Objective: I will determine the theme

of a poem from details in the text, and

I will summarize the text.

© Stephanie Nelson
 Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will

Prior Knowledge summarize the text.

You already know how to determine how many stanzas are in a poem
* a stanza is a group of verses (lines in a poem)
O Wind, Where Have You Been? Rain Songs

O wind, where have you been, The rain streams down like harp-strings from the sky;
That you blow so sweet? The wind, that world-old harpist sitteth by;
Among the violets As ever as he sings his low refrain
Which blossom at your feet. He plays upon the harp strings of the rain.

The honeysuckle waits - Paul Laurence Dunbar

For summer and for heat.
But violets in the chilly Spring
Make the turf so sweet.
- Christina Rossetti

This poem has _______ stanzas

This poem has 2 stanzas because it
because _____ .
has 2 groups of verses.
© Stephanie Nelson
 Theme: the central message Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will

Concept
The Owl
summarize the text.

When cats run home and light is come,

The theme of this poem is that the owls sits and
And dew is cold upon the ground, rest once the night has ended.
And the far-off stream is dumb,
And the whirring sail goes round,
And the whirring sail goes round;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits.

When merry milkmaids click the latch,

And rarely smells the new-mown hay,
And the cock hath sung beneath the thatch

Twice or thrice his roundelay,
Twice or thrice his roundelay;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits.
- Alfred Tennyson
The theme of a poem is the ___________ . The
theme of this poem is _________ .
© Stephanie Nelson
 Theme: the central message Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will

Concept
The Butterfly and the Bee
summarize the text.

I thought I heard a butterfly The theme of this poem is that it’s more
Say to a working bee: important to focus on actions than looks.
“You have no colors of the sky
On painted wings like me.“

"Poor child of vanity! those dyes,

And colors bright and rare,"
With mild reproof, the bee replies,
“I don’t care.”

Content to work from morning to night,

And rebuking laziness, The theme of a poem is the ___________ . The
To tribes of gaudy sloth I leave theme of this poem is _________ .
The vanity of dress."
adapted from William Lisle Bowles © Stephanie Nelson
 Details in the text can be used to Objective: I will determine the theme of
a poem from details in the text, and I will
help determine the theme
Concept
summarize the text.
The Boy Who Never Told a Lie What is it It is about a boy who
Once there was a little boy, about? never lies.
 
With curly hair and pleasant eyes
A boy who always told the truth,
And never, never told a lie. What does it Everyone loved him
explain? and thought he was
And when he trotted off to school, honest.
The children all about would cry,
“There goes the curly-headed boy- Theme Being honest earns
The boy that never tells a lie.” love and respect.

And everybody loved him so,

Because he always told the truth,
That every day, as he grew up, Details in the text can be used
Twas said, “There goes the honest youth.” to _____ . Details that helped
And when the people that stood near determine the theme in this
Would turn to ask the reason why, poem were _____ .
The answer would be always this:
“Because he never tells a lie.”
- adapted from Isaac Watts  © Stephanie Nelson
 Summarizing the poem: state the theme and Objective: I will determine the theme of
a poem from details in the text, and I will
the key details that support the theme
Concept
summarize the text.
The Boy Who Never Told a Lie
Once there was a little boy,
 
With curly hair and pleasant eyes The poem, “The Boy Who Never
A boy who always told the truth,
And never, never told a lie.
Told a Lie,” is about a boy who was
loved and respected by everyone
And when he trotted off to school, because he always told the truth.
The children all about would cry,
“There goes the curly-headed boy-
He actually had never, ever told a
The boy that never tells a lie.” lie. As he grew up, people would call
him an honest youth.
And everybody loved him so,
Because he always told the truth,
That every day, as he grew up,
Twas said, “There goes the honest youth.”
When summarizing a poem, I need to
And when the people that stood near _______ .
Would turn to ask the reason why,
The answer would be always this:
“Because he never tells a lie.”
- adapted from Isaac Watts  © Stephanie Nelson
 Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will

Importance summarize the text.

It’s important to be able to determine the theme of a poem because ….

1. When you identify a theme, you may better understand

the characters and events within in a poem

2. You may learn a lesson that will help you in life

It’s important to me to be able to determine the theme of a poem because ____ .

© Stephanie Nelson
 1. Identify key details
2. Determine the theme
3. Summarize the poem
Skill – I do
Brothers and Sisters
Whatever fights disturb the street,
There should be peace at home;
Where sisters dwell and brothers meet,
Quarrels should never come.
Birds in their little nests agree;
And tis a shameful sight,
When children of one family
Fall out and chide and fight
adapted from Isaac Watts
Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will
summarize the text.
What is it about? It is about brothers and sisters
not fighting.
What does it It is shameful for brothers and
explain? sisters to fight.
Theme Treat your brothers and sisters
with upmost respect.
The theme of the poem, “Brothers and
Sisters,” is about how brothers and sisters should
treat each other with the upmost respect. They
shouldn’t be fighting. It brings shame for family
members to fight. They should have peace
between each other.
© Stephanie Nelson
 1. Identify key details Objective: I will determine the theme of a

Skill –
2. Determine the theme poem from details in the text, and I will
3. Summarize the poem summarize the text.

We do What is it about?

What does it
explain?
Little Things
Theme
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land. The theme of the poem, “Little Things,” is
Thus the little minutes, _________ .
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity
- by Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
© Stephanie Nelson
 1. Identify key details Objective: I will determine the theme of a

Skill –
2. Determine the theme poem from details in the text, and I will
3. Summarize the poem summarize the text.

We do What is it about? It is about different types of little

things.

What does it It explains how little things can

explain? make up much bigger things.

Little Things Theme Don’t underestimate the small

things.
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean The theme of the poem, “Little Things,” is
And the pleasant land. don’t underestimate the small things. There are
Thus the little minutes, many types of small of things, such as drops of
Humble though they be, water, grains of sand, and minutes. When many
Make the mighty ages of the small things are put together, they can be
Of eternity a part of something much bigger.
- by Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
© Stephanie Nelson
 1. Identify key details Objective: I will determine the theme of a
2. Determine the theme
Skill – 3. Summarize the poem
poem from details in the text, and I will
summarize the text.

You do What is it about?

What does it
explain?

A Farewell Theme

My fairest child, I have no song to give you;

No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray;
Yet, here we part, one lesson I can leave you The theme of the poem, “A Farewell,” is
For every day.
Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be smart;
_________ .
Do noble things, not dream them all day long:
And so make life, death, and that vast forever
One grand, sweet song.

adapted from Charles Kingsley

© Stephanie Nelson
 1. Identify key details Objective: I will determine the theme of a
2. Determine the theme
Skill – 3. Summarize the poem
poem from details in the text, and I will
summarize the text.

You do What is it about? This is about a parent saying

goodbye to their child.
What does it The parent suggests their child
explain? be sweet, smart, and do their
best.
Theme As you become an adult, do
A Farewell great things, instead of just
dreaming about it.
My fairest child, I have no song to give you;
No lark could pipe to skies so dull and gray;
Yet, here we part, one lesson I can leave you
The theme of the poem, “A Farewell,” is that as you
For every day.
become an adult, you should strive to do great things
Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be smart;
instead of just dream about it. As the parent in this poem
Do noble things, not dream them all day long:
says goodbye to their child, they suggest to them to be
And so make life, death, and that vast forever
sweet and smart. They encourage their child to do and be
One grand, sweet song.
all they can be, instead of just dreaming about it.
adapted from Charles Kingsley © Stephanie Nelson
 Objective: I will determine the theme of a
poem from details in the text, and I will
Closure summarize the text.

What questions should you ask when trying

to determine the theme of a poem?

When trying to determine the theme of a poem I should ask

_________ .