Understanding Themes

What's a theme

• a series of events in a story

• a personality trait

• a big idea explored by a text

• none of the above

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CCSS.RL.5.2

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Guess the theme

• New life

• Jealousy

• Peace

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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Guess the theme

• Travel

• Time

• Love

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

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Guess the theme

• Friendship

• Happiness

• War

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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CCSS.RL.4.2

Guess the theme

• Parenting

• Animals

• War

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

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Think back to the Cinderella example.

Which message do you think is communicated about the theme?

• Jealousy can make people ugly and bitter. Ultimately, it can lead to their downfall.

• Jealousy is a powerful and useful emotion. If you use jealousy correctly, you’ll be able to get what you want.

• It’s understandable that older people are jealous of those who are younger. We should always respect our elders, no matter how they behave.

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

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Recall the Shrek example. Which of the following explores the message surrounding theme most accurately.

• True love has to consider beauty. It’s impossible to love someone who isn’t a little pleasing to look at .

• Genuine love depends on neither appearance nor wealth. It’s based on mutual respect and affection.

• Wealth is more important than romance. Without a lot of money, you can’t survive.

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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Remember the verse from Sidney Chaplin’s war poem. What message does he want to deliver?

• War is rewarding. If you fight for a cause, you’ll experience glory and feel rewarded.

• Being a soldier isn’t always easy but it’s worth doing because of the admiration people give you.

• War is a demeaning and punishing experience -the opposite of how it’s sometimes shown.

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Finally, what message do you think Dahl wanted communicate through the theme of parenting?

• It is a good idea to bring up children to be demanding and to challenge adults.

• Spoiling children is unadvisable. You can make a child negative by bringing them up to expect to have whatever they demand.

• Children naturally love animals. Parents should allow them to have as many as they like to help them grow into balanced people.

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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CCSS.RL.4.9

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