Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Standard:
8.3*
Description:
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Standard:
8.3.A*
Description:
analyze literary works that share similar themes across cultures
Standard:
8.6.B*
Description:
analyze how the central characters' qualities influence the theme of a fictional work and resolution of the central conflict;
Standard:
CC.1.3.8.A
Description:
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Standard:
E08.A-K.1.1.2
Description:
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
A theme of a story teaches the reader about life and the world through the characters and the events. The theme of a passage tells the reader a universal idea.
The setting, plot, and characters shape the theme and contribute to its development.
When identifying the theme of a story, look for:
An idea that applies to more than one person or a situation
Example: Every person is facing a battle of his or her own.
What a character learns from his/her own or the others’ mistakes
Example: Trying to overcome nature is useless.
The challenges characters in the story or a drama face.