Main Idea vs Theme
Main Idea or Theme?
You should not let fear run your life.
Theme
Jenny was so hungry. She got 2 floops at Dunkin. One was strawberry and the other was chocolate.
Mark wakes up every morning 5 minutes before the bus comes. Mark does not do his homework and often "forgets" to study for his tests. How would you describe Mark?
Unmotivated; lazy; procrastinator
Katie's mom made a beautiful dinner: chicken, couscous, and Dad's favorite: broccoli. Katie ran downstairs for dinner and sat down at the table excitedly. Her attitude changed, however, when she saw the broccoli.
What sentence from the text helps you infer that Katie does not like broccoli?
Her attitude changed, however, when she saw the brcccoli.
Jane is always in the kitchen. She is regularly excited to try making a new recipe, and has people over for dinner often. Last time, though, when Matt came to visit, he had a peculiar look on his face when Jane served him his food...
What is most likely to happen next?
a. Matt says the food is the best he's ever had
b. Matt says he does not like the food
c. Robots come in and steal the dog
B. Matt says he does not like the food
Main Idea or Theme?
Jerry loves baseball.
Main idea
My hamster got eaten by my cat! I was devastated and not even my mom could comfort me.
Erin walks into class every day with a smile. She greets all her friends and at recess she plays with everyone. When she gets a question wrong in class, she tells herself that she is smart and then she fixes her mistakes. When Erin gets disappointing news, she tries to focus on the good parts of the situation.
An optimist; a positive person
Xavier had finally saved up enough money to buy himself Air Jordan shoes. When he got to school, he was so excited to tell his friends the good news, and see if someone could come with him after school to buy the shoes. But when Xavier got to school, he saw that his friend George's toes were sticking out of his shoes, and he was walking funny because his feet were uncomfortable. Luckily, George got a special gift in his locker the very next day...Xavier smiled when he saw George open his locker.
Which sentence helps you INFER that Xavier is a generous person?Luckily, George got a special gift in his locker the very next day...Xavier smiled when he saw George open his locker.
Dan was nervous to go on stage. He had never told jokes in front of an audience before, only at home and to small groups of friends. Finally, it was Dan's turn. He told his favorite joke and the crowd started to cheer...
What is most likely to happen next?
A. The crowd boos his next joke.
B. The rest of Dan's jokes go well and the audience loves him.
C. Dan gets scared and runs off stage.
B. The rest of Dan's jokes go well and the audience loves him.
Main idea or theme?
Someone may not always be as kind as they appear.
Theme
Lily is always shouting out in class and talking over other people. When someone makes a joke, she says the same joke but louder so everyone can hear her. She always has to be line leader and if the teacher is giving someone else a compliment, she says, "What about me?"
(1) John and Tyler went to the ice cream shop. (2) John got vanilla and Tyler decided to try the flavor of the week, Pistachio Blueberry. (3) John ate his in less than five minutes. (4) Tyler took his time, and when it was time to go, John found most of Tyler's ice cream cone in the trash.
Which sentence lets you know that Tyler did not like his ice cream?
(4) Tyler took his time, and when it was time to go, John found most of Tyler's ice cream cone in the trash.
Zuzu the dog buried his bone in the backyard in spring 2021. He did not leave himself any clues as to where he hid it, so that if another dog broke into the house, they wouldn't be able to find it either. Zuzu forgot about his bone all winter, but when spring 2022 came he remembered he had buried a delicious treat in the backyard! He went out to find his bone...
What is most likely to happen next?
A. Zuzu cannot find his bone
B. Another dog has stolen Zuzu's bone
C. Zuzu finds his bone with no issues
A. Zuzu cannot find his bone <-- Because he did not leave himself any clues about where he buried it!
Find the main idea:
Tre practiced piano every day. He always made sure that before anything else, his 30 minutes of piano practice was done. Tre even said no to a free trip to the trampoline park because he hadn't practiced his piano last Saturday! Tre didn't mind, though. He was the best musician he knew!
Tre is a dedicated piano player; practicing the piano is important to Tre.
Amazon did not deliver my toy helicopter on time because they said they were still processing my order and people were working on finishing it.
making
Grey's test did not go well. Grey sobbed for 2 hours. Then, he threw his shoe at the wall and screamed.
Negative; dramatic
(1) Joanna went to the library to do research for her projects about butterflies. (2) She left at 4:25. (3) "The library closes at 5:30, so I'd better hurry," thought Joanna. (4) She arrived at 5:15 and the librarian smiled as she walked in. (5) Joanna ran and got a book, and sat down to take notes. (6) She left the library with a frown.
What sentence helps you infer that Joanna did not finish her research?
(6) She left the library with a frown.
Kayla knew that she should not steal her friend's stuffed animal from her playroom. But she couldn't help it! It was so cute, soft, and fuzzy! That night, though, Kayla could not sleep. She kept having nightmares about giant stuffed animals taking her to jail, and being in court with her friend. The next day, Kayla got up and decided to...
What happens next?
Kayla returns her friend's stuffed animal
Rita's teacher reminded her on Tuesday that she had a big science test on Friday, and to make sure that she studied so that she would do well. On Tuesday, Rita chose to play Fortnite instead of studying because the test wasn't until Friday. On Wednesday, Rita's friends asked her to hang out. She said yes, and said that she would study the next day. On Thursday, it was a sunny day. Rita went to the park. Rita got a zero on her test on Friday and was grounded all weekend.
Wow! This cake is superb! I cannot believe how good it is compared to Kelsey's.
Better than another; amazing
Nina's friend was crying. Nina asked if she was okay, but did not stick around to help her. Nina went and played basketball with her other friends because she didn't want to deal with someone being upset near her.
Selfish; not a very good friend
(1) Apple trees are incredible plants. (2) They can survive in many types of weather, although they do require pruning from caretakers. (3) They can produce thousands of apples each year, which are enjoyed by people worldwide. (4) People love picking apples.
Which sentence tells you that apple trees need some help from people to survive?
(2) They can survive in many types of weather, although they do require pruning from caretakers.
Nathan got chocolate cake for his birthday. "Oh no," thought Nathan, "I hate chocolate cake, but I don't want to hurt my dad's feelings because he worked so hard to make it." Nathan's dad noticed he was not eating his birthday cake, and walked over to him.
What is most likely to happen next?
A. Nathan will tell his dad the truth
B. Nathan will make up a lie why he is not eating the cake
C. Nathan's dad will yell at him for not eating the cake
B. Nathan will make up a lie why he is not eating the cake <--- because he did not want to hurt his dad's feelings