Safety of Numbers
Who is the author?
Lucy Tan
What is a theme?
A universal message about life/human nature
What is a claim?
Your argument/opinion
Define compound subject.
Two or more subjects
Identify the compound subject:
“Marcus and Tiana walked to the store.”
Marcus and Tiana
What does the daughter learn about her mother?
She had a hidden past
Is “Friendship” a theme or topic?
Topic
What is evidence?
Support from text or real world
Define compound predicate.
Two or more actions
Identify the compound predicate:
“She danced and sang.”
danced and sang
How does the story explore “coming of age”?
Through learning hidden truths
Rewrite “Growing up is hard” as a stronger theme statement.
Example: “Adolescence is a time of struggle and discovery for most people.”
What is explanation?
How evidence proves claim
Define compound object.
Two or more objects receiving action
Identify the compound object:
“He bought pizza and soda.”
pizza and soda
What is the conflict?
Strained mother–daughter relationship
Which theme fits best: independence, greed, courage?
Independence
Order these: Evidence, Explanation, Claim.
Claim, Evidence, Explanation
Write your own compound predicate.
Compound subject + predicate
Which sentence contains a compound subject?
a) The dog barked.
b) My cousin and I biked.
b) My cousin and I biked.
Provide a quote that supports the theme of identity.
“I realized then that there were parts of my mother’s life I might never fully know, but they were still a part of me.”
Any valid example of a quote showing identity (student choice)
Why must theme connect to the real world?
So readers see meaning beyond text
Write a mini claim about Safety of Numbers.
In “Safety of Numbers,” the daughter shows maturity when she realizes that her mother’s hidden past influences who she is becoming.
(Student-generated mini claim, e.g. “In Safety of Numbers, the daughter shows growth by confronting her mother’s past.”)
Identify: “She bought chips, cookies, and soda.”
Compound object
Which sentence contains a compound predicate?
a) She writes poetry.
b) She writes and performs poetry.
b) She writes and performs poetry.