May 11 & 12 2026 From NFA - From Friday - To Complete >Listen to page 196- page 209 & Theme Mini Lesson - Personal Novel to NFA connections -

Silent Read Time - Personal Novels 

Theme - what is a theme? 

NFA Themes comparison - to Personal Novel Themes

Vocab - NFA - from last day.

From Friday - To Complete >Listen to page 196- page 209

Vocab: To Define: List Below

Ablutions:

Duodenum:

Prevaricating:

Review Vocab

Ablutions: This refers to the act of washing or cleaning oneself. 

Duodenum: The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in the human digestive system. In the novel, the term could be used metaphorically or literally in relation to Felix's health or situations involving food and digestion.

Prevaricating: To prevaricate means to speak or act in an evasive way, often to avoid telling the truth or to mislead. 

Part 1: 

What message or lesson does your personal novel seem to be teaching so far?

Part 2: 

What is a Theme?

A theme is a big idea or message about life that a story communicates.

Important points:

• A theme is not just one word
• It is a complete idea or statement
• It applies beyond the story to real life

Example:

Topic: Friendship
Theme: True friends support each other through difficult times

Topic: Poverty
Theme: Living in poverty creates challenges, but resilience helps people survive

Theme vs Topic

A topic is a single word or subject.
A theme is what the author is saying about that topic.

How to Identify a Theme

You can ask:

• What does the main character learn?
• What challenges do characters face?
• What message might the author be communicating about life?

Part 3: Guided Practice - May 12

Focus on No Fixed Address (pages 1–209).

As a class, independently - brainstorm possible themes. Paper. 

Possible ideas:

• Poverty creates invisible challenges
• Stability is important for well-being
• People are often judged unfairly
• Resilience helps people cope with hardship

Do not rank yet—just gathering ideas.

Part 4: Independent Task (20–25 minutes) DUE IN CLASS.

Task A: Personal Novel

1. Identify themes

   • List at least 3–5 possible theme Theme Topics
   • Write these Theme Topics as as full statement THEMES!

2. Prioritize

   • Rank themes from most significant to least significant
   • Be ready to explain your top choice

Task B: No Fixed Address (to page 209)

1. Identify themes

   • List several possible themes based on what you have read

2. Prioritize

   • Rank themes from most important to least important
   • Decide which theme is most developed so far

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Sentence Starters (Support)

• One theme in my novel is…
• This is shown when…
• Another possible theme is…
• The most important theme is… because…
• A less important theme is…