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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Tuttle was doing a unit on nutrition with his students.

He decorated the classroom with posters showing healthy foods. Every day, he lectured his students about the importance of making good food choices like eating lots of fruits and vegetables and staying away from junk food.

Over the weekend, some of Mr. Tuttle's students went to the mall. They saw Mr. Tuttle in the food court. He was eating a corndog, French fries, and drinking a chocolate milkshake.

“Wow," said Jenna to one of her friends, “I guess eating healthy isn't so important after all." “I wonder why he says all that stuff if he doesn't believe it." Tracy replied. “I was going to get a salad, but now I think I'll just get a slice of pizza and a soda instead." “Me too," said Jenna.

What is the theme?

• Actions speak louder than words.

• Eating healthy is not really that important.

• Mr. Tuttle should eat at home.

Sasha was an only child and she was the apple of her parents’ eyes. She always got everything she wanted: a room full of expensive toys, new clothes, elaborate birthday parties, and frequent trips to Disney World. She never had to do chores around the house. She didn't even have a bedtime. When she did poorly in school, her parents complained to the teacher, and then to the principal. When she turned sixteen and got her driver's license, her parents bought her a brand new car. The years passed and Sasha graduated from college. It was time for her to move out and get a job. Sasha got a job, but the work was hard and it didn't pay as much as she thought it should. She did not have enough money to buy expensive clothes or go on vacation. Instead, she shared a small apartment with two other girls. Before long, she got fired for not getting her work done and

having a bad attitude. She lost two more jobs and could not pay her rent. Sasha moved back home with her parents where she did not help around the house or try to get another job. Her parents did not understand. Why was their daughter so lazy? Why couldn't she keep a job and live on her own?

What is the theme?

• It is too hard for young people to live on their own.

• Sasha should grow up and get a job.

• Parents should not spoil their children.

During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision.

What is the theme?

• You should cheat to win.

• Always work hard.

• It pays to be honest.

• Teamwork is best.

One way you could figure out the theme is to...

• Skim through the story
• Just read the beginning of the story
• Think about what the character has learned
• Read the ending of the story