IDENTIFYING THEMES
What is a theme?
What are some common themes?
Is there a way to identify a theme?
Copyright © 2015 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc.  www.grammargallery.org
Warm-Up
Look at the image above.
What do you see?
From Grammar Gallery, www.grammargallery.org. Copyright 2014, The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc.
Warm-Up
Imagine you saw this image on the
cover of a book. What would you
think the book is about?
From Grammar Gallery, www.grammargallery.org. Copyright 2014, The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc.
This image gives you a clue to the
big idea or theme of the book.
This book is probably going to be
about love and betrayal.
From Grammar Gallery, www.grammargallery.org. Copyright 2014, The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc.
What is a theme?
A theme (or big idea) is the
message, moral, or lesson the
author wants you to learn from
reading the story.
What are some common themes?
• courage/
cowardice
• war/peace
• hope/despair
• envy
• love/hate
• faith
• good/evil
• joy/pain
• purity
• trust/betrayal
• perseverance
• sorrow/
happiness
• humility/pride
• importance of
appearance
How can you identify a theme?
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What did the characters learn?
2. Did the characters grow or change? If so,
in what way?
3. If the characters didn’t grow or change,
why not?
Is there a right answer to the
question, “What’s the theme?”
No. Different readers may identify different
themes. And stories often have more than one
theme. Here’s one way to answer the question,
“What’s the theme?”
I think the theme of the story is _________
because _________. In the text, for example,
_________.
Here’s an example:
What’s the theme of The
Hunger Games?
I think the theme of The Hunger
Games is the importance of
appearance because throughout
the book, the author emphasizes
what Katniss and the other
characters wear. For example, at
the opening of the games,
Katniss and Peeta wear outfits
that feature fire, which is a
symbol of power.
Identifying a Theme – You Try!
Robin Hood is a story
about an outlaw who
robbed rich, evil nobles
and gave money to
poor people.
What do you think is the
theme of this story?
For Reference and More Practice …
Refer to the Identifying Big Ideas and Themes
Student Reference Sheet.
www.grammargallery.org
Teacher Notes
Slide 10: Students might say the theme is about
the struggle between good and evil. Robin Hood
and his men are always portrayed as being just,
whereas their adversaries are evil, greedy,
powerful nobles.