ELA.9.R.1.2

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Analyze universal themes and their development throughout a literary text.

Clarifications

Clarification 1: A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence.
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: 9
Strand: Reading
Standard: Reading Prose and Poetry
Date Adopted or Revised: 08/20
Status: State Board Approved

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
1001320: English Honors 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1001800: Florida's Preinternational Baccalaureate English 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1002300: English 1 Through ESOL (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1005300: World Literature (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current))
1009300: Writing 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1009320: Creative Writing 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current))
1001310: English 1 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1001315: English 1 for Credit Recovery (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1002381: Developmental Language Arts Through ESOL (Reading) (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
7910120: Access English 1 (Specifically in versions: 2013 - 2015, 2015 - 2017, 2017 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1005345: Humane Letters 1 Literature (Specifically in versions: 2019 - 2022, 2022 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))
1000412: Intensive Reading 1 (Specifically in versions: 2021 and beyond (current))
1005346: Humane Letters 1 Literature Honors (Specifically in versions: 2020 - 2022, 2022 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
ELA.9.R.1.AP.2: Explain how universal themes and their development are used throughout a literary text.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Lesson Plans

What Does Epic Poetry Tell Us About The United States Government?:

After discussing the universal theme of “the struggle for equality,” in an epic, students will compare the theme to American government and The Declaration of Independence. This lesson is to be used before, during, or after reading and studying at least one Epic such as “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” “The Odyssey,” “Antigone,” “Beowulf,” “The Iliad,” and/or “The Aeneid,” and is one part of a complete text unit. In this lesson, students will complete a chart with examples and textual support from an epic to outline examples of the theme of “the struggle for equality” as well as examples and textual support from The Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

Unpacking Literature: Evaluating Texts for Program Oral Interpretation:

In this lesson plan designed for the debate classroom, students will read and critically analyze various American foundational texts, identify a common theme, and create a thesis statement that encompasses the identified theme. Students will work individually and collaboratively to find commonalities among the various pieces of literature.

Type: Lesson Plan

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.

Type: Lesson Plan

Greek Mythology: The Odyssey, Odysseus and What Makes an Epic Hero Part 3:

In this lesson, students will explore books 13-23 of The Odyssey through text coding and analysis of both character development and theme. For the summative assessment, students will write a short response analyzing characterization and universal themes of Courage and Perseverance in the text and drawing conclusions, supported by textual evidence, about the nature of the Epic Hero.

Type: Lesson Plan

Universal Theme in Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death":

Upon reading “The Masque of the Red Death,” students will analyze the universal theme of humans trying to escape death and will create a one-page visual summary of their analysis in this lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Greek Mythology: Exploring Perseus and the Qualities of an Epic Hero:

In this lesson (part one of a three-part unit), students will analyze the characteristics of a Greek hero and explain how these characteristics are developed in the myth of "Perseus." Students will closely read the text, and ask, and answer text-dependent questions as they read the story. These skills will then culminate in later lessons (parts two and three) with a product in the form of an essay or written speech about "Perseus."

Type: Lesson Plan

Universal Themes in "Harrison Bergeron":

Students will read the short story, "Harrison Bergeron," and analyze the universal themes as they relate to dystopian literature in this lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorial

Risky Betting: Analyzing a Universal Theme (Part Three):

Dive deeper into the famous short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov and explore the impact of a fifteen-year bet made between a lawyer and a banker.

In Part Three, you’ll learn about universal themes and explain how a specific universal theme is developed throughout “The Bet.”

Make sure to complete the first two parts in the series before beginning Part three. Click HERE to view Part One. Click HERE to view Part Two.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Teaching Idea

Resources to Support the Study of Harrison Bergeron :

Are your students having trouble understanding Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron"? Use this resource from EDSITEment! to select videos that describe Vonnegut's America, dig into the character of Harrison Bergeron, and examine the satire in the story. Discussion questions are included for extended analysis.

Type: Teaching Idea

Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts - Grades 6-12

Risky Betting: Analyzing a Universal Theme (Part Three):

Dive deeper into the famous short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov and explore the impact of a fifteen-year bet made between a lawyer and a banker.

In Part Three, you’ll learn about universal themes and explain how a specific universal theme is developed throughout “The Bet.”

Make sure to complete the first two parts in the series before beginning Part three. Click HERE to view Part One. Click HERE to view Part Two.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorial

Risky Betting: Analyzing a Universal Theme (Part Three):

Dive deeper into the famous short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov and explore the impact of a fifteen-year bet made between a lawyer and a banker.

In Part Three, you’ll learn about universal themes and explain how a specific universal theme is developed throughout “The Bet.”

Make sure to complete the first two parts in the series before beginning Part three. Click HERE to view Part One. Click HERE to view Part Two.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.