Theme can be a difficult concept for upper elementary students, but with modeling and instruction, students can grasp this higher order skill. In my experience, students need many opportunities to hear theme modeled, hear a wide range of theme possibilities, and discover themes in stories themselves. If you are searching for ways to help your students, here are four ideas for teaching theme that you can easily incorporate into your lessons.
Ideas for Teaching Theme: Picture Books
To introduce the concept of theme, I love using picture books. Using picture books as model text is one of my favorite things to do in reading, and for me, it is a great way to introduce theme. Some of my favorite picture books for teaching them include:
Mr. Peabody’s Apples
Okay, I’m going to admit my age… I am an 80s girl, and I did listen to Madonna in the 80s and still do occasionally when I turn on my 80s playlist. You may not know, but she wrote a children’s book, Mr. Peabody’s Apples, and it is one of my favorites to use in my classroom for identifying theme. The theme of, “You should not spread rumors about others” or ” Once a rumor is spread, you can never take back those words” are themes that most students can easily recognize in this book.
I highly recommend this book if you can locate a copy. Unfortunately, I think this book is now out of print, but you may be able to locate a used copy or find a copy in your local library. I stumbled upon this book several years ago at our local used bookstore and have never regretted the purchase. I use it throughout the year for multiple skills and strategies.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
Although the reading level of this book is lower, the theme in this sweet story about a special friendship may be slightly more challenging for some of your students to express, but it is worth the challenge. Students will enjoy this story, and the theme of, “Friendships can span generations” can spark some wonderful conversations. I highly recommend this one!
Three Hens and a Peacock
This fun story with colorful illustrations is sure to capture your students’ attention. Your students will quickly recognize the theme of “Always be yourself” in this humorous story. This is a great choice for those struggling to identify the theme in stories.
Junkyard Wonders
Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco is one of my absolute favorite read-alouds! This inspiring story follows Trisha, a young girl who moves schools and is placed in a unique class called the “Junkyard.” She learns to see the extraordinary potential in herself and others through the encouragement of her teacher and classmates.
Although the reading level is accessible, the themes in this book—such as acceptance, resilience, and finding value in what others might overlook—can be slightly more challenging for students to articulate. However, it’s well worth the effort! Students will connect with the characters and the powerful message that everyone has something special to offer. This beautifully written story is a wonderful way to spark meaningful conversations about self-worth and embracing differences, making it a must-read for your classroom!
Ideas for Teaching Theme: Anchor Charts
Creating anchor charts about your discussions on theme can be a powerful to help students internalize this important concept. When you create an anchor chart as a class, it allows students to see your thought process as you model how to identify theme and support it with evidence from the text. It also engages them in collaborative learning, as they contribute ideas and examples during discussion.
Once completed, the anchor chart becomes a valuable resource for your students to reference. Keeping it displayed on a wall or in a central location allows students to revisit it as the read new stories. This reinforces their understanding of theme over time. You could even add to it throughout the year, building a collection of themes and examples from various texts to show growth and deepen understanding. This simple tool can make a big difference in helping students build confidence with identifying theme.
Ideas for Teaching Theme: Theme Songs
My students loved the next activity, and your students are sure to love these ideas for teaching theme. I played the theme song to “Fuller House,” and my students worked together to determine the theme of the song. (Families are always there for you. Families will stick together. etc.)
This was a fun, quick activity to open up a review lesson on theme. It definitely caught my students’ attentions, and they loved singing along. The link to the theme song on Youtube is here: Fuller House Theme Song If your students are not familiar with this show or song, you may want to play the longer version with the words Fuller House theme song with words and focus on the chorus of the song.
There are many choices of songs that are great to use for identifying theme. Here is another link to a video with several songs that your students may enjoy.
Ideas for Teaching Theme: Graphic Organizers
If you have followed me for a while now, you probably already know that I love using graphic organizers. Several years ago, I went through extensive training on reading strategies, and that’s when I became hooked on using graphic organizers in my classroom. I quickly realized how effective they are in helping students organize their thoughts and make sense of complex texts. The results I saw with my students were undeniable, and I’ve been a big believer in graphic organizers ever since. When it comes to teaching theme, there’s no doubt in my mind… graphic organizers are a must-have tool and are one of my favorite ideas for teaching theme.
Graphic organizers are especially helpful for students when working to identify and understand theme because they provide a clear structure for breaking down their thoughts. Finding the theme of a story can be a challenging process that requires students to think critically, connect details, and summarize big ideas. A well-designed graphic organizer can guide them through this process by prompting them to key story elements, such as characters’ actions, conflicts, and resolutions, and help them use that information to infer the theme. It helps them to visually see the connections. Plus graphic organizers are easy to differentiate, making them a great tool to support all learners in your classroom.
You can find these theme graphic organizers, along with organizers for story elements and other fiction skills, in my Fiction Graphic Organizers Packet. This collection features high-quality graphic organizers that are perfect for helping your students think critically and stay focused as they engage with fiction texts. These graphic organizers are a must-have addition to your teaching toolbox, ready-made to support your lessons, save you valuable time, and provide your students with easy-to-use tools they’ll love. Just click one of the images above to find out more.
Plus: A Free Journal Page
I hope you have enjoyed these ideas for teaching theme and can find some that you will use in your classroom. As a bonus, click the link above for a free Theme Journal Page that you can use in your classroom. Just click the image above to get yours.
For more ideas on using graphic organizers and story maps, check out this blog post here.
