Theme

adapted from The Dancing Monkeys

A prince had some monkeys trained to dance. They were great at copying men's actions. They were very good students. When dressed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers. People believed they were human dancers. The dance was often repeated to great applause. That is until a mischievous courtier took a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage. At the sight of the nuts, the monkeys forgot their dancing. They became (as indeed they were) monkeys instead of actors. They pulled off their masks and began tearing their robes. They fought one another for the nuts. The dancing came to an end among the laughter and anger of the audience.

1. How does the author develop the theme in the story "The Dancing Monkeys?"

• using the setting of the story

• using thoughts or conversation

• using action or events

• using what the main character learns

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

Against the Tide:

A Play in Five Acts

by J. Robbins

CHARACTERS:

Amy, School Improvement Club president

José, School Improvement Club vice-president

Mary, a fifth-grade student

Vicki, a fifth-grade student

Mrs. Sunni, a fifth-grade teacher

Mrs. Allen, the school principal

Act 1

Setting: The curtains open on a fifth-grade classroom at Allen Elementary School during a student meeting. The students are sitting around in a circle, with their teacher sitting at the back of the classroom. Mary and Vicki are sitting away from the other kids; they are not friends with Amy and José, who are very popular at school.

Amy:(speaks loudly) Okay, I want to call this meeting to order. The School Improvement Club is now in session. José, what should we do first?José:Well, I want to talk about something very serious. (Everyone leans forward to listen.) I think we should throw a party!(Mary and Vicki look at each other, upset.)Amy:That is a great idea! We can sell cookies to raise a bunch of money, and we can have balloons and music and cake. Of course, not everybody will be able to come. (Amy looks over at Mary and Vicki.)Mary:Wait a minute. I thought this was supposed to be the School Improvement Club. How does a party improve our school?(Amy and José roll their eyes.)Vicki:Mary and I came here today to talk about an idea we have to really improve our school.José:(annoyed) Oh, yeah? What idea is that?Mary:We want to start a recycling program at our school.(Mrs. Sunni looks interested and moves closer to the kids.)Amy:What? That sounds like a lot of work. Who needs to recycle, anyway?Vicki:Recycling is easy, Amy. You've seen how many kids bring soda cans to drink at lunch. Instead of throwing those cans away, we could set up bins to recycle them.Amy:This is a dumb idea. I vote with José that we should throw a party. All in favor—Mrs. Sunni:Wait a minute, Amy. I think Mary and Vicki are on to something. Let's talk more about this recycling program.(Mary and Vicki give each other high-fives. Amy and José look at each other angrily.)

Which of the following is a theme of the passage?

• A. People should recycle objects to avoid pollution and wastage.

• B. Improvement programs lead to a community's development.

• C. The popular choice is not always the best one.

• D. People who are shy often have difficulties in coming up with new ideas.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.10

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

The Crow and the Pitcher

A crow dying with thirst saw a pitcher. Hoping to find water, he flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher. The water rose as the stones filled the jar. Finally, he brought the water within his reach, and he saved his life.

adapted from "The Crow and the Pitcher" by Aesop

What is the theme of "The Crow and the Pitcher"?

• A. The crow tried hard to reach the water.

• B. Only when something is needed will it be invented.

• C. We should wait until the end to find a solution.

• D. The crow was thirsty but couldn't drink the water.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

he Bee and Jupiter

The queen of the hive gave Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter was delighted with the offering of honey. He promised to give the bee whatever she should ask. She therefore begged him, "Give me, I ask, a stinger so that if any mortal approaches to take my honey, I may kill him." Jupiter was very unhappy, for he loved the race of man, but he could not refuse the request because of his promise. He answered the bee, "You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life. For if you use your stinger, it shall remain in the wound you make. Then, you will die from the loss of it."

adapted from "The Bee and Jupiter" by Aesop

What is the theme of "The Bee and Jupiter"?

• A. If you ask for something, you may get it.

• B. Jupiter could not refuse the queen's request.

• C. A queen will get anything she asks for.

• D. If you hurt others, you might get hurt, too.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

A Team that Works

CHARACTERS:

E.J., teenage boy

T.J., E.J.'s younger brother

Stage Set: Outdoors in a backyard at nighttime

(E.J. is digging in a garden with a small shovel. T.J. is holding a flashlight.)E.J.:Hold the light still.T.J.:Hurry up! Someone might see us. (T.J. shines the light on a back porch a few feet away.)E.J.:You should have thought of that before you buried Grandpa's baseball cards in the backyard.T.J.:They're worth a lot of money. I never thought that we would move to a new house.E.J.:Next time, buy a safe and keep your valuables indoors. (E.J. continues to dig around the flowers until he hears a clanking sound.)T.J.:You found it! Thanks. (T.J. kneels and uncovers a small metal box.)T.J.:It was nice coming over here. We got to spend time together in the old backyard one last time.E.J.:I spent most of my time working. (frowning and shaking dirt from his shoes)T.J.:(smiling) I was the lookout. We make a good team.E.J.:(putting his arm around T.J.) I guess that's why it's called teamwork.

The theme of this drama is that teamwork can be a rewarding experience. Which line from the passage best supports the theme?

• A. I never thought that we would move to a new house.

• B. You found it! Thanks.

• C. I spent most of my time working.

• D. We got to spend time together in the old backyard one last time.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.10

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

Student of the Week

Sandra looked over her note cards and practiced her speech in her head one last time. She had to give a presentation to her class about Abraham Lincoln. Her project partner, Joey, was sitting calmly next to her. He didn’t care about the project at all. He had barely helped her do the research at the library. Now, she was going to have to give the presentation all by herself. Joey was just going to show the class the poster Sandra had made.

As Sandra and Joey walked to the front of the room, the door to the classroom opened, and the principal walked in. All the students smiled at Mrs. Peters. Everyone thought she was a great principal. She had arrived to observe the class’ activities for the day.

Sandra gave the presentation with the principal watching. The principal seemed impressed with how well Sandra knew the information. Then, Joey showed the class the poster. He tried to explain what the pictures meant, but he did not know the information well. When the other students asked a question about Lincoln, Joey just shrugged his shoulders. Sandra was able to give the answer from memory of what she read.

At the end of class, the principal went to Sandra’s desk. “I’m very impressed with how hard you worked on your project,” she said. “I’d like to make you Student of the Week.”

Which lesson can be learned from this story?

• A. Abraham Lincoln was boring.

• B. Show off for the principal.

• C. Hard work will be rewarded.

• D. Group assignments are hard.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

Sam Bellamy and Mary Hallett

(A Cape Cod Legend)

Once there was a sailor known as Sam Bellamy who fell in love with a girl named Mary Hallett. They lived on Cape Cod, just east of Boston. As a poor sailor, Sam could not offer Mary a nice home or expensive things, but they loved each other very much.

One day, Sam told Mary that he would go to sea and become a pirate. To be a pirate was risky and dangerous, and Sam would be an outlaw. He promised Mary he would return when he had enough gold. Then, he and Mary could be married and live in luxury. Mary was worried, but Sam was brave. He said he would be willing to take the risk. He swore that he would always return for Mary—no matter what.

Sam went to sea and became a very successful pirate. He was a friend to Blackbeard and all the other pirates in the Caribbean. He captured a fortune in gold and a powerful warship called the Whydah Galley. His crew called him Black Sam because he had long black hair, not because he was mean. He was known for his kindness towards the crews of the ships he captured.

Soon the day came when Sam had enough gold, and he set sail for Boston. Sadly, Sam's ship met a storm off the coast, and the waves drove it onto the rocks. Only two men survived, and it was said that Sam was not one of them. When Mary heard the news, she was heartbroken. She ate very little and roamed the coast alone for many years. Then, one night, she disappeared.

The residents of Cape Cod tell this legend to this day. According to them, a dark stranger came to Mary's house the night she disappeared. He had long, black hair and rich, golden rings on his fingers. They say she was last heard laughing.

Which of the following is most likely the theme of this selection?

• A. Sam was foolish to leave Mary alone.

• B. There are many storms near Cape Cod.

• C. There is nothing that can stop true love.

• D. Pirates can take all the gold they want.

Rani and the Spill

“Watch what you’re doing,” Rani yelled at the girl sitting next to her at the lunch table. Rani had jumped up from her seat when she saw the girl’s milk had spilled.

The girl quickly started to mop up the spill with napkins. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she said with her eyes looking down.

“I don’t care,” Rani shouted. “You could have messed up my dress and gotten milk on my sandwich.” She sighed loudly so that the girl could hear her anger. Then, she grabbed her things and stomped off to another table.

Later that day, Rani ran into her house. She found her mom sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She poured herself a glass of juice and sat next to her mom. She reached across the table to grab the comics. Her hand brushed against the glass of juice. In slow motion, the glass tilted, and the juice spilled all over the newspaper.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Rani said with red cheeks. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Her mother looked at the ruined sections of the newspaper that she hadn’t read yet. “It’s OK, sweetie,” she said in a gentle voice. “I know it was an accident.”

Which lesson can be learned from this story?

• A. Everyone has accidents.

• B. Never make the same mistake twice.

• C. Always clean up after spilling milk.

• D. The newspaper is very important.

Shoes and Savings

"There is nothing like the smell of a brand new pair of red-bottom shoes," Amber exclaimed as she opened her sixth pair of new shoes in only one month's time. She worked hard at her after-school job walking pets for her neighbors. She loved her job and she loved shopping. As soon as she got paid, she went directly to the shoe store before she even went home. She had a system, and it worked for her. "What could go wrong?" she asked herself.

Strutting confidently into class the next day, Amber was elated to see that the classroom was decorated in red and white rockets, a perfect match for her latest pair of red-bottoms.

"Attention class, I have an exciting announcement to make!" Amber's teacher, Mrs. Brae said. "We have the opportunity to take a few students on a last minute field trip to the space station next week! Interested attendees will need to raise $75.00 by Monday."

Just then, Amber's stomach sank. How would she ever raise enough money to go on the field trip? All of the money she could have been saving for the trip was already invested in her shoe collection. She suddenly remembered all of the times her dad told her, "It is always important to save a little bit of money for a 'rainy day fund.'"

Which of the following might be a story with a theme similar to this one?

• A. a story about a boy who spends all his money for baseball equipment and must pay to join the team

• B. a story about a boy who skips practice to play video games so he gets kicked off the team

• C. a story about a girl who is always late for class and misses a big test

• D. a story about a girl who spends so much time in front of the mirror that she forgets to feed her dog

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2