Theme and Evidence

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door.

Which text best supports the theme?

• “Let’s have fun together.”

• "One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart."

• “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him."

• "But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat."

One summer's day, a merry Grasshopper was dancing, singing and playing his violin with all his heart. He saw an Ant passing by working hard to store food for the winter. “Come and sing with me instead of working so hard,” said the Grasshopper “Let’s have fun together.” “I must store food for the winter,” said the Ant,“ and I advise you to do the same.” “Don’t worry about winter, it’s still very far away,” said the Grasshopper, laughing at him. But the Ant wouldn’t listen and continued to work. When winter came, the starving Grasshopper went to the Ant’s house and humbly begged for something to eat. “If you had listened to my advice in the summer you would not now be in need,” said the Ant. “I’m afraid you will have to go without supper,” and he closed the door. What is the theme?

• share with your neighbor

• work before you play

• be respectful

• don't be greedy

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he would die of thirst. Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one.

Which text best supports the theme?

• "a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it."

• "Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one."

• "The poor thing felt as if he would die of thirst."

• "In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it."

Carrie loved her phone and her tablet. She was always looking at one or the other. Her parents would try to talk to her about her life, but she would just ignore them or give them brief answers until they left her alone. When she was at school, she'd sneak peeks at her phone under her desk whenever she could get away with it. When she was at parties, she spent more time interacting with the devices in front of her than with the people around her. Even at concerts and sporting events, Carrie seldom removed her eyes from these tiny screens. One day Carrie was walking home from a friend's house and watching a funny video of people slipping on ice. She began crossing the street just after the light changed. She was so into the video that she did not notice the oncoming traffic. She walked directly into the traffic while laughing at the falling people on her tiny screen and was hit by a bus. Carrie sustained mild injuries, but both of her devices were destroyed. As far as she was concerned, her life was over. What is the theme?

• Teamwork is important

• Respect your parents

• Too much technology can be dangerous

• Being selfish is wrong

Why is it important to support interpretations of the theme with evidence from the text?

• To make the story more interesting

• To ensure that interpretations are grounded in the text and not purely subjective

• To increase the word count of an essay

• To change the author's intended theme

A narrative involves a character who initially struggles with honesty but learns the value of truth after facing several consequences. What theme does this suggest?

• Dishonesty is sometimes necessary.

• Truth can be more harmful than lies.

• Honesty leads to personal freedom and better relationships.

• People do not change.

Tags

DOK Level 4: Extended Thinking

A theme should be supported by ...

• your own words

• evidence from the text

• rationale/reasoning

• ALL of the above

Why is it important to determine the theme of a story?

• To understand the plot better

• To learn about the author's life

• To understand the deeper meaning or message of the story

• To know how many characters are in the story

How can you identify the theme of a story?

• By looking at the title only

• By examining the actions and outcomes of the main characters

• By counting the number of pages

• By focusing on the illustrations only

In a piece of narrative text, what is the "theme"?

• What the story is about

• The topic of the text

• A message the author is trying to get across to the reader

• Where and when the story happens