Discovering Themes in Because of Winn-Dixie

 

 

Themes in Because of Winn-Dixie from Ms. Scarborough on Vimeo.

A theme is a "big idea" in a story, often a moral or message that the author wants you to learn. Fiction books have many themes because everyone has their own interpretation of the message in the story.

We recorded important details and questions we had as we read Because of Winn-Dixie, and used those "knows" and "wonders" to develop our theme ideas. Strong theme ideas are backed up by many text examples and are shown in the actions of multiple characters in the story.

Some of the themes we found together are: friendship, loss, guilt, sadness, loneliness, helping others, and choices that you make. 

Themes are sometimes revealed through symbols, objects or ideas that represent something other than the literal meaning. One symbol that represented the theme of guilt was Gloria Dump's mistake tree. We discussed in the video how the bottles tied to the tree were a reminder of the things Gloria Dump had done wrong in her life. One student explained that the "ghosts" Gloria Dump refered to were the feelings of guilt she had inside that remained inside of her.

Up next, we will extend these one-word theme ideas into messages that Kate DiCamillo wants to teach us through her novel.

The Know and Wonder Reading Comprehension Strategy

Hi everyone! I’m excited to share with you the first in my series of video lessons: The Know and Wonder Reading Comprehension Strategy. Watch my class during a read aloud of Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

 

Know and Wonder Reading Strategy from Ms. Scarborough on Vimeo.

My students each have a copy of Because of Winn-Dixie to follow along as I read aloud. I stop at key moments and ask, “What do you know and wonder so far?” The kids turn and talk with a partner to brainstorm their “knows” and “wonders” and then we reconvene for whole-group discussion. I scribe what we know and wonder on the board and the kids keep track of “knows” and “wonders” in reading journals. You can see student reading journal examples above.

This strategy keeps kids rooted in the text by tagging important details (the “know”) and also encourages inferential thinking by asking questions (the “wonder”). It’s also a way the reader can monitor comprehension. Do I have wide gaps in my understanding? Am I following the problem and using what I know to understand the main character’s motivation? Is my wondering helping to deepen my understanding of big ideas and interpretation? It reminds kids what they should be thinking about when they are reading.

I try to help students distinguish between “thin” and “thick” types of wonders. During our group discussion, I give them prompts to elicit thick wonders, such as Why? or How? types of questions. Thick questions follow the story line or problem, and allow for interpretation. Thin questions leave little to discuss and can be found in the text readily.

Check in soon to see video lessons connecting the know and wonder strategy with big ideas and interpretations.

All my best, 
Ms. Scarborough