Theme

Once a cat was in a hurry. She ran across the street without looking. She narrowly escaped being hit by a car.

• wave at the cars

• Look before crossing

• Keep walking

My best friend was having a party Friday night, but I also had a baseball game. This was going to be a tough decision. If I do not go to the game, I will let my team down.

• It's important to be loyal

• Being good at sports is the best way to get friends

• it's important to never give up

She sobbed for hours trying to think of a way out of having to tell her father she wrecked her new car. After stewing over it for quite some time, she called her father on his cell phone. "Thank you," he said.

• experiencing loss/grief is difficult

• Driving a car is a big responsibility

• it's important to be honest

The phone rang. She dropped the phone and tears began to drop onto her check. Her lip quivered as she pictured the scene that was described to her. "NO!" she wailed.

• it takes courage to live life

• experiencing loss/grief is difficult

• you should never answer a mysterious phone call

Ben knew his friend was about to receive a check for not being prepared for class. This would have been the third day in a row he would have to stand out from recess. Ben gave the pencil to Tim. Later, Ben received a check and had to stand out from recess.

• it's hard to stand up for your friends

• don't judge a book by its cover

• sometimes sacrifice is necessary to help others

"You can do it!" shouted her father, as he pushed Chloe and let go. She was going on her own, but suddenly fell. She cried, but said, "Again, daddy!" This time she went farther but fell into the ditch. A few moments later, she was riding down the street, smiling from ear to ear.

• you should never give up

• you should sacrifice for others

• when you are greedy, you will fall down

The girls were coloring when Mike wanted to join along. One girl moved the crayons closer to them. The other girl proceeded to take the other crayon boxes. Mike had no crayons to use. One girl remarked, "These crayons are ours. Find your own."

• Being greedy is never nice

• you should keep your own things to yourself

• it's ok to be mean to others when you're coloring

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Jim was stacking boxes at work. There was a certain height he had to reach. He stretched his body, but could not reach to place the final box at the top. Bill happened to see Jim struggling and came to his rescue, since he was a foot taller.

• work hard to reach a goal

• tall people are the best

• teamwork can accomplish a goal

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Susie was waiting for Tina to arrive in the crowded lunch room. She looked through the crowd to see if she could spot Tina from afar. Tina was standing in an area all by herself. She had a perplexed look on her face, as there were no other seats available. Thankfully, Susie had saved her a seat, and all was well.

• Lunch is best when it's crowded

• Friends should look out for each other

• Be nice

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

The best definition of theme is...

• A word that summarizes the story.

• The message the author is sending.

• The lesson the author is teaching.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2