CreatingThemeStatements

CommonCoreStandards:

Citestrongandthoroughtextualevidencetosupportanalysisofwhatthetextsaysexplicitlyaswellasinferencesdrawnfrom

thetext.(910.RL.1)
Determineathemeorcentralideaofatextandanalyzeindetailitsdevelopmentoverthecourseofthetext,includinghowit
emergesandisshapedandrefinedbyspecificdetails;provideanobjectivesummaryofthetext.(910.RL.2)

Objectives:TheStudentswillbeabletodefineandidentifythemebyworkingbothcollaborativelyandindividuallytocreatetheme
sentencesandprovidetextualevidence.
MaterialsNeeded:

Pen,Pencil,Paper
TheSneetchestext
Whiteboard/blackboardandmarkersorchalk
Journals
Independentnovels

Activities:
Time
5minutes

TeacherProcedures
Ms.FletcherwillopenclassbyreadingThe

4minutes

SneetchesbyDr.Seusstotheclass.
Oncethestoryisover,Ms.Fletcherwillaskthe Studentswillparticipatefullybyproviding
classtogivesomeexamplesofthemesfrom

StudentResponsibilities
Studentswilllistentothestoryattentively.

themesthattheybelievetobeinThe

TheSneetches.Inmypastexperience,students

Sneetches.

tendtoidentifytopics.Asthetopicscomeout,
Ms.Fletcherwillwritethetopicsontheboard.
Oncethereareatleastafewtopicsonthe
board,Ms.Fletcherwillexplainthatwhat
studentswereidentifyingareactuallyTopics,
6minutes

notThemes.
Ms.Fletcherwillthenexplainhowtocreatea

StudentswilllistenwhileMs.Fletchergoes

themesentencebyusingthefollowingformat:

overhowtoidentifythemeusingtheauthor

Theauthorbelievesthat___(finishthesentence

believesthatsentence,andthenhowtorevise

usingoneofthetopicsselectedontheboard)_.

thesentencetogetastrongtheme.Students

ShewillthendemonstratehowtoeraseThe

willaskquestionsasneeded.Studentswill

authorbelievesthatportionofthesentence,

quicklypairupwhenprompted.

andhowtorevisetheremainingportionofthe
sentencetocreatethetheme.Shewillshowthis
onemoretimewithadifferenttopic.Shewill
5minutes

thentellstudentstopairup.
Ms.Fletcherwillthenaskstudentstocomeup

Studentswillworkcollaborativelytoidentify

withthreedifferentthemeswiththeirpartner,

threedifferentthemesfromTheSneetches.

followingtheauthorbelievesthatformat

Theywillthenidentifytheirbestone,andwrite

thatwepracticed.Aftertheyaredone,shewill

thethemeonaseparatesheetofpaper

askthemtocomeupwiththeirbestone,and
5minutes

5minutes

writeitonaseparatesheetofpaper.
Ms.Fletcherwilltellstudentstocrumpleup

Studentswillgentlyandsafelytosstheirtheme

theirthemeintoaball,andtossittoanother

toanothergroup.Theywillthenopenuptheir

group.Shewillaskstudentstoopenuptheir

newtheme,andlistentoMs.Fletcherasshe

newtheme,anddemonstratehowtoprovide

reviewshowtoprovidetextualevidence.The

textualevidenceontheboard.Shewillthen

studentswillthenpracticethisbyproviding

instructthestudentstoprovideonepieceof

onepieceoftextualevidenceforthethemethat

textualevidencetosupporttheothergroups

theyweregiven.Studentswillrepeatthis

theme.Theywillrepeatthisonemoretime.
Oncestudentshavecompletedproviding

processonemoretime.
Studentswillsharethethemeandtheir

textualevidence,Ms.Fletcherwillaskoneor

responseswhenaskedtobyMs.Fletcher.

twogroupstosharethethemeandtheevidence

Whenprompted,theywillgiveathumbsupif

thattheyprovided.Shewillthenaskstudentsto theyunderstandhowtoidentifythemeand

10minutes

giveathumbsupordowntogetageneralidea

textualevidenceorathumbsdowniftheystill

ofhowwellthestudentshavegrasped

needhelp.

identifyingtheme.
Ms.Fletcherwillthenaskstudentstogetout

Studentswilltakeouttheirjournalsand

theirjournalsandidentifythreethemesfrom

identifythreethemesusingthemethodthatwe

theirindependentnovelsusingthemethodthat

justwentovertodayinclass.Oncetheyhave

5minutes

wejustcovered.Oncetheyhavethis

three,theywillselecttheirbestone,and

completed,theywillselecttheirbestoneand

provideatleasttwopiecesoftextualevidence

provideatleasttwopiecesoftextualevidence.
Ms.Fletcherwillthenassignhomework:

tosupporttheirtheme.
Studentswillwritedowntheirhomework

Studentsneedtobringinthreeprops/objectsto

assignment,andwillbringthreeitemswith

bringwiththemtoclasstomorrow.Theobjects themtomorrowthatrepresentthethemethat
needtorepresentthethemethattheyselected

theyselected,aswellastheirnovelingeneral.

today,aswellastheirnoveloverall.
Assignment(s)/Homework:Studentswillcreatethreedifferentthemesintheirjournalsfortheirindependentnovels.Theywillselect
theirbestone,andidentifytwopiecesoftextualevidencefortheirtheme.Theywillalsobringthreedifferentobjectswiththemto
classtomorrowthatrepresentthethemethattheyselectedtoday,aswellastheirnoveloverall.Objectswillbeusedtocreateanimage
thatrepresentstheirnovelinthefollowinglesson.

HowStudentLearningisAssessedandAnalyzed:Studentlearningwillbeassessedfirstlybythethumbsup/thumbsdownmethodat
theendoftheminilesson.Itwillalsobeassessedthroughthepapersthatthestudentsusedintheminilesson,aswellasthroughthe
studentsjournals.

LessonAdaptedfrom:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H6GCe7hmmA