Universal Themes in Literature Anchor Chart Poster
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• Universal Themes in Literature Anchor Chart
Poster, Write Again® wipe-off laminate
• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good
Stuff® Universal Themes in Literature Anchor Chart
Poster—an interactive tool designed to facilitate the
process of identifying a book’s theme(s), and a useful
reference when practicing reading skills.
Meeting Common Core State Standards
This Really Good Stuff® Universal Themes in Literature
Anchor Chart Poster is aligned with the following Common
Core State Standards for English Language Arts:
Key Ideas and Details
RL.2.2 RL.3.2 RL.4.2 RL.5.2 ecount stories, including fables and folktales
R
from diverse cultures, and determine their central
message, lesson, or moral.
R ecount stories, including fables and folktales, and
myths from diverse cultures; determine the central
message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is
conveyed through key details in the text.
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text; summarize the text.
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem
from details in the text, including how characters
in a story or drama respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic;
summarize the text.
Displaying the Universal Themes in Literature Anchor
Chart Poster
Before displaying the Universal Themes in Literature
Anchor Chart Poster, make copies of this Really Good
Stuff® Activity Guide, and file the pages for future use.
Or, download another copy of it from our Web site at www.
reallygoodstuff.com. Always use a dry erase marker on
the Poster in order to preserve its Write Again ® wipe-off
laminate surface. Hang the Poster where students will be
able to see it easily.
Introducing the Universal Themes in Literature Anchor
Chart Poster
Choose a picture book to read aloud that contains
an easily understood theme, a familiar storyline, and
characters that students will recognize. Fill in a copy
of the Universal Themes in Literature Anchor Chart Poster
Reproducible for your chosen book. Keep it with the book for
reference as you guide the students through the lesson.
Divide students into pairs.
Announce to the class that they will use the Universal
Themes in Literature Anchor Chart Poster to practice how
to determine the theme(s) of a story or book. Review
that in most stories or books (except fables) the author
will not directly tell readers the theme—the theme is the
author’s underlying message about “real life.” The author
develops this message through a series of events that
the character experiences. Remind students that the
ways the character acts or reacts to these events and
the story’s outcome gives readers clues about the theme.
Refer to the top of the Poster, and discuss each of the
four points about universal themes in literature.
Tell students that you are going to read a familiar book
to them that will illustrate these four points. Encourage
students to think like detectives and to pay close
attention to what the characters say and how they act.
Stop about a quarter of the way through the story, and
ask students to tell you what evidence they have heard so
far. Guide them to brainstorm clear evidence statements
that help them to determine the theme. Using a dry erase
marker, record one or two of their evidence statements
on the Poster under the Evidence column. Continue reading
the book, pausing appropriately for students to report
evidence and for you to record their evidence statements
on the Poster.
Give students time to review the recorded evidence with
their partners. Ask students to decide what they think
the author’s theme might be. Invite a pair of students
to share their idea for a theme along with their related
evidence statement, and record that information in the
appropriate column. Repeat this with other student
pairs. Finalize the lesson with a review of how the list of
evidence helped students to identify the theme. Encourage
students to refer to the Universal Themes in Literature
Anchor Chart Poster throughout the year.
Pair Up to Determine a Theme
Gather enough picture books with easily recognizable
themes, such as cooperation, courage, perseverance,
compassion, honesty, kindness, and acceptance, so that
each pair of students will have at least two books. Copy
and distribute the Universal Themes in Literature Anchor
Chart Poster Reproducible. Divide students into appropriate
reading pairs. Encourage students to look at their
reproducible as you refer back to the Universal Themes in
Literature Anchor Chart Poster to review how to complete
the graphic organizer.
Ask each pair to choose a book. Tell students to read
the book to each other, alternating pages. Tell them
that when they discover a piece of evidence to help them
determine the theme, they are to stop and record it on
the reproducible. When pairs finish their book, check to
see that they have listed enough evidence to help them
identify and record the theme(s).
All activity guides can be found online.
Helping Teachers Make A
Difference®
© 2014 Really Good Stuff 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #162574
®
Universal Themes in Literature Anchor Chart Poster Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2014 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #162574