Theme Homework #3

Mr. Jones decided to take his family camping. It was a beautiful weekend and the family was excited about the trip. So he packed up the car and away they went. At first they had trouble finding an empty campsite. Most of the other campers had made reservations ahead of time. When they finally found one, Dad asked the kids, Tim and Katie, to pitch the tent. It wasn't long before Tim reported that he could not find the tent stakes. Sure enough, they were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, mom was trying to light the portable stove, but Dad had forgotten the matches. Not only that, they did not have a can opener to open the can of spaghetti sauce they had brought for dinner or a pot big enough to cook the noodles. Then Katie discovered that they had forgotten to bring the sleeping bags! It soon became clear that camping was not going to happen. Grumpily, Dad packed everything back into the car and they drove back to the city. They picked up a pizza on the way home and everyone slept in their own beds that night.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.
• Mr. Jones is not very good at camping. 
• Plan ahead and be prepared.
• Don't go camping without sleeping bags.

Justin was jealous when his cousin Cassie was named valedictorian of her class. "Some people are just born smart," he told himself later as he watched TV on the couch. He had not been with Cassie all of those times when she studied late into the night. Justin was also jealous when his cousin Victor was elected class president. "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself while playing video games on the couch. He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. When Justin's cousin Matthew became the quarterback for the varsity squad, Justin was envious. "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself as he played around on his computer. Justin had not been with Matthew while Matthew trained relentlessly to develop his athletic abilities. "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

• The theme is that cousins make terrible friends. 
• The theme is: Good things don't just happen to you unless you make them happen. 
• The theme is that some people are just born better than others. 

Kristin had a good reputation. She was known as a bright student who frequently made honor roll and did volunteer work in her community. Nikki and Simone had reputations too, but they were known for causing trouble, getting into fights, and behaving dishonestly. One day Kristin was walking to the little store on the corner to get some healthy snacks when she bumped into Nikki and Simone. Much to Kristin's surprise, Nikki and Simone were being really nice to her. "How come we never hang out with Kristin? She cool," Simone said. Kristin had always quietly admired Nikki and Simone as girls who didn't take any stuff, so she enjoyed the compliments and the attention. Soon they were all walking into the little store together. The girls were playing around and having a good time while Kristin shopped. She picked out a few snacks and paid for her purchases, but on the way out the store owner stopped them. "Let me see what you've got there, little lady," he said as he reached into Nikki's pocket and pulled out several candy bars. "Now you," he said as he went into Simone's backpack and retrieved several bags of chips and packs of gum. He searched Kristin too, but didn't find anything. Kristin begged and pleaded with him as he called the police, "Please, sir, I'm a good girl." To which the man replied, "If you are such a good girl, then why are you hanging out with these two?" Kristin did not know.  
Choose the best theme.

• Everyone makes mistakes.
• Nothing is more important than having friends.
• Kristin and her friends were stopped by the store manager for shoplifting.
• Choose your friends wisely.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

Cassie was having a great time at summer camp. Her counselor was really nice and she had made friends with all of the girls in her cabin.One day, a package arrived for Cassie. All the girls in her cabin watched as she opened it. It was a box of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Cassie's mother made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world! Cassie took one out of the box and was just about to take a bite when one of the other girls asked if she could have a cookie. Then all the girls were asking. Cassie counted the cookies in the box. There were exactly twelve of them. There were ten girls in the cabin. If she gave a cookie to each girl, there would only be two left for herself. Cassie knew that if she shared with one girl, she would have to share with everyone, so she decided not to share at all.Cassie got to eat all of the cookies herself, but from then on the other girls hardly talked to her at all and no one wanted to be her friend anymore.

• Cassie did not share her cookies.
• You should always share everything. 
• Selfishness leads to unhappiness.
• Don't judge a book by its cover. 

Kara chose a difficult piece to play for the pianorecital. 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!

• Don't judge a book by its cover. 
• Persistence pays off. 
• Kara practiced a lot and did well. 
• It takes a lot of practice to play the piano.