Choose a theme
As Jim was walking home from school, he spotted Andy a couple of streets ahead of him. Jim immediately looked around for a hiding spot. He ran and hid behind a bush just in time. Jim watched as Andy started picking on a small girl. Jim wanted to help, but he also didn't want to get hurt. The last time he had confronted Andy he had gone home with a black eye.
Theme Options:
Don't stand up for others if it means putting yourself in an uncomfortable position.
Don't hide like Jim.
Stand up for others, even if it is difficult.
Don't treat people like Andy treats people.
Stand up for others, even if it is difficult.
A couple gets stranded at sea and must learn how to survive with very few resources.
Main Idea
Charlotte came home after school frustrated. It was almost the end of 4th grade, and she still did not know her multiplication facts. Usually, Charlotte would practice her facts as soon as she got home, but she wanted to give up today. Instead of giving up, Charlotte picked up a multiplication table and began practicing.
Theme: It is better to do your homework instead of giving up on it.
The theme is not a good theme because it is too specific to the story. A good theme is general and can apply to almost any person in the world. A better theme would have been "It is better to work through challenges instead of giving up."
As Darren's new teacher was introducing the new boy to the class, Darren heard giggling behind him. He looked back and saw his friend Tim laughing at the new boy. Darren had to admit, the boy did look a little funny. His hair was long and tangled, and he had a hole in his shirt. The boy walked and sat down at the table next to Darren. Darren tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Hi! Welcome to our Class!"
Treat people kindly.
It is not always better to fit in with others.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Choosing kindness is always the best option.
Don't give in to peer pressure.
Laura and Clarissa hung out every day after school. Sometimes Clarissa would make fun of Laura. She also would trick her into doing her chores -- Clarissa hated cleaning her room, so it was nice that she could get Laura to clean it for her. One day, Laura told Clarissa that she was going to start hanging out with Brittney after school instead. Laura even stopped hanging out with Clarissa at recess.
Theme: Do not take advantage of other people's kindness.
In the story, Clarissa takes advantage of Laura's kindness by making her do her chores and by making fun of her. By the end of the story, Clarissa ends up losing a friend because she took advantage of that friend. Thus, Clarissa learned to never take advantage of other people.
Rosa watched her twin sister, Anna, silently. Anna was packing clothes to take to a sleepover. She chatted excitedly as she packed, talking about how much fun she was going to have with her friend. Rosa pretended to be happy for her sister, but when Anna left, Rosa slammed the door behind her and started to cry. She didn't understand why Lisa hadn't invited her to come over, too.
Theme Options:
Make sure to be inclusive, unlike Lisa.
Hide your feelings from others.
Be honest with people about your true feelings.
Rosa should talk to Anna about what's bothering her.
Be honest with people about your true feelings.
It is always better to give than to receive.
Theme
For her birthday, Britt had gotten $30. She decided to use some of the money to go see a movie with her best friend Kris. After buying a movie ticket, Britt wanted some popcorn and a soda. As she was about to order, she noticed that Kris was out of money and couldn't get a snack. Britt ordered enough popcorn for both of them. Britt smiled when she saw how excited Kris was about the snack.
Theme: Generosity
The theme is not a good theme because it is only one word. A good theme needs to be one complete sentence. A better theme would have been "Being generous is better than being selfish."
Long ago, a beautiful princess had a lot of beautiful, expensive dresses. She bragged about them all of the time. The other maidens got so tired of hearing about it that they stopped being friends with her.
Be humble.
Be modest.
If you focus on material items, you will lose more important things in life.
Material items should not be the focus of your life.
Amal and Jake were building a maze using simple machines. They had been working on his project for weeks, and it was due tomorrow. Jake grabbed the lever to make a few adjustments and ended up breaking it in half. Amal was really upset. He had worked hard on that lever. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that Jake had not broken it on purpose. He told Jake not to worry about it.
Theme: Be kind, even when it is difficult to do so.
Amal chooses to be nice to Jake even though he is really upset because the project is ruined. If Amal wouldn't have been kind, he might have hurt Jake's feelings. Thus, Amal learned how important is it to be kind to others, especially when it is difficult to do so.
Growing up, Phil hadn't paid much attention to his younger brother. They never spent any time together because Phil preferred to hang out with his friends. Phil was in his first year of college now, and he missed his brother. They talked on the phone every now and then, but Phil wished he got to see him more. If he could go back in time, Phil knew he would hang out with his brother a lot more than he had.
Theme Options:
Always dwell on the past.
Think about your regrets often.
Hang out with your younger siblings often.
Appreciate the people around you, while you have them there.
Appreciate the people around you, while you have them there.
Patience and kindness can change lives.
Theme
Milo knew that none of the other boys in his class liked him. They weren't mean to him. but nobody wanted to be his friend. When Milo told his parents how he didn't have any friends, they decided to take him shopping. They bought Milo new shows, a new video game, and a brand new cell phone. Milo took all of his new stuff to school the next day to show the boys, but it didn't help him make any friends.
Theme: It is better to be open minded than close minded.
The theme is a bad theme because it has nothing to do with the story. Good themes must have evidence that can support the theme. A better theme would have been "People will like you based on who you are on the inside, not what you have on the outside."
There once were some hardworking ants and a grasshopper who hated to work. The ants gathered food all spring, while the grasshopper played in the grass. When winter came, the ants had enough food, but the grasshopper had nothing to eat.
Hard work pays off.
Being lazy will get you nowhere in life.
Mary didn't understand long division at all, and it seemed like everybody else in the class did. One day, Mary's class had a long division competition, boys versus girls. The girls team lost because Mary got all of her answers wrong. All of the girls in the class got mad at her and ignored her at recess -- everybody except for Mary's best friend, Chelsea. Mary was grateful that Chelsea was a true friend.
Them: A good friend supports you when you make mistakes.
It would have been easy for Chelsea to be upset at Mary because everybody else in the class was upset, but she chose to support Mary instead. At the end of the story, it's obvious that Mary feels food about herself because Chelsea was kind and supportive when Mary made mistakes. Thus, Mary learned that a good friend is supportive of you.
Skye and Ava had been best friends through 3rd grade. During the summer, though, they got in a fight over what movie to watch and they hadn't been friends since. Skye kept waiting for Ava to apologize, but she never did. The girls spent all of 4th grade mad at each other. Skye missed her friend and finally decided that she should call Ava and make up with her.
Theme Options:
Forgiving someone is more important than being right.
Skye waited too long to forgive Ava.
Friendship shouldn't be destroyed over a movie.
Choose to be a bigger person like Skye.
Forgiving someone is more important than being right.
A boy transfers to a new school and has to figure out how to fit in with the other students.
Main idea
When Zoe's sister broke her arm, Zoe helped her out a lot. Zoe carried her backpack to school, helped her cut her food, scratched her back, and even did her chores for her -- which included cleaning the toilet! Helping her sister took up a lot of her time, so Zoe wasn't able to hang out with her friends very must. It was worth missing out on fun knowing that her sister was taken of, though.
Theme: You will never regret helping others.
This theme is a good theme because it is a complete sentence, relates to the story, can apply to almost everyone, has evidence that can justify the theme, and teaches us a life lesson.
A hare once bragged to all of the animals that he could beat anyone in a race. A tortoise said, "I challenge you to a race." So, they raced. The hare ran fast and the tortoise plodded along. Soon, the hare got tired and took a nap. The tortoise kept up his steady pace and won the race.
Never underestimate other people.
It's better to take your time and do something right than to rush and fail.
Actions speak louder than words.
Before Ms. Ru's class could enter the penguin exhibit at the zoo, their guide had them read a safety page and answer questions. Lou guessed on all the answers instead of reading the page. When the class began to enter the exhibit, Ms. Ru held Lou back and explained that it wasn't safe for him to go in if he couldn't answer the safety questions. Lou had to try again while his class went into the exhibit.
Theme: Doing something right the first time will save you a lot of time and energy.
If Lou hadn't sped through the questions, he would have been able to go through the exhibits like everyone else. Since he didn't do the questions right the first time, he ended up having to waste time redoing them and missing out on the exhibits. Thus, Lou learned that it's better to do things right the first time, in order to save time and energy.
"That's not fair!" Jax Shouted.
"He was out of bounds!"
The other team ignored Jax and kept playing. It took all of Jax's strength to walk off the field calmly instead of pushing the kid that had gone out of bounds.
When Jax made it to the sidelines, he took several slow, deep, breaths. The knot in his stomach started to untie itself.
Theme Options:
Seek revenge when others don't listen to you
Get angry when things go wrong.
Take a deep breath when you lose a game.
Take a step back to think before reacting to situations impulsively.
Take a step back to think before reacting to situations impulsively.
Forgiveness gives people an opportunity to change and grow.
Theme
Aria had been looking forward to Friday all week. Her dad had promised that he would take her to her favorite restaurant and then they would go bowling together. When she got home, though, her dad wasn't there. Instead, she found an envelope full of twenty dollar bills and a note from her dad that said she was going to go bowling with her friend's family instead of him. Aria cried as she called her friend to cancel.
Theme: A girl's father leaves her money instead of spending time with her.
This is not a good theme because it only gives us a main idea of the story. A good theme has to give us some sort of life lesson, not just a summary of the story. A better theme would be that "Money can't buy happiness."
Once a frog jumped into what he thought was a pond. Unfortunately, it was not a pond. It was just a ditch. There was a raccoon in the ditch that ate him.
Consider the consequences of a risk before taking the risk.
Think before you act.
Taking risks can sometimes end with bad consequences.
Pursuing our desires can sometimes hurt us.
Leo's parents had finally agreed to get him a puppy. When they went to the pet store, Leo saw an ugly, neglected dog. Leo figured that it was mean, and passed over it immediately. Instead, he asked for the cute, well taken care of puppy. That puppy started barking and biting at him. he went back to the ugly dog, who gave him a big lick and started snuggling him. Leo had found his dog.
Theme: Don't judge a book by its cover.
If Leo had gotten the dog that he thought looked better on the outside, then he would have ended up with a dog that would constantly bark and bite at him. Instead, he chose the dog that he thought was "ugly" and ended up with a sweet, loving dog. Thus, Leo learned that it is important to not judge others by what they look like on the outside.