Ethan had never learned to swim. He hadn't really needed to in the city where he 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 had 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, they 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 sank. Fortunately, the lifeguard was paying attention and was able to save Ethan from droning.

What theme theme best fits the selection?

• 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's answers.

The next day when Mrs. Jenkins passed back the graded tests, she told the 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 solvd 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 didn't 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 theme best fits the selection?

• Cheating does not pay off in the end.

• Cody got in trouble for cheating in the test.

• It is important to study for a test.

Mara's family lived next door to a very grumpy old lady named Mrs. Olson. 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 bring the groceries inside and to clean 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 them all to Mara.

What theme best fits the selection?

• Sometimes grumpy people have a lot of money.

• Mara is a very kind person.

• Treat people with kindness.

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 thy 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.

Mean while 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.

What theme best fits the selection?

• Plan ahead and be prepared.

• Don't go camping without sleeping bags.

• Mr. Jones is not very good at camping.

Ryan's life changed when he got sick. He didn't have a cold or the flu. Ryan had cancer. He got very sick and had to stay in the hospital for a long time.

When his class at school found out about his illness, the teacher had them all make cards for him. Ryan had been popular with his classmates and while he appreciated the cards, he was surprised that no one from his class came to visit him, no one except James. James was a nice kid, a little shy, so Ryan had never gotten to know him well, but he had always liked him.

On that first, James brought Ryan some of his favorite comic books to read. James continued to visit Ryan a few times a week. James kept him updated on what was happening at school and helped him to keep up with the work that their teacher sent. James kept coming to the hospital, even when the cancer made Ryan weak that he could hardly move or talk. In fact, he came more often.

The cancer treatments worked and Ryan got better. He returned to school and was greeted enthusiastically by his classmates. Although lots of kids wanted to play with him at recess and sit with him at lunch, Ryan preferred to spend most of his time with James.

What theme best fits the selection?

• It's nice to visit people who are sick.

• James is a good friend.

• Real friends don't go away when times are tough.

Mr. Tuttle was ding 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 Tuttle in the food court. He was eating a corndog, French fries, and 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 theme best fits the selection?

• Actions speak louder thsn words.

• Eating healthy is not really thatimportant.

• Mr. Tuttle should eat at home.

"Mom, guess what!" Claire yelled as she came through the door. Taylor Carson invited me to her skating party tomorrow night! It's going to be so fun!"

Mom frowned. "I know you really want to go to the party, but tomorrow night is grandpa's 80th birthday. You know that. We've been planning it for months."

Claire's face cell. "Oh no. I forgot," she moaned. "But can't I go to the skating party? Grandpa will hardly even notice I'm not there."

"Absolutely not," replied Mom. "He most certainly will notice. You are his only grandchild and family comes first. Always." Claire knew by the tone of her mother's voice that there was no arguing. She was so mas and so disappointed. She had been exciting about her grandfather's party. Now she didn't even want to go.

On the night of the party, Claire spent most of the time sulking, wishing she were skating with her friends. Then grandpa called her over to his chair. "Claire-Bear," he said. "it means the world to me that you are here to celebrate my birthday. You are so very precious to me."

Claire's resentment disappeared. Mom was right. Skating would have been fun, but this was more important.

What theme best fits the selection?

• Claire loves her grandpa.

• Family is important.

• It is important to listen to your mother.

Sasha was the only child and she was the apple of her parent's eye. She always had 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 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 theme best fits the selection?

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

• Sasha should grow up and get a job.

• Parents should not spoil their children