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 The Black Stallion and support it with evidence from the text.
“If the stallion was alive, he was going to set him free and give him his chance to fight for life.”
“He only knew that he had had his choice of remaining in the water alone or being pulled by the Black. If he was to die, he would rather die with the mighty stallion than alone.”
“The days passed and the boy strove desperately to find food to keep himself alive; he caught only one more fish - it would be impossible for him to depend upon the sea for his living.”
“He put the sugar in the palm of his hand and hesitantly held it out to the stallion.”
“You just have to take us both, Captain! I can’t leave him!”
“Alec took his handkerchief and wrapped it around the Black’s leg to try to stop the bleeding.”
Other possible themes include: determination, kindness, companionship, and love.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in The Black Stallion. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Connect your reading sessions with short, focused conversations about major themes. This helps students make personal connections and deepens their understanding as the story unfolds.
Create a classroom anchor chart where students can add evidence and examples of themes as they read. This visual reference reinforces learning and encourages active participation.
Divide students into small groups and assign each group a theme to find supporting examples for. Sharing findings boosts engagement and discussion skills.
Ask students to relate story themes—like survival or friendship—to situations in their own lives. This personalizes learning and encourages empathy and reflection.
Invite students to create posters, skits, or digital slideshows that showcase their understanding of a theme. Creative projects allow students to express comprehension in fun, memorable ways.
The Black Stallion features key themes such as survival, friendship, determination, kindness, companionship, and love. These themes help students connect the story to real-life values and moral lessons.
Students can identify themes by looking for recurring ideas, actions, or dialogue in the text. Using a storyboard helps visually organize these moments and supports theme analysis with evidence from the story.
Have students create a storyboard that highlights examples of a chosen theme from The Black Stallion. They should illustrate key scenes and write brief descriptions explaining how each scene relates to the theme.
Analyzing themes helps students deepen their understanding of the text, connect with characters, and apply the story's moral lessons to their own lives.
Examples of survival include Alec striving to find food and choosing to face danger with the stallion. Friendship is shown when Alec cares for the Black, shares sugar, and refuses to leave him behind.