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Picture books are a great way to teach students about theme. Not only can they provide a visual aid to help students understand the concept, but they can also be used to illustrate how different themes are applied to different stories. By looking at the characters, their actions, and the events in the book, teachers can help students identify the themes in the story and why they are important.
What is Theme?
Theme is the underlying message or main idea of a story, usually a moral or lesson about life. It can be stated directly or implied through the events in a story.
Identifying Theme in Picture Books
- Read the picture book’s text and look for common ideas or topics that are repeated throughout the story.
- Look at the illustrations in the book and consider how they add to the story or the characters’ feelings.
- Consider the main character’s journey and what they learn.
- Analyze the book’s title and how it contributes to the story’s overall message.
- Think about how your own experiences relate to the story and what the theme might be.
Planning Activities to Teach Theme
- Story Mapping: Have students draw a map of the story, connecting the characters, settings and plot points together. Discuss the story’s theme by looking at the connections they have made. Here is a free resource you can use.
- Visualization: Have students close their eyes and imagine key scenes from the story, then have them draw what they imagined. Discuss the connections they have made between the image and the theme of the story.
- Character Analysis: Have students create a character profile for the main characters in the book. Have them write down their thoughts, feelings and actions and discuss how they relate to the story’s theme.
- Symbol Analysis: Have students identify symbols in the story and discuss how they relate to the theme.
- Group Discussion: Have students discuss the story in groups and have them identify the theme. Ask them to explain how the story elements support the theme.
Examples of Picture Books that Teach Theme
Assessment Ideas
- Ask students to brainstorm a list of ideas about what makes a book have a theme. Then, have students read a picture book and identify the theme of the story.
- Have students create a timeline of the events from the story and then discuss the theme revealed over the story.
- Have students brainstorm words that might describe the book’s theme. Once they have a list of words, have them draw a picture illustrating the theme.
- Divide the class into small groups and give each group a picture book. Have them discuss the theme of the book and then create a skit or puppet show that illustrates the theme.
- Have students draw a character from the book and then write a speech or poem that expresses the character’s feelings about the theme.
- Divide the class into teams and have them play a game where they have to match a quote from the book to its corresponding theme.
- Have students visually represent the book’s theme by drawing a Venn diagram with two circles. Then, have them draw items in the circles that illustrate the theme.
- Have students create a storyboard of the main plot points from the book and discuss the theme that is revealed in each scene.
Picture books are an invaluable teaching tool for helping students understand the concept of theme. Through thoughtful analysis of the characters, their actions, and the events in the book, teachers can help students identify the themes in the story and why they are important. As this essay has shown, picture books can be used to explore how different themes are applied to different stories and provide a visual aid to help students understand them. Picture books are a great resource for teachers to help engage and educate their students about theme.