Part Two: Story elements, literary devices, and characterization in multiple choice and short answer format. (Take notes when we fill in the story arc and study the discussion questions.)
Part Three: Extensive paragraph about theme. (Prepare a theme statement and come up with examples to support it in your head before the test.)
Sample Theme Paragraph:
Topic Sentence with a clear statement of theme.
Example
from book with explanation.
Example
from book with explanation.
(2 or 3 good examples)
Example
from book with explanation.
Concluding
sentence/So what?
In "The School Play", Gary Soto convey the idea we often worry about things that end up not being a big deal. For example, Robert spends a full day responding to every question and prompt with his line from the play rather than a reasonable response. Robert does this because he is worried that he will forget his line during the performance. During the play, he still flubs his line, but the play just goes on and there is no big embarrassment or problem. Similarly, Robert is concerned that Belinda will rub his face in the grass and/or kill him if he messes up in the play. Belinda’s constant threats of violence make him afraid. And, while it seems reasonable to be fearful of Belinda, in the end, she just pinches his arm. While this is inappropriate, a pinch is far less severe than Robert imagined and far more likely than for a student to actually violently attach another at school. Once again, Robert’s worry did nothing to improve his situation or prevent Belinda’s aggression towards him. If Robert wasn’t worried about messing up and getting hurt, there would be no conflict in the story. Ultimately, though, the author wants us to realize that degree of worry and stress is never going to improve the situation and could actually make the situation worse.
Link to a well done piece on theme. We're just looking at the first 3 minutes together, but in case you'd like to see the rest!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4qME64SkxM
