King.

Open Ended

Identify the theme of "Happy" by Pharrell WIlliams.

Open Ended

Identify the theme of "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story.

Poll

How confident do you feel about your understanding of theme?

• I feel confident with the topic.

• I need more practice but I understand the topic.

• I still have some questions and need more practice.

• I do not understand this topic at all.