[MOSAIC] Determining Theme

[Kukonis at aol.com]

Kristin
We too are working on theme and I have discovered that asking questions  
really helps kids focus in on the author's intent... especially for kids who are  
strugglers. They ask thick or thin questions before during and after  reading. 
They can ask about any literacy element ( title, setting, character,  
problem, and solution illustrations etc.) Even though they don't know the  answer 
...the question brings them closer to the author's message. 
for example for a real struggler: what was the problem..... class  
discussion.... how come the author made that be the problem? more class  discussion.... 
then connections to self and world..... the message becomes  apparent because 
the author writes the way he writes for his  purpose..... characters do what 
they do... problems arise and are solved so  that the author can get his theme 
out there.....  Asking questions  makes strugglers less worried about not 
knowing and they are still adding to the  discussion to discover the purpose of 
the author. As you continue to do this....  kids really get the reading/writing 
connection from the perspective of the  author as well as their own as the 
reader.
 
Hope this makes sense...... maybe i needed to give more  examples