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We liked the summary map, as modeled in this video, for initial instruction around summarizing. The summary map activity has students work in groups to fill in the following categories after reading a story: main character, problem, solution, summary. We liked how the teacher used this organizer to help students complete each step leading up to the final summarizing.

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Summary Map: Scaffolding Summary Writing

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The story wheel is a great way to sequence a story with the support of visuals; it's also unique that it strays from the typical linear visual format. This will be especially useful for students who learn best with visuals or just need another way to think about sequencing.

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The artistic summary helps ELL's visualize important parts of the story related to theme. It serves as a nice alternative to writing or speaking if the goal is simply to identify the theme of a reading.

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These cards give students a short story to read and quickly identify a theme. Task cards are a great way to get a lot of practice finding the gist of a story-- a skill that can be applied to larger readings later.

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Theme Task Cards: This resource contains 16 task cards - each task card contains a short narrative. After reading each passage, students are tasked with identifying the theme of each narrative.

Included are TWO options for student responses:

1) Students write a sentence describing the narrative's theme.

2) Students complete a multiple-choice worksheet, identifying the correct theme from 4 choices.

******** This resource is available in two formats:

1. Traditional Printables- Print the PDF and distribute paper task cards and recording sheets.

2. Easel Activity- With this format, an interactive layer has been added to the original PDF!** This paperless version uses text boxes and drawing tools so that your students can complete it on a device. You can assign it to your students via Google Drive, and they can return it to you to review. Click on the Getting Started Guide to learn more about this version of the activity!

***If you would like to have a Google Slides and/or Google Forms version of this activity, click on these links to access the digital version or the bundle.

Feel free to check out my other resources for teaching about themes in literature:
Theme Filled Cupcakes Craftivity: including 4 passages! Theme: Targeted Tri-folds Identifying Themes: SIX Worksheets Teaching Theme: An Introduction Power Point Theme Filled Cupcakes for Valentine's Day
Copyright by Deb Hanson

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Theme Task Cards | PDF and Digital | Distance Learning

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Theme Task Cards: This resource contains 16 task cards - each task card contains a short narrative. After reading each passage, students are tasked with identifying the theme of each narrative.Included are TWO options for student responses:1) Students write a sentence describing the narrative's the...

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Timeline of Events: For practice sequencing 

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Timeline of Events: For practice sequencing 

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This is an interactive tool students  can use on their own time for extra practice piecing together the events of a story. We included this because we liked that students can do it by themselves. We can assign this interactive online tool to students identified to need more support in the specific skill of sequencing, which is important skill students need to master on their way to understanding theme.

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We chose this specific assessment tool because it allows me to guage what knowledge students have coming into the lesson surrounding theme, and will help to understand what misconceptions occured throughout the lesson. For this assessment, students will be asked to first identify the moral, or theme, of the story and then explain how their answer is supported by evidence from the story. This will help students practice their ability to support their argument with evidence, which will help them prepare for the SBAC in the Spring. Finally, this assessment is a great tool because it ends with students being asked to summarize the story using their own words which is an important element of this 4th grade standard.

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This fun resource gives students extra practice identifying theme in the context of an interactive, video game format. Students read a short scenario and identify the theme from three options. We chose this game because we think it would engage students with special needs to practice finding theme. We also liked that the video game doesn't require writing.

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Engage NY: Writing to Learn about Poetry 

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Engage NY: Writing to Learn about Poetry 

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This Engage NY breakdown of their ELA Unit provides a very comprehensive set of lesson plans that leads to a creative and rigorous assessment tool at the end of the unit. This assessment ends with students read and analyzing each other's poems, which they have been developing throughout the unit. Then, students will take these skills and read a new poem to analyze for details in the text and to determine the theme of the poem. The strength of this assessment is that it has student first create their own poetry and then read another student's poem to identify the theme. This helps students build relationships and social emotional skills, as well as acquire the skills necessary to correctly identify theme!

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Unit 2: Writing to Learn about Poetry
In this unit, students apply what they have learned in Unit 1 to further explore poetry through writing. Students begin the unit with a shared writing experience, writing a summary of the first half of the novel Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Then, they complete their reading of the book with a focus on what inspired Jack as a writer. Students are guided in finding and organizing evidence for this prompt in preparation for a book discussion with peers. For the mid-unit assessment, students write a summary of the full novel (RL.4.2, W.4.9, W.4.2.a, b).

In the second half of the unit, students are introduced to the performance task (which has three parts; see stand-alone document). They continue to focus on learning about poetry through writing, now by writing their own poems. Students choose from a selected group of poets to study more deeply, and in small "poet groups" will read and analyze new poems by these poets. Then, students will write an inspired poem as one part of the performance task. Students will then be introduced to the peer critique process and use what they have learned about poetry to revise their original poems with a focus on imagery. The unit ends with students reading and analyzing a new poem for the end of unit assessment (RL.4.5, L.4.5a).

Common Core Learning Standards

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

Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of...

Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include...

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Grade 4 ELA Module 1B, Unit 2 | EngageNY

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Unit 2: Writing to Learn about Poetry In this unit, students apply what they have learned in Unit 1 to further explore poetry through writing. Students begin the unit with a shared writing experience, writing a summary of the first half of the novel Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

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BrainPop has a great lesson on finding theme. The activity includes a movie explaining theme with the characters, Tim and Moby, as well as follow up games and interactive quizzes for further understanding. We included this activity because we felt it might help students with special needs engage with the content if they see it in an animated format, modeled like a television show. We also liked the interactive video games students can play following the lesson for additional practice with theme.

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This is a great interactive game where students watch a short animated video about monsters and then practice identifying the main idea of the plot. In the interactive component, students see a short paragraph and need to drag a sentence from that paragraph into a box labeled "main idea." Then, they drag a few sentences into a box labeled "supporting details." As with the others in this column, we felt this was a great resource for students who may lose focus more easily; this helps them stay engaged and interactive.

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Audio

A service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board

Summary #1: Werewolf

I am the best choice to free Dracula.

I am really strong.

I can run really fast and move quickly around any obstacle.

I have all these sharp teeth, which scare people.

Summary #2: Creature

I can free Dracula using my powers.

I am slimy.

I can also swim really far and help Dracula if he is near water.

I am good at building things, like ladders.

Summary #3: Mummy

It's smart to choose me to free Dracula.

I have helped hundreds of people escape over the years.

I can also use my ancient tricks to help Dracula escape.

I can use my long cloth to climb walls.

Your Monster Rescue Story

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Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for elementary students and teachers.

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Achieve the Core: Literary Mini-Assessment

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Achieve the Core: Literary Mini-Assessment

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This resource is particular useful for a summative assessment tool because it is strictly standard's aligned and provides mutliple means of engagement with the two texts presented in the assessment. The assessment uses both multiple choice, graphic organizers, and long-answer written repsonses to compare and contrast the themes, characters, and literary elements of the short article and poem provided. This helps students develop their close reading skills and helps students dig out the important details to support their understanding of the text. Finally, this is a strong assessment tool because it integrates other key 4th grade skills such as understanding context clues to indentifying the meaning of key vocabulary.

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In this activity, students read small scenarios and choose a "theme word" from three options. We liked this activity because it is a quicker activity where students link the theme to one-word. This is a great way for students to get more practice identifying theme without writing long sentences or complicated thematic statements.

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners: 

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners: 

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This resource is great for beginning teachers who are still looking for specific supports for English Language Learners and their comprehension skills. This article helps guide teachers through strategies that with support comprehension skills such as using student's background knowledge and cultural experiences to suppor their understanding of theme. Another helplful tool listed in this article to support ELL studetns is a "picture walk" for the story or poem that the students are reading. While this will not work with all 4th grade texts, it will work for independent work time when students are choosing their own books to consider theme and practicing their ability to summarize. Finally, another useful tip from the article is to use outlines to scaffold comprehension. This will help students stay engaged with the article and organize their thoughts.

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners

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Note: This article originally appeared in ASCD Express: Vol. 5, Issue 11, “Reading to Learn.” Comprehension is the reason for reading, but it can be the most difficult skill to master — especially for English language learners (ELLs). ELLs often have problems learning science, math, or social studies concepts, for example, because they cannot comprehend the textbooks for these subjects.ELLs at all levels of English proficiency and literacy development will benefit from improved comprehension skills, which allow them to:read more accuratelyfollow a text or story more closelyidentify important events and concepts in a textmaster new concepts in their content-area classescomplete assignments and assessmentsfeel motivated to read in school and for pleasureThere are a number of ways to build ELLs’ comprehension skills. Often standard strategies that are used in mainstream classrooms are a good starting point — they just need to be tweaked with ELLs’ language and academic needs in mind! This article focuses on strategies that are part of three main approaches: building background knowledge, teaching vocabulary explicitly, and checking comprehension frequently.I. Build background knowledgeDraw on students’ existing knowledgeStudents may already possess content knowledge that they cannot yet demonstrate in English. Look for opportunities to make associations between students’ experiences and new content. Allow students to use their native language with peers for a quick brainstorm about what they know about a topic before presenting their ideas to the whole class.Related Videos Video bonus: See classroom videos and interviews about reading comprehension in our related resource section and classroom video library!Build students’ background knowledgeStudents with limited or interrupted schooling may not have that same level of knowledge as their peers, especially when it comes to historical or cultural topics. When starting a new lesson, look for references that may need to be explicitly explained.Take students on a “tour of the text”At the beginning of the year and each time you hand out a new textbook, take students on a “virtual tour.” Show them different elements of the text, such as the table of contents and the glossary, and discuss how these sections can be helpful. Explain how the text is organized, pointing out bold print, chapter headings, and chapter summaries. Once students learn how to recognize these elements, they will be able to preview the text independently. Remember that students need to know how to use a tool in order for it to be useful. Learn more about this strategy in Teaching ELLs to Navigate Textbooks Effectively.Use a “picture-walk”This strategy can be used for fiction or non-fiction books. “Walk through” the book with the students, pointing out pictures, illustrations, and other graphic elements. Ask them what they notice about the pictures and how they think those details may be related to the story or content.Use outlines to scaffold comprehensionProvide a brief, simple outline of a reading assignment or an oral discussion in advance of a new lesson. This will help ELLs pick out the important information as they listen or read.II. Teach vocabulary explicitlyFocus on key vocabularyChoose vocabulary that your students need to know in order to support their reading development and content-area learning. Provide student-friendly definitions for key vocabulary.Include signal and directional wordsRemember that students may also need explicit instruction in signal or directional words (“because” and “explain”), in addition to key content vocabulary (“photosynthesis” and “revolution”).Use a “picture-walk” for vocabularyOnce students know a new word’s definition, ask them connect those new words to the pictures they see in the text.Teach students to actively engage with vocabularyTeach students to underline, highlight, make notes, and list unknown vocabulary words as they read.Give student practice with new wordsEnsure that your students can:Define a wordRecognize when to use that wordUnderstand multiple meanings (such as the word “party”)Decode and spell that wordIncorporate new words into discussions and activitiesFor students to really know a word, they must use it — or they will lose it. Use new words in class discussions or outside of class in other contexts if appropriate, such as on field trips. Give the students as many opportunities to use and master the new vocabulary as possible.III. Check comprehension frequentlyUse informal comprehension checksTo test students’ ability to sequence material, for example, print sentences from a section of the text on paper strips, mix the strips, and have students put them in order.Test comprehension with student-friendly questionsAfter reading, test students’ comprehension with carefully crafted questions, using simple sentences and key vocabulary from the text. These questions can be at the:Literal level (Why do the leaves turn red and yellow in the fall?)Interpretive level (Why do you think it needs water?)Applied level (How much water are you going to give it? Why?)No matter what the proficiency level of the student, ask questions that require higher-level thinkingTo probe for true comprehension, ask questions that require students to analyze, interpret, or explain what they have read, such as:What ideas can you add to…?Do you agree? Why or why not?What might happen if…?How do you think she felt…?Use graphic organizersGraphic organizers allow ELLs to organize information and ideas efficiently without using a lot of language. Different types include Venn diagrams, K-W-L charts, story maps, cause-and-effect charts, and timelines.Provide students lots of different ways to “show what they know”Drawings, graphs, oral interviews, posters, and portfolios are just a few ways that students can demonstrate understanding as they are beginning to develop their reading and writing skills in English.SummarizeAsk students to use the following strategies to summarize what they have read (orally or in writing):Retell what you read, but keep it short.Include only important information.Leave out less important details.Use key words from the text.It may be challenging to get ELLs’ comprehension skills where you want them to be, but the extra effort it takes will be well worth it as you put them on the path to becoming successful readers.

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ELL Scaffold Student Learning Objectives: 

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ELL Scaffold Student Learning Objectives: 

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This resource is GREAT for finding specific supports and scaffolds for ELL students, and each standard has specific supports that are relevant for promoting understanding of theme and the ability to summarize a text. Another strength of resource is that is based on the ELP level of the student. This will prevent over scaffolding for students and will help students with specific skills and support they need surrounding comprehension. Overall, the resource has several suports such as word banks, story maps, pictures, sentence frames, sentence starters, and several other helpful tips for this standard.

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The important take-aways from this resource that will provide remediation for students is that it simplifies theme identification into manageable steps. The article also speaks to teaching kids to identify what theme is not, and what them is, so that they can have a clear understanding for what they are looking for. This is a great time to bring in previous misconceptions from the original lesson. the second remediation and reteaching tool is use the acronym "S.L.I.M.E" to support student learning of how to correctly identify theme. This acronym breaks down theme into management parts that students can more easily digest. The parts are subject, lesson, idea or message, and evidence.

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5 Simple Steps for Teaching Theme - ELA Buffet

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Teaching theme is much easier when you give students a memorable step by step process to follow.

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Determining Theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. 

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Determining Theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. 

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The reason we chose this specific standard is because it is one that is instrumental in 4th-graders development of comprehension skills. Theme development is something that students will need to know how to accurately do for the rest of their academic careers. This skill will help students find success in their future 5th grade class when students start to identify more complex themes. Overall, we chose this standard because it is instrumental in the growth of our student's comprehension skills.