What is the key difference between a theme and the main idea of a story?

The main idea is what the story is about, while the theme is a universal message or lesson that can be applied to life.

According to the video, what makes a theme 'universal'?

A universal theme is one that anyone can relate to, regardless of their background or experiences.

Anansi's greed and desire to keep all the wisdom for himself led to him losing it.

Anansi learned that even with all the wisdom in the world, others can still have valuable insights and that it's important to be open to their ideas.

Grade 7th Grade · ELA · 45 min

I can use summarizing strategies to identify a text's theme and main idea.

Khan Academy · 6:18

Understanding theme | Reading | Khan Academy

3 key concepts

1
A theme is an important idea that is woven throughout a story and links a big idea about our world with the action of a text.
2
The main idea is what the story is all about, while the summary is the events of the story, but the theme is a lesson or a message that you can take out of the story.
3
In the story of Anansi, a theme could be that anyone can have a good idea or wisdom is inside all of us.

9 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Quick comprehension check

“What is one possible theme of the movie Toy Story?”

Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:

Teacher GuideComplete lesson plan

Student DocPrintable student handouts

SlidesReady-to-use presentation