THEME Chapter 4

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL BE ABLE TO DEFINE THEME AND GENRE  Objectives for later in the unit… We will be able to determine the theme of a story We will be able to compare works of different genres that have a universal theme We will be able to cite evidence in the text that contributes to the development of a theme We will be able to explain how the selection of genre shapes theme

APK=ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE  Q=What do you already know about THEME and/or the GENRE?  A=Genre is a category

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT- GENRES Fiction (fake) Science Fiction Manga Outer Space underwater Future Time travel FantasyMysteryWesternRomance Action Thriller Realistic Fiction Spy Novel Survival Horror How would you categorize ___________? How do you know?

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT- GENRES Non- Fiction (true) Newspaper Autobiography Autobiographical Narrative Biography Biographical Narrative How-To Informational text Textbooks “Taste, the Final Frontier” would be categorized as ____________. How do you know?

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT- THEME  Themes are the fundamental ( ) and often universal ( ) ideas explored in a literary work.  Theme is THE MEssage the text is trying to send the reader about a specific idea or topic

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT- THEME WHAT IT ISWHAT IT ISN’T What all the elements of a good story add up to An insight about life or human nature Is unseen and unstated A revelation about the author’s personal attitude toward the world or how people should behave  Not a summary  Not the moral (lesson)  Not the topic or subject  Not a one-word answer or phrase

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT  Checking for understanding What is GENRE? What are the two major GENRES of writing? Can you name a sub-genre? What is a THEME? What is THEME NOT?

IMPORTANCE  Why are Genre and Theme important?  Every book, movie, song belongs to a particular genre…  Most stories (including movies) have a THEME that the writer/director/producer is trying to convey to the audience…

SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND GUIDED PRACTICE Steps to figuring out THEME 1.Determine some general TOPICS the story is about 2.Figure out what the story’s MESSAGE about those topics is 3.Write the message the story/author is sending to the reader in a complete sentence

SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND GUIDED PRACTICE Practice with “Everyday Use” 1.Determine some general TOPICS the story was about Family, Heritage, Heirlooms 2.Figure out what the story’s MESSAGE was about those topics Pair share…what was the author’s message about Family, Heritage, Heirlooms?

SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND GUIDED PRACTICE 3.Write the message the story/author is sending to the reader in a complete sentence Family is more important than social status and material possessions. To really understand one’s heritage, one must understand and appreciate his/her ancestors. Often times an heirloom’s sentimental value is more important than its monetary value.

CLOSURE  What are the steps to figuring out theme?

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE  Time to APPLY  Independently or with a partner, determine a possible theme for one of the other stories we have read in class… “The Love Letter”; “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”; “Typhoid Fever”; “Cold Equations” Follow the steps to determine a possible THEME

THEME  Cold Equations Share out topics: Consider how the main character changes Consider the conflict of the story, and how it is resolved Which of the topics does the story have the MOST to say about?

THEME  Make a specific statement from the story that reveals what the story has to say about the topic.  Now make the statement general so it can apply to a broad range of stories.