2. What is theme? The life lesson of a story/the moral The “big idea” You are never told the theme You must infer the theme of a story

3. Be a detective! Look for clues in the story: – Character actions – Setting – Plot events – Conflict

4. Example: Tim hated his old baseball glove. He wanted to play with a new glove, but he didn’t have any money, so he decided to steal it. But when Tim got caught stealing the glove, his parents said he couldn’t play baseball all summer.

5. What is the theme? Tim shouldn’t steal – focuses too much on story and not thinking BIG If you want something, you should work for it – Bigger idea, not just tied to story

6. What about topic? The topic, is the main idea This is what the story is about If you tell someone what a story is about – you are telling them the topic or main idea

7. Common Topics for Theme Courage Dreams Kindness Fears Being Yourself Equality Hope Differences Friendship Hard Work Honesty Love Family Jealousy Acceptance Achievement Peace

9. Theme Vs. Topic/Main Idea Jealousy Bravery Friendship Julie always wanted everything May had. Even though James was afraid of heights, he went to the top of the ropes course. No matter what happened, Eric and Matt were there for each other.

10. Character traits at beginning: Character traits at end: Conflict/Problem: What is the topic or main idea of the story? Lessons Learned by the character: What is the theme/are the themes of the story?