Theme

Kara chose a difficult piece to play for the piano recital. Her teacher advised her to select an easier one, 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?

• It takes a lot of practice to play the piano.

• Kara practiced a lot and did well.

• Persistence pays off.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Kevin wasn't worried about his book report. He had three

whole weeks to get it done. There was no reason to get started

right away, especially when he had just gotten a new video game! The next day, Kevin thought about going to the library to pick out a book for his report, but decided to play with his friends instead. He could go to the library on the weekend instead. The weekend came and rather than going to the library, Kevin spent the whole weekend at his cousin's

farm. He didn't go to the library the next week either; there was always something fun to do instead. Two weeks passed and Kevin still hadn't picked out a book. By the time he finally got to the library, there was not enough

time to read the book and write the report. Kevin tried to write the report without reading the whole book, but it did not go very well. Kevin failed the assignment.

What is the theme?

• School work is more important than playing.

• Don't put things off till the last minute.

• Kevin should have done his book report first.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Sarah didn't play with Laila, the new girl in her class, at recess. No one did. Laila had come to their school after winter break. She wore strange clothes and she spoke with an accent. Then one day, the teacher put Sarah and Laila together as partners on a class project. At first Sarah was nervous about working with someone so different, but then they began to talk. She found out that Laila had a little brother just like she did. Not only that, they both loved to draw and they both collected sea shells. Sarah invited Laila over after school to work on the project and see her shell collection. The girls worked well together and before she left, Sarah gave Laila one of her best shells to take home for her collection. The next day, Laila invited Sarah over for dinner. The food was really different than what Sarah was used to, but it tasted really good. Laila's parents were nice too. The girls got an A on their project, but even better, they became good friends.

What is the theme?

• Don't judge people before you get to know them.

• Sarah and Laila became good friends.

• Friends are important.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Cassie was having a wonderful 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 fo r 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.

What is the theme?

• You should always share everything.

• Selfishness leads to unhappiness.

• Cassie did not share her cookies.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Benny and Danny were twins. Each week, they each got five dollars in allowance. Benny always spent all of his allowance on candy and small toys. Every so often, Danny bought some candy, but he saved most of his money in a piggy bank that he kept on his nightstand by his bed. Sometimes, Danny did extra chores around the house to earn more money. He always put his earnings into his bank. The months passed and soon school was out for summer. One day, Danny asked his parents to take him to the bike store. He had saved enough money for a new bike! Danny picked out a red bike with blue handlebars. His parents were so impressed with how much he had saved that they bought him a helmet and a bike lock. Danny spent the summer riding his new bike around the neighborhood with his friends. Since he did not have a bike, Benny spent most of his summer alone at home.

What is the theme?

• You can buy more if you save your money.

• You should not spend all your money on candy.

• Danny is smarter than Benny.

One day Michael's new friend, Brice, invited him over for dinner. Brice's family had a lot of money and Michael was amazed at how big their house was. His family's whole apartment could probably fit in Brice's living room! Michael's amazement turned to envy when he saw Brice's bedroom. Brice had his own computer, a big screen TV, and about every video game that was ever made! Michael had to share his tiny room with his brother and all they had was a shelf full of books. When it was time fo r dinner, the boys went down to the dining room and sat at a long, fancy table. No one else came to sit with them. A woman served them their dinner and cleaned up after they were done. “Is that your mom?" Michael asked. “No, that's Ana, our maid." Brice replied. “My parents always work late. I almost never see them before I go to bed." Michael thought about how his own family always ate dinner together. He thought about how his dad helped him with his homework and how his mom always came in to say goodnight to him at bedtime. Suddenly, he didn't feel so envious of Brice anymore.

What is the theme?

• Michael's parents are better than Brice's

• You should not be envious of other people.

• There are more important things than money.

Sam had wanted to be a writer for as long as he could remember. He was always writing stories. In fifth grade his school had a short story contest. Sam worked on his entry for weeks. When he won first prize, which came with a check for $100, his classmates kept saying how lucky he was. Sam continued to write through middle school. In high school he took every English and writing class that he could. He even took a special writing class over the summer. Sam applied for three writing scholarships for college and got two of them! His brother, who had not applied for any scholarships, said that he was really lucky. Sam worked hard in college. He became the editor of the college newspaper and started posting his stories on the internet. Toward the end of his senior year, one of his writing instructors told his class about well-known magazine that was looking to hire a junior writer. Hundreds of students applied for the job, including Sam. Sam worked for hours on his application letter. When he was selected for an interview, he spent days getting ready. Sam impressed the editors and got the job. “Man, how did you get so lucky?" asked one of his classmates. “Luck has nothing to do with it." replied Sam.

What is the theme?

• Sam got the job because he worked hard.

• You make your own luck.

• Some people are lucky and others aren't.

Ethan had never learned to swim. He hadn't really needed to in the city where he had lived. But then his family moved to a new town. The town was on a lake and it soon became clear that everyone hung out down by the lake all summer long. Ethan's family had moved in the spring and Ethan had made some great new friends at the end of the school year. But now he had a big problem. Everyone just assumed he could swim and he was too embarrassed to set them straight. So far, no one had really noticed that he never went into the water. Then one day his friends decided they wanted to sit on the dock instead of on the beach. Ethan knew it would look strange if he did not come along, so he followed them out onto the dock. When they got past the shallow part of the lake, the boys started to horse around, and pretty soon they were pushing each other into the water. Suddenly, Ethan felt hands on his back. He lost his balance and plunged into the cold water. Down, down he sunk. Fortunately, the lifeguard was paying attention and was able to save Ethan from drowning.

What is the theme?

• You should never swim without a lifeguard.

• If you can't swim, don't go to the lake.

• Speak up and tell the truth, even if it is hard.

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. Emily was first. Mrs. Jenkins wrote a problem on the board. Emily solved it easily and explained each step to the class. Then it was Cody's turn. Again, Mrs. Jenkins wrote a problem on the board. Of course, Cody did not know how to solve the problem. 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?

• Cheating does not pay off in the end.

• Cody got in trouble for cheating on his test.

• It is important to study for a test.

Mara's family lived next door to a very grumpy old lady named Mrs. Olson. Mrs. Olson was always yelling at Mara's family for making too much noise, or leaving toys in the driveway, or letting their grass grow too long. One day, Mara was playing in the front yard when Mrs. Olson dropped a whole bag of groceries on her porch. Mara rushed to help. Despite Mrs. Olson's objections, Mara helped her to bring the groceries inside and to clean up the broken jar of applesauce. The next day, Mrs. Olson called Mara over to her house. At first, Mara was a little scared. But Mrs. Olson just wanted her to help get some boxes down from the attic. After that, Mara started helping Mrs. Olson around the house a few times a week. Sometimes, Mrs. Olson would offer her tea and the two of them would sit at Mrs. Olson's big kitchen table and drink their tea and chat. The years passed and Mara grew up and went to college, but whenever she came home, she always made sure to visit Mrs. Olson. One day, Mara got a letter from a lawyer. Mrs. Olson had died in her sleep. Mara was sad, but also surprised. The letter said that Mrs. Olson had thousands of dollars in the bank and she left it all to Mara.

What is the theme?

• Sometimes grumpy people have a lot of money.

• Mara is a very kind person.

• Treat people with kindness.