Definitions
True or False - A theme is the message or moral that the author wants you to learn
True
Mrs. Smith was doing a unit on healthy living with her students. All week she taught her students about eating the correct foods like fruits and vegetables and told them stories about how she only eats healthy foods. Over the weekend, some of Mrs. Smith's students were at the mall and saw her eating pizza, a milkshake, and candy. Mrs. Smith's student Molly was going to order a salad, but now decided to order junk food too. What is the theme?
A. Actions speak louder than words
B. Take care of your body
C. Listen to your elders
A.) Actions speak louder than words
Mark was born rich. He never had to work a day in his life and he got everything handed to him on a silver platter. When he was six, Mark wanted to go to a basketball game. His father paid the starting five of the Bulls and Celtics to play a private game of Nerf-ball in Mark's bedroom. When Mark turned thirteen, he wanted to start a band. His father hired the Rolling Stones to play with him every Saturday at the family's private concert hall, though his family was never there. By the time he was twenty-one, Mark was bored with life. He was surrounded by a bunch of possessions that he didn't appreciate and Mark could find nothing new or exciting in his life. He was never satisfied.
What is the theme? (Remember, a theme MUST have TWO parts!)
Even though money allows a person to do fun things, it cannot buy happiness.
Name the 4 types of conflict.
man v. man, nature, society, self
How should a person organize their theme analysis paragraphs?
C-E-R-E-R
or
C-E-E-R-R
True or False - A synonym for theme would be topic
Julia wanted to become a doctor for as long as she could remember. In college when her friends were out at the mall or going out with friends, Julia spent all of her time studying. At graduation, Julia graduated with high honors and was offered a job shortly after. What is the theme?
A. Studying is important.
B. It is important to go to college.
C. Hard work pays off.
C.) Hard work pays off.
Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton's reading class. Mr. Morton wasn't too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered to complete Mr. Morton's reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn't want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core subject and that she had to keep "C" average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy's mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn't complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a "C" minus in reading while Tammy earned an "A." Sammy still hasn't learned his lesson and probably won't complete this activity either.
What is the theme? (Remember, a theme MUST have TWO parts!)
How might looking at the main character show us the theme of the story?
We can see how they change throughout the story... what they have learned how they solved their issues.
What should a writer include in their CLAIM sentence?
1. Title
2. Author
3. Element
4. Theme
Name the elements we use to determine a theme
conflict, setting, character, plot points
Growing up, Sally was always in the shadow of her older sister Mary. Mary always got better grades, was better at sports, and seemed to even be prettier. Sally spent a lot of time in the family's garden feeling sorry for herself. Then one day Mary needed help on a science project about plants. Due to all of her time in the garden, Sally knew a lot about plants and was able help Mary with the project. Sally was shocked that she was better at something than her sister. What is the theme?
A. Accept yourself for who you are.
B. Help others and they will help you in return
C. You can learn a lot from your siblings.
A.)A Accept yourself for who you are.
Mr. Pig and Mr. Dog were hanging out at the food court of the animal shopping mall. Mr. Pig was eating a huge feast of pizza and drinking a large jug of fruit punch and Mr. Dog was watching him eat. "Hey, Mr. Pig. If you give me a slice of your pizza, I'll let you have the next bone I find." Mr. Pig declined, even though it hurt his stomach to eat the last three slices of pizza. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dog," Mr. Pig said, "but I paid for this pizza and it's all mine." Mr. Dog sighed and waited for Mr. Pig to finish, and then they left the animal mall together. On the way out, a hunter spotted them and gave chase. Mr. Pig normally could have escaped the hunter but since he was weighed down by such a large meal, Mr. Pig collapsed and the hunter killed him. Mr. Dog easily escaped. Later that night while returning to the scene, Mr. Dog caught the scent of something delicious and began digging around a trash can. He found a large ham bone with lots of meat and marrow still stuck to the bone. Mr. Dog happily ate it.
What is the theme? (Remember, a theme MUST have TWO parts!)
If a person is able to, they should share what they have with others.
man v. self
How do you know if your evidence is specific (not broad)?
It points to one super specific detail from the story, not a bunch
Can a theme be just one word? Explain
No, it cannot. If it was one word it would be a topic. It needs to be a statement that describes the lesson in the story.
The Monkey and the Cookies A monkey put his hand into the jar of cookies. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the cookie jar. Unwilling to lose the cookies, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and cried bitterly. What is the theme?
A. Putting junk food into your body will only hurt you
B. If you are greedy, you might get nothing.
C. Only eat what you can handle
B.) If you are greedy, you might get nothing.
Blaine opened up the present and began pouting. He screamed in a high-pitched voice, "This is Captain Thunder! I wanted Captain Lightning!" His mother looked at him with dismay and handed him another present, which he greedily opened. "Why did you get me a red hat? You know I like blue more," Blaine whined as he threw the hat across the room. His mother straightened her expression and squinted at him. Earlier she had hoped to take some pictures of this moment, but by now she had put away her camera. She sighed and handed him one more present in hopes that this year wouldn't be a total bust. Blaine huffed and opened it. "A Game Box 4000� wow. Where's the Game Box 5000 that I asked for?" His mother could bear his ingratitude no longer. The next time that Blaine returned from his father's house, he was shocked to find that all of these toys and gifts, along with many other of his things, had been generously donated to needy children.
What is the theme? (Remember, a theme MUST have TWO parts!)
People should be thankful for what they have in life because it may not always be there.
What type of conflict can be identified here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaTOiyNNE_Y&list=PLsgmUdP_LBfYVYTOJ3-e9zovABi0FMBxQ&index=6
man v. self
What should a writer include in their REASONING sentences?
What does the specific moment reveal about the character, story, and theme?
There can only be one theme in a story. True or False.
False
One winter, a monkey found a snake stiff and frozen. The monkey felt sorry for the snake and so he picked the snake up and held it to his chest to try to warm it. The snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and because of its instincts, bit the monkey with all its might. What is the theme?
A. Even though a person has good intentions, they should be cautious because others may not
B. Don't bite the hand that feeds you
C. Think before you act
A.) Even though a person has good intentions, they should be cautious because others may not
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? (Remember, a theme MUST have TWO parts!)
Although it may be easier to cheat or cut corners, a person should always do the right thing the first time.
How may plot points help in determining the theme?
Seeing how the story plays out and how certain events impact the characters in the story can help you determine the theme
There are two ways you can split up ideas into TWO theme paragraphs. Name one way.
1. Make each paragraph about a different element
2. Make each paragraph about one half of the theme