Identifying Themes in Bridge to Terabithia

Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify one or more themes and support them with evidence from the text.

Example Themes from Bridge to Terabithia

Friendship

The characters either experience true friendship, or desire it.

• May Belle hopes the new neighbors have a girl her age.
• Jess and Leslie become the best of friends, spending much of their time in Terabithia.
• Janice Avery's “friends” blab to everyone in the seventh grade that her father beats her.

Courage

Leslie inspires Jess to be more courageous.

• Jess insists that Gary Fulcher let Leslie race even though she is a girl.
• Jess and Leslie prank Janice Avery, sneaking into the classroom to leave the note.
• Jess is afraid of many things and wishes to become fearless, like Leslie.

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that identifies themes in Bridge to Terabithia. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Identify the theme(s) from Bridge to Terabithia you wish to include and replace the "Theme 1" text.
3. Create an image for an example that represents this theme.
4. Write a description of each of the examples.