Themes/ Main Idea - LAR Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is this stated central idea?
Non-fiction authors often state the central idea early in a work.
Ex: Adopting a grown-up dog is better than adopting a puppy.
What is the implied central idea?
When the author suggests, or imply, the central idea.
Readers can connect supporting details to determine that idea.
Ex: when a person adopt a grown dog from a shelter, he or she knows what the dogs personality is like etc.
The example paragraph about the dog does not state the central idea. All sentences however state the advantages of adopting a grown-up dog
What are the 4 factors of a theme?
Acronym: FCMM (Found, Complete, Must, More than)
– Found in fiction
– Complete sentence
– Must be universal
- More than one theme can be found in the story
What are the 4 factors of a central/main idea?
– Found a non-fiction
- complete sentence
– Usually non-– universal
– Typically one Central/main idea for the text as a whole, but each paragraph or section can also have its own Central/main idea as well
What is the one thing that theme and Central/main idea have in common?
They both are a complete sentence.
What is a central idea?
The central idea, also known as the main idea, is the key point in a work of nonfiction.
A central idea is directly stated, then supported, or explained, with details.
Other times, the central idea is implied, or suggested.
You can figure out an implied central idea by identifying what the supporting details have in common.
Many nonfiction works have only one central idea, which is supported by a main idea in each PARAGRAPH.
A paragraph’s main idea is usually stated in a TOPIC SENTENCE, which is often the FIRST SENTENCE of a paragraph.
Just as each paragraph supports the central Idea, KEY DETAILS SUPPORT TOPIC sentence of EACH PARAGRAPH.
And works of nonfiction, authors provide details that support their central ideas. Each paragraph or section might support its own central idea. These ideas, in turn, develop the central idea of the entire work.
What is a text feature?
- Part of books/articles
- Helps the readers find information easily
- Provides the reader with more information
- Helps organize information so that the reader can see what is important
Name the 8 examples of text features?
- Title
- Table of contents
- Special print
- Glossary
- Photographs/illustrations
- Charts, graphs and/or diagrams
- Captions
- Headings/subheadings
What is a title?
The name of the book or article. It often provides an idea of what the main topic will be.
What is a Heading/subheading?
These divide a text into sections. They can sometimes indicate what the main idea of the section will be, and are usually bolded in order to stand out.
What is a table of contents?
It gives the heading and beginning page number for every section of a book.
What is special print?
When a word is bold, italics or underline, it is an important word for the reader to know.
What is a glossary?
Similar to a dictionary, the glossary helps readers define words from a book.
What are photographs/illustrations?
These visuals are meant to show what something looks like. This is done in order to help the reader gain a better understanding of the main topic.
What are charts, graphs and or diagrams?
These visual aids are meant to help the reader organize information and understand what the writer is saying.
What are captions?
Words next to or below a picture that tell what the image is or what it’s about. They help the reader understand information that may or may not be in the text.
What is a theme?
A broad, universal stating about life or humanity that the author conveys to the reader.
- what is the author trying to say to the reader?
– Broad: big idea - universal: something most people can experience
– Humanity: what makes us human
– Conveys:??
What are examples of themes?
Examples of theme:
Friendship can help individuals prosper
Easy solutions usually have drawbacks
One’s perception cannot always be trusted
Courage gives people the power to stand up for themselves
How do you find a theme?
- Identify a ——— can help you develop a theme
- A topic is a subject or concept that is focused on a text. Usually one word (example bullying, wealth, love, hate, greed, compassion, religion). In literature, topics are typically abstract concepts
- Focus on a topic that appears in a literary work, then consider what message the author is trying to convey about that topic.
Example:
Topic: love
Theme: love is a distructive force
What is the topic?
A subject or concept that is focused on in a text. Usually one word (example: bullying, wealth, love, hate, greed, compassion, religion). In literature, topics are Typically abstract concepts.
What are 5 rules for a theme?
- complete sentence, not just one word.
- Does not mention specific character names or events
- Don’t use first or Second person (Third person only)
- Not common saying/cliché (the grass is always Greener)
- A theme is not a lesson or instruction. The author is telling us something, but not what to do about it. Example “always try to be a good friend” would be an instruction, while “friendship helps people become stronger” is a theme
Describe the authors purpose
Use the acronym PIECE for different types of general purpose:
Persuade Inform Entertain Compare Express
know general purpose versus specific purpose
Know how to find the authors purpose of given a passage (think of what details are given to you, how are they presented
To understand an author’s specific purpose, ask these questions.
● What kind of details am I given?
● How are the details presented?
● Why does the author present these details this way?
When identifying a work of fiction’s theme, we begin by identifying a topic found in that work. Since a theme must be universal, we focus on identifying topics that are universal ideas/concepts, such as love, pride, beauty, envy, communication, etc.
Topic
What kind of details?
How are they Presented?
Why?
General Purpose
Specific Purposeo
Know what the differences are between the main Idea and topic
Main idea- the main points in a work of non fiction
Topic-a subject or concept that is focused on in a text
Know what the differences are between main idea and supporting details
Main idea- the main points in a work of non- fiction
