Theme Basics
A) The theme is about the main characters
B) The theme is the lesson of the story
C) The theme is the setting of the story
B) The theme is the lesson of the story
**Daily Double**
These stories have characters that are brave enough to overcome a fearful or difficult situation or accept a challenge
A) Courage
B) Worrying
C) Scared
A) Courage
Growing up, Sally was always in the shadow of her older sister Mary. Mary always got better grades, was better at sports and seemed to even be prettier. Sally spent a lot of time in the family's garden feeling sorry for herself. Then one day Mary needed help on a science project about plants. Due to all of her time in the garden, Sally knew a lot about plants and was able to help Mary with the project. Sally was shocked that she was better at something than her sister. What is the theme?
A) Accept yourself for who you are.
B) Sports are not important
C) You can learn a lot from plants.
A) Accept yourself for who you are.
Once a frog jumped off an embankment 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 and the raccoon ate him. What is the theme?
A) Respect your elders
B) Don't steal
C) Look before you leap
C) Look before you leap
The students laughed at Todd’s odd hair. This is something they always did. Todd looked different than everyone else. The way the other students treated him was terrible. “Hi. My name is Jill,” said a friendly voice. Jill was the only person that talked to Todd. She knew what it was like to be treated differently for no good reason. What is the central idea the author wants the reader to learn?
A) Be friends with everyone.
B) Who a person is on the inside is more important than what they look like.
C) Do not talk to people that you do not know.
B) Who a person is on the inside is more important than what they look like.
A) Yes, the theme can be just one word
B) No, the theme is a full sentence
B) No, the theme is a full sentence
These stories have characters that trust one another and remain loyal throughout the story
A) Enemies
B) Friendship
C) Villians
B) Friendship
Julia wanted to become a doctor for as long as she could remember. In college when her friends were out at the mall or going out with friends, Julia spent all of her time studying. At graduation, Julia graduated with high honors and was offered a job shortly after. What is the theme?
A) Studying is important.
B) It is important to go to college.
C) If you don't have fun you will not succeed.
A) Studying is important.
**Daily Double**
There was once a tiny fish that was tired of being in the school of fish all the time. He picked a fight with a couple of the other fish and said: "I don't need you, I'm leaving!". So he swam away. Without the protection of the group, he was later eaten by a bigger fish. What is the theme?
A) We can all improve
B) United we stand, divided we fall
C) Dont be lazy
B) United we stand, divided we fall
All the cool girls at school wore the same hairstyle. Gail went into the school bathroom and changed her hair like the other girls. When Gail got home, her mother was there to meet her at the door. “What happened to your hair?” asked her mother. “ I fixed it when I got to school,” replied Gail. “You love your hair in braids. Why would you change it?” asked Gail’s mother. She knew that she and Gail needed to have a talk. What is the central idea the author wants the reader to learn?
A) Be kind.
B) Accept yourself for who you are.
C) Always follow the rules that are given.
B) Accept yourself for who you are.
A) True
B) False
These stories have characters that are friendly, generous, and considerate of others' feelings.
A) Hatred
B) Mean
C) Kindness
C) Kindness
**Daily Double**
Mrs. Smith was doing a unit on healthy living with her students. All week she taught her students about eating the correct foods like fruits and vegetables. Over the weekend, some of Mrs. Smith's students were at the mall and saw her eating pizza, a milkshake, and candy. Mrs. Smith's student Molly was going to order a salad, but now decided to order junk food too. What is the theme?
A) Actions speak louder than words
B) Never eat pizza at the mall
C) Vegetables are good for you
A) Actions speak louder than words
Mouse knew that he needed to do something fast if he was going to get away from Fox. He decided to come up with a plan. “Oh Fox, I really don’t think that you want to eat me. See I saw two rats that are even more plump than me outside. If you let me out of this cage, I can help you catch them,” said Mouse as he looked outside of his cage. “Really? Then we should go catch them,” said Fox as he unlatched the cage. Fox thought about how good it would be to have two juicy rats to feast on. As soon as Fox opened the cage, Mouse ran as fast as he could and escaped from the house. He laughed as he ran free. What is the moral of this story?
A. Wisdom and cleverness can get someone out of difficult circumstances.
B) Hard work pays off in the end.
C) Always be yourself
A) Wisdom and cleverness can get someone out of difficult circumstances.
For weeks, Danielle did not watch a single television show. Instead, she practiced for the school spelling bee. Day and night she went over her words. Her younger brother Antonio even quizzed her. The day of the spelling bee had arrived. Danielle won. When she was given the trophy, she smiled when she thought about all of her hard work. What is the theme of the story?
A) Students should always do their homework.
B) Be patient.
C) Hard work pays off in the end.
C) Hard work pays off in the end.
A) It tells us about the main characters
B) It expresses the intended lesson to be learned
C) It explains the setting and where the story takes place
B) It expresses the intended lesson to be learned
These stories have characters that learn that it is best to always tell the truth
A) Cheating
B) Honesty
C) Lying
B) Honesty
Blaine opened up the present and began pouting. "This is Captain Thunder! I wanted Captain Lightning!" he said. His mother looked at him with dismay and handed him another present. "Why did you get me a red hat? You know I like blue more," Blaine whined and threw the hat across the room. His mother straightened her face and squinted at him. She sighed and handed him one more present in hopes that this year wouldn't be a total bust. Blaine huffed and opened it. "A Playstation?? Wow, Where's the Xbox that I asked for?" His mother could bear his ingratitude no longer. The next time that Blaine returned from his father's house, he was shocked to find that all of these toys and gifts, along with many other of his things, had been generously donated to needy children. What is the theme?
A) Cry until you get what you want
B) Be thankful for what you have in life
C) Tell your Mom exactly what gift you want.
B) Be thankful for what you have in life
A) Don't be lazy
B) Slowly but surely wins the race
C) Don't steal
A) Don't be lazy
Cody had not studied for the big math test. When he got his test, he quickly realized that he had no idea how to solve the problems. Luckily, Cody sat right behind Emily. Emily was the best math student in the class and he could see her paper. Cody copied all of Emily's answers. The next day when Mrs. Jenkins passed back the graded tests, she told that class that only two students had gotten A's. Since these two students had done so well, she would have them explain some of the more challenging problems to the class. Of course, Cody did not know how to solve the problems. A long moment passed as Cody stood in front of the board trying to figure out what to do. Some of his classmates started to whisper and snicker. "Can you solve this problem?" Mrs. Jenkins finally asked. Humiliated, Cody just shook his head. Now everyone knew he had cheated and he was in big trouble. What is the theme?
A) Sometimes, cheating works!
B) Cody got in trouble for cheating on his test.
C) It is important to study for a test.
C) It is important to study for a test.
A) True, only the main character should learn the lesson
B) False, the theme is for the reader
C) Both, the main character and the reader should learn the lesson from the story
C) Both, the main character and the reader should learn the lesson from the story
These stories have characters that find clever ways to solve problems
A) Creative
B) Give Up
C) Not Inspired
A) Creative
Alan didn't have many responsibilities, but one of them was to clean his room. It did not take long, but Alan still didn't like doing it. One day Alan thought of a way to save some time. Rather than putting everything neatly back in its place, he decided to just throw all the stuff on the floor into his closet. His mom would think that he had cleaned his room. Alan was pleased with himself for thinking of this brilliant idea. He figured that this would save a lot of time and energy. The next time his room got messy, he piled everything up in the closet and the pile grew. It grew and grew. Then Alan's friend Steve called. "Alan, everyone is playing baseball at the park. Do you want to play too?" Alan loved baseball. "That sounds great, Steve. I'll be right there." Alan went to grab his baseball mitt when he realized that it wasn't in its usual place. Alan thought to himself, I guess it's in the closet. When he opened up the closet door, he was faced with a huge, unnavigable mess, some of which poured out as he opened the door. Alan began digging through the pile in a frantic attempt to find his mitt. He dug and dug, and as he dug his room got messier and messier. Soon his room was the messiest that it had ever been, and he still hadn't found his mitt. By the time he found his mitt, the boys had long finished their game and Alan had hours of cleaning ahead of him before he'd be allowed to leave. What is the theme?
A) Cutting corners comes at a cost; do things right the first time.
B) Take shortcuts in life.
C) Remember where you put your things
A) Cutting corners comes at a cost; do things right the first time.
A FOX one day fell into a deep well and could find no way to escape. A Goat, who was thirsty, came to the same well, and seeing the Fox, asked if the water was good. Being sarcastic, the Fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying it was excellent and encouraging him to come down. The Goat, thinking only of his thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down. But just as he drank, the Fox informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested an idea for their common escape. “If,” said he, “you will place your feet on the wall and bend your head, I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.” The Goat readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the Goat’s horns, he safely reached the top of the well and made off as fast as he could. When the Goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out, “You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had no means of escape.” What is the theme?
A) Drink if you are thirsty.
B) Think things through before taking action.
C) Make friends with everyone you meet.
B) Think things through before taking action.
Kara chose a difficult piece to play for the piano recital. Her teacher advised her to select an easier piece, but Kara knew she could do it. Kara practiced every day after school. When her friends called to see if she could play, Kara told them that she couldn't and continued to practice. Even with all that practicing, a week before the recital, Kara still could not play the piece without making mistakes. Kara thought about giving up and switching to an easier piece, but instead, she decided to double her practice time. The night of the recital arrived. Kara was the last student to play. As she walked onto the stage to take her place at the piano, she remembered the long hours she had spent practicing. Kara began to play. Her hands danced across the keyboard. She knew the piece so well! When the final note faded the room erupted in applause. She had played the piece perfectly! What is the theme of this story?
A) When things are too hard, give up.
B) Kara practiced a lot and did well.
C) Persistence and hard work pay off.
C) Persistence and hard work pay off.