SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL Department of Education

National Capital Region

SCHOOL S DIVISION OFFICE
MARIK INA CITY

Creative Nonfiction
FIRST QUARTER – MODULE 1
Theme and Techniques in a Text

Writer: Noemi Escolano-Del Rosario

Illustrator: Marexcza Z. Salinas
Layout Artist: Richland C. Buere

City of Good Character

DISCIPLINE • GOOD TASTE • EXCELLENCE
 What I Need to Know

Good day senior high school learners! In this lesson, you will be able to learn how
to:
Analyze theme and techniques used in a text (HUMSS_CNF11/12-Ia-3

In addition, you will learn concepts and answer activities that will help you do the
following which are connected to our main lesson:
1. define what are the themes and techniques in a text;
2. identify the theme of the text;
3. determine the author’s purpose in a text; and
4. compose and discuss the literary technique used in a text

What I Know
Pre-Assessment Activity
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. It gives the author’s message or the central idea of a text

a. Theme B. Plot C. Critical Reading D. Setting

2. It is specific, deliberate construction of language which an author uses to convey

meaning.
A. Literary Genre C. Literary Technique
B. Literary Art D. Literary Figures

3. What is the first step in analyzing a text?

A. ask questions and make note of them
B. identify the different tools the author uses to express the theme
C. look for repeated words or images
D. keep a notebook of notes while reading

4. What is the author’s purpose in this description, “An instructional booklet

describing how to operate a smartphone.”
A. to persuade C. to entertain
B. to inform D. to justify

5. What literary technique was used in this sentence?

“You glow in my life like the flames in a candle”
A. Simile B. Metaphor C. Personification D. Rhyme

Lesson Theme and Techniques in a Text

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 1
The most important
literary element is language.
Language is defined as a system
of communicating ideas and
feelings through signs, sounds,
gestures, and/or marks.
Language is the way we share
ideas with one another. Whether
it is through speech, text or even
performance.

All literature is written in

a recognizable language, since
one of literature’s main goals is
sharing ideas, concepts, and
stories with a larger audience.
Obviously, in order to read a book, you need to understand the language it is
written in. Writers can combine languages to help readers better understand the theme,
character, setting, techniques and even tone of the text.

What’s In
In our previous lesson, we discussed poetry, drama, and fiction. Will you please
recall the lecture you have learned? Write down on the box a simple sentence that will
differentiate each of them.
POETRY

DRAMA

FICTION

In today’s lesson, you will learn about how to analyze the theme and techniques
in a text. It can be very useful for you especially in college as you will assess articles in
writing your thesis. You must be able to analyze carefully the theme and techniques
used in a particular text.

What’s New

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 Let us start the lesson on theme and techniques by answering the activity given
below.
Identifying the Theme
Directions: Read each short story and identify the theme or message in the text.
Remember that a good answer will focus on big world lessons.
A. All Victor ever wanted to do with his life is to be a
singer. He did not pay attention in school and he
spent all his time at home watching music videos
online and impersonating his idols. His mother
tried to teach him the values of getting an
education and having a backup plan, but Victor
would respond the same way every time, “Mom I
won’t need to know any of that boring old stuff
when I am famous. You will see.” But there was
one major problem with Victor’s plan, he was not
any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer
so badly, that he did not notice the pained look on
the faces of those who endured his singing.
Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when
honest people told him to find something else to do
with his life, he accused them of being “jealous haters” and ignored their advice.
After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years
passed, and the door never opened.

1. What is the theme of this story? __________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
2. What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

A. Carlo was stressed about his

research paper. He had to write
five pages about something that
interested him, but he could not
think of anything interesting. He
decided that he would just play
basketball. The next night Carlo
sat down to work on his paper
again, but he still could not think
of anything that interested him,
so listened to music and played
video games instead. The next few
days went much the same: he told
himself that he was not interested
in anything, and then he read comic books, watched movies, or read about classic
cars. Carlo was worried now because the paper was due very soon, and he still
did not even have a topic. He tried to think of something that he found interesting,
but again he could not, so he just played his guitar and cooked a meal for his
family. He loved to cook. At last the last due date was here and Carlo still did not

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 even have a topic. By now he had accepted that he would fail. “If only I could
have found an interesting topic,” he told himself.

1. What is the theme of this story? __________________________________

2. What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
B. In his sophomore year in high school, Michael
Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team
at Lanney High School in Wilmington, North
Carolina. But at five feet eleven inches tall, the
coach believed that Jordan was too short to play
at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team.
Jordan did not let this obstacle defeat him.

In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He

trained vigorously and grew another four inches
the following summer. When he finally made the
varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game
and went on to become one of the greatest
basketball players in history.

1. What is the theme of this story? __________________________________

2. What happens in the story that leads you to believe this?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

What is It
The answers you made in the previous activity is an example of how to identify
the theme of a text.

Themes are a framework of stories – it is a literary device that should not be

forgotten. They add meaning to the work, draw the reader in, and pull everything
together as a whole.

The theme in a story is its underlying message, or big idea. In other words, what
critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in writing.

Theme is defined as “main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work,

which may be stated directly or indirectly.”

Identifying the theme of a story can be challenging. It requires the reader to

identify a main idea in the story. Then extend the idea to the real world.
How did you come up with the theme of story no.3?

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 ____________________________________________________________________
What words from the text gave you the clue about the theme?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Literary devices are techniques that writers use to express their ideas and
enhance their writing. Literary devices highlight important concepts in a text,
strengthen the narrative, and help readers connect to the characters and themes.
Literary techniques are specific, deliberate constructions of language which an
author uses to convey the meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually
occurs with a single word or phrase, or a group of words and phrases, at one single
point in a text.
Technique provides deeper meaning for the reader and help the reader to use
imagination to visualize situations.
Common techniques relevant to style, or the language chosen to tell a story,
include metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole and alliteration.
Analyzing themes and technique in a text is an essential part of reading. It not
only allows the story to be understood more by the reader, but the reader can also relate
the story to their own lives and other literature they have read.
Can you recall what is a metaphor and simile? Write at least 2 examples.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
You have a nice memory!
Personification is defined as a figure intended to represent an abstract quality in
human form. Hyperbole, on the other hand, is exaggerated statements or claims not to
be taken literally. While alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning or closely related words.

What’s More
Activity 1: Author’s Purpose
Directions: Read the descriptions of each item and determine the author’s
purpose (to entertain, persuade or inform). Then, in a sentence or two, explain your
answer.
1. An article where the author argues that an iPhone is better than an Android
phone.
Author’s Purpose: _____________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two

2. A booklet containing the school rules and the consequences for violating those
rules.

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 Author’s Purpose: _____________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two

3. A story written about a young boy who moves to a new school and is bullied, but
he gains self-confidence by joining a sports team and learns to stand up for
himself.
Author’s Purpose: ______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two

4. A politician’s speech about how homes should be provided to families who cannot
afford them.
Author’s Purpose: ______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two

5. A young girl’s note to her parents giving reasons why they should buy a puppy.
Author’s Purpose: ______________________________________________________

Explain Your Answer:

Write a sentence or two

Activity 2: CHARACTERIZATION
Directions: Read a short description of
an event. Identify a character trait that is
revealed by each action.
1. Jake is Jean’s older brother. One day they are walking home from
school when a heavy rain pours. Jake had a jacket inside his bag. He
takes off the jacket from his bag and offers it to her. Jake is now wet,
but he is happier.

What character trait does Jake demonstrate?

__________________________
Give the words or phrases to prove your answer.
_______________________

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 ______________________________________________________
_________________
2. The teacher asked Monica what the answer was to the problem on the board.
Monica wore a worried expression on her face for a moment and then put her
head down on her desk. After the teacher moved on to someone else, Monica
whispered to her friend that the answer was 26. Monica was right.

What character trait does Monica demonstrate? ________________________

Give the words or phrases to prove your answer. ________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Justine asked her neighbor if he could borrow an egg to complete a recipe she
had already started. The next day, Justine returned an egg to her neighbor along
with a thank you card expressing her sincere gratitude.

What character trait does Justine demonstrate? ________________________

Give the words or phrases to prove your answer. ________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4. The home team was down three points and it was the last play of the basketball
season. The coach decided to go for the win. The ball went to star running back
James David. James easily maneuvered around the defenders, juked, threw a
stiff arm, and made it to the other side of the court. Right before crossing into the
end zone, James did a little shuffle. He was so into nailing the footwork on his
shuffle that he did not notice that the opposition had caught up to him. They hit
him so hard that he fumbled the ball and the home team lost.

What character trait does James demonstrate? ________________________

Give the words or phrases to prove your answer. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________

5. Kevin has tried out for the basketball team for the last three years. Each year
he has been cut from the team because other athletes outperformed him. Kevin
has been practicing all summer, however, and he knows that this is his year. It
has to be. He can feel it.

What character trait does Kevin demonstrate? __________________________

Give words or phrases to prove your answer. ___________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Activity 3: Figurative Language Check Up

Directions: Match each type of figurative language with its definition.
A. Alliteration B. Hyperbole C. Simile
D. Metaphor E. Personification

_______1. A humorous over- exaggeration.

_______2. The repetition of the consonant sounds at the beginning of a series
of words.
_______3. A comparison using “like” or “as.”
_______4. Ascribing human characteristics to something that is not human.
_______5. Drawing comparison between two unlike things, not using “like”
or “as.”
Activity 4: Largest Shoe in the World is Found in Marikina

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Directions: Write four (4) different sentences to describe the picture below. Use the
literary techniques given. Then, under each sentence that you write, indicate what
kind of technique you used.

Alliteration
Hyperbole
Simile
Metaphor
Personification

1. ____________________________________________________________________

Technique used:

2. ____________________________________________________________________

Technique used:
3. ____________________________________________________________________

Technique used:

4. ____________________________________________________________________

Technique used:

Use the rubric as your guide in writing your answer

Criteria Score Comments

Sentence Structure 10
Spelling 5
Punctuation 5

What I Have Learned

1. Theme is defined as “main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work,
which may be stated directly or indirectly.”
2. Technique provides deeper meaning for the reader and helps the reader to use
imagination to visualize situations.
3. Literary devices are techniques that writers use to express their ideas and
enhance their writing. Literary devices highlight important concepts in a text,
strengthen the narrative, and help readers connect to the characters and
themes.
What I Can Do

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 Activity 4

Apply what you have learned about analyzing themes and techniques in a text.
Choose three news articles whether printed or through online and identify the
theme and techniques used by the writer. In presenting your output, you can either
select one from the following:

1. Type your answer on a sheet of paper. Include the printed article and pictures
of the article you have chosen, together with the name of the material,
writer/author, and date issued. Ask opinions from your family members
about their ideas on your answers before submitting it to your teacher.
2. Present your answer through a video presentation (orally/vlog) and share it
on your fb account before submitting to your teacher.

Use the rubric as your guide in doing the activity:

Criteria Score Comments

Theme and techniques given are 20 points

correct

Statements are free from errors such 10 points

as grammar, spelling, punctuation
and capitalization (written output)

Video presentation is clear, ideas are 10 points

well presented and uses appropriate
languages (video output)

Assessment

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Assessment Activity

Directions: Exhibit the knowledge and skills you have

learned from this lesson by answering the following
questions.

1. What is the author’s purpose in this description?

“A poem about the beauty of Marikina as seen from a resident of the city”
A. to persuade B. to inform C. to entertain

2. What is the author’s purpose in this description?

“A Wikipedia page with facts and records about Marikina City”
A. to persuade B. to inform C. to entertain

3. Read the passage and look for clues that reveal the setting. Then, explain your
answer. Remember the setting is the time and place that a story happens.
“Mr. Lim walked up to the teller and handed her a paper slip. She punched a few
figures into the computer and ran the slip through a machine. It printed some
numbers at the back of the slip. She handed the slip back to him along with five
P20.00 bill. Then she asked him, “Is there anything else that I can help you with
today?” Mr. Lim grabbed the money from the woman, “Not today, thank you.”

Where is this story taking place? ________________________________

How do you know?

4. Read the sentence. Determine whether it is a simile or metaphor. Choose your

answer and explain which two things are being compared.
“Children are the most beautiful flowers of all.”

This is an example of … simile / metaphor

What two things are being compared?

5. Which is not a literary technique or device?

A. Theme B. Setting C. Creative writing D. Metaphor

Additional Activities

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Activity 6: From Key Word to Theme

A good first step towards understanding the theme is to identify a key word or
concept that a story deal with. For example, a story might be about courage, friendship,
or bravery. But a theme cannot be expressed in a single word. The subject or keyword
of a story might be friendship, but the theme is something about friendship that can be
expressed in a complete sentence.

Read the passages below. For each one, circle the key word (choices are given)
that best describes what the passage is all about.

Write a sentence that includes the key word, which expresses its theme.

1. Kim’s diet was terrible. All she ate was chips and sweets and jelly sandwiches on
white bread. She was overweight and she was always tired. When her doctor told her
that she felt bad because of what she was eating. Kim was amazed. She did not
realize that she had so much power to make herself feel better. Kim stopped eating
junked food and started eating fruits and vegetables. In a few weeks she felt like a
new person.
A. courage B. responsibility C. health
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________

2. Wendy enjoyed spending time with her grandmother. Her mother told her stories
about what the world was like when she was a little girl, a very long time ago. Wendy
also liked her grandmother’s chocolate and caramel cake. There was only one
problem. Wendy’s grandmother always made vegetable dishes for dinner. Wendy did
not want to hurt her grandmother’s feelings. But she hated vegetable dishes, and
she could not help hesitating before taking a bite. But she did take a bite, because
she loved the way that her grandmother’s eyes lit up when she saw Wendy eating
her home-cooked food. When Wendy’s grandmother smiled, suddenly the vegetable
dish did not taste so bad.
A. respect B. love C. duplicity
Sentence: ___________________________________________________________

3. Andy was really looking forward to eating some cake. But when his mother sliced
the cake, she made the pieces very small. “Why is my piece so small?” Andy asked,
dismayed. “Because there are a lot of people here,” his mother told him. “We have to
make sure that we have enough cake for everybody.” His mother continued to cut
and served the cake and soon there was no more cake left. Disappointed that he
would not be able to have seconds, Andy went off to sit and eat his tiny piece of cake.
There was a small girl sitting at his table. She looked longingly at Andy’s cake. “I did
not get any cake,” she said. “By the time I got up there, all the cake was gone.” “Here,”
Andy said, handing the girl a fork. “I will share my cake with you.” The little girl’s
face lit up, and suddenly Andy felt better.
A. hunger B. generosity C. disappointment
Sentence: __________________________________________________________

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Activity 7: Vlog

Read articles from magazines, newspapers, social media posts, listen to radio, watch
TV news or YouTube videos. Focus on the way they write and speak about the topic.

1. What are the common words you have read, watched and listened to?
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. What can you say about those words they have used you for you to identify the
writer’s purpose?
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

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 References

Books:

Noel Christian A. Moratilla, Ph.D. and John Iremil E. Teodoro, Creative

Nonfiction, a Textbook on Humanities and Social Sciences: Phoenix Publishing
House Inc.,2016, 4-5.

Websites:
❖ http://www.writingourselves.org/wp-content/uploads/WO-Learning-
Module-Creative-Nonfiction.pdf
❖ https://opinion.inquirer.net/85740/a-nurses-duty-service-and-
compassion-above-all-else
❖ https://www.pdesas.org/ContentWeb/Content/Content/4598/Lesson%20P
lan
❖ https://www.philstar.com/the-
freeman/opinion/2019/07/26/1938005/role-social-media-education
❖ https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=657&ei=7ivPXqGNO8GnoA
Sqs5lA&q=biography+of+bob+ong&oq=biography+of+bob+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3k
tYWIQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgII
ADoECAAQRzoGCAAQDRAeOgYIABAWEB46BQgAEJECOgQIABADULaAA1i
gpANg77IDaAFwAXgAgAGAAYgByA-
SAQQxOS4zmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpeg&sclient=psy-ab
❖ https://blog.prepscholar.com/literary-elements-list-examples
❖ https://study.com/academy/lesson/interpreting-literary-meaning-how-to-
use-text-to-guide-your-interpretation.html
❖ https://www.easyteacherworksheets.com/pages/pdf/languagearts/figurativ
e/90.html
❖ https://www.englishworksheetsland.com/grade5/readingliterature/2/3key
word.pdf

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 Development Team of the Module

Writer: Noemi Escolano-Del Rosario (SEHS)

Editors: Jose Datugan { MHS )
Remia Ricabar ( PSDS )
Internal Reviewer: Janet S. Cajuguiran (EPS-English)
Illustrator: Marexcza Z. Salinas (PHS)
Layout Artist: Richland C. Buere (SEHS)

Management Team:

Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent

Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Janet S. Cajuguiran
Education Program Supervisor-English

Ivy Coney A. Gamatero

EPS – LRMS

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Schools Division Office- Marikina City

191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines

Telefax: (02) 682-2472 / 682-3989

Email Address: [email protected]

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