Concept Charts, Theme Boards & Critical Literacy

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For a visual reference of a concept chart, please see Beyond Retelling, page 34.

Understanding themes is essential in order for students to be able to think deeply. In order to do this, children need to have a rich concept of what theme means.

Concept charts (taken from Beyond Retelling) are based on the Frayer Model and allow students to deepen their understanding of complex themes and concepts by coming up with a definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples.

Theme boards are used to reinforce theme identification and the connections between themes in one text and those in another (Harvey & Goudvis, p. 111, 2000). This can help students to identify the author’s message and/or main idea in text.

Concept Charts and Theme Boards help students to develop essential critical literacy skills and recognize the author’s message.

VISUAL REFERENCE

THE SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS FRAMEWORK

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

• There is a clear emphasis on high levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy.

• Resources for students are relevant, current, accessible and inclusive.

School and Classroom Leadership

• The organizational structures are coherent, flexible and respond to the needs of students.

• Processes and practices are designed to deepen content knowledge and refine instruction to support student learning and achievement.

RESOURCES

Cunningham, Patricia & Debra Renner Smith. (2008). Beyond Retelling: Toward Higher Level Thinking and Big Ideas. Pearson: New York.

Harvey, Stephanie & Anne Goudvis. (2000). Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Stenhouse Publishers: Portland, Maine.

APPLICATION

The implementation of Concept Charts is outlined in Beyond Retelling.

Theme boards can be implemented in several ways:

• A teacher in Harvey & Goudvis’ Strategies That Work created a bulletin board headed Hey, What’s the Big Idea? Each time the class read a book, they developed a theme list and added the list to the theme board. For example, themes identified in Sherry Garland’s The Lotus Seed included: keeping traditions alive, sharing traditions, courage, internal pain, cooperation, sadness, and loneliness (Harvey & Goudvis, p. 111, 2000).

• Beth Newingham’s online classroom page shows her using a bulletin board with themes identified on posters. As the class reads a new book, she photocopies the cover and the class decides which theme(s) to put it under. (Posters and pictures of her theme board in action has been provided above)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Website – Beth Newingham –

hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/