Mastering the Skill of Theme: Guiding Students to Deeper Understanding -

By Beth at the Southern Schoolhouse

I don’t ever remember a time that I couldn’t read. I know that sounds like a stretch but I really don’t remember learning how to read – I could just read and I loved it. I was the shy girl that rode the bus to school for an hour and a half and I had my nose in a book all the way to school and all the way home. I am sure I had a book stuck in my desk at school that I would pull out when I finished my work to fill up my free time. My elementary school librarian would see me coming and say, “Another one already Beth?” So reading came easy to me to start with and I have always enjoyed it. I love reading mysteries, romance novels, suspenseful thrillers, biographies, autobiographies, and books on topics I am interested in at any given moment. As I reflect on my teaching career, I can think of SOME students who had a love for reading that matched my own. Unfortunately, I am sure you have found, as I have, that the majority of students struggle with reading in some way or they just do not find the joy in it. Reading is a chore for them and if given a choice they would not pick up a book. It breaks my book-loving heart!

For those students who love reading and read all the time, reading comprehension just seems to come naturally. Once they have been taught what “theme” is they can identify themes in stories with ease, but for those who don’t read, read, read they need a system, steps, strategies, or a formula for deciphering the “code”. The question I began to ask myself is how do you teach reading comprehension skills to students who just don’t love the written word. Students who struggle with words and word meanings, and understanding inferences in text. I have spent years trying to find the key to the code, the switch that makes the light bulb come on, and I want to share a few of the things I learned with you. I am going to start with a tough one – THEME. Teaching 4th grade students how to identify the theme of a story is a challenge – I mean I am surprised I have any hair left… Where do you start?

Brainstorm possible “Topics” – Family, Friendship, Honesty, etc.and discuss how the topic can help identify the theme but reminding students the topic is NOT the theme. MAKE AN ANCHOR CHART OF TOPICS.
Discuss and give examples of what a Theme is vs What a Theme is not. (Theme is a life lesson, Theme can be applied to other stories and situations. Theme is what the character learned in the story. Theme is not the topic. Theme is not the same as a Main Idea. Themes do not include references to specific events or characters in the story.) MAKE AN ANCHOR CHART – WHAT A THEME IS vs WHAT A THEME IS NOT.
Choose texts carefully when teaching theme. Use texts with a common, easily identifiable theme when modeling and giving guided practice with identifying theme. A few to start with include “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, “Beautiful OOPS!” by Barney Saltzberg, and “The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires. (There is a list of more great books to use located in our resources page.) As students become successful, move to more challenging texts and themes.
Follow these steps when students are learning to identify theme:
- Read the text from beginning to end.
- Discuss and Identify a topic the story revolves around.
- Answer the questions: How does the main character change throughout the story? What lesson does the main character learn?
Develop a theme statement that shares the message the author wants the reader to learn through the story. An example for “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds is “Be brave and believe in yourself.”(Remember do not include the specific events and characters from the story in your theme statement!)

“The Most Magnificent Thing”

by Ashley Spires

“The Dot”

By Peter H. Reynolds

“Beautiful Oops“

By Barney Saltzberg