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Page 18 of the website below lists CCSS RL.5.2. It is under Key Ideas and Details for 5th graders.

2. 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.

Corresponding College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standard
Determine the central idea or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas

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This site offers clear information on how to effectively teach your students to identify a theme in a story through the use of an inference.

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Identifying the theme of a story is a higher order skill and requires the reader to make an inference. Consequently, some students have a difficult time identifying themes. Because this skill is frequently evaluated on state reading tests, it is important that your students identify themes with reasonable reliability. I find that properly teaching students how to identify themes goes a long way toward meeting this goal.

1. Properly Define Theme: students need to know that theme is the life lesson of a story or the author's message.

2. Prepare Students To Infer: students need to understand that in most stories (with the exception of fables), the author will not tell readers what the theme or lesson of the story is. Readers will have to think about what the characters did wrong or right and what they can learn from the character's experience.

3. Teach Students To Extract The "Big Idea": One common mistake that students make when attempting to identify the theme is that they get hung up on the characters or events in the story. They cannot think beyond the small world elements of the story to extract the big world lesson of the theme. I will use the following short story as an example:

Tim hated his old baseball glove. He wanted to play with a new glove, but he didn't have any money, so he decided to steal it. But when Tim got caught stealing the glove, his parents said he couldn't play baseball all summer.

A student who understands the concept of theme is likely to give a response like, "The lesson of the story is that if you want something, you should work for it." A response like this shows that the student is processing the events of the story and extracting a larger idea, one which can be directly applied to someone's life. A student who doesn't understand theme will fixate on story level events. For example, "Tim shouldn't steal." While this response demonstrates comprehension of the text, it doesn't show higher order thinking. The student is stuck in the small world of the story and needs to take the mental jump to the big world idea. Teaching students to distinguish between the small world of the story and the big world idea will help them to more accurately express their understanding of story themes.

4. Give Students Practice Identifying Themes: While I encourage you to study and discuss themes in each story that you read as a class, immediately after learning about theme, students need a variety of examples with which they can practice. I have created worksheets and activities where students identify themes in a variety of very short stories. Also, I have uploaded the PowerPoint slide show I used to teach theme to my students this year.

I hope these resources will help your students better understand theme and more consistently identify themes texts.

Click Here for Theme Worksheets and Activities

Common Core State Standards Related to Theme

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 - Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Expand to View All Common Core State Standards Related to Theme

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2 - Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2 - Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 - Recount stories, including fables, 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.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2 - 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.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 - Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

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Identifying the theme of a story is a higher order skill and requires the reader to make an inference. Consequently, some students have a difficult time identifying themes. Because this skill is frequently evaluated on state reading tests, it is important that your students identify themes with reasonable reliability.

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A helpful video that gives a comprehensive explanation of how students may find a theme in a text.

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Sousa (2014) offers ways to use direct instruction for reading comprehension. By following these guidelines, students will learn to find the main idea or themes of what they are reading. An educator may use this group discussion as a way to assess their students understanding of instruction.

1. Identify important concepts. Students should know not everything is important to help with not feeling overwhelmed.

2. Consider writing out the summary. Writing needs more organization of thought and allows comprehension trouble to be noticed.

Sousa, D. (2nd Ed., 2014). How the Brain Learns to Read. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

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This anchor chart is useful for ELL students because of its simplicity and use of building vocabulary.

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This excellent article highlights 12 ways an educator may help their English language learner (ELL) student be more involved in a mainstream classroom. Ideas include building in more group work and scaffolding with the student's native language.

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
A note on terminology: The acronym ESL is used less often now in schools than it used to be, because we recognize that many students who are learning English already speak several other languages, so English would not be a "second" language. I use it several times in the post because schools sometimes refer to the teachers as ESL teachers, and the term is still widely used as a search term for this topic. My intent in using the acronym is to make this post easier to find online.

You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and though he receives English as a Second Language (ESL) support, he will also be sitting in your room every day to give him more exposure to his new language. How can you be a good teacher to someone who barely understands you?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities. Although many of these students start off in high-intensity, whole-day English programs, most are integrated into mainstream classrooms within a year, well before their English language skills would be considered proficient.

How prepared are you to teach these students? If you're like most classroom teachers, you have little to no training in the most effective methods for working with English language learners (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). So that means we have a problem here: Lots of ELL kids in regular classrooms, and no teacher training to ensure the success of that placement.

Below, three ESL teachers tell us what they know about the things regular classroom teachers can do to improve instruction for ELL students. These 12 strategies are simple, they are not very time consuming, and best of all, they will help everyone in your class learn better:

1. Make it Visual

"Avoid giving instructions in the air," says Melissa Eddington, an Ohio-based ESL teacher. "ELL kids have a harder time processing spoken language." So instructions - even basic directions for classroom procedures - should be written on the board whenever possible. Challenging concepts should be diagrammed or supported with pictures. And modeling the steps of a process or showing students what a finished product should look like can go a long way toward helping students understand. "Sometimes showing our students what to do is all they need in order to do it," Eddington says. Not only will this kind of nonlinguistic representation improve comprehension for ELL students, it will help all of your students grasp concepts better.

2. Build in more group work.

"Kids aren't just empty glasses that we pour stuff into and then at the end of the day they dump it back onto a test," says Kim, an ESL teacher who was the subject of my very first podcast interview. "If you really want the kids to learn, they've got to be engaged." That means less teacher-led, whole-class instruction, and more small groups, where students can practice language with their peers in a more personal, lower-risk setting. And if ELL students attend your class with a resource teacher, make use of that person: In most cases the resource teacher doesn't have to work exclusively with the ESL students; they can work with smaller groups that happen to contain these students, helping to improve the teacher-student ratio and give kids more time to practice.

3. Communicate with the ESL teacher.

Mary Yurkosky, a former ESL teacher in Massachusetts, credits much of her students' success to the strong relationship she had with the regular classroom teachers. "The classroom teachers were always talking to me about what they were doing in their classes," she says. "They made it so easy for me to support them: If a teacher was going to be doing a unit on plants, I could make sure we used some of that same vocabulary in the ESL class."

Ideally, this could be systematized, where ESL teachers could regularly get copies of lesson plans or collaborate with regular classroom teachers to build solid back-and-forth support, but "it doesn't have to be that much work," Yurkosky insists. "Just talk to each other. Talk about what's going on in your classrooms, invite each other to special presentations, share what your students are learning, and the words will naturally find their way into the ESL class."

4. Honor the "silent period."

Many new language learners go through a silent period, during which they will speak very little, if at all. "Don't force them to talk if they don't want to," says Eddington, "A lot of students who come from cultures outside of America want to be perfect when they speak, so they will not share until they feel they are at a point where they're perfect." Just knowing that this is a normal stage in second language acquisition should help relieve any pressure you feel to move them toward talking too quickly.

5. Allow some scaffolding with the native language.

Although it has been a hotly debated topic in the language-learning community, allowing students some use of their first language (L1) in second-language (L2) classrooms is gaining acceptance. When a student is still very new to a language, it's okay to pair him with other students who speak his native language. "Some students are afraid to open their mouths at all for fear of sounding stupid or just not knowing the words to use," Yurkosky says. "Letting them explain things or ask questions in their first language gets them to relax and feel like a part of the class."

And this doesn't only apply to spoken language. If you give students a written assignment, but the ELL student doesn't yet have the proficiency to handle writing his response in English, "Don't make them just sit there and do nothing," Eddington says. "Allow them to write in their first language if they're able. This allows them to still participate in journal writing or a math extended response, even if you can't read what they write." There has even been some evidence that allowing second-language learners to pre-write and brainstorm in L1 results in higher-quality writing in L2 in later stages of the writing process (Yigzaw, 2012).

6. Look out for culturally unique vocabulary.

"For most of these kids, their background knowledge is lacking, especially with things that are unique to American or westernized culture," says Eddington. It's important to directly teach certain vocabulary words: "Show them videos of what it looks like to toss pizza dough, show pictures of a juke box or a clothing rack - things that are not common in their own language."

One way to differentiate for ELL students is to consider the whole list of terms you're going to teach for a unit, and if you think an ELL student may be overwhelmed by such a long list, omit those that are not essential to understanding the larger topic at hand.

7. Use sentence frames to give students practice with academic language.

All students, not just English language learners, need practice with academic conversations. Sentence frames - partially completed sentences like "I disagree with what _________ said because..." - show students how to structure language in a formal way. Keep these posted in a highly visible spot in your classroom and require students to refer to them during discussions and while they write.

For this kind of language to really sink in, though, Kim says it has to become a regular part of class. "They won't do it if it's not the norm in the class, because they'll be embarrassed to use it among their peers," she says. "But if they can put it off on the teacher and say, Oh, well, you know, Miss Kim makes me talk like this, then they don't look as hoity-toity as they would otherwise."

8. Pre-teach whenever possible.

If you're going to be reading a certain article next week, give ESL students a copy of it now. If you plan to show a YouTube video tomorrow, send a link to your ESL students today. Any chance you can give these students to preview material will increase the odds that they'll understand it on the day you present it to everyone else. "That kind of thing is wonderful," Yurkosky says. "The kids feel so empowered if they've had a chance to look at the material ahead of time."

9. Learn about the cultural background of your students...

Our second-language populations grow more diverse every year. Taking the time to learn the basics of where a child comes from - exactly, not 'somewhere in the Middle East/South America/Asia/Africa' - tells the student that you respect her enough to bother. Kim remembers one time when she had to set the record straight about the diverse South American population at her school: "I was listening to the teachers talking about the 'Mexican' kids in our building," she says, "and I was like, 'We don't have any Mexicans.'" Not taking the time to at least correctly identify a child's country of origin, much like not bothering to pronounce their name correctly, is a kind of microaggression, a small, subtle insult that communicates hostility toward people of color. Make a commitment to be someone who bothers to get it right.

Once you have the country straight, take things up a notch by learning about students' religious and cultural practices. If he is a practicing Muslim, he should be told if one of the pizzas you ordered for the class party has sausage on it. If she comes from a culture where eye contact with adults is viewed as disrespectful, you'll know not to force her to look you in the eye when she's talking.

10. ...but don't make a child speak for his entire culture.

In her podcast interview, Kim shared a story about watching a teacher ask a new Iraqi student how he felt about the war in his country, right in the middle of class. "That's not cultural inclusiveness," she explains. "I've seen teachers do this and then pat themselves on the back. The students' English is limited so they can't express themselves very well, and they don't want to 'represent'; they just want to be there." If you anticipate a theme coming up in your class that's going to be relevant to one of your students, have a conversation with them in advance, or check with your ESL teacher to see if they think it's appropriate for in-class discussion.

11. Show them how to take themselves less seriously...

By modeling the risk-taking that's required to learn a new language, you help students develop the courage to take their own risks, and to have a sense of humor about it. "I tried to say the word 'paint' ( pinta) in Portuguese and instead I said the word for 'penis' ( pinto). They all roared with laughter while I stood there with a What?? look on my face," Yurkosky says. "When they explained what I'd said, I laughed so hard! I told them that laughing was fine because sometimes mistakes are really funny, but ridicule is never okay."

12. ...but always take them seriously.

One of Kim's pet peeves about how teachers interact with English language learners is the way they often see students' efforts as 'cute,' missing the whole point of what the student is trying to say. "A student will be desperate to communicate, and the teacher will get distracted by the delivery and miss the message," she says. "That's painful for me to watch." It bothers her when teachers mistake a lack of language for a lack of intelligence or maturity. When a child can't express themselves as well as they would in their native language, it's far too easy to assume the concepts just aren't in their heads.

"It breaks my heart when I hear teachers say (ELL kids) don't know anything," says Eddington. "These are brilliant kids and they know a lot. They just can't tell us in English yet." Make a conscious effort to see past the accent and the mispronunciations and treat every interaction - every student - with the respect they deserve.

"They're doing twice the job of everybody else in the class," Kim adds, "even though the result looks like half as much." ♦

Further Reading

The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide is one of the highest-rated books on teaching English-language learners available. In addition to offering an overview of the research on second-language learners and best practices in teaching ESL, it also includes a whole section on teaching ESL in the content areas and another specifically geared toward teaching ELL students in mainstream classrooms.
References:
Walker, A., Shafer, J., & Iiams, M. (2004). "Not in my classroom": Teacher attitudes towards English language learners in the mainstream classroom. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 130-160.

Yigzaw, A. (2012). Impact of L1 use in L2 English writing classes. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 8(1), 11-27.

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12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.

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Theme and main idea are not one in the same. To clarify the two for students, have them read a short passage with a clear theme.  Then, write five statements: Three details from the passage, the main idea of the passage, and the theme of the passage.  Do not tell students which is which so that they can figure it out on their own.

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Teaching theme to 3rd grade, 4th grade, or 5th grade students is just plain HARD. Theme is an abstract idea, making it really difficult for teachers to put into words and really hard for students to grasp. If your students are struggling with understanding theme, rest assured that they are not alone! Teachers all over the world have this same struggle.

Teachers often teach theme by creating anchor charts that list common themes or that list questions students should ask themselves when trying to determine the theme of a passage or story. These are helpful and good strategies to use, but most students will still have no clue how to determine the theme independently just through the anchor charts. There are other strategies you can use to help scaffold student understanding.

Why Teaching Theme is Hard

Students struggle with theme because it is unlike anything else they have learned in their ELA classroom.

In order to identify the theme of a text, students must also have the ability to summarize important parts of a text so that they have a clear understanding of what an entire passage says. Students must be able to distinguish the theme from the main idea. They must understand what lesson the author is trying to teach and recognize that they can disagree with the author's point of view. They must have a solid grasp of story elements and how characters change. They must be able to make inferences.

On top of all of that, students must understand how to actually determine the theme - no wonder teaching theme is so hard!

A Different Way To Teach Theme

In order to teach theme so students actually understand, first make sure they have at least been introduced to all of the other skills necessary for understanding theme, especially main idea. Find resources for teaching some of these skills below:

Once students have a solid foundation, practice each confusing aspect of theme in isolation. Start with smaller chunks of text - even as small as one paragraph - and make sure students really understand before moving onto larger text. This will help you determine where students are really struggling. It also scaffolds your instruction so struggling students are not overwhelmed.

The aspects of theme that I have found confuse students the most - as well as ideas for teaching each aspect - are below.

Themes aren't usually stated in the passage. To help students better understand this, have students read a paragraph with a clear theme. Tell students the theme of this paragraph, using a thinkaloud to explain how you figured it out. Go back and reread the passage, showing students that the theme was not stated anywhere in the passage.

Completely different stories can have the same theme. Seeing the same theme played out with a variety of different characters and plots can really help students better understand how to determine the theme. Read several very different paragraphs, each with the same theme to students. Download a freebie to help you with this here.

Theme and main idea are different. This is essential for students to understand, but very hard to teach. To help students understand this, have them read a short passage with a clear theme. Then, write 5 statements - 3 details from the passage, the main idea of the passage, and the theme of the passage. Do not tell students what is what, but instead have them figure that out. Doing this activity repeatedly really helps solidify students' understanding of the difference between main idea and theme. If your students are still struggling with main idea, then this activity will also help them be better able to differentiate between main idea and details.

You don't have to agree with the theme. This is particularly important in a world where biased information is available everywhere. Students need to know that they do not have to agree with everything they read. A good way to do this is to show students two paragraphs with opposing themes and have students discuss which theme they agree with more. For example, you could have a paragraph with the theme of "You can always trust your friends" and another paragraph with the theme of "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

A reading passage or text can have more than one theme. This can be confusing to students, as not all passages have more than one theme, while novels almost always do. Build up to determining the theme of novels by showing students shorter passages with at least two themes.

Themes are meant to apply to real life. This is an important aspect of theme - themes are not just a lesson for the characters in a story. The author intends for people to learn from the theme of a story. To practice this, read short passages with clear themes and, after identifying the theme, ask students how they could apply it to their own life. (Or have them explain why they wouldn't want to apply it to their own life.)

After practicing each of these aspects of theme in shorter passages, students will be much better equipped to understand and determine themes in longer literature and novels.

Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!

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Teaching Theme So Students Actually Understand

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Teaching theme to 3rd grade, 4th grade, or 5th grade students is just plain HARD. Theme is an abstract idea, making it really difficult for teachers to put into words and really hard for students to grasp. If your students are struggling with understanding theme, rest assured that they are not alone!

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The remediation strategy puts students in groups of three and lets them develop a simple theme through the identification of key words in the text.

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Theme is slippery. As with irony, we know it when we see it, and though it's easier to define than irony, it still poses a challenge for students. Discussions of theme, then, can be times when students feel they're not up to the challenge of literary analysis-and this is true particularly for students who tend to struggle with reading and writing.

This presents ELA educators with a challenge, since students as early as fourth grade are asked to identify and analyze themes in text.

So what is a teacher to do? How can we teach our students about theme in such a way that we're not skipping over reading comprehension, insisting on a "correct" answer, or unintentionally doing the heavy lifting for our students?

Over the course of more than a decade in the classroom, I developed a methodology for empowering students with a process for not only identifying a text's thematic components but also constructing original thematic arguments.

Thematic Triads

The first thing students need to know is that, generally, works of literature are about ideas that are larger than the actions or events involving the characters, and very often these ideas pop up over and over again. One place to start with thematic analysis is to create ever-growing lists of these ideas, called thematic components-love, revenge, and so on.

The process I came to call thematic triads boils down to this: Have students identify many thematic components in a text, put them into groups of three, turn one of these triads into a sentence, and voilà, they have an original thematic argument.

This gives students a systematic process for identifying thematic components and thematic statements, a process that enables them to build their skills, and one that shifts analyzing theme away from something intimidating to something that is doable.

But what does this actually look like? The process starts with a definition of a thematic component-a large idea present within a text-and a brainstormed list of some common thematic components: love and revenge, as mentioned above, but also power, greed, freedom, corruption, fate, free will, ambition, lust, violence, youth, family, pain, fear, etc. The list of possibilities is probably endless.

It's very useful to have anchor charts with lists of these ideas in classrooms so that students can, as they read, refer to the charts and identify thematic components as they arise in texts. As students read, they can transfer these thematic components to the inside back cover of their book, for instance, ensuring that the themes are always at hand and student-generated.

The next step in the process is to turn these thematic component lists into groups of three, or triads. When beginning this process, it's important to emphasize that there are not correct and incorrect triads, and that the goal is not to find a single correct thematic statement. This can empower students, particularly those who have struggled in ELA classrooms in the past. Let students know that it can be highly instructive to choose a triad at random, see whether it works or not, and then try again.

An Example of a Thematic Triad

For the sake of illustration, let's imagine that we're reading Animal Farm with students, and that a classroom discussion surfaces these thematic components: power, greed, freedom, corruption, law, and camaraderie. Students might decide to group together greed, freedom, and corruption.

The final step is to turn the triad into a sentence-the thematic statement. Students often struggle with this, wondering in particular how to start. I would advise them to start each sentence with the word when, and think of the thematic statement as running along the lines of "When this happens, then that happens." This is a great time to model a think-aloud strategy that gets students to see and hear how a scholar goes about using this process to identify theme.

Let's take a look at what a thematic statement for Animal Farm might look like, using the triad that students chose. One possibility: "When one's greed overtakes one's desire for freedom, it can lead to corruption."

This may not be the most insightful, original thematic statement in the world, and in all likelihood the first few times students go through this exercise, they will struggle and not be satisfied. That's good-it means they're invested in the process and will try again, and improve every time they try.

What all of this requires of teachers is a thorough, insightful, and nuanced understanding of any text they're teaching. We cannot stay one chapter ahead of our students and expect to guide them to an authentic level of analysis-we need to know what thematic components are located in the text, and which thematic statements are viable and which are not. In short, we must be the literary scholars we are grooming our students to be.

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Theme is slippery. As with irony, we know it when we see it, and though it's easier to define than irony, it still poses a challenge for students. Discussions of theme, then, can be times when students feel they're not up to the challenge of literary analysis-and this is true particularly for students who tend to struggle with reading and writing.

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A helpful video that shows instruction of finding theme as related to its CCSS.

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Grade 5 ELA: Theme of a Story RL 5.1, RL 5.2, SL.5.1

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Using rubrics as an assessment tool in student's response, we can gauge their understanding of theme.

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Ways to Assess Poetry in a Middle School Classroom

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The introduction to basic poetry reading and analysis begins in elementary school; however, it is sometimes in the middle school classroom that students begin to understand the value and depth that poetry offers. Due to the subjective nature of poetry, many teachers find assessing their students' personal work ...

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This website offers a brief three question assessment to evaluate if student's are understanding how to identify theme in a story.

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A video presentation on how to find theme in a story, great for the visual learners.

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In this lesson, you will learn how to learn how to identify the theme in a passage by asking, "What did the main character learn?"ù

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A student with a disability may benefit from the use of assistive technology (AT). The AT may be a tablet, Chromebook or other device that allows the student to place apps on the AT. This accommodation would let the student remain in their least restrictive environment.

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A read aloud eliminates the need for some students to have to read at all. Students may have difficulties with reading, therefore, a read aloud will allow the student to be engaged without having to read the text. The student may stay engaged by creating and identifying ideas that lead to them finding the theme.

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| | Filed Under: Read Alouds, Reading

Teaching theme is something I really enjoy. I think it helps build character and an enjoyment of reading, in addition to being a key reading skill. When students realize that they are learning life lessons from the books they read, it often increases their enjoyment and engagement. In this post, let's take a look at some of my favorite theme mentor texts or read-alouds for teaching theme.

Note: These are my mentor texts for theme but it seems like every year I find new books with fabulous themes that resonate with my students. I like to teach theme early on in the year so we can revisit it and learn life lessons from every read aloud we read.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links if you wish to purchase the books recommended.
Possible Themes:
This book really resonates with a lot of my students, particularly boys. The read-aloud tells a fictional account of Michael Jordan when he was younger. In the story, Michael is younger and too short to be really good at basketball. His mother tells him to put salt in his shoes to help him grow taller. Eventually, Michael learns that hard work and patience will make him a better basketball player (and taller).

Never give up.

Be patient.

Work hard for what you want.

Practice makes you better.
Click here to see Salt in His Shoes on Amazon.
Note: This book does mention praying and has a scene with the mom praying to God. It does not mention any specific religion or religious views.
Possible Themes:
More than Anything Else is a fictional account of Booker T. Washington's childhood. In the book, Booker wants nothing more than to learn to read. However, his family is poor and illiterate, and he works long hours packing salt. His mother gives him a book with the alphabet in it. Booker studies the letters, but he does not know the sounds they make. Eventually, he meets a man who helps him match the letters with the sounds they make.

Never give up on your dream.

Anything is possible.

Education is important and to be valued.
Click here to see More than Anything Else on Amazon.
If you want to learn, no one can stop you.
Possible Themes:
Those Shoes tells the story of a young boy who wants a pair of high top sneakers like all of the other kids have. The problem is that his family does not have enough money to pay for them. After hours of searching, Jeremy and his mom find a pair at a thrift store. They are too small, but Jeremy buys them anyway, hoping they will stretch. They don't stretch, and when Jeremy discovers a classmate with tape on his worn-out shoes, he wrestles with giving him the shoes. Finally, he does give his friend the shoes. At the end, it is snowing, and Jeremy is able to wear his winter boots.

Being kind is worth it.

There is always someone who we can help.

Kindness is rewarded.

Material possessions are not as important as friendship.
Click here to see Those Shoes on Amazon.
Note: This is a simple story and is ideal for grades 2-3, so it may not be a great fit if you have advanced readers.
Possible Themes:
The Invisible Boy tells the story of Brian, a boy who feels invisible. He is invisible to the teacher and his fellow classmates. One day, a new boy moves to the school and is laughed at by the other students. Brian writes the new boy a kind note, and they become friends. Through this friendship, Brian also becomes friends with another student, slowing become visible again.

Even the smallest acts of kindness can change your life.

No one is truly invisible, but sometimes we must work to find where we fit in.

Our actions affect how others feel about themselves.
Click here to see The Invisible Boy on Amazon.
Note: This book does seem simple on the surface, but if pushed, the students can really come up with great lessons they can learn through either Brian's actions or the other students' actions. If the students do not come up with the more advanced themes shared above, share them with the students, and have the students find evidence to support those themes.
Possible Themes:
This traditional Turkish tale tells the story of Nasrettin, a popular, well-liked man. On the day that he is supposed to attend a friend's banquet, he loses track of time as he helps with a lost goat and gets very dirty in the process. As a result, he doesn't have time to change and arrives at the party in a dirty patchwork coat. His friend is embarrassed, the other guests completely ignore Nasrettin, and he is not served any food. Nasrettin leaves the party and returns wearing a clean, expensive coat, which he proceeds to "feed" with food and drink from the feast. He tells the guests that they must have wanted his coat to eat since there was no food for him when he wore the dirty patchwork coat. He then tells the guests that what is inside is what matters.

Don't judge others based on their appearances.

The character of a person is more important than his or her outward appearance.

What is inside is what matters most.
Click here to see The Hungry Coat on Amazon.
Note: The theme of this book is a bit more obvious since Nasrettin announces the lesson to his guests. You can pause the reading before this part and discuss the themes with the students before continuing to read.
Possible Themes:
To choose a successor, an emperor holds a challenge. He gives each child a seed and tells them that whoever shows him their best will be chosen as his successor. Ping, the main character, is overjoyed because he is excellent at growing flowers. However, Ping soon discovers that the seed will not grow into a flower, no matter what Ping does. Ping's father reminds him that he did his best and his best will be good enough. Ping presents his empty pot among all of the beautiful flowers the other children present. The emperor reveals that the seeds were cooked and no flowers could grow. He praises Ping for his courage and honesty and announces that Ping will take his place.

Have courage to be honest.

Honesty is the best policy.
Click here to see The Empty Pot on Amazon.
People who are dishonest are not rewarded.
Possible Themes:
One Green Apple is a powerfully touching story of a young girl in a new country. Farah feels alone because she does not know the language and some of the children are not friendly. After a trip to the apple orchard, she learns that even though she does not know the language and the customs are different, she will fit in, just as her small green apple fit in with the other red ones.

There are common interests even among very different cultures.

Anyone can belong, even if they seem very different.

Differences can bring us together.
Click here to see One Green Apple on Amazon.
On the inside, people are not as different as they may seem on the outside.

Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna
Possible Themes:
After catching Mr. Peabody take an apple without paying, a boy tells everyone he knows that Mr. Peabody is a thief. The boy learns a valuable lesson when he learns the truth that Mr. Peabody paid ahead of the apples each week. Mr. Peabody uses a feather pillow as a clever means for teaching the young boy a lesson.

Don't spread rumors.

Get the facts before assuming.

Rumors spread like wildfire and are hard to extinguish once they start.
Click here to see Mr. Peabody's Apples on Amazon.
Rumors can hurt the people they are about.
Possible Themes:
This story really resonates with many of my students because their family members were immigrants from Mexico or Guatemala. In the story, a young boy helps his grandfather who does not speak English get a 1-day job pulling weeds out of a garden. But, there is some confusion and they accidentally pull out the flowers and leave the weeds. The boy learns a valuable lesson from his grandfather about being honest and making things right when we do mess up.

Being honest is the most important thing.

When you mess up, make it right.

Making something right is important.
Click here to see A Day's Work on Amazon.
Knowing how to be a good person on the inside is more important than what you know on the outside.

General Guidelines for Choosing Theme Mentor Texts

1.) Choose books with plots, characters, and themes that will resonate with your students.

2.) Include read-alouds about real people.

3.) Read a variety of stories with differing themes and similar themes. Try to include a variety of themes to expose your students to more. However, books with similar themes are excellent for comparing and contrasting how different themes are explored.

Using Theme Mentor Texts for Instruction

These theme mentor texts can be used:

1.) To introduce the concept of theme

2.) To practice determining the theme and supporting the theme with evidence from the text as a whole class

3.) In a reading center to allow students to continue practicing the skill (Simply place the picture book and a graphic organize or interactive notebook template in a center for the students to complete. If you need graphic organizers or templates, click here to see my Determining Theme Resource pack.

Next Steps After Using Theme Mentor Texts

I use picture books for the first two or three days of my lessons. Then, I transition to passages to see if my students can apply the skill independently. I use passages from my "Determining Theme Resource" pack, which you can view by clicking here or on the image below. It includes posters, graphic organizers, essential questions, passages, and other activities for practicing theme

Do you have any favorite theme mentor texts or read alouds? Let us know in the comments!
Read Alouds for Teaching Story Elements Read Alouds for Teaching Inferring Back to School Read Alouds September 11 Read Alouds Halloween Read Alouds Thanksgiving Read Alouds Christmas Read Alouds Spring Read Alouds Read Alouds in Upper Elementary Planning Read Alouds in Upper Elementary
More Read Aloud Blog Posts:

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Read Alouds to Teach Theme | Mentor Texts for Reading Series

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Filed Under: Read Alouds, Reading Teaching theme is something I really enjoy. I think it helps build character and an enjoyment of reading, in addition to being a key reading skill. When students realize that they are learning life lessons from the books they read, it often increases their enjoyment and engagement.

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A detail example of how to teach theme, based on the story Finding Nemo.

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The only way you will ever need to teach theme

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Short Pixar funny film with actions from many characters. What is the theme of this film? is the question asked at the end.

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Theme Pixar Short Films - Lessons - Blendspace

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Pixar Short Film - For the Birds.Geri's Game Pixar.Partly Cloudy Pixar Short Film.Pixar Shorts Collection Luxo Jr 1986 YouTube.The Blue Umbrella - Extended Clip.Knick Knack Pixar Short Film (1989) 720p.Pixar: Short Films #15

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This site presents several direct methods of assessing students' understanding of theme in poetry.

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Unit Introduction

I created this unit for a group of students who needed extra practice with fluency and a beginner's understanding of poetry. Each day provided a quick lesson on one characteristic or type of figurative language, multiple readings of a short poem, and practice using the term of the day. The unit was designed to take no more than thirty minutes per lesson and lasted three weeks in my classroom.

Due to copyright issues, I could not include the actual poems used each day. However, because the terms being used are universal, fitting poems shouldn't be too difficult to find! All of the poems I used came from one of two sources:

- Scholastic's Storyworks magazines.

- The Big Book of Classroom Poems [Hollenbeck, K (2004). The big book of classroom poems. Scholastic Press: New York, NY.].

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After weeks of learning poetry characteristics and several types of figurative language, students compare and contrast two poems during an end of the unit test. Plan your 60-minute lesson in English / Language Arts or Writing with helpful tips from Jennifer Martinez

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Teaching theme is difficult because it's an abstract idea. This resource breaks down each parts to teach to understand the complex idea.

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Teaching theme to 3rd grade, 4th grade, or 5th grade students is just plain HARD. Theme is an abstract idea, making it really difficult for teachers to put into words and really hard for students to grasp. If your students are struggling with understanding theme, rest assured that they are not alone! Teachers all over the world have this same struggle.

Teachers often teach theme by creating anchor charts that list common themes or that list questions students should ask themselves when trying to determine the theme of a passage or story. These are helpful and good strategies to use, but most students will still have no clue how to determine the theme independently just through the anchor charts. There are other strategies you can use to help scaffold student understanding.

Why Teaching Theme is Hard

Students struggle with theme because it is unlike anything else they have learned in their ELA classroom.

In order to identify the theme of a text, students must also have the ability to summarize important parts of a text so that they have a clear understanding of what an entire passage says. Students must be able to distinguish the theme from the main idea. They must understand what lesson the author is trying to teach and recognize that they can disagree with the author's point of view. They must have a solid grasp of story elements and how characters change. They must be able to make inferences.

On top of all of that, students must understand how to actually determine the theme - no wonder teaching theme is so hard!

A Different Way To Teach Theme

In order to teach theme so students actually understand, first make sure they have at least been introduced to all of the other skills necessary for understanding theme, especially main idea. Find resources for teaching some of these skills below:

Once students have a solid foundation, practice each confusing aspect of theme in isolation. Start with smaller chunks of text - even as small as one paragraph - and make sure students really understand before moving onto larger text. This will help you determine where students are really struggling. It also scaffolds your instruction so struggling students are not overwhelmed.

The aspects of theme that I have found confuse students the most - as well as ideas for teaching each aspect - are below.

Themes aren't usually stated in the passage. To help students better understand this, have students read a paragraph with a clear theme. Tell students the theme of this paragraph, using a thinkaloud to explain how you figured it out. Go back and reread the passage, showing students that the theme was not stated anywhere in the passage.

Completely different stories can have the same theme. Seeing the same theme played out with a variety of different characters and plots can really help students better understand how to determine the theme. Read several very different paragraphs, each with the same theme to students. Download a freebie to help you with this here.

Theme and main idea are different. This is essential for students to understand, but very hard to teach. To help students understand this, have them read a short passage with a clear theme. Then, write 5 statements - 3 details from the passage, the main idea of the passage, and the theme of the passage. Do not tell students what is what, but instead have them figure that out. Doing this activity repeatedly really helps solidify students' understanding of the difference between main idea and theme. If your students are still struggling with main idea, then this activity will also help them be better able to differentiate between main idea and details.

You don't have to agree with the theme. This is particularly important in a world where biased information is available everywhere. Students need to know that they do not have to agree with everything they read. A good way to do this is to show students two paragraphs with opposing themes and have students discuss which theme they agree with more. For example, you could have a paragraph with the theme of "You can always trust your friends" and another paragraph with the theme of "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

A reading passage or text can have more than one theme. This can be confusing to students, as not all passages have more than one theme, while novels almost always do. Build up to determining the theme of novels by showing students shorter passages with at least two themes.

Themes are meant to apply to real life. This is an important aspect of theme - themes are not just a lesson for the characters in a story. The author intends for people to learn from the theme of a story. To practice this, read short passages with clear themes and, after identifying the theme, ask students how they could apply it to their own life. (Or have them explain why they wouldn't want to apply it to their own life.)

After practicing each of these aspects of theme in shorter passages, students will be much better equipped to understand and determine themes in longer literature and novels.

Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!

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Teaching Theme So Students Actually Understand

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Teaching theme to 3rd grade, 4th grade, or 5th grade students is just plain HARD. Theme is an abstract idea, making it really difficult for teachers to put into words and really hard for students to grasp. If your students are struggling with understanding theme, rest assured that they are not alone!

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It's been said "Music is a universal language". This resource let the student listen to a piece of popular/familiar music and guess what the theme of it is.

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Specifically design to help special education students learn about theme. The resource is aimed for 2-3 grade, but can be modified to fit 5th grade.

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Identifying Theme Special Ed Reading Unit - Finding Theme - Moral of the Story

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Teaching theme to students with autism and special needs can be tricky! This resource was created to include simple language and visuals to identify theme of a story.The following common themes are taught: compassion, cooperation, courage, friendship, honesty, loyalty, perseverance, acceptance, fa…

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This site has 349 theme unit lessons designed for special ed students.

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This remediation technique clarify the difference between Main idea and Theme, a common mixed up for students.

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Main Idea Remediation Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse main idea remediation resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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This workbook contains the necessary resource to help students with remediation in ELA.

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This resource is specifically designed to provide your students SBAC rehearsal. It offers online access to one realistic practice test that mirrors SBAC test blueprint. It also provides a comprehensive review of 5th grade English Language Arts standards.
This Bundle Includes;

A full-length lumos practice test that mimics the SBAC assessment blueprint.

Two printable worksheets with practice questions and detailed answer explanations.

Online access to Lumos Teacher Portal to help you easily assign and monitor your student progress.

Online access to Lumos Student Portal that provides personalized learning, diagnostics and remedial practice.

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Lumos online assessment includes;

A comprehensive review of key learning standards assessed on the SBAC test.

Technology-enhanced item types practice.

Diagnostic reports to pinpoint students learning difficulties.

Additional engaging learning resources such as videos and apps.

Supports up to 200 students.

Lumos Learning programs are trusted by over 300,000+ students, 40,000+ teachers, and 20,000+ schools to improve student achievement on the state assessments. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is a registered trademark of the Regents of the University of California, which is not affiliated with Lumos Learning. SBAC or the Regents of University of California have not endorsed the contents of this worksheet.

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SBAC Test Prep Language Arts - SBAC Practice Test & Worksheets Grade 5 ELA

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This resource is specifically designed to provide your students SBAC rehearsal. It offers online access to one realistic practice test that mirrors SBAC test blueprint. It also provides a comprehensive review of 5th grade English Language Arts standards.This Bundle Includes;A full-length lumos pract...

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This link gives a good explanation of what an Exit Ticket is, how to use it, and even provides a template.

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Exit Slips | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Exit slips are written student responses to questions teachers pose at the end of a class or lesson. These quick, informal assessments enable teachers to quickly assess students’ understanding of the material.

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Students can show in their own creative way, that they know the theme of a story, how characters respond to difficulty, and tell us the story in their own words and pictures.

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Storyboarding, or picture writing, is the origin of all written languages, used by ancient cultures before text evolved and as a natural bridge to text. The Chinese language was built using pictographs. Egyptians used storyboards, or hieroglyphics, first etched in stone and later written on papyrus, to organize a complex society and to rule the ancient world.

Look at any comic strip and you'll see picture writing in action. A storyboard is a writing format, generally a set of boxes (or rectangles, circles, or other shapes) placed in a logically sequenced order. Each box or frame is a place for the writer to put information, pictures, symbols, or text.

Storyboards appear in many forms, from emerging literacy books to emergency instructions on airplaces to technical textbooks. When writers in various fields want to make ideas easily understood, they choose a storyboard format or one of its close cousins: the flow chart, the time line, or the PowerPoint presentation. Storyboards are widely used because we know pictures combined with text offer a rich synthesis of information that can entertain and inform. The pictures in picture writing can be simple cartoons, photographs, or sophisticated technical diagrams.
Stick Pictures and Text
The low-tech storyboards I use in the classroom are designed to show students a clear path to text. We use simple stick pictures combined with spare text as our essential writing style. Offering students hands-on drawing has many advantages over using premade images or clip art. A central benefit of stick pictures is that kids can do it themselves, and they like to draw. As we explore drawing, as a differentiation tool, it is important to recognize that the act of drawing, like the act of writing text, is satisfying and informative. Putting pencil to paper, making symbols in pictures or text, helps our ideas to grow.

It is the logical sequencing power of storyboards, combined with the hands-on engagement of drawing, that makes these tools work for learners.

Teachers long comfortable with teaching almost exclusively with text often ask, "What if a student is reluctant to draw?" I've never had a student, from first to twelfth grade, who couldn't use stick pictures in some form. Once students and teachers start using drawing as a thinking tool, it becomes a mix of text and simple stick pictures to fit their skills and needs, whether they're in third grade or eighth grade.

Here is a basic six-square storyboard format from teacher Amy Rocci's third-grade classroom.

The purpose of this storyboard was to see if students could retell the main events of a fairy tale. All the basics of storyboarding in the classroom are evident in this student's work. Students were asked to retell the fairy tale using sequenced boxes containing both stick pictures and spare text-a few key words-in each square. Through her storyboard, this student conveys what she thinks are the six main events in the story. In a sense, she is creating the visual equivalent of a bulleted outline of main points. Note how her pictures and the text support and reinforce each other; together they tell the whole story.

A storyboard can be any length-two or two thousand squares. A storyboard can be simple like the Cinderella board, or elaborate and dense in content like a graphic novel.

Storyboards also can be adapted to fit many tasks, from maps to time lines. Like making text lists down a page or writing text across the page, the way we arrange storyboard boxes can help convey the logic of the task at hand, and make that task easier to accomplish. To convey content, organization boxes can be arranged vertically or horizontally, or set in meaning ful clusters.
Path to Text
It is important to note that whenever text-writing is the goal, the storyboard format offered to students should create a clear path to text. Generally I emphasize formats that parallel writing syntax; squares are written and read across the page the same way we read lines of text, starting in the top left square, returning at the end of each line.

The other main format that creates a clear path to text is boxes with text lines beside them. I generally use this format after a story or essay has been brainstormed and revised. This format allows students to see the direct link between their storyboard and sentences or paragraphs ot text.
The Tellingboard: Brainstorming and Revision Made Easy
A tellingboard is a larger-scale storyboard with movable cards, designed to allow easy brainstorming and revision. This tool makes building a story, an essay, or an oral presentation easier because the writer has hands-on, cut-and-paste capability like a word processor. As we go forward we'll see this tool can be used for many tasks, from writing to reading to revision and conferencing-making them more engaging and effective.
Simple Is Best
The Cinderella example might look like baby stuff. Don't be fooled. A storyboard is supposed to look simple, to make information visible and clear. The student's job was to summarize the main events in order, and she did a fine job. Her storyboard can be easily "read" and understood by anyone who knows the Cinderella story. You'll see the same cimplicity in older students' storyboards, but a closer look will show that their simple pictures efficiently encapsulate sophisticated ideas, as seen in the excerpt from a character analysis storyboard of Macbeth at right.

The use of simple tools is the real strength of storyboards in the classroom; the same writing process can be used by kindergarteners and graduate engineers or law students. In fact, the law student's notes integrating text and pictures are easier to read and more potent because the stick-pics provide landmarks in pages of dense text. I find students often learn to storyboard faster than adults. I encourage older students to try and storyboard as simply and clearly as a sharp third grader Whether you are retelling a fairy tale or development a complex plot for a novel, simple often turns out to be better.

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Storyboarding, or picture writing, is the origin of all written languages, used by ancient cultures before text evolved and as a natural bridge to text. The Chinese language was built using pictographs. Egyptians used storyboards, or hieroglyphics, first etched in stone and later written on papyrus, to organize a complex society and to rule the ancient world.

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To help ELL Students grasp the idea of theme, a T Chart can be used by writing the main idea on one side and on the other side, supporting statements to prove they have the correct main idea.

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Finding The Message: Grasping Themes in Literature | Scholastic

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How to teach theme in the upper grades, including SMART Notebook files (also in PDF form), a project idea, and printable graphic organizers and posters.

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Reading Rockets has several helpful tips on how to help ELL Students learn literacy.

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August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Executive summary. Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Available at: http://www.cal.org/natl-lit-panel/reports/Executive_Summary.pdf

August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Collier, R., ∓ Thomas, W. P. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. Resource Collection Series #9. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.

The Education Alliance at Brown University. (n.d.). The knowledge loom: Spotlight on elementary literacy. Available at http://knowledgeloom.org/elemlit/index.jsp

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. (NIH Pub. No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.cfm

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What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?

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In this article, a seasoned ELL teacher synthesizes her own classroom experience and the findings of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth to make recommendations for effective literacy instruction of ELL students.

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Teaching and Expressing Using Different Means

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Teaching and Expressing Using Different Means

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Some students cannot express what they understand verbally. Some also need additional support to understand the theme. Allowing students to point to a picture, act out the theme, or draw a picture can help them to learn and express their understanding of the theme of a story.

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Many a teacher has asked a student to "tell about the story" only to be met with a blank stare. This may be particularly true for students with autism. Some students with autism simply do not have the communication skills to be able to answer the question, others don't know how to communicate the information they do have, and still others don't understand enough about the story to respond.

Reading comprehension is often a concern for the teachers of students with autism. Many teachers tell me that their students with autism can read but that "they don't understand anything." It is always tricky to respond to such statements as many students with autism do understand what they read but cannot effectively express what they know. That is, some students with autism only appear incapable of comprehending text. Because students with autism have movement and communication differences, they may struggle to answer questions and express ideas in traditional ways. Some students might be unable to "find" the words needed to answer comprehension questions (or any question for that matter). Others may know the words but be unable to answer questions when directly asked to do so. It may be hard for some teachers to understand that a student could fluently read a text, know exactly what it means, and be unable to communicate that information. And those who do understand these gaps may be stumped at how to engineer other ways to help the student show what she knows.

If a teacher is confused about a student's ability to comprehend, he or she should give the students many ways to demonstrate understanding. When asking comprehension questions, teachers may want to try the following strategies: give students plenty of time to answer (even a minute or more); say the questions and present them in written form; or let the student write their answer or circle it rather than saying it. The teacher might also try approaches that make the interaction more informal and less direct. Some learners are more successful when questions are asked using a funny voice or foreign accent or when a prop such as a puppet or microphone are used in the lesson (Williams, 1996).

If students seem completely unable to answer comprehension questions, teachers might offer other ways to show understanding. They might ask students to draw or point to pictures (which may also be challenging for students with autism), use signs, gestures, or pantomime to "illustrate" a scene from a book, make diorama of a key scene, or create a collage or painting related to the text.

If a teacher uses all of these strategies and still cannot assess a student's comprehension, the student should not lose access to books, reading, and opportunities to learn academic content. Students with autism often demonstrate understanding in their own way. For instance, a high school teacher who works with a young man with significant disabilities, began reading him Thinking in Pictures(Grandin, 1995), the autobiography of a woman with autism. Before he was introduced to the book, the student was able to remain seated for no more than fifteen minutes at a time (for reading purposes or for any activity). When the teacher read him a book on autism, however, the student sat rapt for more than fifty minutes. The teacher reported that she had never seen him sit so still or so quietly. The teacher interpreted this behavior to mean that he was interested in and able to understand the text. She then chose other books to read to the young man and found that the student had a similar positive reaction to other texts she chose- especially those related to autism and disability studies. While she continuously worked to assess his comprehension of the text, the student did not lose access to books while she searched for new ways to learn about what he understood.

But what about those students who do need comprehension support? Having shared some information about students who know more than they can demonstrate, it must be acknowledged that many students with autism (and those without) need help comprehending text (Rosinski, 2002). Students with autism, for instance, may have problems making predictions; visualizing the events of a text; and identifying a purpose for reading. As one mother learned, some students with autism also have a hard time separating main ideas from details:

In fifth grade my son was assigned to write a paper on Benedict Arnold. When I looked at his rough draft, I noticed that he had included all of the important facts about Arnold's life except for one - the fact that he had betrayed the Revolutionary Army to the British for 10,000 pounds and a commission in the Royal Navy! I asked him whether he hadn't left out something important, to which he replied, "But all of it is important!" (Rosinski, 2002)

The following comprehension strategies may help some students gain comprehension skills and improve their ability to read and communicate about written material.

Build background knowledge

Student comprehension can also be boosted when the teacher helps the learner build background knowledge. Many students with disabilities, in particular, need this type of support as these learners are often excluded from the very activities that help students build background knowledge (e.g., socializing with peers, field trips).

Presenting background information related to the focus topic can help students better understand the text. For example, teachers might show students a movie related to the text, tell the learner a story related to the text, or help the student create connections between his or her experiences and the topic of the text. The teacher might also:

brainstorm with the learner and write ideas on chart paper

share personal stories on the topic

ask questions about the topic

make connections between the topic and a student's special interests

share other books related to the text

Perhaps the most significant support that can be offered is to include the student in the typical routines and activities of school life. Students will build "background knowledge" daily when they are included in the social life (e.g., recess, art class, locker routines) and the academic life of the school (e.g., math class, orchestra, academic clubs) and when their instruction is provided alongside their same-age peers.

Think aloud

To boost comprehension, teachers can help students monitor their own understanding as they read. One common strategy teachers often use in a whole-class format is the think-aloud (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000). A think-aloud involves the teacher reading a text to the class and modeling his or her own comprehension strategies such as asking questions, making inferences, determining importance, and making connections to personal background knowledge. The text or selected passage should contain information, concepts, and words that students may find difficult. The students should be encouraged to read the passage silently as the teacher is reading aloud.

A teacher might start reading a book by saying, "The title of the book is Running for Class President so I think it will be about kids being involved in student council or some kind of student government. When I look at the picture on the cover, I think maybe the main characters will be a boy and a girl. The cover has a picture of a classroom, so I think a lot of this book will take place in a school."

Teachers may even write their thoughts on chart paper so students can see and hear the process.

Drama

Comprehension can also be bolstered when teachers teach a story or a piece of text using drama. A teacher might have students act out parts of a textbook or a passage in a short story.

This technique is often used in lower grades, but it can be very effective in both middle school and high school classrooms as well. When students with autism study literature in the upper grade levels, they may have some difficulty understanding the motivations of characters in a story. This problem occurs because some of these learners have difficulty identifying and articulating emotions in certain contexts. Watching peers act out scenes from literature can help students with autism and others pair dialogue with appropriate facial expressions and voice tone. These scenes, therefore, can help learners better understand the meaning of the story.

Teachers may choose to use different types of drama for different lessons. Pantomime (Keefe, 1996), dramatic reading, and full-story performance are all types of drama that can be used in the classroom to enhance student comprehension and enjoyment.

Reciprocal teaching

Students can also be asked to help each other understand text. Some teachers ask learners to engage in "reciprocal teaching" (Palinscar & Brown, 1984). Reciprocal teaching is essentially a dialogue that takes place between teachers and students. The dialogue is structured by the use of four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. The teacher and students take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading this dialogue.

Once students are comfortable with the strategies, they are invited to become "the teacher" and conduct reciprocal teaching dialogues with new material. At this point the teacher's role shifts from providing direct instruction to facilitating student interaction, monitoring progress, and providing feedback. As students become more skilled with the strategy, they can work in pairs or small groups to coach one another, ask questions, summarize, predict, clarify, and think aloud about what they are reading.

All students, but particularly those with autism, may need to see this strategy modeled more than once. Since students with autism are typically quite visual, the teacher may consider videotaping a reciprocal teaching lesson and allowing individual students to take the tape home for viewing.

Some learners may "fail" comprehension assessments because, in part, they are uncomfortable with the direct nature of question/answer interactions. For this reason, some students may respond well to the retelling strategy. Retelling is a comprehension strategy as well as a tool for assessment.

A retelling is done by the reader after he or she has read or heard a story. The student is asked to "tell everything" he or she can about story or text. Retelling reinforces story structure and the language and imagery used in the text and provides more information about a reader's understanding than comprehension questions or other traditional assessments. By repeating the story with one's own words, a student can learn to attend to the story elements during the initial reading and gain strategies for organizing his or her own thinking.

To help struggling readers engage in retelling the teacher might:

model the strategy

have other students model the strategy

allow the student to doodle or draw part of the retelling

give the student illustrations or photographs to use in the retelling

give the student specific strategies to use in retelling

encourage the student to take notes or draw pictures during the initial storytelling

allow the student to type or write the retelling if this is easier

allow small groups of students to retell a story together

have the student retell the story by completing a story map or other graphic organizer

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Tell Me About the Story: Comprehension Strategies for Students on the Autism Spectrum

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Reading comprehension is often a concern for the teachers of students with autism. The comprehension strategies described in this article may help some students gain comprehension skills and improve their ability to read and communicate about written material.

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By using small group strategies, struggling students can get the much needed one on one time to help bring up their level in language arts.

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Best Practices for Remediation

Target students individually - use the data to determine which students need to improve on which skills or standards.

Use small groups or stations to let students work in teams based on similar needs.

Chunk skills into small tasks that can be done over time rather than giving one large review packet.

Use peer tutors to explain concepts in different words.

Take advantage of flipped remediation with videos and resources that have already been created.

Have students track results to see if their remediation led to improved performance on the next benchmark.

Use self-grading activities through Learn Study Island, Mastery Connect and other digital resources to give students immediate feedback.

Provide a little time each day to spiral review in addition to new content. Remediation should not be seen as punishment.

Have students reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the results of their class and home activities.

Create interesting graphic organizers to help students organize important information with more aesthetic appeal Sometimes all it takes is a simple stray-from-the-norm approach to help engage students. Check out these organizer ideas or these great mindmapping / organizing digital tools:

Bored with these? Check out Richard Byrne's of Free Tech For Teachers review of several mindmap digital tools.

Discovery Education SOS Strategies

Overview

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Target students individually - use the data to determine which students need to improve on which skills or standards. Use small groups or stations to let students work in teams based on similar needs. Chunk skills into small tasks that can be done over time rather than giving one large review packet.

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This tool is helpful for students with special needs. This website gives seven mini lesson ideas to help all learners with their understanding of theme.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When students in Becca Morris's class start listening to R.J. Palacio's she looks forward to the discussion it will inspire, with questions like What does it mean to be a true friend? What's the role of the bystander in bullying situations? and Can we tell what a person is like just by looking at them? anchoring the conversation. It is conversations like these that facilitate teaching theme in language arts. And the answers can turn reading a book into a life-changing experience for young learners.

"Studying themes like trust, integrity, and honesty," says Rachel Claff, editorial director for the Great Books Foundation, "builds thoughtful world citizens and friends, the kinds of thinkers you want to have in your classroom."

Each time students read, they're entering into a conversation with the author about what matters, says Jeffrey Wilhelm, distinguished professor at Boise State University and author of Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements. At the core of that conversation, however, is comprehension. To fully explore theme, students must understand what they read and then extract ideas from the text. "You can't think with ideas unless you understand them," says Wilhelm.

Here are 14 tips to help your students understand theme as they read.

1. Meet your students where they are.

Plan reading and discussion around questions that your students are already grappling with, from What does it mean to be a good friend? to What is heroism?

When you connect your literature themes to character development and what's going on in students' lives, your discussions will hopefully resonate deeply with them. One goal with teaching theme, explains Jodi Libretti of the Great Books Foundation, is to encourage students "not only to think about ways that they can live, but the type of person they want to become."

2. Start with concrete details.

Before they can identify and work with the theme of a story, your students need to have a strong grasp of the details: setting, character, plot. When they work with theme, they have to synthesize all that information into an overarching message. Use anchor charts to outline the elements of the story or give students a graphic organizer to follow.

3. Clarify the difference between theme and main idea.

Source: Mrs. Smith in 5th

Many students have difficulty differentiating between the main idea and the theme. The theme is the underlying message that the author wants to convey, whereas the main idea is what the story is mostly about. Teach these concepts separately and together. You might practice identifying themes and main ideas using Disney films or the stories your students read last year in order to have a common reference point. After you review as a class, give students a list of themes and main ideas and challenge them to work in pairs to create matches.

4. Scaffold the learning.

Theme is a difficult concept to grasp. Unlike the concreteness of setting or plot, theme is subtle and subjective. Move from simpler to more complex class assignments to help your students deepen their understanding. Humanities teachers Sara Kaviar and Megan O'Keefe, of the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, invite their students to work in groups to identify the theme of a fairy tale. Next, they create different endings to the tale and work together to identify how the new ending affects the theme. Finally, students write their own plots to match a given theme. Watch a video of how they approach teaching theme here.

5. Use essential questions.

Source: Creating Readers & Writers

Essential questions are open-ended, thought-provoking, and important in helping students develop their understanding of the theme. Questions like Why do people behave honestly? and What makes a good friend? are ones that you can return to throughout the year to analyze how students answer. See how their answers change as you read different authors' takes on the subject.

6. Ask story-specific questions, too.

Specific, targeted questions help focus students on the text. "Asking 'what is the theme?' sometimes strands students because it's too general," says Claff. On the other hand, asking questions that are more explicit, like "Where does friendship play an important part in this story?" can be too leading. Instead, ask questions that draw from the text and require evidence to support theme. For example, if you're reading Tuck Everlasting, you might ask, "Should Winnie drink the immortality water?"

7. Approach theme from different directions.

Be ready to phrase questions about theme a few different ways because you never know which question(s) will resonate with students. Some questions that will encourage thinking about theme are: What did the author want us to think about? What idea stays with you? and What will you remember about the story a year from now?

8. Accept a range of answers.

Of course, for many texts, there are often multiple themes and more than one way to express them. Be flexible when accepting students' answers to theme-based questions. Students will often be grappling with concepts they can't fully own. For example, if a student says the theme of Tuck Everlasting is living forever is a bad idea, you can work with the class to find different ways to express this thought. You might say, "Okay, what are some other ways we can say that?" Guide students toward the theme rather than requiring one right answer, which can turn the discussion into a game of guessing the teacher's thoughts.

9. Allow students to disagree with the theme.

Let students know that they don't have to agree with the theme, just because they read it! Showcase two opposing themes and have students discuss which one they agree with more. For example, you could have a paragraph with the theme of You can always trust your friends and another paragraph with the theme of If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

10. Get away from the obvious.

It's easy to tease out the theme from some stories (think: Aesop's The Ant and the Grasshopper). Challenge students with stories that don't follow a typical pattern. For example, in the Great Books unit on honesty, students read about characters who begin each story by being dishonest. By starting with a character who's lying, students explore deeper issues of honesty from the start. The careful use of stories, says Claff, opens up issues for students in an interesting real-world way.

11. Connect your discussions to other subject areas.

Do you see examples in social studies or current events that connect to your theme? Start a collection or bulletin board around your current literature theme. Students can add examples from pop culture, history, or other reading. Help students connect the theme to their own lives by assigning take-home activities that build personal experiences around each theme. When students study kindness in Great Books, they perform a random act of kindness. And when third graders study gratitude, they give an anonymous gift so they can experience what it's like to not receive a thank-you.

12. Provide a range of reading options.

To engage students at varying reading levels, provide a selection of books on one theme. When teacher and author Laura Robb teaches about obstacles, she fills her classroom library with biographies so students can read about how different historical figures overcame challenges in their lives. Even when each student is reading something different, they are still engaging with the theme in conferences and writing. One way to introduce choice is to have a read-aloud anchor text for all students, with a variety of stories to choose from for independent reading. In conferences, ask students to relate and connect their independent reading to the read aloud.

Teaching theme gets at the heart of what we want for students-authentic, meaningful, and memorable experiences with text. Jeff Wilhelm may have put it best, "If you can read for theme, you can participate in a democracy."

13. Use mini lessons to drive the point home.

These seven quick mini-lessons help for teaching theme and how authors and artists extract a big idea.

Read inspirational words to define a theme and brainstorm stories, movies, or real-life events in which you see this theme played out.

2. View compelling art.

Make art a springboard to discuss themes and how they're interpreted. For example, Edvard Munch's The Scream can inspire a discussion about the theme of fear and uncertainty.

3. Listen to songs.

Songs can lend themselves to a discussion of how artists communicate larger messages through lyrics. For instance, Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" lends itself to a discussion of independence.

4. Pull out the oldies but goodies.

Fairy tales are quick hits in teaching theme-like pulling the theme of envy from Snow White.

5. Review popular movies.

Brainstorm theme ideas from popular movies. For example, The Lion King and responsibility or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and greed.

6. Watch a Pixar short

Pixar shorts are easily found on YouTube. You can watch them as a class and then hone in on a theme discussion. Consider Piper, Partly Cloudy, and Lava.

7. Judge some books by their cover.

Post the covers of books you have read and ask students to discuss whether or not the theme is evident on the cover.

14. Continue to assess theme throughout the year.

As the year progresses, you'll want to know if teaching theme paid off and if students are able to identify theme independently. Here are eight suggestions for finding out if your students are getting it.

1. Use annotation.

Have students annotate a text with details, quotes, and other "golden lines" that highlight the theme. Save and print our free teacher and student infographic posters on annotation.

2. Monitor reader responses.

Writing responses to the essential questions from the start to finish of a unit will help you see how students develop their ideas.

3. Map character growth.

Oftentimes theme comes from the way characters-usually the main character-changes and grows throughout the story. Have students create a growth chart focused on one character, that marks transitions in their development.

4. Compare the theme with that of other stories.

Connecting the theme from one story to another shows that students grasp the theme in a broad sense.

5. Cite evidence.

Ask your students to give concrete examples from the book that demonstrate the theme. This can include quotes, summaries, or title headings, to name just a few.

6. Reflect.

Have students make a connection through writing and discussion on what the theme means to them personally and how their understanding of the theme has changed based on their reading.

7. Search for additional themes.

Many stories have more than just one theme-sometimes, you just have to dig a little. Using a story that students are familiar with, have them identify and support a theme that's different than the one you've already studied. For example, in the story Oliver Button, students may come up with themes of bullying, gender roles, and determination.

8. Listen for theme.

In reading conferences with students, train yourself to listen for specific details and examples about theme. The more students are understanding, the better they'll be at answering questions like What does the author want you to remember?

What are your tips for teaching theme? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
14 Essential Tips for Teaching Theme in Language Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When students in Becca Morris's class start listening to R.J. Palacio's she looks forward to the discussion it will inspire, with questions like What does it mean to be a true friend? What's the role of the bystander in bullying situations? and Can we tell what a person is like just by looking at them?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When students in Becca Morris's class start listening to R.J. Palacio's she looks forward to the discussion it will inspire, with questions like What does it mean to be a true friend? What's the role of the bystander in bullying situations? and Can we tell what a person is like just by looking at them? anchoring the conversation. It is conversations like these that facilitate teaching theme in language arts. And the answers can turn reading a book into a life-changing experience for young learners.

"Studying themes like trust, integrity, and honesty," says Rachel Claff, editorial director for the Great Books Foundation, "builds thoughtful world citizens and friends, the kinds of thinkers you want to have in your classroom."

Each time students read, they're entering into a conversation with the author about what matters, says Jeffrey Wilhelm, distinguished professor at Boise State University and author of Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements. At the core of that conversation, however, is comprehension. To fully explore theme, students must understand what they read and then extract ideas from the text. "You can't think with ideas unless you understand them," says Wilhelm.

Here are 14 tips to help your students understand theme as they read.

1. Meet your students where they are.

Plan reading and discussion around questions that your students are already grappling with, from What does it mean to be a good friend? to What is heroism?

When you connect your literature themes to character development and what's going on in students' lives, your discussions will hopefully resonate deeply with them. One goal with teaching theme, explains Jodi Libretti of the Great Books Foundation, is to encourage students "not only to think about ways that they can live, but the type of person they want to become."

2. Start with concrete details.

Before they can identify and work with the theme of a story, your students need to have a strong grasp of the details: setting, character, plot. When they work with theme, they have to synthesize all that information into an overarching message. Use anchor charts to outline the elements of the story or give students a graphic organizer to follow.

3. Clarify the difference between theme and main idea.

Source: Mrs. Smith in 5th

Many students have difficulty differentiating between the main idea and the theme. The theme is the underlying message that the author wants to convey, whereas the main idea is what the story is mostly about. Teach these concepts separately and together. You might practice identifying themes and main ideas using Disney films or the stories your students read last year in order to have a common reference point. After you review as a class, give students a list of themes and main ideas and challenge them to work in pairs to create matches.

4. Scaffold the learning.

Theme is a difficult concept to grasp. Unlike the concreteness of setting or plot, theme is subtle and subjective. Move from simpler to more complex class assignments to help your students deepen their understanding. Humanities teachers Sara Kaviar and Megan O'Keefe, of the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, invite their students to work in groups to identify the theme of a fairy tale. Next, they create different endings to the tale and work together to identify how the new ending affects the theme. Finally, students write their own plots to match a given theme. Watch a video of how they approach teaching theme here.

5. Use essential questions.

Source: Creating Readers & Writers

Essential questions are open-ended, thought-provoking, and important in helping students develop their understanding of the theme. Questions like Why do people behave honestly? and What makes a good friend? are ones that you can return to throughout the year to analyze how students answer. See how their answers change as you read different authors' takes on the subject.

6. Ask story-specific questions, too.

Specific, targeted questions help focus students on the text. "Asking 'what is the theme?' sometimes strands students because it's too general," says Claff. On the other hand, asking questions that are more explicit, like "Where does friendship play an important part in this story?" can be too leading. Instead, ask questions that draw from the text and require evidence to support theme. For example, if you're reading Tuck Everlasting, you might ask, "Should Winnie drink the immortality water?"

7. Approach theme from different directions.

Be ready to phrase questions about theme a few different ways because you never know which question(s) will resonate with students. Some questions that will encourage thinking about theme are: What did the author want us to think about? What idea stays with you? and What will you remember about the story a year from now?

8. Accept a range of answers.

Of course, for many texts, there are often multiple themes and more than one way to express them. Be flexible when accepting students' answers to theme-based questions. Students will often be grappling with concepts they can't fully own. For example, if a student says the theme of Tuck Everlasting is living forever is a bad idea, you can work with the class to find different ways to express this thought. You might say, "Okay, what are some other ways we can say that?" Guide students toward the theme rather than requiring one right answer, which can turn the discussion into a game of guessing the teacher's thoughts.

9. Allow students to disagree with the theme.

Let students know that they don't have to agree with the theme, just because they read it! Showcase two opposing themes and have students discuss which one they agree with more. For example, you could have a paragraph with the theme of You can always trust your friends and another paragraph with the theme of If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

10. Get away from the obvious.

It's easy to tease out the theme from some stories (think: Aesop's The Ant and the Grasshopper). Challenge students with stories that don't follow a typical pattern. For example, in the Great Books unit on honesty, students read about characters who begin each story by being dishonest. By starting with a character who's lying, students explore deeper issues of honesty from the start. The careful use of stories, says Claff, opens up issues for students in an interesting real-world way.

11. Connect your discussions to other subject areas.

Do you see examples in social studies or current events that connect to your theme? Start a collection or bulletin board around your current literature theme. Students can add examples from pop culture, history, or other reading. Help students connect the theme to their own lives by assigning take-home activities that build personal experiences around each theme. When students study kindness in Great Books, they perform a random act of kindness. And when third graders study gratitude, they give an anonymous gift so they can experience what it's like to not receive a thank-you.

12. Provide a range of reading options.

To engage students at varying reading levels, provide a selection of books on one theme. When teacher and author Laura Robb teaches about obstacles, she fills her classroom library with biographies so students can read about how different historical figures overcame challenges in their lives. Even when each student is reading something different, they are still engaging with the theme in conferences and writing. One way to introduce choice is to have a read-aloud anchor text for all students, with a variety of stories to choose from for independent reading. In conferences, ask students to relate and connect their independent reading to the read aloud.

Teaching theme gets at the heart of what we want for students-authentic, meaningful, and memorable experiences with text. Jeff Wilhelm may have put it best, "If you can read for theme, you can participate in a democracy."

13. Use mini lessons to drive the point home.

These seven quick mini-lessons help for teaching theme and how authors and artists extract a big idea.

Read inspirational words to define a theme and brainstorm stories, movies, or real-life events in which you see this theme played out.

2. View compelling art.

Make art a springboard to discuss themes and how they're interpreted. For example, Edvard Munch's The Scream can inspire a discussion about the theme of fear and uncertainty.

3. Listen to songs.

Songs can lend themselves to a discussion of how artists communicate larger messages through lyrics. For instance, Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" lends itself to a discussion of independence.

4. Pull out the oldies but goodies.

Fairy tales are quick hits in teaching theme-like pulling the theme of envy from Snow White.

5. Review popular movies.

Brainstorm theme ideas from popular movies. For example, The Lion King and responsibility or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and greed.

6. Watch a Pixar short

Pixar shorts are easily found on YouTube. You can watch them as a class and then hone in on a theme discussion. Consider Piper, Partly Cloudy, and Lava.

7. Judge some books by their cover.

Post the covers of books you have read and ask students to discuss whether or not the theme is evident on the cover.

14. Continue to assess theme throughout the year.

As the year progresses, you'll want to know if teaching theme paid off and if students are able to identify theme independently. Here are eight suggestions for finding out if your students are getting it.

1. Use annotation.

Have students annotate a text with details, quotes, and other "golden lines" that highlight the theme. Save and print our free teacher and student infographic posters on annotation.

2. Monitor reader responses.

Writing responses to the essential questions from the start to finish of a unit will help you see how students develop their ideas.

3. Map character growth.

Oftentimes theme comes from the way characters-usually the main character-changes and grows throughout the story. Have students create a growth chart focused on one character, that marks transitions in their development.

4. Compare the theme with that of other stories.

Connecting the theme from one story to another shows that students grasp the theme in a broad sense.

5. Cite evidence.

Ask your students to give concrete examples from the book that demonstrate the theme. This can include quotes, summaries, or title headings, to name just a few.

6. Reflect.

Have students make a connection through writing and discussion on what the theme means to them personally and how their understanding of the theme has changed based on their reading.

7. Search for additional themes.

Many stories have more than just one theme-sometimes, you just have to dig a little. Using a story that students are familiar with, have them identify and support a theme that's different than the one you've already studied. For example, in the story Oliver Button, students may come up with themes of bullying, gender roles, and determination.

8. Listen for theme.

In reading conferences with students, train yourself to listen for specific details and examples about theme. The more students are understanding, the better they'll be at answering questions like What does the author want you to remember?

What are your tips for teaching theme? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
14 Essential Tips for Teaching Theme in Language Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When students in Becca Morris's class start listening to R.J. Palacio's she looks forward to the discussion it will inspire, with questions like What does it mean to be a true friend? What's the role of the bystander in bullying situations? and Can we tell what a person is like just by looking at them?

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Sometimes students don't understand a concept because they have no prior knowledge. This website gives good tips on how to help reteach to students. One of the tips is to build schema. Present real world stories students know well and then build on that knowledge.

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Are you struggling with what to do while reteaching a concept to your students? Try these six strategies to beef up your reteach, and make your students feel like rockstars!

Build Schema

Sometimes our students have a difficult time understanding a concept because they have no prior knowledge of it. Providing real world examples that they can connect to will increase engagement and allow their brains to build a framework for understanding.

One of my favorite ways to build schema is through YouTube videos related to the topic. Our students are deeply interested in video, and if you are able to find a current video that accurately explains a topic they get really into it. From there I encourage students to ask questions to build into our reteach.

Peer Coach

Sometimes students have already heard it from teachers several times and they aren't making the necessary connections to the content. When this happens, give peer coaching a try.

In order for peer coaching to be successful it is important to carefully think through who you have in the role of coach. It is tempting to select a student who has shown complete mastery of the content, but the more powerful choice is a student who is right on the cusp of mastery without having achieved it yet. This makes the coaching process powerful for both the coach and the students being coached.

I introduce the coach as the "content expert" to the group and give them the floor. In addition I love to record the way the coach introduces and teaches the concept to the group to refer back to. By having a peer coach, students are able to hear the content in a different way, from a different person who they trust.

These Big Ten Math Stations are a perfect took to use along with peer coaching. Each unit offers ten different stations built around the same standard to allow students ample practice towards mastery. They are available for second, third, fourth, and fifth grade in bundles or separately.

Cooperative Learning Strategies

I am slightly cooperative learning obsessed. I love cooperative learning strategies for all areas of the classroom and academic spectrum, but they are especially great for reteaching.

While there are far too many strategies to name that would be perfect for reteaching, my absolute favorite has to be sage and scribe.

To complete Sage-N-Scribe

1. Partner A has the pencil

2. Partner B thinks out loud while Partner A scribes for them giving them praise or corrections

3. Partner A and Partner B switch rolls and repeat

This strategy is amazing for all students, because voicing their thinking really makes them work on their metacognition and work on academic vocabulary. It also allows me, as the teacher, to hear how my students are doing. The power really is in the conversations.

Focus on Vocabulary

Vocabulary really is everything, it can not be underutilized in the classroom. I am a big advocate for pre-teaching vocabulary, but I also understand that it does not always happen. When students struggle with a concept it is imperative that we take the time to ensure that it is not the vocabulary that is getting in the way.

There are a myriad of ways to focus on vocabulary, the important part is that you do it. When students are comfortable using academic vocabulary in oral and written language they are able to better grasp concepts as a whole.

One of my favorite ways to include vocabulary, and get students writing, is through photo quick writes. I show students a photo as well as give them a word bank of vocabulary terms to use to write everything they know about the concept. Their writing is a great way to flush out what vocabulary they truly know and what needs some more work.

Another easy activity to complete with vocabulary is a word sort where students simply take a deck of vocabulary cards, like these word wall cards, and sort them into words they know and words they need help with.

Use Visuals

Our goal is always to reach learners in as many ways as possible, and one of the easiest ways to reach a new learning style is through visuals.

This might mean creating an anchor chart together, making individual mind maps, illustrating vocabulary words, or sketch notes. The sky is truly the limit, and follow the guidance of your students when it comes to visuals.

Check for Understanding Often

Often it is difficult to apprehend where the break down is when it comes to understanding, so it becomes important to stop and check for understanding as often as humanly possible while reteaching.

Whatever you do, just do it early and often.

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Are you struggling with what to do while reteaching a concept to your students? Try these six strategies to beef up your reteach, and make your students feel like rockstars! Sometimes our students have a difficult time understanding a concept because they have no prior knowledge of it.