Theme Lesson

What is theme?

•Theme is a one-sentence life lesson, message,
or moral of the story

•Theme is NOT 1-2 words. It is NOT about the
character.

• Theme is universal. It can be applied to your own life or other people's lives.

Theme

vs

Topic

•A life lesson or moral

•A complete sentence

Examples:

•Friendship makes it possible
to survive difficult situations

•Anyone can achieve their
dreams if they work hard

•A big idea or concept

•1 - 2 words

Examples:

•friendship

•hard work

*Topics can help you figure out
the theme. Just think about
what the author wants to teach
the reader about that topic. Turn
that into a sentence!

Use this formula when writing about theme

•The theme of the story is that (topic) + (lesson about that
topic)

•Example: The theme of the story is that family is the greatest
gift of all

The green part of the sentence is the topic.

The red part is the lesson

•Examples:

•The theme of the story is that Being prejudiced can keep you from true love.

•The theme of the story is that Good always wins.

•The theme of the story is that differences are what make us beautiful.

•The theme of the story is that the meaning of life is to love others.

​What theme is NOT

•Love

•This is a 1-word answer, not a sentence

•Jonas and Gabe ran away

•This is an event from the plot, not a lesson

•Jonas learned that telling the truth is more important that making people happy

•Take out the character’s name. Themes should be general and not reference a specific character