1. WHAT IS THEME?

2. THEME The main idea of a story. For example: – Family is forever – Never give up – Good vs. evil

3. THEME Theme tells you about something in the real world. Don’t focus on small details of the story to explain the theme. For instance, don’t just say the theme of “All Summer in a Day” was don’t shove people into closets. You need to focus on what the entire story is about. A better theme of “All Summer in a Day” would be Treat others the way you want to be treated.’

4. THEME There are three very important things to remember when talking about theme: 1. A theme is more than one word. 2. A theme doesn’t always need to teach a lesson. 3. A story may have multiple themes.

5. THEME 1. Theme is more than one word. For example, “money” isn’t a theme. In order for something to be a theme, it needs to explain what the story is saying about money So, “money” isn’t a theme, but “money can’t buy happiness” IS a theme, because it’s actually stating an opinion about money. Also, comparisons can be themes (“imagination vs. reality,” etc.) because the book will explain how this topic factors into the story.

6. THEME 2. Theme doesn’t always have to teach a lesson. Sometimes, your theme WILL teach you a lesson or moral. For example, these are themes that teach lessons: Money can’t buy happiness Treat others the way you want to be treated. However, themes don’t ALWAYS need to teach a lesson. Sometimes, they can highlight important topics discussed in the story. Examples: Initiation into manhood Past vs. present

7. THEME Look at the following. With a partner, discuss whether each one is a theme or not. Discuss why. 1. Love 2. Appearances don’t always reflect reality. 3. Family 4. Happiness comes from within. 5. Man vs. Nature 6. The power of positive thinking

8. THEME 3. A story may have more than one theme. Even if a story is short, it may have multiple themes.

9. WHAT ARE SOME THEMES IN “WINE ON THE DESERT”?

10. WITH YOUR PARTNER: You will write as many themes as you can from “Wine on the Desert” on the back of your piece of your paper. Then, you will pick the most important theme of the story and circle it. Write your theme in the middle of your puzzle piece. Then, you will find FOUR quotes from the story to support that theme in the remainder of your puzzle pieces. *Be prepared to share this with the class.