If you’re looking for engaging activities to enhance your theme lessons, animated shorts are a fantastic way to teach this important reading skill. These short films are high-interest, visually engaging, and often convey deep themes in a short amount of time. This post provides four animated shorts that can be used to teach the theme.
Lesson Handout
This handout includes printables and instructions for the animated shorts listed in this post.
4 Animated Shorts to Teach Theme
Mater and the Ghostlight
Mater and the Ghostlight is a fun yet meaningful short that teaches students about actions and consequences.
In the story, Mater plays pranks on the other cars in Radiator Springs, only to get a taste of his own medicine when the other vehicles decide to teach him a lesson. By the end, Mater learns what it feels like to be on the receiving end of his jokes, reinforcing the theme of “treat others how you want to be treated.”
Discussion Points:
- What lesson does Mater learn by the end of the short?
- How do the other cars’ actions change Mater’s behavior?
Theme Example:
The message here is clear: “What goes around comes around,” or more simply, “Treat others with kindness.”
The Forbidden Zone
Summary:
Dumont lives in isolation, haunted by his past, until a magical creature made of light crashes outside his home. Faced with the choice between staying in the comfort of his isolation or embarking on a dangerous journey, Dumont chooses the latter, leading him to new discoveries.
Themes:
- facing fears of moving forward
- embracing the unknown
Discussion Questions:
- What does Dumont’s journey symbolize in the story?
- How does Dumont’s choice to leave his bunker reflect the theme of growth through risk?
Home of My Memories
Summary:
A boy works with his grandfather on a watermill model, learning life lessons through their shared project. After his grandfather’s health declines, the boy is left to complete the project on his own, driven by love and the desire to honor his memory.
Themes:
- the bond between generations
- love and legacy
Discussion Questions:
- How does the boy’s project with his grandfather teach him about love and responsibility?
- What is the significance of the watermill in the story?
Canary
Summary:
In an underground coal mine, a young boy named Sonny is responsible for a canary used to detect deadly gas. He plays a dangerous prank by teaching the bird to play dead, hoping to escape to the sunlight above.
Themes:
- the desire for freedom
- consequences of reckless behavior
Discussion Questions:
- What does the canary symbolize for Sonny?
- How does Sonny’s prank illustrate the consequences of prioritizing personal desires over safety?
How to Use These Animated Shorts in Class
These animated shorts provide opportunities for students to practice identifying themes through engaging, relatable stories. You can enhance your lessons by having students complete a one-page handout with guiding questions to help them determine the theme.
Why Use Animated Shorts to Teach Theme?
Animated shorts are an excellent tool for teaching literary concepts like themes because they are visually engaging and require little background knowledge. This allows students to focus directly on the story’s message. These films are also short enough to be used in a single class period, making them perfect for in-depth discussions or quick assessments of students’ understanding of the theme.
By incorporating a variety of shorts, students are exposed to different themes and storytelling styles, allowing for deeper discussions about how themes are conveyed across different media types. The handout includes the handouts pictured in this blog post.
The organizer in the mini-lesson is a sample from Teaching Reading Skills with Animated Shorts Part 2.
