Theme Dectectives
A story’s message about life, developed through its events and characters though applicable to everyone, is this.
What is Theme?
What do we call the person or voice that tells a story?
Who is the narrator?
What do we call the events that happen in a story?
What is plot?
What do we call the words and sentences around an unfamiliar word that help us figure out its meaning?
What are context clues?
What do we call a comparison that does not use the words like or as?
What is a metaphor?
A story is about friendship, but its message is “Trust grows when people listen to one another.” The message is this, not the one-word subject.
What is theme; not Topic?
A narrator says, “I carried the box across the room.” What point of view is the story told from?
What is first-person point of view?
What is the rhyme scheme called if every other ending word in line in a poem rhymes? example: the cat ran. the dog eats. she kicked her can. he laced his cleats.
What is ABAB rhyme scheme?
“The puppy gave a sharp bark.” Does bark mean the outside of a tree or the sound a dog makes?
What is the sound a dog makes?
The pond became as dark as a black hole. What type of figurative language compares the pond to a mirror while using like or as?
What is a simile?
A character fails at first, asks for help, and succeeds after trying a new plan. To identify a possible theme, readers should use these details to ask this.
What is the lesson everyone can learn?
What does the reader miss out on when the author uses third person POV
What is access to the inner thoughts and feelings of characters?
A sentence describes dark clouds gathering before a storm begins. How does this detail do for the story/reader?
What is building suspense or making readers wonder what will happen next?
Read this sentence: “The stream’s current pushed the small boat downstream.” What does the word current mean?
What is moving water?
A poem says, “Hope is a small lantern carried through the fog.” Explain what the metaphor means and how it affects the poem’s mood or message.
What is hope is compared to a lantern that guides someone through confusion or difficulty, creating a hopeful mood?
Maya waters a forgotten seedling. Her neighbor brings soil, and children join her.What lesson does this show?
What is one helpful action can inspire a community?
What does a shift in perspective do for the readers?
Jo promises to deliver books to her classroom, but a storm causes all the roads to blocked . What does this detail establish in the plot?
What is the climax (BIG problem)?
Read this sentence: “The trail was narrow, so only one hiker could walk along it at a time.” What does narrow mean?
What is not wide?
Read the sentence: “The old house groaned as the wind pressed against its doors.” What mood does this figurative language help create?
What is a tense, uneasy, or mysterious feeling?
At first, a student refuses to ask for help. Later, she accepts a classmate’s advice and finishes a difficult project. What lesson does her change teach?
What is accepting help can help people overcome challenges?
At first, a story describes a storm as frightening, with dark clouds and loud thunder. Later, the same storm is described as peaceful because it brings much-needed rain to a dry garden. How does the change in perspective affect the reader’s understanding of the storm?
What is the change shows that the same event can be viewed differently depending on a person’s feelings or situation. The storm seems frightening at first but helpful later because the garden needs rain.
At the end of a story, two characters solve the problem introduced at the beginning. What does this part of the plot do?
What is resolution?
The word preview begins with pre-, which means “before.” What does a preview allow you to do?
What is get a look at something before it is fully shown or available?
A poem says, “The wind danced through the trees as the branches waved hello.” Identify the type of figurative language and explain how it affects the poem’s mood or meaning.
What is personification? The wind is described as dancing and the branches as waving hello, giving them human actions. This creates a playful, cheerful mood.