How to Identify the Topic of a Fairy Tale: A Simple Guide for Children

After reading a fairy tale, “What is the topic of this work?” can sound more complicated than the story itself. A child remembers the characters, magical objects, dangerous adventures, and ending, but does not know how to fit them into one short sentence.

Actually, the topic of a fairy tale can be defined without complicated literary terms. All you have to do is answer the simple question: What is this story about in general? Not what happened in turn and not what it teaches, but exactly who, what situation, event, relationship or life phenomenon is told.

Topic is like a sign on the door to history. It doesn't tell you everything inside, but it helps you understand where we're going.

What is a topic of a story in simple words

The topic of a story is what the story as a whole is about.

For a younger child, it can be explained even more simply:

A topic is a short answer to the question "who or what is this story about?"

For example, in a fictional story, a girl goes through the forest to find her younger brother, overcomes obstacles and brings him home. The topic could be searching and rescuing a loved one or the adventures of a girl who saves her brother.

If you say, "The girl left the house, met the old man, then crossed the river, found a cave...", this is already the beginning of a retelling plot.

And the sentence "Love for loved ones helps not to give up" is more like the main message.

That is why a topic is usually shorter than a retelling, but more specific than a single general word.

Topic, plot and main message - what is the difference

These concepts are used side by side in many school assignments, so they are easily confused. It is best to distinguish them by three questions.

Topic answers the question "about what?"

Topic is the center of history.

For example:

- about the friendship of two heroes during a joint journey;

- about a girl looking for her way home;

- about brothers who behave differently in trial;

- about a cunning character trying to get someone else's;

- About a little animal that helps the stronger.

Note: topic does not have to be a single word. The words "friendship", "bravery", "kindness" are too broad if you don't understand what is happening in the story.

The plot answers the question "What happened?"

A plot is a chain of related events.

If the answer is, "First the character did this, then met someone, then went there, and in the end...", you are already describing the plot.

Topic does not require all of these steps. It generalizes them.

For example:

A boy lost a magic key, went on a search, asked three foresters for help, and found the key near an old mill.

Topic: A boy's search for a lost magic key and the help he gets along the way.

The main message answers the question "What does history show that is important?"

The main message is no longer the subject of the story, but the conclusion or important observation that follows from the whole story.

For example:

Topic: A story about two friends who are on a dangerous journey together.

Main message: Mutual support helps to cope with difficulties that are difficult to overcome alone.

So you can remember a little formula:

- topic — about what;

- plot — what happened;

- main message - what we learned.

How to define the topic of a story step by step

1. Look at the name, but don't stop there

The title often hints at the character, object, or main situation. But it's not always a ready topic.

If the tale is called "The Golden Bell", the topic is hardly simply "the bell". You have to read and understand what role he plays: he is searched for, he is the cause of a fight, he saves someone or he only appears in one episode.

Therefore, the name is the first clue, not the final answer.

2. Name the Main Character or the Focus of the Story

Ask:

- Who do we watch the most?

- Whose goal or concern is driving history?

- Who makes the most important decisions?

- Who are the main characters?

Not every fairy tale has only one main character. Sometimes it's two friends, three brothers, a family or a group of animals. Then you should name them together.

3. Identify the Main Situation or Problem

Now ask yourself: What's happening to them most importantly?

Possible answers:

- Someone goes on a search;

- the hero must complete a difficult task;

- characters argue or compete;

- Someone is in danger;

- the hero leaves home and travels;

- the character tries to correct his mistake;

- friends overcome an obstacle together;

- The hero faces the consequences of his actions.

This is almost a completed topic core.

4. Discard minor adventures

Fairy tales love repetitions, extra meetings and little trials. Topic does not need to list them all.

Imagine a story where a girl is looking for her lost brother. On the way, she helps the bird, crosses the river, finds the magic thread, sleeps in an old hut and runs away from the giant.

All of this may be important for the plot. But topic can still be:

"A girl's search for her missing brother and overcoming obstacles on her way to him."

If a sentence about a topic has accumulated five "then", it is time to shorten it.

5. Write the topic in one sentence

Handy scheme:

"It is a tale about [hero or heroes] who [main situation/goal/problem]."

Or:

"Topic of a tale — an image / narrative about [the main situation or relationship]."

For younger children, the first option sounds more natural. In a school notebook, the teacher may expect a more formal sentence, but the meaning remains the same.

Don't make it too complicated. A simple, accurate sentence is better than a long one that the child does not understand.

6. Check that topic covers the whole story

Ask three questions:

1. Does my topic cover most important events?

2. Am I just describing one episode?

3. Have I turned the topic into morality or retelling?

If the answer passes this check, the topic is successfully formulated.

Easy to start with formulas

When a blank sheet looks too serious, ready-made sentence starts help.

For the sake of simplicity:

- "This is a story about..."

- "The story tells about..."

- "History shows events related to..."

To write to the notebook:

- "Topic fable - story about..."

- "Topic dzieła - obraz..."

- "At the center of the fairy tale - a story about..."

Next, you need to put not an abstract word, but a concrete meaning.

Instead of:

“The topic is friendship.”

Better:

"Topic is the friendship of two heroes who help each other on a dangerous journey."

Instead of:

"Topic: Courage."

Better:

"Topic is the trial of a boy who sets out to save a village despite his own fear."

Thus the formulation becomes tied to a specific story.

Fictional Tales

In order not to replace the child's homework with a ready-made answer to a specific well-known fairy tale, let's consider fictional examples.

Example 1. "Silver Bridge"

In the fairy tale, a sister and brother must cross an enchanted valley to return home. The bridge only appears when they act together.

Too broad: friendship.

Retelling: Sister and brother walked down the valley, met a crow, found a stone, saw a river, and then a bridge appeared.

A brother and sister's journey home and overcoming obstacles together.

Example 2. "The Pot that Heard Everything".

A greedy merchant gets a magic pot that repeats aloud every lie said by the next person. Through his own trickery, the merchant gradually loses the trust of his neighbors.

Too broad: honesty.

Main message: Deception destroys trust.

The story of a merchant whose tricks are revealed by a magic pot.

Example 3. "A little bird and a big wind"

The bird wants to bring the seed to the nest, but the strong wind keeps getting her out of the way. She tries different ways and asks for help from other forest dwellers.

Too broad: persistence.

A little bird trying to get a seed to its nest in the strong wind.

Main message: Perseverance and acceptance of help can bring you closer to your goal.

These examples show the main point: topic is the name of the story, and main message explains its meaning.

Can a fairy tale have multiple themes

Yes, a longer work may have several thematic lines. For example, one tale can simultaneously tell about family relationships, travel, rivalry and the hero's growth.

But if a school assignment asks you to name the topic of the story in the singular, you should usually find the main one, the one that covers the central story.

Helpful question:

"Without which line would this fairy tale cease to be this story?"

If you remove the random encounter with the forester, the main story can remain. If you remove the search for the missing sister, the whole plot may disappear. So, finding a sister is closer to the main topic.

You don't have to try to put all possible subtopics into one sentence.

How to determine the topic of a folk and literary tale

The algorithm itself is almost unchanged.

In a folk tale it is important to remember that the story does not have a single contemporary author in the usual sense: it was formed in oral tradition and could have had variants. But we still define the topic by the central characters, situation and events of the version of the text we are reading.

A literary tale has a specific author. Here the topic is also defined by the work itself, not just by the information about the author or the title of the book.

In both cases, it is useful not to guess "what the author meant to say" before reading, but to rely on the text: who acts, what he wants, what problem arises, and around what the main events are built.

Typical mistakes

Error 1. Name the topic with a single very broad word

"Kindness," "friendship," "family," "bravery" can be directions, but often this is not enough.

Ask: ** kindness who to whom? Friendship between whom and in what situation? Courage in what trial?

Error 2. Retell the whole plot

If the answer takes up half a page and is full of "then", "next", "after that", you're already retelling.

Topics are better to fit in one or two sentences.

Error 3. Instead of topic write moral

"You have to help your friends" is a teaching conclusion.

"The adventures of friends who together seek their way home" is the topic.

Error 4. Get topic from title only

The name may help, but sometimes it only denotes a hero, magical object, or place. We need to check what really is the center of the story.

Error 5. Describe one bright episode

A child often remembers best a dragon, a magical oven, or a funny scene. But the brightest moment is not always the topic.

A useful question: "What was the whole story about before and after this episode?"

Error 6. Find "single correct phrase"

Topic can be formulated in several ways. It is important that the sentence is accurate, supported by text, and encompasses the central story.

Two different formulations can be successful if they convey the same content.

How parents can help their child find topics on their own

The most helpful help is not to dictate an answer, but to ask a few questions.

Try this:

- "Who have you read or read about the most?"

- "What did this hero want?"

- "What was the main problem?"

- "What occupied most of the story?"

- "How can I say that without all the details?"

- "Can you put the answer in one sentence?"

If the child retell everything in a row, ask her to imagine that she is explaining a story to a friend who has only ten seconds.

If the answer is too general, specify:

"Well, the topic is about friendship. Between whom? What's going on with this friendship?"

Thus, the child itself moves from an abstract word to a more precise formulation.

It is also important to accept simple child sentences. First you need to understand the content, and then make the wording more beautiful.

Template for notebook

You can use the following short template:

Name of the story: ____________________

Main character/heroes: ____________________

Main situation or problem: ____________________

What the story is about in general: ____________________

Topic in one sentence:

"Topic of the story — ____________________________________________."

Verification:

- it's not a complete retelling;

- it's not just a generic word;

- it's not morality;

- the wording applies to the whole main story.

A short note

To define the topic of a story:

1. Read the whole text.

2. Name the main character or the center of the story.

3. Find the main situation, goal or problem.

4. Discard the minor adventures.

5. Give a short answer to the question "What is this story about?"

6. Write the topic in one sentence.

7. Check that you have not written a retelling or stated the main message instead.

And the shortest guide:

Topic — about what. Plot - what happened. Main message - what we learned.

When a child learns to distinguish these three things, analyzing a fairy tale becomes much easier: they can make an outline, identify the main events and characters, and explain what the story teaches.