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Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
Standard #: LAFS.7.RL.1.2Archived Standard
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts
Grade: 7
Strand: Reading Standards for Literature
Idea: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 02/14
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Assessed: Yes
Related Courses
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
  • Radioactive Dating Lesson 1 # Read about a recent uncovering of mammoths to engage students in a discussion of radioactive dating. This is the first lesson in a unit of 4 lessons that integrates science, math, and computer science standards to teach the concept of half-lives and radioactive dating.
  • Analyzing Themes and Story Elements in the Classic Love Story, "Pyramus and Thisbe" #

    "Pyramus and Thisbe" is a tragic love story in which two lovers are separated by forces seemingly beyond their control. This lesson guides students through an analysis of the story elements and how they function together to create a theme. A plot diagram helps students to analyze this classic story after the teacher models analysis using the familiar children’s story, Cinderella. Students will write a response analyzing how the plot elements and symbols develop the story's themes.

  • Close Reading Exemplar: As You Like It # The goal of this two day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to unpack the meaning of Jacques' soliloquy from William Shakespeare's As You Like It. By reading and rereading the passage closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will be able to understand the structure and purpose of this particular soliloquy and how it delves into universal themes regarding the human condition. When combined with writing about the soliloquy, students will discover how much they can learn from even a very short selection of a text.
  • User Beware: Foreshadowing and Morals in "The Monkey's Paw" # In this lesson, students will read "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. They will answer text-dependent questions that include having students analyze the text for foreshadowing clues, as well as use of situational irony. Students will use context clues and dictionaries to determine the meanings of selected vocabulary words from the story. Students will also work to determine morals in the story and will write two extended response paragraphs articulating the moral and how each is developed and supported by textual details. A PowerPoint on theme versus morals, foreshadowing, and situational irony is provided to help students with these concepts. Text-dependent questions, an answer key, a vocabulary handout, a teacher's guide for the story, and a rubric for the summative assessment are provided.
  • "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry -Comparing Themes # Students will read O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation" and an additional O. Henry selection to compare the themes of love and redemption. They will identify supporting details of the themes in each text and use them to support their analysis in a short written response.
  • "Uncoiling" the Theme # In this lesson, students will read the poem "Uncoiling" by Pat Mora, analyze the poem's theme by identifying personification and connotations in the text and then composing a written analysis of the poem.
  • Edgar Allan Poe: "Annabel Lee" # In this lesson, students will read and analyze “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe and will analyze and discuss the poetic devices and figurative language used in the poem as it supports the topic of “The Death of a Beautiful Woman.” Students will write a short response to explain their analysis.
  • Literary Analysis of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" and Narrative Writing Activity # In this lesson, students will be able to analyze how Rudyard Kipling uses theme and short story elements to create the classic story, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." Students will engage in various pre-reading activities to scaffold background knowledge, vocabulary, and ability to identify theme. Working in cooperative groups will allow students to discuss and evaluate their learning in a non-threatening environment. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will write an original narrative using what they learned in this lesson to create their own story.
  • Close Reading Exemplar: Tom Sawyer # The goal of this one day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to discover the rich humor and moral lesson embedded in Twain's text. By reading and rereading the passage closely, and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will explore the problem Tom Sawyer faced and how he "solved" his conundrum. When combined with writing about the passage, students will learn to appreciate how Twain's humor contains a deeper message and derive satisfaction from the struggle to master complex text. At the end of the lesson, students are provided two writing prompts to constructive a narrative inspired by Twain's text.
Original Student Tutorials
  • Spread Your Wings: Structure & Meaning in Poetry # Learn how poems are organized to express and develop themes. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read "My Pretty Rose Tree" by William Blake and "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson. Using these classic poems, you'll examine the structure of poetry and review several relevant terms including stanzas, diction, and mood.
  • Finding Buried Treasure: Uncovering the Theme # Learn to distinguish the theme of the story from its summary. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short pirate tales to practice summarizing a story, identifying its theme, and analyzing how the theme is expressed.
Teaching Ideas
  • Active Reading through Self Assessment # This activity aids students' reading comprehension and is an investigation of meaning in any short story through peer collaboration. Students work independently to choose quotations that exemplify significant events of the text, come to a consensus about the quotations' significance in collaborative groups, and then formulate analytical quiz questions for peers to answer. A final reflection writing ties all parts of the activity together at the end.
  • Doodle Splash Using Graphics to Discuss Literature # Students read a short story of high interest and doodle in either a journal or using an online tool, responding in images, symbols, shapes, and colors. Students have to include the plot, characters, point of view, and theme. Then students work in small groups to construct graphics for the story. Each group then presents to the class. The presentations can be displayed on a class bulletin board or scanned into a Web page.
Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts - Grades 6-12
  • Finding Buried Treasure: Uncovering the Theme # Learn to distinguish the theme of the story from its summary. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short pirate tales to practice summarizing a story, identifying its theme, and analyzing how the theme is expressed.
  • Spread Your Wings: Structure & Meaning in Poetry # Learn how poems are organized to express and develop themes. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read "My Pretty Rose Tree" by William Blake and "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson. Using these classic poems, you'll examine the structure of poetry and review several relevant terms including stanzas, diction, and mood.
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