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Home : 2008 : January : 12

theme
By mt

I teach theme to sixth graders through film. I show the Wizard of Oz (maybe too scary for 2nd grade; I don't know) because it has many explicitly stated themes. We talk about what the characters learned (you don't have
to be related to someone to love them like family, you should be grateful for your home, you should know your place/role, good overcomes evil, perseverence pays off, etc.). Then we generalize that to ourselves (WE don't have to be related to someone.....). It's what we generalize to ourselves that is the theme.

So--maybe a film you deem appropriate, but one with really explicit,

easy-to-see themes. Then you can brainstorm them as a class, and maybe assign themes to small groups. They could write a few sentences on butcher paper, articulating the theme, then they could illustrate it (by illustrating the scene they think really shows that theme).

Theme, though, is still hard for some sixth graders. Right now, in January of sixth grade, I still have some kids who will give you a summary every time, instead of a theme. I have found this is pretty successful, though. They do seem to be able to give me the theme of a book after that (most of them). I've never tried it with second graders, but this reaches most of my sixth graders.