There are many themes, symbols, and motifs present throughout the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts. In this activity, students will identify themes, symbols, and motifs in Al Capone Does My Shirts and illustrate examples from the text. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an “envelope activity”, where they are given one or more to track throughout their reading. Then, they'll create a spider map illustrating what they found!
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes, symbols, or motifs found in Al Capone Does My Shirts. Illustrate each and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Divide students into small groups and assign each a different theme or symbol from Al Capone Does My Shirts. This approach encourages collaboration and helps students gain deeper insights by sharing perspectives with classmates.
Ask each group to find at least two passages in the book that showcase their assigned theme or symbol. Providing direct quotes strengthens their understanding and supports their analysis with concrete examples.
Have each group create a short presentation—such as a skit, poster, or digital slide—that explains their theme or symbol and shares their evidence. This step makes learning fun and builds confidence in sharing ideas.
Invite classmates to ask questions or give compliments after each presentation. Use prompts like, “How does this theme connect to another part of the story?” This fosters active listening and helps students make deeper connections.
Lead the class in a discussion about which themes or symbols were most significant or surprising. Encourage students to share how their understanding changed through the group work. This closes the activity with meaningful reflection.
Al Capone Does My Shirts explores major themes such as family, friendship, autism, isolation, rules and law, and duty against the backdrop of Alcatraz during the Great Depression.
Students can spot symbols and motifs by looking for repeated objects, phrases, or ideas—like the Button Box or baseball—and discussing their deeper meaning in the story's context.
The envelope activity involves giving students specific themes, symbols, or motifs to track as they read, helping them focus attention and discover examples throughout the novel.
Autism is central because Moose's sister Natalie has autism, and her experiences shape the family's challenges and highlight themes of acceptance, empathy, and advocacy throughout the novel.
A spider map is a graphic organizer where students place a central idea (like a theme or symbol) in the center and branch out with examples and descriptions, making analysis of literature more visual and organized.