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What was your favorite thing you did this weekend?
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Define the term 'theme'
The universal lesson or message of a story
True or False? Theme is the same thing as Main Idea.
False
Title: The Monkey and The Dolphin
A group of sailors set sail on a long voyage. They brought along a monkey to keep them company. After several weeks at sea, there was a terrible storm. The choppy waves tossed the monkey overboard.
A dolphin saw the monkey in the water and rescued him. The dolphin swam to a nearby island, carrying the money on her back. When they arrived at the island, the dolphin asked the monkey, “have you been here before?”
The monkey said, “Yes. I am king of this island.” Of course, that was not true. The dolphin swam away, leaving the monkey trapped on the island.
What is the theme of The Monkey and The Dolphin?
People should not go to war to settle their differences
Boasting and lying can get you into trouble
Never trust someone you don’t know well
Boasting and lying will get you into trouble.
Define the term Main Idea
What is a story is mostly about
True or False: We can determine the theme by asking ourselves what the character learns.
True
A theme and a moral are the _______
same
Title: The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one fine summer’s day, a Grasshopper named Clarence was hopping about, chirping and singing to his heart’s content. An Ant named Marie passed by, carrying a very large potato on her back. “Why not come and sing with me,” said the grasshopper, “instead of working so hard?”
“I am storing food for the winter,” said the Ant, continuing to move supplies.
“Why” asked the Grasshopper. “There is plenty to eat right now.”
But the Ant ignored him, still working all through the summer and autumn. When the winter came, the Grasshopper had no food and found himself cold and hungry. But the Ant, who had worked hard and prepared, was happy and full.
What is the theme of The Ant and the Grasshopper?
It is easy to despise what you cannot have
Hard work pays off
Kindness is better than meanness.
Hard work pays off
Why the Bat Flies at Night
Once upon a time, there was a war between the animals of the air and the animals of the land. The eagle would hunt and eat the rabbit. The owl was never safe from the fox.
The bat had wings like the flying animals, but it had teeth like the land animals. Unsure which side to join, the bat joined whichever side was winning. When the air animals were ahead, the bat fought along with the air animals. When the land animals won a battle, the bat joined them.
After many years, both sides decided to end the war. There was peace across the earth. But the animals could not forget what the bat had done. Both the air animals and the land animals felt tricked by the bat. They decided to drive the bat away.
And that is why the bat hides away during the day and goes out only at night.
What was the theme?
a) Don't fight over your differences
b) Be true to yourself
Don't fight over your differences
True
I can also ask myself what was the _________ in the story?
a)problem
b)knowledge
c) cookie
problem
Title: The Wind and The Sun
The Wind and The Sun were arguing about who was stronger. Suddenly, they saw a traveler coming down the road. The Sun said, “I know a way to settle our dispute: whichever one of us can cause that traveler to remove his cloak will be labeled the strongest. You go first.”
The Sun went behind a cloud and The Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveler. But, the harder The Wind blew, the more the traveler burrowed into his cloak. At last The Wind gave up in despair. Then, The Sun came out and shone brightly upon the traveler. Soon enough, the traveler became too hot, and removed his cloak.
What is the theme of The Sun and The Wind?
Sunlight is better than wind
You receive more with persuasion than with force
Preparation pays off
You receive more with persuasion than with force
What lesson does the character in this story learn?
Daedalus and Icarus
Daedalus and his son Icarus were trapped on the island of Crete by King Minos. One day Daedalus saw a flock of birds in the sky. This gave him an idea. He would make two pairs of wings so that they could escape from the island.
For weeks Daedalus gathered all the feathers he could find on the ground. He glued them together with wax. Finally, he and Icarus put on the wings. Daedalus told Icarus, "Do not fly too close to the sun, or the wax will melt."
Daedalus and Icarus flapped their arms as fast as they could. They soared into the sky! As they flew upward, the island of Crete grew smaller below them. But Icarus was so excited about flying that he kept going higher and higher. "No, Icarus, no!" Daedalus shouted.
It was too late. The sun had already begun to melt the wax. The feathers blew away, and Icarus fell into the sea.
a) Don't be too bold
b) Flying is fun
c) Lying is wrong
Don't be too bold
We can ______ the theme of a story
infer
DAILY DOUBLE!! Theme is Implicit or Explicit?
Implicit
Echo and NarcissusLong ago there lived a handsome man named Narcissus who loved only himself. Echo, a goddess of the mountains, fell in love with him. She followed him everywhere, but he acted coldly and cruelly toward her. She was so sad that she faded away until nothing was left of her but her voice.Soon after, Narcissus was out taking a walk in the forest. Thirsty, he decided to stop for a drink from a pool. As he leaned down to scoop up the cold water in his hands, he saw himself in the water. The face he saw was so beautiful that he fell in love with it. He could not look away, so he sat and stared at himself in the water. He could not bear to leave, not even to eat or drink. For the rest of his life, Narcissus never left the pool.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
Don't think too much of yourself
What is the problem in this story?
Lisheng and the Fox
Long ago in China there lived a man named Lisheng. He had just gotten married and wanted to please his new wife. More than anything, she wanted a coat made of fox fur. She asked Lisheng to buy her one, but the coat cost too much.
Lisheng came up with a plan. He would find a fox and make the coat himself. So he waited in the woods until a fox approached, and he grabbed it by the tail.
"My wife wants a fox coat. Could you give me your fur?" Lisheng said.
The fox replied, "I'll make a deal with you. Let go of my tail, and I'll take off my fur and give it to you."
Lisheng did as the fox asked, but the fox ran away, laughing. Lisheng had been tricked, and his wife never got a fox fur coat.
Lisheng's wife wants a fur coat.
Theme is connected to the character's _______
Journey
How many themes can a story have?
More than one
Why the Spider Has Long, Thin Legs
Long ago there lived a spider named Anansi who had eight short legs. He was always hungry.
One day he visited Rabbit's house. Rabbit was cooking wonderful-smelling greens. He invited Anansi to stay and eat, but Anansi wanted to try other animals' foods, too. Anansi decided to spin a web and tie his leg to the pot. When the greens were done, Rabbit would tug on the web to tell Anansi to come and eat.
Next, Anansi visited Monkey's home. Monkey was cooking beans. Anansi tied another leg to Monkey's pot. Now Monkey could tug on the web when the beans were ready.
On he went until he had visited eight friends and tied each of his eight legs to eight different pots. Suddenly, he felt a tug on one leg. Then he felt another, and another. Soon all eight legs were being tugged in different directions. Ouch! Anansi finally untied his legs, which were now stretched long and thin. He went home to rest, still hungry.
What was the theme?
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