Summary and Theme

An objective summary is...

• a restatement of the main idea of a text with the addition of the writer’s opinion on the idea

• a restatement of the main idea of a text without the addition of the writer’s opinion of the idea

• a paraphrase of the text with a focus on the writer’s opinion and how it affects the main idea of th

• a paraphrase of the text with a focus on the reader’s opinion

Which should students do when writing an objective summary?

• students should be brief, accurate, and objective

• Students should include supporting details

• Students should include both main points and supporting details

• Students should include the reader’s opinion of the text

An objective summary should always.....

• clearly show your opinions of the text

• clearly communicate a summary of the text

• clearly indicate all the characters in the text

• include at least four sentences

What is the BEST summary of this passage?

Tomorrow is Jill's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin.

• Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.

• Jill loves Mexican food.

• The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

• Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.

Theme is...

• The most memorable scene from a story.

• The readers favorite part of a story.

• The message or lesson that can be learned from a story.

• The authors point of view.

Which of the following is a theme?

• Pancakes are the best breakfast food.

• Sometimes Hannah can be rude.

• Always be honest and courageous.

• Forever.

What is the theme of this passage?

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.

• Be honest.

• Don't be greedy.

• Always share your things with others.

• Be respectful to others.

Review the following passage from question 8, and choose the evidence that best supports the theme you chose.

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.

• "Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could"

• "At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost"

• "he looked down and saw his reflection"

• "he crossed a narrow bridge"

What is the Theme of this story?

During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision.

• You should cheat to win.

• Always work hard.

• It pays to be honest.

• Teamwork is best.

When determining a theme, the reader should first consider...

• the illustrations
• the subject or topic
• the title
• the length of the story