Theme

What is the theme of a story?

• the mood of the story

• The story's setting

• What the author wants to teach the reader

• What the narrator says in the story

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Lucy is a superhero. There is an evil villain approaching Lucy's small-town of Gray. Lucy hears of this news, and she instantly begins training so she can defeat him.

What theme can we take away from this summary of a story?

• Friendship is important.

• Treat others how you would like to be treated.

• You must work hard to reach your goals.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Three butterflies notice an overturned honey pot. Two of the butterflies decide to land in the honey and start eating it. But the oldest butterfly stays back. The two butterflies tease the older butterfly, but then get stuck in the honey. What is the moral of this story?

• Overeating leads to illness.

• The first to try something gets rewarded.

• Some treats aren't worth risking your safety.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

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
• Your friends are the most important things in life
• Being good at sports is the best way to get friends
• it's important to never give up

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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
• it takes courage to help your friends
• don't judge a book by its cover
• sometimes sacrifice is necessary to help others

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

There was a ragged old woman following behind me as I walked down each aisle.  She had a strange look on her face, as her missing teeth distorted her smile.  I rushed to try to avoid her, as I was a little nervous about what she might do.  Come to find out, I dropped some money and she was trying to return it to me.

• Old people are always mean
• don't judge a book by its cover
• you should be aware of others
• it takes courage to stand up to bullies

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

"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 sacrifice for others
• your family will do anything for you
• when you are greedy, you will fall down
• you should never give up

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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.

• teamwork can accomplish a goal
• tall people are the best
• work hard to reach a goal
• people can be like boxes

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

Money Mark was born rich. He never had to work a day in his life and he got everything handed to him on a silver platter. When he was six, Money Mark wanted to go to a basketball game. His father paid the starting five of the Bulls and Celtics to play a private game of Nerf-ball in Money Mark’s bedroom. When Money Mark turned thirteen, he wanted to start a band. His father hired the Rolling Stones to play with him every Saturday at the family’s private concert hall, though his family was never there. By the time he was twenty-one, Money Mark was bored with life. He was surrounded by a bunch of possessions that he didn’t appreciate and Money Mark could find nothing new or exciting in his life. Despite his vast wealth, Money Mark never found happiness. Penny Petal was born poor. Her family hardly had anything to eat, but they loved each other. Penny Petal appreciated every thing she got. When she was six, her father walked her around the United Center before the Bulls played the Celtics. She was excited by the crazy fans and feeling in the air. She looked forward to the day that she could see a real game. When she was thirteen, she learned to play the buckets. She was an extremely talented musician, a natural percussionist, and everyone on the block loved the rhythms that poured from her palms. By the time she was twenty-one, Penny was a successful businesswoman. Now she had everything that she had ever dreamed of and she truly loved to share her wealth and happiness with her family who supported her through all of the hard times.

• Money doesn't buy happiness

• Penny is a coin

• Mark is a spoiled person.

• The theme is money doesn't buy happiness

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about

deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered

to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other

hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little

later, but she didn’t want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core

subject and that she had to keep “C” average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When

the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement

park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That

weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn’t complete all of the

assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late

at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to

squeak by with a “C” minus in reading while Tammy earned an “A.” Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson and

probably won’t complete this activity either

• It is better to do things right the first time.

• Tammy and Sammy could be twins

• They are not Twins.

• the main idea is It is better to do things right the first time.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3