Considering Theme

We'll continue our review of the OGT this month by considering theme, an element in literary text which often causes students to stumble. The literary text standard in the Ohio Academic Content Standards for English Language arts includes two benchmarks for grades 8-10 that deal with theme:

Benchmark D. Identify similar recurring themes across different works.

Benchmark E. Analyze the use of a genre to express a theme or topic.

Many OGT questions focus on theme. Students may confront questions about theme that are similar to the spring 2004 OGT item below:

What is a plausible theme for this poem? Support your answer with an example from the poem. (2 points) (The Ohio Graduation Test, Spring 2004, "My Father and the Figtree," Question 5, p. 5)

Note: The poem, questions, and sample student responses are available at the Ohio Department of Education's website: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1070&Content=10728.

Responding to Questions about Theme

What should a student do when facing a question about theme? The test taker might begin by considering what he or she has learned about theme. Students generally know that theme has something to do with the meaning of the passage, but they often fall into the trap of telling about the action or plot of the passage. They need to connect theme with universal truth―a meaningful statement made about society, human nature, or the human condition.

Dr. Marilyn Stauffer (1999) of the University of South Florida reminds us that "theme must be described in universal terms, not in terms of the plot. The plot is the way the universal theme is carried out in that particular book. Themes can be applied to the reader's own life or to other literature."

Another useful definition of theme is found in the Meyer Literature Site (n.d.).

Theme: The central meaning or dominant idea in a literary work. A theme provides a unifying point around which the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a work are organized. It is important not to mistake the theme for the actual subject of the work; the theme refers to the abstract concept that is made concrete through the images, characterization, and action of the text. In nonfiction, however, the theme generally refers to the main topic of the discourse. (Glossary)

In the OGT question mentioned above, students are asked to suggest a plausible theme for the poem "My Father and the Figtree." The word plausible gives students an immediate cue that they are not looking for a single answer, but for one possible answer that is logical and can be supported by specific information from the poem. Plausible themes identified by students include some of the following statements:

Patience is a virtue.
Do not let dreams die; make them a reality.
Never give up hope.
Believe in your dreams.

Responses that received zero points tended to veer away from theme and instead focus on details of the poem.

The theme would be about the fruits and figs that the father grew but the son hated them. At age 6 I ate a dried fig and shrugged.

The above response received a score point of 0. Scorers' comments tell us the response does not provide sufficient evidence of understanding the task. The response gives information regarding what the poem is about but fails to specify an overall theme that could apply universally to anyone―not just to the characters in the poem itself.

In the case of the above response, students should be reminded that even though the answer includes details from the poem, no points are given without a statement of theme. Students need to be aware as well that although many themes may be plausible, the theme must stem from the text and must be supported by details from the text.

Answering All Parts of the Question

To receive a score point of 2, papers must include both a plausible theme and at least one detail from the poem to support the theme. Students often fall into the trap of answering only one part of the question, as evidenced in this student response:

A plausable [sic] theme for this story may be that one must keep what's important to them sacred. If you truly love something you must not compromise yourself to the wills of other people. You must believe in your dreams and they will come true

Scorers indicate that while several plausible themes are included in the response, no examples from the poem are provided to support any of the themes presented in this student's response. By omitting the second part of the question, the student who wrote the above response lost a point that was really easy to get. Students should be reminded to read the question one more time after they answer a short-answer or extended-response question. The final reading of the question can help students avoid foolish mistakes that result in a loss of points.

Teaching Students to Recognize Themes in Literary Text

One way to help students identify themes is to provide them with many experiences reading and responding to different literary genres. Comparing several genres with similar themes lets students gain an understanding of the universality of theme. Small- and large-group discussions can be focused on a particular theme, encouraging students to determine how the theme plays out in literature and in contemporary society.

Specific resources for addressing theme are suggested in the section that follows.

ORC Resources for Teaching Themes in Literary Text

What Makes a Good Short Story?
This resource provides a solid introduction to commonly taught literary elements (i.e., point of view, character development, theme and setting) through an analysis of the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. At the site, links to excellent supplementary resources including historical essays, literary theory, and an author biography are provided. These additional resources explore and extend topics and themes introduced in the story. (author/ncl)

Novel News: Broadcast Coverage of Character, Conflict, Resolution, and Setting
In this lesson, students prepare original news programs based on the events from a novel. After reading a novel, independently or as a class, students explore the literary elements of character, conflict, resolution, and setting. Working in small groups, students use what they know about the plot of the novel to write and deliver a fictional news broadcast. This lesson includes several activities to scaffold students' learning. An interactive web-based tool allows students to identify and discuss story elements. By watching and analyzing a real news segment, students gain insight into effective presentation techniques. Links to related resources and materials are available at the website. (Author/ncl)

Book Report Alternative: Characters for Hire! Studying Character in Drama
In the lesson, students read fictional works, use software resources, read and interpret classified ads, and write original resumes for a character they are exploring. Students focus on one character in a Shakespearean drama or other play, paying close attention to the descriptions of that character to determine the character's education, skills, extracurricular interests, previous employment, and possible references. Citing evidence from the text, students look for references to the historical and social context as well as specific character traits included in the play. The close reading and connection to outside historical resources combine to create a lesson that engages students in deep textual analysis. Teachers not only assess students' knowledge of plot and characterization, but also have students learn the important skill of resume preparation. The lesson can be extended to include online background and job searches and creation of personal resumes. (author/ncl)

Discovering a Passion for Poetry with Langston Hughes
After analyzing examples of contemporary youth poetry as well as the poetry of Langston Hughes, students use the Internet to conduct research on how events in the world shaped Hughes's work. They cite specific examples, showing the link between their interpretations of the poem and the sociohistorical context in which the work was written. Finally, each student creates an original poem that communicates a personal view on a current world issue. Links and references for instructors are available at the website. (author/ncl)

NAEP Assessment Item, Grade 12: Flying Machine: Words Help Understand-Fear
After reading a short story, students interpret information found in the text. This is a sample multiple-choice test item used in a past National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) assessment. From this test item, a visitor may view a description of the reading passage and choose to access information regarding general performance on this item, a scoring guide and student responses (in the case of constructed response items), and performance on this item by various subgroups. The NAEP website also allows visitors to build a printable database of questions by clicking on "Add Question" in the upper right hand corner of the screen. NAEP Reference Number: 1994-12R3, No.1. (Author/ncl)

Monsters!
In this unit, students use literature and art to investigate the idea of "monsters." They begin by defining the idea of monster and reading and comparing two works, Beowulf and Grendel by John Gardner. As a final project, students create an artistic representation of their interpretation of a monster and write a story detailing its history. (author/ncl)

Blues You Can Use: Teaching the Faust Theme through Music, Literature, and Film
This professional development site uses current research in adolescent literacy to demonstrate the need for and value of the authors' lesson idea, a lesson based on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum that targets adolescents' literacy needs by incorporating popular culture. The authors cite research to suggest why this Faust-theme lesson plan works well in today's diverse classroom, and demonstrate how popular culture can spark student interest. Detailing examples as to how blues music, specifically the life of 1930s' blues guitarist Robert Johnson, can be used to teach the Faust theme of selling one's soul to the devil for personal gain, this lesson draws students into thinking critically about both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students' literacy skills are developed by using popular culture to write about, listen to, and view a common motif in music, and students' critical reading, listening, thinking, discussing, writing, and viewing skills are engaged. (author/bcbrown)

Carol Brown Dodson is the outreach specialist for the Ohio Resource Center. Dodson was an English language arts consultant for the Ohio Department of Education and is past president of OCTELA (Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts). Dodson, formerly a high school English teacher, department chair, and supervisor of English language arts in Columbus Public Schools, serves on the Ohio Graduation Test Reading Content Committee.

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References

The Meyer Literature Site. (n.d.). "Glossary of literary terms." Retrieved October 11, 2004, from Bedford/St. Martin's website: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_a.htm.

Ohio Department of Education. (2004)."Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) Previous Tests." Retrieved October 8, 2004 from http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1070&Content=10728.

Stauffer, Marilyn H. (1999) Outline on literary elements. Retrieved October 10, 2004, from University of South Florida website: http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis6585/class/litelem.html