Below are the slides used in class to discuss theme.
strategies for identifying theme
When trying to identify theme, take a CLOSE LOOK at the following:
· What the protagonist is learning/realizing
· How and why the protagonist might be changing
· The conflict in the novel & how it is resolved
· The consequences of a character’s action (whether good or bad)
The answers to these questions will often give you a hint about what the theme of the story is!
Remember that themes MUST be supported by details in the text. When you give your reasons/evidence for the theme of a story/book, your details and explanation will come from the details you observed:
For example…
The theme of “The Monkey and the Cookies” is “Don’t be greedy." The author develops this theme by showing the negative consequences of the monkey’s actions. Because the monkey grabbed as many cookies as he could and he was unwilling to give them up, his hand becomes stuck and he starts crying. But, if the monkey had not been greedy and only taken one at a time, then he would not have been stuck and he would have enjoyed the cookie too!
· What the protagonist is learning/realizing
· How and why the protagonist might be changing
· The conflict in the novel & how it is resolved
· The consequences of a character’s action (whether good or bad)
The answers to these questions will often give you a hint about what the theme of the story is!
Remember that themes MUST be supported by details in the text. When you give your reasons/evidence for the theme of a story/book, your details and explanation will come from the details you observed:
For example…
The theme of “The Monkey and the Cookies” is “Don’t be greedy." The author develops this theme by showing the negative consequences of the monkey’s actions. Because the monkey grabbed as many cookies as he could and he was unwilling to give them up, his hand becomes stuck and he starts crying. But, if the monkey had not been greedy and only taken one at a time, then he would not have been stuck and he would have enjoyed the cookie too!