Mini Lesson – Symbolism tied to Theme

Connection (1-2 minutes)

 Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we have different objects in our culture that
represent a deeper idea. When we put up a country’s flag, we don’t just put it up
because we think it looks nice, but because it means something. What does a The
United States’ flag represent?
 Are there other symbols of our country’s (or any other country’s) freedom, or liberty,
and values?
 I’ve also been thinking about how understanding these symbols allows me to better
understand our country’s beliefs and values better as a whole.
 When we’re reading, it is likely we come across objects that represent ideas. What do
we call this literary device?

Teaching Point: We’ve talked about symbolism before, but today, I want to teach you
that strong readers identify the meaning represented by different symbols in order to
understand the deeper themes, or big ideas, of a text.

Teach (3-5 minutes)

 Students should have read The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg the day
before. Have students take out any jots they may have from it depending on if they
participated in an interactive read-aloud or did independent reading of the book.
 When I first read this this book, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to get out of it. It
seemed like a cute story written in a unique format, but I didn’t know what the author
was trying to tell me. I remembered that good readers always consider the author’s
purpose for writing, but I had no idea what that might be for this book.
 Watch and listen as I now page back through this book and look for meaning that I
may be missing. I know that the plot centers around this giant rock that the people
find, and it turns them into really boring, illiterate apes. Why is this? Why does this
rock seem to have magical powers? Is there something I’m missing?
 I read that these people are very intelligent and educated.
May 9: Many read and have borrowed books from my small library. Some
play musical instruments, and there are a few food story tellers among them.
 I read various tidbits about the rock.
June 6: It is a rock, approximately two feet across. It is roughly textured, gray
in color, but a portion of it is as flat and smooth as glass. From this surface
comes a glowing light that is quite beautiful and pleasing to look at.
 I’m wondering if this rock may be a symbol for something. So, I read about how the
people are affected by it.
June 10: The crew is fascinated by the rock. When not needed on deck, they
are down below, gazing in silence at the peculiar light it gives off. I miss the
music and story telling that had become part of our ship’s life. The last few
days have passed quite slowly. The men, however, seem perfectly content. I
am sure their interest in the stone will fade away soon.
 June 13: Something is wrong with the crew. They rarely speak, and though
the swing through the rigging more quickly than ever, they walk the decks in
a clumsy, stooped-over fashion. Last night I heard shrieks coming from the
forward hold. I believe they have contracted some kind of fever that came on
board with the stone.
 Then I read that the men began to close themselves in and spend all their time
watching the rock while they shut out all their responsibilities and slowly become apes.
I’ve never seen a human literally become an ape, but I know I sometimes seclude myself
to watch my favorite shows on Netflix. In many ways, this rock in the story resembles a
screen. I spend so much time staring at a lit-up screen all day that I become clumsy
and unintelligent, like an ape.
 So, I’ve now decided that the stone is a symbol for TV, Netflix, the internet, and possibly
even social media and the apes are symbols for the kind of people we could become or
habits we could develop when we spend too much time on the “stone.”
 I’ve figured out the symbolism, but how does this help me, as a reader, to understand
the message of this book? I read in the end of the book that the apes were turned back
into men by being read to and played live music. This reminds me of what my mom
used to tell me about the importance of reading, doing crafts, making music, and
playing outside – that I should do more of those things instead of becoming a robot
indoors with my technology!
 Aha! Maybe this is what this book is trying to tell me. Maybe Chris Van Allsburg wrote
this as a warning to people to not get so attached to their technology. I even
remember reading another thing that supports this theory.
They rarely speak, and though the swing through the rigging more quickly
than ever, they walk the decks in a clumsy, stooped-over fashion.
 This even reminds me of an article I read about how my generation has become so
fascinated by our smartphones, that our bodies have conformed to the act of looking
down at them.
 Now I have a much deeper understanding of The Wretched Stone. Did you see how I
went from a surface-level comprehension of the story that deeper understanding using
symbolism and trying to relate to the story to better make sense of it?

Active Engagement (3-5 minutes)

 Have students get out their reader’s notebooks.
 Now it’s your turn. Good readers think about symbolism used by a writer to convey
and idea. Think about a book you’ve read that included an object that meant more
than just the object itself. Jot down the book title and a little about what you think
that object represented.
 If applicable, list a few books that the whole class or a number of students have read
that may be good examples of symbolism. Students should identity the object and
meaning on their own, but a few titles might serve as a good idea generator.
 Now that you have established the meaning of the symbol used, discuss with a partner
how understanding this symbol helps you understand the meaning of the text. Think
about specific examples that led you to discover this.
 As students work, the teacher should listen in and move around the room to
monitor conversations. If a partnership comes to a stalemate, ask questions to
 prompt them such as: What made you realize that’s what the object was supposed to
represent? Why do you think the author included that object in the story? What is the
author trying to tell you, the reader, by using this symbol?

Link (under 1 minute)

 Draw students’ attention back to you, the teacher.
 How do we feel about using symbolism to better understand the meaning, or big ideas,
of a story? How does this help us as readers?
 It’s important that we remember that good readers identify the meaning represented
by different symbols in order to understand the deeper themes, or big ideas, of a text.
 I challenge you, with your independent reading, to look for examples of symbolism in
the text and use them to your advantage. You might even keep track of them in your
notebook and refer back to them. Think about how those symbols add to the meaning
of the book you’re reading and why the author might have included them.