Identifying Theme (MC)
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. 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. Never eat pizza at the mall
C. Your choices can influence your identity and the thoughts other have
C. Your choices can influence your identity and the thoughts other have
Once there was a great warrior named Achilles. When Achilles was a baby, his mother dipped him in the River Styx. The river's magical water could protect a person from any harm.
There was one problem, though. Achilles's mother held him by the heel when she dipped him in the river. His heel never got wet, and so his heel was not protected by the water's magic.
After Achilles grew up, a war began between the Greeks and a city called Troy. Achilles was the most powerful fighter of all the Greeks. Troy was a great city with strong, high walls, and the Greeks had trouble capturing it. But as long as Achilles was fighting for the Greeks, the people of Troy could not drive them away. The war went on for ten years. The fierce Achilles seemed impossible to beat.
Finally, the prince of Troy shot an arrow at Achilles. The arrow hit Achilles right in his heel, his one weak spot. Achilles was killed by the arrow, and the Greeks lost their great hero.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
Even the strongest people have weak points
What is theme?
The lesson or message of the story
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 can help a person reach their goals
C. Hard work can help people reach their goals.
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 is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one.
Can theme be one word? Why or why not?
No, it cannot. Theme is a complete thought. Topic is one word.
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. Sports are not important
C. You can learn a lot from plants.
A. Accept yourself for who you are.
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.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
Freedom comes at a cost
T/F: A theme relates to only one story, plot, or set of characters.
False
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 Eating cookies can be dangerous.
B If you are greedy, you might get nothing.
C Don't put your hand in the cookie jar.
B If you are greedy, you might get nothing.
There once was a clever fox who loved playing tricks. He invited his friend the stork over for dinner one day. When dinner was served, the poor bird saw that the meal was soup served in a flat dish. Try as she might, the stork could not drink the soup with her long, thin beak.
"I'm sorry you aren't enjoying the dinner," the fox said, laughing to himself over his trick.
"Oh, it's no problem at all," the stork said, acting very polite. "You must join me for dinner next time."
Soon the stork invited the fox to her house for dinner. The fox had worked hard all day and was very hungry. But when the stork brought out the food, the fox got a surprise. The dinner was served in tall, narrow jars. With her long beak, the stork had no trouble gobbling up the tasty food. The fox's mouth did not fit in the jar, so he went home hungry.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
Expect others to treat you the way you treat them.
A theme must be written as a ___________ _________.
Complete thought/sentence
Which theme best matches with the quote from the story Hatchet: " A hundred funny cartoons he had seen about skunks... but when the spray hit there was nothing funny about it - he was completely blind for almost two hours."
A. Taking time to build something makes it more meaningful.
B. Nature is harsher in real life.
C. Feeling sorry for yourself won't solve your problems.
D. Skunk spray is bad for your eyes.
2. Nature is harsher in real life.
Once upon a time, there was a very hungry wolf. He liked nothing more than to feast on a nice, tasty sheep. But the wolf could never get to the sheep because the shepherd was always watching the flock.
One day the wolf saw a sheepskin lying near the field where the shepherd kept the sheep. This gave him an idea. He put on the sheepskin and walked into the field. The shepherd did not notice the wolf dressed up like a sheep. The wolf was able to lead a lamb away from the flock and eat it for dinner.
The next day the wolf went back for another meal. He put on the sheepskin and joined the flock. But the wolf was not the only one hungry this time. The shepherd was planning his dinner and needed a sheep for a stew. So he picked up his knife and went into the flock. The first sheep he came across was really the wolf, who ended up in the shepherd's pot that night.
What is the theme of the passage?
Tricking others will only hurt you in the end.
A theme can be _________ or ___________. (HINT: 2 types of themes)
Implied or Direct