Theme

George heard a strange noise while driving his car. It didn't sound right, but George didn't want to pay to take it to the mechanic. For weeks, the noise continued to get wore and worse until one day, the car wouldn't even start. Now George had to pay a tow truck to take it to the mechanic. After the mechanic looked at the car, he told George that he could have easily fixed the engine for $300 if he had come in when the problem started. However, because George drove with a faulty engine for weeks, the engine was damaged and would cost him $1,500 to replace.

What is the theme of this passage?

• It costs a lot of money to repair a car's engine.

• Don't wait for problems to get worse before you decide to fix them.

• Take your car to the mechanic for every strange noise that you hear.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

When Darcy was eighteen, she wanted to dance on Broadway. When she went to her first audition, she was told that she would never get a job as a dancer because she didn't have the proper technique. Darcy didn't let this stop her. In fact, she became even more determined. For the next few months, Darcy took every dance lesson that she could attend in New York in order to keep improving her technique. She studied from the best teachers and danced everyday, even when she was exhausted. A year later, Darcy signed a contract to dance in her first Broadway show.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Determination is the key to success.

• Don't let someone else's negative comments get you down.

• Take lots of dance classes if you want to dance on Broadway.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

"It looks way too high for me," Jill said as she looked up at the rollercoaster. "Come on, Jill! It will be lots of fun. It looks much scarier than it actually is. If you don't like it, you never have to ride it again," responded Quinn. Jill wanted to go on the rollercoaster with her best friend, but she was really scared. She'd only been on one other rollercoaster before and that was one tiny comparison. However, Jill knew that Quinn was right. She should try it at least once. Even though Jill was extremely nervous, she got on the ride with Quinn. She ended up loving it so much that she rode the rollercoaster ten more times that day.

What is the theme of this passage?

• You don't have to do what you don't want to do.

• Always listen to what your friends want to do.

• Face your fears.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Sarah and her twin sister Laura took gymnastics. Everything in gymnastics came much more easily to Sarah than it did to Laura. Because Sarah was so flexible, she didn't even have to work hard to master her tricks. In competition, Sarah always won first place without much effort. Laura, on the other hand, had to practice everyday to master even the most basic tricks and never placed in competition. Finally, after years of hard work, Laura took third place at a competition for the first time. Even though Sarah still beat her, Laura was so excited that she wore her medal proudly around her neck for the whole week.

What is the theme of this passage?

• You appreciate things more when you have to work for them.

• Third place is just as good as first place.

• Twins shouldn't try to compete with one another.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Anthony and his classmates decided to play basketball at recess. During the game, Anthony wanted to prove that he was the best player of all. Every time Anthony got the ball, he dribbled it all around the court until he could shoot and make the basket. He never even looked to see if anyone else on his team was open. He just ignored his teammates when they yelled, "Pass!" Because Anthony scored a lot of points for his team during that game, he figured that everyone would want him to be on their team from now on. The next day, Anthony stood there as everyone around him got chosen first.

What is the passage of this theme?

• People will be jealous of you if you're the best.

• Players should always pass the ball to their teammates.

• Don't be greedy.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

When Eric's mom asked him to choose twenty toys to donate to the sick children at the Children's Hospital, Eric got upset. "I don't want to give away my toys!" he exclaimed. "You have way more than you need," his mother responded. When Eric arrived at the hospital with his bag of toys, the nurse asked if he would like to give them out. When Eric gave out the toys, he saw how much the children there appreciated them. Eric felt really good about giving them away. When Eric got home, he decided that for his birthday, he would rather have his friends and family donate toys to the hospital than give more to him.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Children don't need a lot of toys to be happy.

• It's better to give than to receive.

• You should give your birthday gifts to charity.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Jenny hated when her little sister Rylee came into her bedroom. "Get out of my room!" Jenny yelled. She gave Rylee a giant push towards the door. Rylee tripped on one of Jenny's shoes and slammed into the door. "See, that's what you get," Jenny said as Rylee ran out of the room crying. Later, Jenny was bored and decided to see what her older sister Karen was doing. As soon as Jenny entered Karen's bedroom, Karen pushed Jenny so hard that she fell to the floor. "I heard what you did to Rylee. How do you like it when someone does that to you?" Karen yelled as Jenny ran out of the room crying.

What is the theme of this passage?

• Someone needs to push Karen to teach her a lesson.

• Pushing people is not the way to solve problems.

• Treat others as you wish to be treated.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

The students in room 22 were organizing a surprise party for their teacher. Susan brought juice, Morgan brought cupcakes, and Lyle brought the napkins and plates. The rest of the students worked on decorating the classroom.

What is the theme?

• friendship

• responsibility

• team work

• honesty

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

Rachel was walking to the park when she noticed her neighbor picking up trash. Rachel stopped and helped her pick up all the trash.

What is the theme?

• bravery

• kindness

• determination

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

Matthew was walking in the halls at school with his friends when he saw a little boy drop his lunch money. Matthew's friend said they should keep the money, but Matthew didn't feel that was the right thing to do. He returned the money to the boy.

What is the theme?

• honesty

• kindness

• team work

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2