Theme

The theme in a story is something we talk about throughout the school year.  The THEME of a story is the moral, message, or lesson of the story.  Questions to ask about THEME:

What message did you take away from reading the text?  Why?

Which passage from the test would you consider the most significant or important?  Why?

How do the changes the main character undergoes help you determine the message?

How do the title, chapter titles, and/or cover illustration help you determine the them?

Think about several texts you’ve enjoyed.  Do they share similar themes?  Different themes?

Some common THEMES in books:  acceptance, courage, perseverance, cooperation, compassion, honesty, kindness, and loyalty.  Kindness was the theme of our favorite books WONDER.  We have been revisiting this book as we are now reading an added “book” by the author called JULIAN.  This chapter is from the point of view of the BULLY, Julian.  It’s a brilliant way for kids to see the different sides to the same story and is teaching them about how we don’t always know what is going on in the lives of others.  They LOVE these books!  The KINDLE versions of the additional chapters can also be downloaded to your MAC.