Theme & Central Ideas
What is theme?
The lesson or message of a story
What is point of view?
Who is telling the story
What is a central idea?
The main point of a text
What is technical vocabulary?
Subject-specific words
What is a claim?
What the author believes
How can a theme be revealed?
Through characters, events, or dialogue
What is first-person point of view?
A character tells the story using “I”
What detail best supports a central idea?
A fact or example
What does “analyze” mean?
Examine closely
What is evidence?
Facts that support a claim
Identify a theme about friendship.
Friends support each other
How does point of view affect what we know?
It limits or expands information
How does an author develop an idea?
With facts, examples, and explanations
How do headings help readers?
They organize information
How can you tell if evidence is strong?
It’s relevant and factual
How does theme develop across a text?
It grows through events and choices
How does a character’s motivation drive the plot?
It explains why they act
What is the purpose of an introduction?
To introduce the topic
Why do authors use transitions?
To connect ideas
Identify an author’s purpose.
To inform, persuade, or entertain
In a story, a character lies to avoid trouble, but later tells the truth and fixes the problem. What theme does this show?
Being honest is important / Honesty leads to trust
Two characters describe the same event differently. What explains why their descriptions are not the same?
They have different points of view
Explain how paragraphs connect ideas.
They organize information logically
Explain how word choice affects meaning.
It shapes understanding and tone
An author claims that school uniforms should be required and gives statistics about fewer distractions. What is the evidence?
The statistics showing fewer distractions