Theme 8th Grade ELA

One way you could figure out the theme is to...

• Skim through the story
• Just read the beginning of the story
• Think about what the character has learned
• Read the ending of the story

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

Which of the following is NOT an example of a theme?

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• The little boy lied to his mother.

• With hard work, you can accomplish anything.

• You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

What could be an example of a theme?

• Friendship

• Being prepared often leads to success.

• How to bake chocolate chip cookies

• Helping others

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

What is the difference between a theme of a story and a topic of a story?

• They are the same thing. 
• Theme is a summary and a topic is a life lesson.
• Theme is the life lesson you learn and topic is what the story is mostly about. 
• They both summarize the plot.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Alan had very few responsibilities, but one of them was to clean his room. It did not take long, but Alan still didn't like doing it. One day Alan thought of a way to save some time. Rather than putting everything neatly back in its place, he decided to just throw all the stuff on the floor into his closet. His mom would think that he had cleaned his room, and it would only take a fraction of the time. Alan was pleased with himself for thinking of this brilliant idea. He figured that this would save a lot of time and energy. The next time his room got messy, he piled everything up in the closet and the pile grew. It grew and grew. Then Alan's friend Steve called. "Alan, everyone is playing baseball at the park. Do you want to play too?" Alan loved baseball. "That sounds great, Steve. I'll be right there." Alan went to grab his baseball mitt when he realized that it wasn't in its usual place. Alan thought to himself, I guess it's in the closet. When he opened up the closet door, he was faced with a huge, unnavigable mess, some of which poured out as he opened the door. Alan began digging through the pile in a frantic attempt to find his mitt. He dug and dug, and as he dug his room got messier and messier. Soon his room was the messiest that it had ever been, and he still hadn't found his mitt. Alan sighed in despair. By the time he found his mitt, the boys had long concluded their game and Alan had hours of cleaning ahead of him before he'd be allowed to leave.

What is the theme of the story?

• Treat others as you wish to be treated; what goes around, comes around.

• A thing worth doing, is worth doing correctly; cutting corners comes at a cost; it is better to do a thing once the right way than many times the wrong way.

• Give credit where credit is due; a good relationship has to have some give and take.

• Do not criticize things that are dear to others, particularly if they are not seeking your criticism

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

When Curtis transferred to our high school from some fancy private school, I was assigned the job of showing him around our building. First, I showed him our trophy case. Our school has done put together some quality teams and programs over the years, so our trophy case was pretty full. Curtis was not impressed. He claimed that the trophy case at his old school was at least twice as big as ours and much more crowded. Next I showed him our swimming pool. Not every high school has a swimming pool, so we were proud of ours, but Curtis couldn't care less. "The swimming pool at my old school is bigger and more modern. This one looks kind of dirty," he said with disdain. I continued to guide Curtis around the school, showing him our cafeteria, gymnasium, and even our garden, but Curtis seemed disappointed with everything that he saw. He'd quickly compare it to his old school, which in his words was superior to ours in every way. The last thing I showed Curtis was the front door. I told him that he would like this one best because he could walk through it and go back to his old school.

What is the theme of the story?

• Do not criticize things that are dear to others.

• A thing worth doing is worth doing correctly; cutting corners comes at a cost; better to do a thing once the right way then many times the wrong way.

• Give credit where credit is due; a good relationship has to have some give and take.

• Treat others as you wish to be treated; what goes around, comes around.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Climax is... 

• Events that make up a story
• The exploding part of story/ turning point of story
• setting and characters
• the solution to the problem

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

Which of the following show the elements of plot in order?

• climax, rising action, exposition, falling action, resolution
• exposition, climax, rising action, falling action, resolution
• exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution
• resolution, rising action, climax, falling action, exposition

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

What happens in the falling action?

• You are introduced to the conflict.
• The setting is described in detail. 
• Events begin to calm down after the climax. 
• It is the exact same as the rising action. 

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.9