Finding the Theme in Stories

Sophia·

Literature

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At a Glance

Grade Level5th Grade

SubjectLiterature

Original Prompt

Intervention resource for identifying theme, analyzing author's craft, and summarizing. Include a graphic organizer for the first question with sentence starters for the RACE writing strategy. R:Restate Question, A:Answer Question, C: Cite Evidence, E: Explain Evidence.

This resource explores the concept of theme in literature, describing it as the big idea or message that an author conveys through their story. It introduces students to the R.A.C.E. strategy—Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain—as a structured method for analyzing and expressing the theme of a story. Through examples like Leo and the lost puppy and the tale of The Lion and the Mouse, students learn to identify themes and support their interpretations with textual evidence. The resource also outlines techniques authors use, such as symbolism, to develop themes, and provides practice exercises for students to become proficient in identifying and summarizing themes.