Author's Purpose and Theme 5th Grade

Determine the moral or theme of these fables.

The Monkey and the Cookies: A monkey put his hand into a jar of cookies. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the cookie jar. Unwilling to lose the cookies, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment.

• Have courage.

• Don't be greedy.

• Have fulfillment in life.

• Be a good communicator.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

Determine the moral or theme of these fables.

The Hares and the Frogs: The Hares were so persecuted by the other beasts that they did not know where to go. As soon as they saw a single animal approach them, off they used to run. One day they saw a troop of wild Horses stampeding about, and in quite a panic all the Hares scuttled off to a nearby lake, determined to drown themselves rather than live in such a continual state of fear. But just as they got near the bank of the lake, a troop of Frogs, frightened in their turn by the approach of the Hares scuttled off, and jumped into the water. "Truly," said one of the Hares, "things are not so bad as they seem.”

• Growing up can be good and bad.

• Loneliness is a destructive force.

• Time will heal your worries.

• Someone always has it worse than you do.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

Determine the moral or theme of these texts.

It was Sean's first day at a new high school. Most of the students had been nice to him, until he got into gym class. The coach had assigned two captains, Mike and Malik, and they were picking teams from the boys in Sean's class. As Mike and Malik made their picks, it became pretty clear to Sean who was popular and who was not. Since Sean was short for his age, Mike and Malik just assumed that Sean could not play basketball. As Mike and Malik's choices dwindled, Sean still remained amongst an ever-slimming pool of struggling athletes. Now there were only two students left: Sean and another kid who seemed nice but was reading a book. Mike and Malik joked about who was going to get stuck with whom, and then Mike made his last pick. It was not Sean. Sean sighed and reluctantly joined Malik's team. As soon as the game began, Mike became aware of the error that he had made. Sean quickly stole the ball from him and ran it back for a layup. "The new kid got lucky," Mike remarked, but it soon became clear that Sean had more going for him than luck. What Sean lacked in height, he made up for in speed, and he continued to dominate the action on the court for the remainder of the game. With Sean's blazing speed and crazy crossovers, Malik's team devastated Mike's, and that was the only time that Sean would be last pick at that high school.

• Always be kind to others.

• Have empathy towards others

• Do not judge a book by it's cover.

• Be careful with heartbreak.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Determine the moral or theme of these texts.

Blaine opened up the present and began pouting. He screamed in a high-pitched voice, "This is Captain Thunder! I wanted Captain Lightning!" His mother looked at him with dismay and handed him another present, which he greedily opened. "Why did you get me a red hat? You know I like blue more," Blaine whined as he threw the hat across the room. His mother straightened her expression and squinted at him. Earlier she had hoped to take some pictures of this moment, but by now she had put away her camera. She sighed and handed him one more present in hopes that this year wouldn't be a total bust. Blaine huffed and opened it. "A Game Box 4000… wow. Where's the Game Box 5000 that I asked for?" His mother could bear his ingratitude no longer. The next time that Blaine returned from his father's house, he was shocked to find that all of these toys and gifts, along with many other of his things, had been generously donated to needy children.

• There pastures are greener on the other side.

• Be thankful for what you receive.

• Know what you want and get it.

• Make sure to donate when you can.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

A story about a family trying to stick together and survive through the Great Depression in the Midwest in the 1930s.

• Persuade

• Entertain

• Inform

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RI.2.6

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

An instructional booklet describing how to operate a smart phone.

• Inform

• Persuade

• Entertain

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RI.6.6

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

A speech written by a professional athlete listing the negative effects of steroids and urging young athletes to not use steroids.

• Entertain

• Persuade

• Inform

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RI.2.6

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

A booklet containing the school rules and the consequences for violating those rules.

• Inform

• Entertain

• Persuade

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RI.6.6

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

A speech written by a famous basketball player urging young people to stay in school.

• Entertain

• Informe

• Persuade

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RI.6.6

Read the descriptions of item and determine the author’s main purpose.

The story of a teacher who helps some of her troubled students get to college.

• Inform

• Persuade

• Entertain

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6