Theme and Summary Review

An objective summary should always.....

• clearly show your opinions of the text

• clearly communicate a summary of the text

• clearly indicate all the characters in the text

• include at least four sentences

What is the BEST summary of this passage? Tomorrow is Jill's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin.

• Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.

• Jill loves Mexican food.

• The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

• Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.

Which of the following is the better objective summary of The Lion King?

• This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba, the heir of his father, Mufasa. Simba's wicked uncle, Scar, plots to usurp Mufasa's throne by luring father and son into a stampede of wildebeests. But Simba escapes, and only Mufasa is killed. Simba returns as an adult to take back his homeland from Scar with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa.

• In a tear jerker story, a young lion, Simba, becomes the victim of his cruel Uncle Scar’s plot to take the throne. After finding himself with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba heroically returns to Pride Rock where he overpowers Scar. While the film is charming and inspiring, I think the likelihood of a vegetarian lion beating his dominant uncle in a fight is hard to swallow.

Theme is...

• The most memorable scene from a story.

• The readers favorite part of a story.

• The message or lesson that can be learned from a story.

• The authors point of view.

Which of the following is a theme?

• Pancakes are the best breakfast food.

• Sometimes Hannah can be rude.

• Always be honest and courageous.

• Forever.

What is the theme of this passage? A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.

• Be honest.

• Don't be greedy.

• Always share your things with others.

• Be respectful to others.

Review the following passage from question 8, and choose the evidence that best supports the theme you chose. A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.

• "Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could"

• "At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost"

• "he looked down and saw his reflection"

• "he crossed a narrow bridge"

What is the Theme of this story? During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision.

• You should cheat to win.

• Always work hard.

• It pays to be honest.

• Teamwork is best.

A summary should include...

• Most important plot points

• All details that are included in the exposition

• All the plot points and details

• The most exciting parts of the story

The theme is...

• the lesson the author wants the reader to learn

• a one word idea found throughout the story

• a character trait

• the lesson the reader wants the author to learn