Theme

What is theme?

• The topic of the story

• The lesson/moral of the story

• What the story is about

• A summary of a text

Why is theme important in a story?

• It helps to develop the plot

• It provides a deeper meaning and insight

• It describes the physical appearance of characters

• It sets the time and place of the story

Theme is a ________ (sentence or word)

What is a question we can ask ourselves to figure out what the theme of a story is?

Which of these is not related to theme?

• a life lesson that the character learns
• the moral of the story
• how a character is feeling
• the message of the story

True or False: Theme and Main Idea are the same thing.

• True

• False

Read the story, "The Young Crab and His Mother." What do you think that the theme of this story is:

"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "You should always walk straight forward with your toes turned out."

"Show me how to walk, mother dear," answered the little Crab obediently, "I want to learn."

So the old Crab tried and tried to walk straight forward. But she could walk sideways only, like her son. And when she wanted to turn her toes out she tripped and fell on her nose.

What is the THEME of this story: Long ago a beautiful princess had all beautiful expensive dresses. She bragged about them all the time. The other maidens got so tired of hearing about it that they stopped being friends with her.

• Money can buy happiness.

• Don't talk to strangers.

• Love is blind.

• Don't brag. Be modest!

What is the THEME of this story:

There were once some hard-working ants and a grasshopper who hated to work. The ants gathered food a,I spring while the grasshopper played. When winter came, the ants had enough food, but grasshopper had nothing to eat. Since the ants had no extra food to give, the grasshopper starved.

• Don't be lazy.

• Don't steal.

• Look before you leap.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

What is the THEME of this story:

Once a frog jumped off an embankment into what he assumed was a pond. Unfortunately it was not a pond; it was just a ditch. There was a raccoon in the ditch that ate him.

• Slow and steady wins the race.

• Respect your elders.

• Look before you leap.

• Do not boast.