Main Idea Theme Moral

Notes for “The Bracelet”

Today’s Objective

•Today, I will be able to differentiate between main idea, moral, & theme. I’ll know I’ve got it when I can identify all of these elements in “The Bracelet” & in my independent reading text.

Remember…

•Every text has a main idea, & many have themes & morals as well.

Main Idea

•Main Idea: the point that the author wants the reader to walk away with – what the text is mostly about.

•The main idea can usually be expressed in 1-2 sentences.

Theme• Theme: a 1-2 word overarching idea that is

present in the text.

• Texts can have several themes, although some may be more prominent than others.

• To find a theme, a reader should look for repeating words/symbols.

• A theme can appear in the setting, characters, & actions – it usually isn’t stated directly.

Moral

•Moral: a message revealed in a story or lesson to be learned

•Morals usually appear at the end of the story. They may be written in a sentence, implied, or directly stated.

•Stories usually only have one moral.

•Example: “Slow & steady wins the race.”

Today, we’re going to read a story & work to identify the main idea, theme, & moral.

Building Background Knowledge – The History Behind the Injustice of Japanese InternmentNotes for “The Bracelet” by Yoshiko Uchida

December 7, 1941

•7:53 a.m. – 9:54 a.m. (almost 2 hours)

•The Japanese launch a SURPRISE attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in an attempt to destroy America’s Pacific fleet.

Destruction

•8 battleships destroyed

•10 naval vessels destroyed

•150 aircrafts destroyed

•2, 335 military personnel killed

Quote

•President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

•“This is a day that will live in infamy.”▫Infamy: extremely bad reputation,

public reproach, strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act

•Worst attack on United States soil until September 11th

Effect

•U.S. enters World War II

•Axis Powers = Japan, Germany, Italy

•Allied Powers = United States, Great Britain, China, Russian, France

The End…

•United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima

•August 6, 1945 – bomb dropped on Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m.

The End…

•The bomb dropped exploded 2,000 feet above the city. It created a blinding heat (9,000 degrees at ground temperature) that radiated for almost 3 miles & flattened 5 square miles of buildings.

The End…

•Within 5 days, 138,661 people died.

•Within 5 years of the blast, it is estimated that 150,000 died from radiation sickness.

The End…• United States drops an atomic bomb on

Nagasaki.

• August 9, 1945

• About 73,884 people were killed.

• 51,000 buildings in the city were either damaged or destroyed.

• Japan surrenders

Japanese Internment Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mr97qyKA2s

Story – “The Bracelet”• Set in California – Year 1942 (America at

war with Japan)

• Injustice: Because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, our country feared that anyone of Japanese ancestry might cause trouble.

• All Japanese Americans living in California were “interred” – sent to internment camps for the duration of the war.