Flocabulary "Theme" Lesson

Read the following passage from a story.

Rohan triumphantly lifted the trophy above his head. Despite all the obstacles, he had won. Beneath his cheerful exterior, he felt a twinge of the constant pain he’d learned to live with. Almost unconsciously, Rohan removed one hand from the trophy and rubbed the thin red scar that snaked around his ankle. He thought back to the surgery and the weeks spent lying in his bed, unable to compete. The months of exercises to strengthen his leg. “Rohan!” he heard the crowd scream, as if in slow motion. A smile broke across Rohan’s face, shattering his thoughts. He returned his hand to his trophy, firmly grasping it.

Which of the following is most likely a theme of the story?

• Some goals are too hard to achieve even if you try many times.

• Through determination, you can overcome big challenges.

• You need the support of your family to overcome challenges.

• When you achieve a goal, you shouldn’t brag about it.

Themes are about universal topics. For example, a topic could be compassion, relationships or fate. A theme is often stated as a judgment about one of these topics. For example, a theme about the topic of relationships could be "relationships teach you important lessons."

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

• You can never turn your back on your family.

• A young girl returns to her family after moving far away.

• Most people have at least one brother or sister.

• “I’ll never speak to you again,” she said quietly to her mother.

The theme of a story is the

• main character.

• message about life that the author expresses.

• sequence of events.

• short summary of what the story is about.

What is a main idea?

• The main character in a story.

• The message about life that an author expresses.

• The sequence of events in a story.

• A description of what the story is mostly about.

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

• Fear is more dangerous than any beast.

• A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army.

• a fear of heights

• "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• a 35-year-old woman named Essie and her brother

• a small apartment in Marfa, Texas

• Telling the truth may cause pain, but in the end, it's better than lying.

• Essie lied to her brother about her identity for two years, but she finally decided to tell him the truth.

Which of the following could be a theme of a story?

• Your past does not define you.

• returning home after a long time.

• A man sees a group of people he used to work with a long time ago.

• an old man who used to be a farmer.

Read the following sentence.

A toad and a lizard learn to get along while on a journey through the wilderness.

• plot

• character

• main idea

• theme

Read the following sentence.

Friendship helps people get through hard times.

• plot.

• character.

• main idea.

• theme.

Read the following sentence.

A woman risks her life to spy for the Union during the Civil War.

• plot.

• character.

• main idea.

• theme.