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RL.5.2 Theme and Summarizing Common Core Assessment

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RL.5.2 Theme and Summarizing Common Core Assessment

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Identify skill gaps
for personalized instruction

Support student progress between MAP Growth assessments

MAP Skills is a skills mastery and progress monitoring assessment that helps teachers drill down to the specific skills each student needs to learn. Use it between MAP Growth administrations to see exactly what struggling students are missing and advanced students are ready to take on-then adjust instruction in the moment and monitor student progress.

MAP Skills

Get the targeted information you need to help students. MAP Skills identifies specific skill gaps, so you can personalize instruction and get them back on track.

Specific Skills Assessment

MAP Skills builds on MAP Growth results by drilling down to pinpoint specific gaps. Because MAP Skills arranges the skills in logical learning progressions, teachers can clearly see what a student needs to learn next.
Download Fact Sheet
Skills Mastery & Progress Monitoring

Grade levels

Grade-level independence

Accurately assesses student skills, whether on, above, or below grade level

Subjects

Math

Reading comprehension

Language usage

Vocabulary

Frequency

As often as needed

Test time
5-30 minutes
Varies by subject and skills assessed

Alignment

Aligned to MAP Growth instructional areas for your standards

Case Study

CICS West Belden provides a truly personalized experience with MAP Skills. With half of their students performing below grade level, the teachers and school leaders knew they needed a different approach.
Download Case Study

Powered by a stable platform

MAP Skills operates on our Comprehensive Assessment Platform-a secure, stable system you can trust to support your assessment needs. Because it's the same platform as MAP Growth, you enjoy the convenience of a single login and common rostering.

The platform's ability to handle a high volume of students means you can test on the schedule that meets your needs. And it's compatible with most popular operating systems, browsers, and devices-including iPads® and Chromebooks®-to make testing as seamless as possible.

Progress monitoring that guides interventions

MAP Skills is ideal for students in intervention programs because it pinpoints the missing skills that are holding them back so teachers can individualize instruction. And because it can be administered as often as needed, it helps teachers closely track student progress and see how they're responding to interventions. MAP Skills and MAP Growth combine to support intervention programs that make a difference.
Find out how

MAP Skills has been so great for us because it's an instant snapshot of what skills students know and what they need to work on. Nicole Swick, Teacher, Distinctive Schools, Chicago, IL

Professional Learning

MAP Skills and More

Our professional learning consultants-former educators and experts in data coaching-give you proven strategies to help you do more with data while creating sustained learning that improves practice.

Flexible delivery options-including self-paced online learning and workshops conducted on-site, regionally, or virtually-make it easy to fit learning into busy schedules.

Learn More

Support at Every Step

Our "by educators, for educators" heritage drives us to ensure a great experience for all who partner with us-from beginning to end. You get focused attention-from comprehensive implementation to ongoing help via phone, email, live chat, and even on-site-from our knowledgeable specialists.

Visit Support

Professional Learning

MAP Skills and More

Our professional learning consultants-former educators and experts in data coaching-give you proven strategies to help you do more with data while creating sustained learning that improves practice.

Flexible delivery options-including self-paced online learning and workshops conducted on-site, regionally, or virtually-make it easy to fit learning into busy schedules.

Learn More

Support at Every Step

Our "by educators, for educators" heritage drives us to ensure a great experience for all who partner with us-from beginning to end. You get focused attention-from comprehensive implementation to ongoing help via phone, email, live chat, and even on-site-from our knowledgeable specialists.

Visit Support

Student Empowerment

MAP Skills has an engaging student dashboard where students can see the skills they're working on and track their progress-encouraging them to be invested in their own learning. This helps teachers have more productive conversations with students and parents.

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MAP Skills: Response to intervention | NWEA

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MAP Skills is a skills mastery and progress monitoring assessment that helps teachers drill down to the specific skills each student needs to learn. Use it between MAP Growth administrations to see exactly what struggling students are missing and advanced students are ready to take on-then adjust instruction in the moment and monitor student progress.

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RL. 5.2 Grade 5 Literature Mini-Assessment on "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse"

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RL. 5.2 Grade 5 Literature Mini-Assessment on "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse"

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RL 5.2 Understanding the theme of Frozen by analyzing song lyrics and dialogue from important scenes

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RL 5.2 Understanding the theme of Frozen by analyzing song lyrics and dialogue from important scenes

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For this lesson, I want students learn about more about theme is developed. To increase engagement and to help students learn to identify theme I purchased the movie "Frozen" and played excerpts of it through Amazon Instant Videos. I ask students to watch the film clips and think about how movies use music, events, and dialogue to develop theme.
"Good morning students, today we will watch a bit of the movie Frozen to help us understand theme. When an author writes a poem, story, or even a movie script they are thinking of ways to create characters, events, dialogue and songs that point to the message or theme of the text."
I start by displaying the lyrics from the song "Frozen Heart" from the opening scene in the movie Frozen.

Then I read aloud the lyrics to the students. I tell the students that the song has clues to the themes in the movie Frozen.

After reading lyrics to the students, I play the song for them and let kids listen and sing along:
The Frozen Heart: Ice Workers' Song
After listening and singing the song, I tell students to "turn and talk" with their partner and compare the idea they have about the themes of the movie based on this opening song.

I listen in and restate students ideas. I anticipate students will say I think a theme is being hard hearted or closed off, etc.

Next, I project the lyrics again and ask students specific questions about the lyrics stanza by stanza.

Born of cold and winter air
And mountain rain combining WHO?
This icy force both foul and fair What does this mean?
Has a frozen heart worth mining What does this mean?

And mark up the text on the lyrics.

Cut through the heart, cold and clear: What do you think this line means?
Strike for love and strike for fear (suggest: Maybe there is both love and fear in the heart?)
See the beauty sharp and sheer
Split the ice apart
And break the frozen heart Who in this movie has a "frozen heart"?
STANZA THREE Beautiful, powerful, dangerous, cold
Ice has a magic can't be controlled
Stronger than one, stronger than ten
Stronger than a hundred men STANZAS FOUR AND FIVE REPEAT What / who do you think this stanza is referring to?
Born of cold and winter air
And mountain rain combining
This icy force both foul and fair
Has a frozen heart worth mining

Cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
There's beauty and there's danger here
Split the ice apart
Beware the frozen heart

I jot down students' thinking on copy of the lyrics.

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For this lesson, I want students learn about more about theme is developed. To increase engagement and to help students learn to identify theme I purchased the movie "Frozen" and played excerpts of it through Amazon Instant Videos. I ask students to watch the film clips and think about how movies use music, events, and dialogue to develop theme.

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of "The Wings of a Butterfly" through Read Aloud techniques 

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of "The Wings of a Butterfly" through Read Aloud techniques 

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A RAINFOREST FOLKTALE: DETERMINING THE MESSAGE OF "THE WINGS OF THE BUTTERFLY," A TUKUNA PEOPLE TALE
The folk tale is read aloud in order for students to enjoy the flow of the story. This lesson purposefully does not involve an in-depth analysis of the folk tale, given that the overall focus of the unit is much more on informational text.

Common Core Learning Standards

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in...

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative...

Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.

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Grade 5 ELA Module 2A, Unit 2, Lesson 9 | EngageNY

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A RAINFOREST FOLKTALE: DETERMINING THE MESSAGE OF "THE WINGS OF THE BUTTERFLY," A TUKUNA PEOPLE TALE The folk tale is read aloud in order for students to enjoy the flow of the story. This lesson purposefully does not involve an in-depth analysis of the folk tale, given that the overall focus of the unit is much more on informational text.

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of the fable "The Fish That Were Too Clever" through reading comprehension questions

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of the fable "The Fish That Were Too Clever" through reading comprehension questions

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The Panchatantra is an ancient collection of Indian animal fables. Each tale uses imagery to explain a moral or idea. In this story, "The Fish That Were Too Clever," two fish and a frog make different choices in response to a perceived threat. After reading the story, children will write what they think the theme of the story is, and how it relates to today. Designed for fifth graders and other learners, this reading comprehension worksheet is an engaging way to invite children to identify the theme of a story and how it may connect to their own lives.

Grade

Subject

View aligned standards

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Panchatantra: The Fish That Were Too Clever | Worksheet | Education.com

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The Panchatantra is an ancient collection of Indian animal fables. Each tale uses imagery to explain a moral or idea. In this story, "The Fish That Were Too Clever," two fish and a frog make different choices in response to a perceived threat.

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RL 5.2 Word Walls incorporating universal themes

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RL 5.2 Word Walls incorporating universal themes

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Language Arts

Ask students to hunt for words in their reading and writing that fit the phonic or word study pattern being studied. These words can create a word wall that illustrates examples of the different patterns studied. Students could keep a word study notebook to record the known patterns and their new understanding about words, and can play games and activities that apply their word knowledge.

Math

Word walls in math can provide visual cues and graphic representations of content. Consider using a math word wall that has three parts: key vocabulary, "in your own words" definitions, and a variety of ways to portray a function. For example, multiplication is portrayed by the following symbols: x, *, and ( ).

Number sense, concepts, and operations word wall
The purpose of the mathematics word wall is to identify words and phrases that students need to understand and use so as to make good progress in mathematics. Mathematical language is crucial to children's development of thinking. If students do not have the vocabulary to talk about math concepts and skills, they cannot make progress in understanding these areas of mathematical knowledge. They need to be familiar with mathematical vocabulary and mathematical terms to understand written and spoken instructions. See math word wall resources ›

More ideas for word walls in math
Many teachers are familiar with basic word wall strategies including the use of a flashlight (to put the light on words) and a fly swatter (to highlight words). Teachers are also familiar with tested favorites like bingo; I Have, Who Has; and Mind Reader, but they really wanted other ideas. The purpose of this post by Dr. Deborah Wahlstrom is to identify additional ways to use word walls with mathematics content. More math word wall ideas ›

Science

Using interactive word walls in science
Science is a vocabulary-intense subject that is dependent on students learning new and often times difficult vocabulary to increase comprehension and help them make connections between and among concepts. When science students are given the opportunity to interact with the vocabulary, they are more likely to remember it.

Ideas for using the words on your wall are only limited by your imagination. Some examples include:

Students categorize and sequence from largest to smallest (cell, bacteria, yeast, tissue, ribosome, organ, organism, organ system, protozoa, virus) Variation: Students are given vocabulary words, and their classmates must arrange them in the correct order and justify the placement.

Students remove words from the wall and make connecting statements about the words. The class can then create a summarizing statement, for example: cells make up tissues, and tissues make up organs.

For more ideas like these, read the full post by Toni Enloe.

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A word wall is a collection of words that are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom. The word wall is designed to be an interactive tool for students and contains an array of words that can be used during writing and reading.

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RL 5.2 Reading Comprehension Strategy for Grade 5 by the English Club

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RL 5.2 Reading Comprehension Strategy for Grade 5 by the English Club

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Before the students start reading a text in class, they might be shown just the title and requested to give the words they believe might appear in the text (the title should be of the kind that would help the students to guess what the text will be about).

After that the words are written on the blackboard.

In the next stage you ask the students to split the words into two groups, according to their connotation, e.g. funny or sad, associated with kindness or violence etc.

After that the students are requested to compose their own stories based on the title given by the teacher and the vocabulary list from the blackboard, offered by the classmates.

Now just go ahead and read the text.
Contributed by: Maksim

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Before the students start reading a text in class, they might be shown just the title and requested to give the words they believe might appear in the text (the title should be of the kind that would help the students to guess what the text will be about).

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RL 5.2 Room Signs of literary themes in Spanish. This can be used for word walls or in presentations in conjunction with vocabulary review 

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RL 5.2 Room Signs of literary themes in Spanish. This can be used for word walls or in presentations in conjunction with vocabulary review 

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Room signs of literary themes in spanish. You can use it for your word walls or to use as part of a presentation. ...

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of the poem "Casey at the Bat"

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RL 5.2 Determining the theme of the poem "Casey at the Bat"

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Supports/Accommodations for ELL and Special Needs Students: "Casey at the Bat" Disney short film

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I present the poem first aloud to my students and then I ask, What are the main events? With this group I had some students who needed support to understand the action in each stanza so, I decided to play them this video clip from the Disney rendition of the events of the poem.

The fun filled action of the pictures both gave them an insight into the era of the poem and also the suspense created for the fans with the at bats.

I then asked again what the main idea and sequence of events of the poem were. I asked why were people given the names Clooney, Casey? I explained that in baseball they only use players' last names and that their first names are not given. I discuss a short overview of innings, at bats and the basic rules of the game. It always surprises me that some students have never been to a baseball game, but this ensures that they at least have a basic understanding of the game.

I then explain the vocabulary they will see in the poem. We discuss kid friendly meanings and I have them create quick pictures of what each word symbolizes. These pictures help them to associate a meaning with each of the words.

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What's the Main Idea of Casey's At-Bat in the Game?

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Poems have plots and themes just like those found in stories. We are going to read this poem to outline the events that occur and the outcome of the game. Plan your 60-minute lesson in English / Language Arts or main idea with helpful tips from Rose Ortiz

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RL 5.2 Speech-to-text technology accommodation for learners with special needs

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RL 5.2 Speech-to-text technology accommodation for learners with special needs

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Endnotes

Click the "Endnotes" link above to hide these endnotes.

i Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping all students reach their full potential. March 2009 White Paper, Nuance Communications.

ii Higgins, E.L., & Raskind, M.H. (2000). Speaking to read: The effects of continuous vs. discrete speech recognition systems on the reading and spelling of children with learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15(1), 19-30; Higgins, E.L. & Raskind, M.H. (1995). Compensatory effectiveness of speech recognition on the written composition performance of postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 18(2), 159-174; MacArthur, C.A. (2009). Reflections on research on writing and technology for struggling writers. Learning Disabilities Research& Practice, 24(2), 93-103.

iii Bruce, C. Edmundson, A., Coleman, M. (2003). Writing with voice: an investigation of the use of a voice recognition system as a writing aid for a man with aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 38(2), 131-148.

iv Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233; Jones, G., Squires, T., Hicks, J. (2007-2008). Combining speech recognition/natural language processing with 3D online learning environments to create distributed authentic and situated spoken language learning. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 36(4), 375-392.

v Freitas, D., Kouroupetroglou, G. (2008). Speech technologies for blind and low vision persons. Technology and Disability, 20, 135-156.

vi Jana, R. (2009). How tech for the disabled is going mainstream. BusinessWeek, 4149, 58-60. ; Lohr, S, & Markoff, J. (2010, June 24). Smarter than you think: computers learn to listen, and some talk back. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/science/25voice.html?ref=science; Monaghan, P. (2010). Design for disability will become the norm. Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(2), B6-B7.

vii Bruce, C. Edmundson, A., Coleman, M. (2003). Writing with voice: an investigation of the use of a voice recognition system as a writing aid for a man with aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 38(2), 131-148.; Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233; Freitas, D., Kouroupetroglou, G. (2008). Speech technologies for blind and low vision persons. Technology and Disability, 20, 135-156; Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53; Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95; Jones, G., Squires, T., Hicks, J. (2007-2008). Combining speech recognition/natural language processing with 3D online learning environments to create distributed authentic and situated spoken language learning, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 36(4), 375-392; MacArthur, C.A. (2009). Reflections on research on writing and technology for struggling writers. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(2), 93-103.

viii Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95.

ix Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.; Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping All Students Reach Their Full Potential. March 2009 White Paper,Nuance Communications.

xGardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.

xi Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392.; Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping All Students Reach Their Full Potential. March 2009 White Paper; Nuance Communications.; Peterson-Karlan, G., Hourcade, J., & Parette, P. (2008). A review of assistive technology and writing skills for students with physical and educational disabilities. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26 (2), 13-32.

xii Caverly, D.C. (2008). Techtalk: Assistive technology for writing. Journal of Developmental Education, 31(3), 36-37.

xiii Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.

xivGardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 44.

xv Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233.

xviNuance Communications 2009; Silver-Pacuilla, H. (2006). Access and benefits: Assistive technology in adult literacy. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 50(2),114-25.

xvii Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392.

xviii Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping all students reach their full potential. March 2009 White Paper, Nuance Communications.

xix Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95.

xx Higgins, E.L., & Raskind, M.H. (2000). Speaking to read: The effects of continuous vs. discrete speech recognition systems on the reading and spelling of children with learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15(1), 19-30.

xxi Lohr, S, & Markoff, J. (2010, June 24). Smarter than you think: Computers learn to listen, and some talk back. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/science/25voice.html?ref=science.

xxii Jana, R. (2009). How tech for the disabled is going mainstream. BusinessWeek, 4149, 58-60; Monaghan, P. (2010). Design for disability will become the norm. Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(2), B6-B7.

Endnotes

i Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping all students reach their full potential. March 2009 White Paper, Nuance Communications.

ii Higgins, E.L., & Raskind, M.H. (2000). Speaking to read: The effects of continuous vs. discrete speech recognition systems on the reading and spelling of children with learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15(1), 19-30; Higgins, E.L. & Raskind, M.H. (1995). Compensatory effectiveness of speech recognition on the written composition performance of postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 18(2), 159-174; MacArthur, C.A. (2009). Reflections on research on writing and technology for struggling writers. Learning Disabilities Research& Practice, 24(2), 93-103.

iii Bruce, C. Edmundson, A., Coleman, M. (2003). Writing with voice: an investigation of the use of a voice recognition system as a writing aid for a man with aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 38(2), 131-148.

iv Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233; Jones, G., Squires, T., Hicks, J. (2007-2008). Combining speech recognition/natural language processing with 3D online learning environments to create distributed authentic and situated spoken language learning. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 36(4), 375-392.

v Freitas, D., Kouroupetroglou, G. (2008). Speech technologies for blind and low vision persons. Technology and Disability, 20, 135-156.

vi Jana, R. (2009). How tech for the disabled is going mainstream. BusinessWeek, 4149, 58-60. ; Lohr, S, & Markoff, J. (2010, June 24). Smarter than you think: computers learn to listen, and some talk back. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/science/25voice.html?ref=science; Monaghan, P. (2010). Design for disability will become the norm. Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(2), B6-B7.

vii Bruce, C. Edmundson, A., Coleman, M. (2003). Writing with voice: an investigation of the use of a voice recognition system as a writing aid for a man with aphasia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 38(2), 131-148.; Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233; Freitas, D., Kouroupetroglou, G. (2008). Speech technologies for blind and low vision persons. Technology and Disability, 20, 135-156; Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53; Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95; Jones, G., Squires, T., Hicks, J. (2007-2008). Combining speech recognition/natural language processing with 3D online learning environments to create distributed authentic and situated spoken language learning, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 36(4), 375-392; MacArthur, C.A. (2009). Reflections on research on writing and technology for struggling writers. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(2), 93-103.

viii Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95.

ix Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.; Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392; Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping All Students Reach Their Full Potential. March 2009 White Paper,Nuance Communications.

xGardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.

xi Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392.; Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping All Students Reach Their Full Potential. March 2009 White Paper; Nuance Communications.; Peterson-Karlan, G., Hourcade, J., & Parette, P. (2008). A review of assistive technology and writing skills for students with physical and educational disabilities. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26 (2), 13-32.

xii Caverly, D.C. (2008). Techtalk: Assistive technology for writing. Journal of Developmental Education, 31(3), 36-37.

xiii Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.

xivGardner, T.J. (2008). Speech recognition for students with disabilities in writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 44.

xv Chiu, T.L., Liou, H.C., Yeh, Y. (2007). A study of web-based oral activities enhanced by automatic speech recognition for EFL college learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(3), 209-233.

xviNuance Communications 2009; Silver-Pacuilla, H. (2006). Access and benefits: Assistive technology in adult literacy. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 50(2),114-25.

xvii Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H. (2004). Speech recognition-based and automaticity programs to help students with severe reading and spelling problems. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(2), 365-392.

xviii Nuance Communications. (2009). Dragon NaturallySpeaking: Helping all students reach their full potential. March 2009 White Paper, Nuance Communications.

xix Honeycutt, L. (2003). Researching the use of voice recognition writing software. Computers and Composition, 20, 77-95.

xx Higgins, E.L., & Raskind, M.H. (2000). Speaking to read: The effects of continuous vs. discrete speech recognition systems on the reading and spelling of children with learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15(1), 19-30.

xxi Lohr, S, & Markoff, J. (2010, June 24). Smarter than you think: Computers learn to listen, and some talk back. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/science/25voice.html?ref=science.

xxii Jana, R. (2009). How tech for the disabled is going mainstream. BusinessWeek, 4149, 58-60; Monaghan, P. (2010). Design for disability will become the norm. Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(2), B6-B7.

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Speech recognition, also referred to as speech-to-text or voice recognition, is technology that recognizes speech, allowing voice to serve as the "main interface between the human and the computer." This Info Brief discusses how current speech recognition technology facilitates student learning, as well as how the technology can develop to advance learning in the future.

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RL 5.2 Great resource on tips for teaching theme to 4th/5th grade, specifically looking at instructional strategies and activities for when students struggle

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RL 5.2 Great resource on tips for teaching theme to 4th/5th grade, specifically looking at instructional strategies and activities for when students struggle

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| | Filed Under: Guided Reading, Reading

Teaching 4th and 5th grade reading is not easy! The standards begin to get really tricky and the gap between what the students should be able to do in reading and what they can do can be pretty wide. One of the those standards that is tricky is theme. On this post, I will share some tips to help you teach theme to your 4th and 5th graders, including what students should know before you begin instruction, all the theme subskills that really increase the rigor, and specific instructional strategies that you can do when students struggle.

Pre-Requisite Standards Before Teaching Theme

To teach theme, make sure you have taught or the students have a working knowledge of:
* Story Elements... how to identify and describe them

* What a summary of a story is - they don't have to be perfect at writing detailed ones (summary is honestly a skill we work on all year) but they should understand that a summary retells the important story elements as they relate to that specific story

Theme Skills Students Need to Master

I have been guilty of being too surface level with my instruction of theme in the past. In my first years teaching, I rarely moved beyond a basic instruction of themes and the ability to identify them.

Now, I know better and I can help my students meet the rigor required by making sure I provide instruction beyond the basic understandings.

Here are all the subskills to really teach theme to the rigor most states require:

* What themes are

* How themes are different from summaries

* How to identify a possible theme of a multi-paragraph story (including more variety and advanced themes other than basic ones like Never Give Up)

* How to prove the theme they chose using relevant details from the story and what different (and advanced) details to look for (dialogue, internal monologue, a character's action or lack of action, a character's motivation, a character response to a challenge, events and outcomes)

* How to determine multiple themes that a story may have (and how to prove them both or critique which is better developed using details from both)

* The ability to find a common theme that two (or more) stories share
*If a skill above is not required of your students, these are great skills for enrichment and advancing your students.
* How to compare and contrast how each story demonstrated the common theme (and maybe even critique which one did it better)

Tips for Students Who Struggle Understanding Theme

If students struggle understanding and determining a theme, reteach these skills or check these for understanding:

* Understanding a given moral at the end of folktale and how it matches/connects to the story

* Being able to tell a lesson from a story that very obviously teaches a lesson...backing up and reading a few short stories that are obvious will help the students not see a story too literally

* Being able to think about how a story connects to their life or their situation...if they can't see any type of connection, a theme will probably be difficult for them to generate. Provide direct instruction on the different connections and model it but don't make it a chore. Don't make the students laboriously write about connections they make. Keep it engaging or interesting to make struggling readers want to do it...partner talk or conversation, reader's letters if you have time, a class blog of sorts, etc.

Note: Obviously basic reading comprehension of a story is required...if your students cannot do this they will likely struggle with finding the theme of a grade level text. One way to help with skill instruction is by using a lower lexile. Click here to see passages and texts written for 4th and 5th grade skills but at a 2nd/3rd grade lexile level.
Want a one-page printable version of the tips and information for teaching theme shared on this post? Click here on the image below to grab it!
Download a Printable Version

Recommended Theme Resources

If you want to make your theme instruction as easy (but meaningful and rigorous) as possible, I definitely recommend this resource.

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Click here or on the image above to check out the resource in my TpT Store!
It includes long texts, shorter length texts, paired texts, task cards, and more all for teaching theme. It is truly a one-stop resource! But a warning: There is too many resources included and you likely want even use them all!
Read Alouds for Teaching Theme Free Theme Activities and Resources - Grab some free printable resources to help your students dig deeper with theme and apply it to their own books on this post.
More Theme Blog Posts and Freebies

Teaching Theme - This is a blog post that I wrote several years ago after teaching theme to my students for a week. This year I had student who really struggled even understanding the concept of theme, so definitely check out this post if your students significantly struggle.

Reading Sorts - There's a free theme reading sort in this free set of reading sorts. They make a perfect re-teaching activity or reading center.

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Tips for Teaching Theme (And What To Do When Students Struggle)

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Filed Under: Guided Reading, Reading Teaching 4th and 5th grade reading is not easy! The standards begin to get really tricky and the gap between what the students should be able to do in reading and what they can do can be pretty wide. One of the those standards that is tricky is theme.

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RL 5.2 Great resource to support in reteaching theme through analyzing Pixar short films

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RL 5.2 Great resource to support in reteaching theme through analyzing Pixar short films

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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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RL 5.2 LearnZillion Interactive Lesson on Determining the Theme of a Poem ("Casey at the Bat") with annotations

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RL 5.2 LearnZillion Interactive Lesson on Determining the Theme of a Poem ("Casey at the Bat") with annotations

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Grade 5, ELA, Common Core RL.5.2 Students will learn how to determine the theme of a poem by seeing how characters respond to challenges.

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RL 5.2 Theme Graphic Organizer with Sentence Frames for Bilingual Learners

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RL 5.2 Theme Graphic Organizer with Sentence Frames for Bilingual Learners

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Theme graphic organizer with sentence frames bilingual | Sentence frames, Teaching verbs, Ela writing

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Mar 22, 2017 - Theme graphic organizer with sentence frames bilingual

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Students work in reading centers or during support sessions to practice matching themes to short paragraphs. The teacher can include 3-4 themes and accompany several texts. Students will work in centers to sort the stories based on the theme. The teacher can vary the level of complexity as students begin to master the skill.

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Teaching theme is hard. Finding games and centers that help students practice how to determine the theme of a story is even harder.

Most theme practice involves simply reading a passage and answering a multiple choice question about what the theme is. Not only can this be boring and monotonous for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students, but it is extremely unhelpful for struggling students that are unsure of how to find the theme of a passage.

Below, find 3 center/game ideas to help students practice theme in a fun and engaging way. Use these ideas to create your own theme centers for your classroom, or buy the extremely low prep version here. (Only 1 center requires prep - a little cutting.)

Theme Game/Center #1 - Theme Mazes

Mazes are a fun way to practice this skill, and they can be used in a variety of ways depending on what aspect of theme your students need practice with.

The theme mazes I have created in my Finding the Theme Games and Centers resource address two different skills.

The first 2 mazes help students practice distinguishing between a theme and a main idea. In order to complete the maze, students must shade in some possible theme statements. Students are required to think about the difference between theme and main idea in order to complete this activity successfully.

In the last 3 mazes of the resource, students are given a theme. In order to complete the mazes, students have to shade in the main ideas that could go along with the provided theme. Students must think about what stories and plots could have a certain theme.

These mazes are good way for upper elementary students to practice skills associated with theme without students having to read a lot of text.

Theme Game/Center #2 - Theme Sort

Having students sort short stories by theme is an incredibly beneficial activity for students that are struggling to determine the theme on their own.

Often, this type of game is played like a matching game, where students read a short paragraph and then have to match up the correct theme to the paragraph. This is easier to create, but not as helpful for struggling students.

Instead, create a game where only 3 - 4 themes are included. For each theme, include several short stories that have that theme. Then, have students sort the stories based on theme.

Having students think about how completely different stories can have the same theme just based on the plot and lessons learned will really help students better understand what a theme is.

Choosing themes that have similar topics, yet are different, will require students to think a little more critically about the differences between themes. For example, the sorting game that comes in my Finding the Themes Games and Centers Resource requires students to think about the themes, "Choose your friends wisely" and, "You can find friendship in unexpected places." Having two similar themes requires students to look more closely at the short stories than they would otherwise.

Theme Game/Center #3 - Writing With a Theme

One of the best ways to have students apply what they know about theme is to have them write stories with a theme! This is a rigorous activity for upper elementary students that requires little prep on the teacher's end - a win/win!

However, this can be an overwhelming task for students, especially if they don't enjoy writing. Some students will benefit from a little scaffolding instead of being given free rein. Provide students with the theme of their story, as well as ideas for characters and settings if they are having trouble coming up with their own. Then, students just have to focus on how to get the theme across.

Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!

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Games and Centers for Teaching Theme - Teaching Made Practical

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Teaching theme is hard. Finding games and centers that help students practice how to determine the theme of a story is even harder. Most theme practice involves simply reading a passage and answering a multiple choice question about what the theme is.

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Assessments to identify proficiency in this concept/skill

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Assessments to identify proficiency  in this concept/skill

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Assessments to identify proficiency  in this concept/skill

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Activities for initial teaching of this concept/skill

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Activities for initial teaching of this concept/skill

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Activities for initial teaching of this concept/skill

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Activities/accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL)

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Activities/accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL)

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Activities/accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL)

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Activities/accommodations for learners with special needs

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Activities/accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL)

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Activities for remediation if initial teaching needs support/reteaching

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Activities for remediation if initial teaching needs support/reteaching

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Activities for remediation if initial teaching needs support/reteaching

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Activities for remediation if initial teaching needs support/reteaching

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1. Activities/accommodations for learners with special needs
2. Activities/accommodations for English Language Leaners (ELL)

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RL 5.2 Visual Lessons as reinforcement of concepts for students with special needs 

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RL 5.2 Visual Lessons as reinforcement of concepts for students with special needs 

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Vizzle Excel provides the pathway to student success through thousands of standards-based, customizable lesson plans that can be tailored to each individual student. You can add images, custom field trip information, activities, stories, or any other content you need. The limit is as vast as your imagination.

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Activities/accommodations for learners with special needs

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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.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2

Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text