What is a Theme? A theme is a central message revealed through a literary work. It is a lesson that the selection teaches or a major point that the selection as a whole is about. It is a generalization about people or about life that is communicated through the literary work.

What is a Theme? A theme is a central message revealed through a literary work. It is a lesson that the selection teaches or a major point that the selection as a whole is about. It is a generalization about people or about life that is communicated through the literary work.

Main Idea The Main Idea is any idea that is particularly important or central in a written work.

The Subject or Topic is what the selection as a whole is about. Subject = Topic The Subject or Topic is what the selection as a whole is about. And remember the Theme is the message or lesson that the author is trying to communicate.

Main Idea The Subject/Topic and Theme fall under the umbrella of the Main Idea.

Common Themes in Literature The only person you can truly trust is yourself It is important to follow your instincts Man is inherently evil Man is inherently good Its not always good to listen to society Its important to never give up Human beings are products of their society It’s a crime to kill innocence The innocent aren’t always treated fairly It is important to stand up for what you believe in Working as a team or group is more powerful than working alone Be careful who you date Be careful who your friends are Trust your instincts Do what you must to survive Follow your imagination There are times when you should get revenge on your enemies Life doesn’t always have happy endings The force is a metaphor for spirituality The force is the energy that binds all life together

How do you determine the theme of a poem? Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day…

Why it’s important: Poems are often written with a message in mind Why it’s important: Poems are often written with a message in mind. In order to better understand the poem, readers want to discover the poet’s message. To do this, readers pay attention to their own emotions and thoughts as they read.

Overcoming a challenge Casey The Fans

“Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to six with just an inning left to play; And so, when Cooney died at first, and Burrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.   A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast; For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat.

“Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said. … He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew, But Casey still ignored it; and the umpire said, "Strike two."

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched with hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate; And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow. But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

For they thought if only Casey could get one whack, at that They'd put up even money, with Casey at the bat. … “Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted some one in the stand. And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. LearnZillion Notes: --On the Extension Activities slide(s) you should describe 2-3 activities written with students as the audience (not teachers). Each extension activity should push the students a bit further with the lesson but in a different application or context. Each activity should be designed to take roughly 20-40 minutes. Teachers will likely display the slide in class and then assign an activity to a student or group for additional practice and differentiation. Ideally, these Extension Activities will be created such that a teacher can differentiate instruction by giving more difficult extension activities to students who have shown mastery of the lesson, and less difficult activities to students who are not yet proficient. --If you need more than one slide to list your extension activities, feel free to copy and paste this slide!

But Casey still ignored it; and the umpire said, "Strike two."   "Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and the echo answered, "Fraud!" But the scornful look from Casey, and the audience was awed; LearnZillion Notes: --”Quick Quiz” is an easy way to check for student understanding at the end of a lesson. On this slide, you’ll include a way for teachers to quickly and authentically assess student understanding. That’s it! You won’t be recording a video of this slide and when teachers download the slides, they’ll direct their students through the example on their own so you don’t need to show an answer to the question.