Activity Overview
Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard. The theme provides a moral to the story and is the central idea behind the text. Through analyzing themes, students can delve deeper into the text’s meaning and apply the moral to their own lives. In this activity, students will identify a theme of
Diary of a Wimpy Kid and support it with evidence from the text.
Example Theme and Support from Text
Belonging
- “I’ve been trying to be a lot more careful about my image ever since I got to middle school. But having Rowley around is definitely not helping.”
- “…I realized getting elected Treasurer could TOTALLY change my situation at school.”
- “So here’s what I’m thinking: This school year has been kind of a bust, but if I can get voted as Class Favorite, I’ll go out on a high note.”
Additional themes are courage, loyalty, friendship, and family.