ELA.7.R.1.2

Compare two or more themes and their development throughout a literary text.

Clarifications

Clarification 1: For the purposes of this benchmark, theme is not a one- or two-word topic, but a complete thought that communicates the author’s message. 
Clarification 2: Students should continue to work with the concept of universal themes, although mastery isn’t expected until 9th grade. A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include but are not limited to an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence. 
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: 7
Strand: Reading
Date Adopted or Revised: 08/20
Status: State Board Approved

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
1001040: M/J Language Arts 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
1001050: M/J Language Arts 2 Advanced (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2023, 2023 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
1002010: M/J Language Arts 2 Through ESOL (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1009010: M/J Creative Writing 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
1009040: M/J Writing 2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
7810012: Access M/J Language Arts 2  (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1002181: M/J Developmental Language Arts Through ESOL (Reading) (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
1009025: M/J Creative Writing (Specifically in versions: 2015 - 2021, 2021 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
1000012: M/J Intensive Reading 2 (Specifically in versions: 2021 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
ELA.7.R.1.AP.2: Find the similarities between two themes and their development throughout a literary text.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Lesson Plans

A Long Walk to Water: Culminating Activity:

This is the final lesson, which is a culminating activity, and will focus on a combination of parts from the unit series. This lesson will assist students in determining the two main themes of A Long Walk to Water by analyzing important symbols and events related to the United States’ involvement in international conflicts.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry -Comparing Themes:

Students will read O. Henry's "A Retrieved Reformation" and an additional O. Henry selection to compare the themes of love and redemption. They will identify supporting details of the themes in each text and use them to support their analysis in a short written response.

Type: Lesson Plan

Charge of the Light Brigade: Can a Poem Tell a Story?:

Students will be studying the narrative poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and discussing how a "poem can tell a story." Students will focus upon citing evidence to support meaning found in the poem and then using those inferences to complete a comparison/contrast essay. Part of this study will include watching a 4 minute clip from the movie The Blind Side in which Tim McGraw's character explains the meaning of the poem in terms of a football game between rivals LSU and Ole Miss. Students will be asked to compare and contrast the poem's meaning in terms of battle in war and battle on the football field, determine how these two situations are similar and different, and finally be asked to explain if the football analogy was helpful in aiding the understanding of the story the poem tells.

Type: Lesson Plan

Comparing Themes in "A Christmas Memory":

In this lesson, students will read the autobiographical story "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote and view a teacher-approved film version of the same story to compare the themes of “nostalgia fosters self-reflection,” and “the love between two friends cannot be easily forgotten.” Students will then write an extended paragraph comparing how the two themes interact within each of the modes.

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorial

Comparing Universal Themes in Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18":

Study William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" to determine and compare two universal themes and how they are developed throughout the sonnet. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts - Grades 6-12

Comparing Universal Themes in Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18":

Study William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" to determine and compare two universal themes and how they are developed throughout the sonnet. 

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorial

Comparing Universal Themes in Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18":

Study William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" to determine and compare two universal themes and how they are developed throughout the sonnet. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.