CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Will Know:

The meaning of theme/central idea in a text
The distinction between specific details and central idea/theme.
The relationship between specific details and the development of a theme over the course of a text
What an objective summary is and how this differs from an opinion.
The difference between topic and a thematic statement (topic + what author wants you to think about that topic based on the text).

Will Be Able to Do:

Determine the theme/central idea of a text
Analyze the development of a theme/central idea over the course of a text
Cite specific details that help support and refine the theme of a text
Craft an objective summary that addresses a text’s theme

Essential Questions:

How does one distinguish between topic and theme in a text?
How does one show the relationship between specific details and the development of those details into an understanding of the theme?

Key Content Vocabulary:

central idea
supporting details
theme
objective summary
subjective summary
textual evidence
paraphrasing
differentiate
informative text
explanatory text

Notes from Pacing Guide:

Introduce and define central/main idea.

Read students an informational children’s book to identify central/main idea. Ask students to write down the “golden line” of the book.

Then, ask students to write down details that helped to support the central/main idea.

Model for students how to identify the main idea of a short passage. Have students practice writing down directly stated as well as implied central ideas using Google Docs.

Guide students through “Say-Mean-Matter” protocol for a sample text. Then In collaborative groups/pairs, assign them an article to break down using this strategy and have them complete the “Say-Mean-Matter” Organizer using articles from Longform.org.

(These articles are typically organized by topic, so you can help them move from topic to central idea/theme).

(R.L. 2)

Complete the same activities you used for R.I. 2 but use fictional children’s books and passages.