Grade 7 Junior and Class A review sheet THEME. A story’s theme is what the story is about—but not in the way you might think. A theme isn’t the work’s literal details like its character or setting. It’s the universal message the story communicates. 10 common themes in writing Certain themes come up again and again in literature. This isn’t a coincidence— these are the themes we wrestle with throughout our lives. Common themes in literature include: 1. Beauty. What is beauty? What makes something beautiful? 2. Good vs Evil 3. Coming of Age ( basically growing from a child to and adult) 4. Loyalty. 5. Betrayal. ( powerful feeling of breaking loyalty to another) 6. Life and death. 7. Justice. The world is so unfair! 8. Family. 9. Power. Who has it, how to get it and what happens you do. 10. Change. Transformation! Such as old into new or traditional into modern. Consider stories we have read and that you may have read yourself. How many themes are repeated over and over! A major theme is an idea the writer keeps on repeating in his work, portraying it as the most significant idea. • The minor theme is the idea that appears briefly in the story. In the final exam minor themes are most important as there is no time to read novels. How to find the themes of the story: 1. Identify the story elements and diagram the plot of the story, (not so important for the final test)! 2. Identify the subject of the story: What is the story about? YES! YES! 3. Analyze the the main character: How does the character feel? How does the character react to their feelings? What does the character do in the story? How does the character interact with other? ( Short paragraphs so not so useful) 4. Summarize the story: Think about the story as a whole. What happened? How did the character change? How was the conflict resolved? 5. Identify what lesson was learned by the main character and why learning that lesson was important to the story and life in general? Remember, a theme helps readers to understand the story. Reading makes the reader understand several aspects of life. All humans whether old or young seek the meaning of life. If your story has a light theme or the theme doesn’t resonate, it tends to leave your readers unsatisfied. INFERENCE An inference is a conclusion you reach by applying logic to the evidence you are given. Making inferences while reading is a strategy that will help you learn, remember, and apply what you have read. When you make inferences you are "reading between the lines". This tactic is similar to what Sherlock Holmes does when he sees that Dr. Watson has a suntan and makes a conclusion about where Watson has recently traveled. You already make inferences all of the time. For example, if you go over to a friend's house and they point at the sofa and say, "Don't sit there; Candy came over with her baby again", what could you logically conclude? First, you know there must be a reason not to sit where your friend is pointing. Further, you know that the reason to not sit there is related to the fact that Cindy just visited with her baby. You don't know what exactly happened, but you can infer enough and don't need to ask any more questions to know that you do not want to sit there. You are at a corner and see two cars stopped at an intersection. The rear car starts honking its horn. You are walking down the street, and all of a sudden a dog comes running out of an opened door with its tail between its legs. These two examples show you that firstly the people in the car have some problem and secondly the dog is running away(probably scared). In order to make reasonable inferences that help you better comprehend what you read, remember to do the following: 1.Understand the stated information. You don’t necessarily have to identify the main ideas to make a reasonable inference. However, you do need to understand the important vocabulary and facts in the text. So ask yourself, “What do these details seem to show? Is there enough evidence to support my inference?” "Are there any other possible ways to interpret this?" 2. Use your prior knowledge of the situation and your common sense. However, do not ignore the facts in favor of your own personal opinions. DO NOT USE TOO MANY CRAZY IDEAS!! USE THE TEXT! 3. Consider the alternatives so you don’t “jump to conclusions.” Inferences tend to be “reasonable” when they are the result of “reasoned” thinking, not emotional reactions. When you go to a doctor for advice, he or she will think of different possible diagnoses before settling on the one that is most likely, given your symptoms. If the doctor jumped too quickly to one conclusion, he might give you the wrong treatment. If, as a reader, you jump too quickly to one interpretation of the text, you may not understand what the writer intended to convey. Example: Imagine that it is a sunny day and you decide to go see a movie. After the movie is over, you step back outside and see that the sky is now cloudy and the streets and sidewalks are all wet. What can we reasonably infer happened? YES, OF COURSE IT RAINED!!!!!!!
