As you watch,

write down at
least 2 things
that you learn
and at least 1
question that
you still have.
 is...

• the author's message

• the moral or lesson of the story
• the BIG idea
 is NOT ...
• a summary of the story (but you must have a deep
understanding of the PLOT to identify the theme!)
• the main idea
• specific to the story
• themes are not explicit (clearly stated). They are
implied
What did the author
want us to think

how to
about?

find the
What ideas stay with
you?

How can I apply

what I learned to my
own life?
Read the text deeply
for understanding.

how to
find the
Ask yourself:
What did the
characters learn?

Write that in a
statement.
 examples

Appearances Treat people It's okay

can be with kindness. to be different.
deceiving.
 more examples

Hard work can Actions speak Teamwork

pay off in the louder than makes the
long run. words. dream work.
LET'S TRY
IT
TOGETHER!
 The Tortoise and the Hare
A hare was making fun of a tortoise for moving so slowly. The tortoise, tiring of the
hare’s comments about how slow he was on his feet, eventually challenged the
hare to a race. ‘I’ll race you, hare,’ he said; ‘and I bet I’ll win the race.’
The hare agreed to this challenge, and a fox was found who set the course of the
race and to judge who had won at the end.
When the race started, the hare bounded off in front, making good progress. He
was so far ahead of the tortoise that he decided he could afford to stop and
have a rest. The tortoise was so far behind that a little rest wouldn’t hurt!
However, the hare fell fast asleep, and as he lay sleeping, the tortoise continued to
plod along at his slow pace. In time, he reached the finish-line and won the race.
When the hare woke up, he was annoyed at himself for falling asleep. He ran off
towards the finish-line as fast as his legs would carry him, but it was too late, as
the tortoise had already won.
Read the text. The Tortoise and
the Hare

Let's
find the
Create a list of
topics.

Pick a topic and

write about what the
author thinks about
that topic.
 LET’S FIND THE THEME → identify on the next slide
Once there was a mean little boy who lived in a small village. This mean little boy
loved to mess with people, so one day he ran up to a sheep herder and shouted,
“WOLF! WOLF! A wolf is attacking the town!” The sheep herder grabbed his staff
and ran to defend the town, but realized he had been fooled when the boy started
pointing and laughing at him. “Ha ha! I made you jump,” said the boy. Then the
boy ran up to a farmer and shouted, “WOLF! WOLF! A wolf is attacking the town!”
The farmer grabbed his pitchfork and ran to defend the town, but when the boy
started pointing and laughing at him, he realized he had been tricked. As the boy
went back to his family’s farm laughing about the funny trick he played, he saw a
real wolf in his father’s chicken coop. As the wolf ate all of his father’s chickens,
the boy screamed over and over again, “WOLF! WOLF! Please help us!” But
nobody came to help him.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE
THEME OF THE SHORT PASSAGE?
Explain how you know.
a) Don’t ask for help unless you really
need it.
b) Be careful what you wish for.

c) The little boy tried to warn the shepherd

that the wolf was coming, but it didn’t
matter.
 LET’S FIND THE THEME → identify on the next slide
Jenny hated reading class. She didn’t understand point of view or figurative
language, and not knowing how to do the work frustrated her. She asked the
teacher for help, but he spoke so fast and used such big words that she still
couldn’t understand. The teacher asked if she understood, and she nodded her
head, but she didn’t. Jenny’ s friend Katie knew that Jenny was having trouble, and,
rather than just giving Jenny all of the answers, Katie explained to Jenny how to
solve the problems. Katie spoke clearly and at Jenny’s level, and Jenny was happy
that she finally learned how to do the work. Later in the week, Katie was having
trouble in math class. She didn’t understand coordinates and was really frustrated.
Seeing that Katie was having problems, Jenny, who understood math very well,
taught Katie coordinates. Both girls made honor roll that quarter.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE
THEME OF THE SHORT PASSAGE?
Explain how you know.
a) Your friends will always know more than
your teachers.
b) Always come to class prepared.

c) We can all do better when we work

together.
 LET’S FIND THE THEME → identify on the next slide
Angie loved to draw. She made colorful designs of people’s names with bright
hearts & flowers, but she lost own markers, so she borrowed her teacher’s. The
school day was ending, but Angie wanted to keep coloring, so she took the
teacher’s markers home and lost them in her messy room. She came back to
school the next day and wanted to color again, so she asked the teacher for more
markers. The teacher replied, “Sure, Angie, but this is my last pack.” Angie said she
would be careful, but by the end of the day the markers were scattered all over
the floor and the custodian swept them up and disposed of them. When Angie
came in the next day, she asked the teacher for more markers, but she was
disappointed to find that there weren’t any more. “I don’t know where all of my
markers went,” said the teacher, “but I don’t have them.” Angie had to draw her
pictures with drab pencils.
YOU DECIDE
---> What’s
the theme?
Explain how
you know.
 Quick Write
Think of a time in your life that you
learned a lesson after going through a
struggle. What was that lesson? How
can you apply it to everyday life?
THEME
Vs.
CENTRAL IDEA
What's the difference?
JOY & HERON PIXAR SHORT FILM

What major THEME can we take away from this

clip? How did you feel as you watched?
Take 10 minutes and complete the
worksheet over “Joy and Heron!”

Be prepared to share your answers

after the timer is up!
Objective Summary -

What does OBJECTIVE mean? --->

What is a SUMMARY? --->

In your groups...
Write an objective summary of the Pixar short "Joy
and Heron." (3 sentences minimum.)
**remember to ONLY include factual information!
No feelings or opinions!