Mini Theme Practice

One Bright Idea

"I've been working on a present for my dad," Danielle told her friend, Lina. She was holding a colorful knitted strip.

"Neat!" Lina said. "What is it?"

"A bookmark," Danielle said. "Can't you tell?" Lina thought it looked a little too thick to put in a book.

Danielle was just learning to knit, and her creations were not very practical. Lina recalled the misshapen duck booties Danielle had knit for her baby cousin. Lina hoped the baby never had to wear them.

Now Danielle picked up a big bag of yarn. She beamed at Lina and patted the floor next to her. "Come and pick out your colors!" she said.

Lina sat down. "My colors?"

"I'm going to knit you a sweater for your birthday," said Danielle. "I bought all this yarn. I was thinking shades of blue. Maybe some yellow?"

"That is so sweet of you. But that's too much work," said Lina. The thought of Danielle spending so much time on something she would never wear almost broke her heart.

"It's no problem. You're my best friend. And I love knitting," said Danielle.

Lina took a deep breath. "Danielle, I don't want a sweater." There, she had said it. "Those colors are so pretty, though. Maybe you could make me something to decorate my room?"

"A decoration?" Danielle echoed. Lina hoped she wasn't upset.

"Have you ever seen those pictures online of lampshades wrapped in yarn?" Lina went on. "I've always thought they look so cool, but I'm not crafty enough to make one myself."

"Oh! I know what you're talking about!" Danielle said in excitement. "I could do blue yarn at the bottom, then start adding some yellow in the middle . . ."

As Danielle began to plan excitedly, Lina breathed a sigh of relief. Now she would be getting a birthday present that reminded her of her best friend—and one that she would be excited to use.

• A creative solution can ease a difficult conversation.

• Always accept a gift, even when you don't want it.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is A creative solution can ease a difficult conversation.

• "As Danielle began to plan excitedly, Lina breathed a sigh of relief."

• "I'm going to knit you a sweater for your birthday," said Danielle.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

A Little Help from a Friend

Maxwell looked at the pile of firewood. His neighbor, Mr. Foy, was paying him to move it all into his shed. Maxwell had been working for an hour already, but the pile didn't look much smaller.

Suddenly he heard someone calling his name. Looking up, he saw his friend Jon. He gave a tired wave, and Jon came over to say hi.

"Hey. It looks like this is going to take a while. Maybe all day," said Jon. Maxwell shot him a look that seemed to say, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

"Can you use a wheelbarrow to haul the wood? It would be a lot quicker," said Jon.

"Good idea. I can ask Mr. Foy if he has one I can use," said Maxwell.

"I would. You want some help, too?" Jon asked.

"Really? Okay," said Maxwell.

It turned out that Mr. Foy did have a wheelbarrow behind the shed that Maxwell could use. Then Maxwell and Jon both loaded the firewood into the wheelbarrow, rolled it into the shed, and stacked it neatly against a wall. The whole job took an hour.

Maxwell went to tell Mr. Foy that he'd finished. Mr. Foy was surprised that he was done already.

"Yeah, it went faster than I thought," Maxwell said. He wondered if he should tell Mr. Foy that Jon helped. Jon hadn't asked to be paid, but Maxwell felt he should probably mention it. For some reason, though, he didn't.

"That's good to hear. Here's your pay," Mr. Foy said, handing Maxwell some cash.

Maxwell looked at the money. It was a lot. "Actually, my friend Jon helped. It was his idea to use the wheelbarrow," Maxwell admitted.

Mr. Foy nodded in approval. "It seems to me that Jon earned some of that money, too."

"Yeah," said Maxwell, "he did."

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• People deserve credit for their work.

• Don't ask other people to do what you can do yourself.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is People deserve to get credit for their work.

• Maxwell shot him a look that seemed to say, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

• Mr. Foy nodded in approval. "It seems to me that Jon earned some of that money, too.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Visual Aid

Elliot looked up from his book and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you having trouble seeing over there?" asked his father. "You might be giving yourself eyestrain."

"I'm fine," grumbled Elliot, even though he had a pounding headache. He liked his reading spot on the couch. It was cozy, but his parents were always telling him to turn on the lamp. "It's just this book," he lied. "The plot is giving me a headache."

The next morning, Elliot's mom was looking out the window at the bird feeder. "Oh look—the yellow finches are back," she said. Elliot looked, but all he could see were yellow blurs darting to and from the bird feeder. He quickly lost interest.

"You're squinting," his mom observed. "Can you see them?"

"I am?" Elliott said. He hadn't felt himself squinting.

"You know, I think we should get your eyes checked. You make that squinty face a lot," said his mom.

When they went to see the eye doctor, Elliot learned that he had astigmatism in both eyes. He badly needed glasses.

At the optometrist, Elliot picked out a pair of sleek oval frames. When his lenses were ready, he tried them on. He was amazed. He could see street signs a block away. He could see the outlines of leaves on trees. His headaches disappeared, too, as if some muscle behind his eyes had suddenly loosened its grip.

Later that night, Elliot was reading on the couch when his dad got up and stretched.

"Good book, Elliot?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. He had been reading for hours and hadn't stopped once to rub his eyes. "Books are better when I can see."

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Sometimes people need help to see things about themselves.

• People shouldn't be afraid to ask for help when they have a problem.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Sometimes people need help to see things about themselves.

• He had been reading for hours and hadn't stopped once to rub his eyes.

• "I am?" Elliott said. He hadn't felt himself squinting.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Quest to the Top

Michael loved to play Legend of Starfell on his computer. He played online every day and was the expert among his friends. He showed them how to find all the hidden tools and tricks he had mastered.

One day, he was playing online with his friends and telling each of them what to do. In his excitement, he snapped at them when they made any kind of mistake.

"Michael, stop yelling," his friend Mark said over the headset.

"Yeah. I'm playing for fun here," said Jay. Michael apologized.

From then on, however, he started playing more on his own. That way he could be as competitive as he wanted. Sometimes he was already in the middle of a game when his friends wanted to start one. Michael would ignore their requests, so they played without him.

When summer vacation started, Michael filled entire days with Legend of Starfell. Meanwhile, his friends made plans to get together. If the plans didn't include gaming, Michael didn't bother to join them.

By summer's end, Michael's progress had stalled. He was highly ranked, but he couldn't break into the "elite pro" level. He was finally tired of playing.

At that point, his friends had stopped calling. When Michael reached out to them, they were busy. Summer was almost over, and Michael had nothing to show for it except sore eyes from staring at his computer screen. He couldn't remember having much fun at all.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• Obsession can cause you to neglect what is actually important.

• People eventually lose interest in the things they enjoy.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is Obsession can cause you to neglect what is actually important.

• Meanwhile, his friends made plans to get together. If the plans didn't include gaming, Michael didn't bother to join them.

• He was highly ranked, but he couldn't break into the "elite pro" level.

  
  

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

For the Birds

When Philip got home from school, he noticed that the birdhouse he'd made had fallen off the maple tree in the front yard.

He picked it up and looked at the tree. The hook he'd used to hang the birdhouse had come loose in the wood, pulled down by the weight. Philip removed the hook and screwed the pointy end into a new spot in the branch. The wood seemed to grip it tightly. Then Philip put the birdhouse back on the hook.

The next morning, Philip saw that it had fallen again. He was late for school, but he couldn't just leave it there. He pulled out the hook and screwed it deeper into the wood. Then he carefully hung the birdhouse again.

When Philip got home that afternoon, he saw that the birdhouse was still hanging. A blue jay was even perched at the entrance. Philip beamed.

Suddenly, a breeze shook the birdhouse, and it fell onto the grass yet again. The bluejay shot away like an arrow.

This time Philip brought the birdhouse inside. He threw away the hook without a second thought. Digging through the junk drawer, he found an extra-long shoelace. He tied it around the birdhouse. Then he brought the birdhouse outside and tied it to a branch. He tugged on it to make sure it would stay. It seemed pretty secure.

The birdhouse was still hanging the next morning. And the next week. A week after that, Philip saw signs of a bird's nest inside. The birdhouse was finally a home.

Which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?

• If one way of doing something keeps failing, try another way.

• Just like people, animals deserve kindness and respect.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Select the quotation from the story that most strongly suggests that the theme is If one way of doing something keeps failing, try another way.

• The birdhouse was finally a home.

• He threw away the hook without a second thought.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2