What is the difference between a theme and a summary?

A theme is a universal lesson or message, while a summary is a recounting of the events in the story.

List three questions you can ask yourself to help uncover the theme of a story.

1. What did the characters learn? 2. How did the characters grow and change? 3. Why did characters act the way they acted?

Anansi wanted to be wiser than everyone else.

A universal theme is one that anyone can relate to.

7thELA45 min

I can determine a theme of a text from details in the story.

7 min

Understanding theme | Reading | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

9 min

Key concepts students will learn:

•
A theme is an important idea that is woven throughout a story, and it links a big idea about our world with the action of a text.
•
The main idea of a story is what the story is all about, the summary is the events of the story and the theme is a lesson or a message that you can take out of the story and apply to your own life.
•
In the story about Anansi, a theme could be that anyone can have a good idea or wisdom is inside all of us.

14 min

9 questions • Multiple choice & Short answer

5 min

“What is one possible theme of the story of Anansi the spider?”

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