Theme Posters

Theme – a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.

When analyzing fiction or nonfiction, theme is one essential literary device to consider. Before students can recognize theme, they must first learn some examples. It's easy to hand students a sheet of theme vocabulary or hang a poster of theme words on the classroom wall, but why not get them more involved?

Theme Posters is an activity that requires students to:

• work in pairs,
• research,
• and synthesize information.

Results - Students will create a Theme Poster to display on your classroom wall; it will prominently display the [1] theme word of their choice, the [2] definition in their own words, and a [3] visual representation of the word.

Steps

1. Ask students to find a partner (they seem to work best in pairs).
2. Present the following list: AP Theme Vocabulary. 
3. Distribute the Theme Writing Chart or have them create it on notebook paper.
4. Assign students up to four (4) Theme words from the chart and have them copy their assigned words to the Theme Writing Chart.
5. Provide resources for them to conduct the research described on the Theme Writing Chart.
6. Allow students to choose one word as their poster word.
7. Provide resources for them to find or create a visual to represent their theme word.
8. Hang posters in the room for students to reference when analyzing fiction and nonfiction.

Your students finished product might look something like this: