Theme Quick Check

A Slice of Apple Pie

Jonathan could not contain his happiness when he learned that he was going to be all alone at home. Mom had to visit Aunt Margaret, and Dad had some urgent work to attend to. I can spend the day doing whatever I want, thought Jonathan. But Jonathan's happiness was short-lived because Mom informed him that Aunt Sally would be watching him in her absence.

Mom also asked Jonathan to behave himself and to not trouble Aunt Sally. She added, "I have baked an apple pie. You must promise not to eat too much of the pie. In fact, you can only have one slice. I do not want you getting sick." Jonathan nodded as he listened to Mom's instructions.

True to Mom's instructions, Jonathan was on his best behavior. He did not want to bother Aunt Sally, who was reading a book on the porch. So, after completing his chores, he quietly walked to the refrigerator. Jonathan served himself one slice of apple pie and walked back to his room. As he was about to bite into the pie, Jonathan thought, Aunt Sally has been so nice to offer to help Mom out today. I shouldn't be eating this pie all alone. Maybe I should offer her a slice as well!

So, he served another slice of apple pie on a small plate and walked over to Aunt Sally.

"It's been a long day for you. Why don't you join me in eating this pie?" Jonathan said with a smile on his face.

What is the theme of the story?

• Obedience and discipline are important qualities in a person.

• Children should be taught to help with the household chores.

• Parents must try to spend more time with their children.

• Sharing and thoughtfulness are good qualities to have.

dapted from How Napoleon Crossed the Alps

About two hundred years ago, there lived a great ruler whose name was Napoleon Bonaparte. He was the leader of the French army. He wanted to take his soldiers to Italy, but there were high, snow-covered mountains called the Alps between France and Italy.

"Is it possible to cross the Alps?" said Napoleon.

The men who had been sent to look at the passes over the mountains shook their heads. Then, one of them said, "It may be possible, but. . ."

"Let me hear no more," said Napoleon. "Forward to Italy!"

People laughed at the thought of an army of sixty thousand men crossing the Alps where there was no road. But Napoleon waited only to see that everything was in good order, and then he gave the order to march.

The long line of soldiers and horses stretched for twenty miles. When they came to a steep place where there seemed to be no way to go farther, the trumpets sounded "Charge!" Then, every man did his best, and the whole army moved right onward.

Soon, they were safe over the Alps. In four days, they were marching on the plains of Italy.

What is the theme of "How Napoleon Crossed the Alps"?

• One should always try to learn new skills in life.

• One should not do things that put one's life in danger.

• Crossing high mountains is a very difficult task.

• Nothing is impossible if one works hard to get it.

Student of the Week

Sandra looked over her note cards and practiced her speech in her head one last time. She had to give a presentation to her class about Abraham Lincoln. Her project partner, Joey, was sitting calmly next to her. He didn't care about the project at all. He had barely helped her do the research at the library. Now, she was going to have to give the presentation all by herself. Joey was just going to show the class the poster Sandra had made.

As Sandra and Joey walked to the front of the room, the door to the classroom opened, and the principal walked in. All the students smiled at Mrs. Peters. Everyone thought she was a great principal. She had arrived to observe the class's activities for the day.

Sandra gave the presentation with the principal watching. The principal seemed impressed with how well Sandra knew the information. Then, Joey showed the class the poster. He tried to explain what the pictures meant, but he did not know the information well. When the other students asked a question about Lincoln, Joey just shrugged his shoulders. Sandra was able to give the answer from memory of what she read.

At the end of class, the principal went to Sandra's desk. "I'm very impressed with how hard you worked on your project," she said. "I'd like to make you Student of the Week."

Which lesson can be learned from this story?

• Show off for the principal.

• Abraham Lincoln was boring.

• Hard work will be rewarded.

• Group assignments are hard.

Jimmy had a big problem: he had waited till the last minute to do his research paper. Although his teacher had given the class a full six weeks to get it done, Jimmy had played with his friends every afternoon. He never cracked a book or even did an online search of the subject. Now, he had two days to get it done.

When he asked his mother for help, she asked how long he'd known about the assignment. He considered lying to her and blaming his teacher for not giving them enough time. He decided against that strategy because he knew his mother would call Mrs. Ransom and ask. She'd done that before, and he had gotten grounded for lying.

"I've had six weeks," he answered.

"You know Jimmy, it's not really my job to save you from your own bad decisions," she said. "You're going to have to do this on your own. I think that's the only way you're ever going to learn not to put things off. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today'?"

"Oh, Mom, I can do it in two days if you'll help me."

"Sorry, son, I've got other things to do," she said. "You're on your own."

What is the main theme of this passage?

• Parents cannot always be counted on for help.

• Playing with friends after school is a bad idea.

• Big assignments take a lot of time to finish.

• Do not wait till the last minute to do things.

Shoes and Savings

"There is nothing like the smell of a brand new pair of red-bottom shoes," Amber exclaimed as she opened her sixth pair of new shoes in only one month's time. She worked hard at her after-school job walking pets for her neighbors. She loved her job and she loved shopping. As soon as she got paid, she went directly to the shoe store before she even went home. She had a system, and it worked for her. "What could go wrong?" she asked herself.

Strutting confidently into class the next day, Amber was elated to see that the classroom was decorated in red and white rockets, a perfect match for her latest pair of red-bottoms.

"Attention class, I have an exciting announcement to make!" Amber's teacher, Mrs. Brae said. "We have the opportunity to take a few students on a last minute field trip to the space station next week! Interested attendees will need to raise $75.00 by Monday."

Just then, Amber's stomach sank. How would she ever raise enough money to go on the field trip? All of the money she could have been saving for the trip was already invested in her shoe collection. She suddenly remembered all of the times her dad told her, "It is always important to save a little bit of money for a 'rainy day fund.'"

Which of these sentences from the passage expresses the theme?

• "There is nothing like the smell of a brand new pair of red-bottom shoes."

• All of the money she could have been saving for the trip was already invested in her shoe collection.

• She worked hard at her after-school job walking pets for her neighbors.

• "It is always important to save a little bit of money for a 'rainy day fund.' "

When Mike came into the house he was fuming. "Someone broke into my truck and stole my tools!" he yelled. Mike was a carpenter, and without his tools he couldn't work. Mike's mom immediately picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1 to report the theft. Then Mike called his boss to tell him what had happened.

The police arrived in a few minutes to investigate. Mike kept his tools in the back of his truck, which was covered by a camper top. Unfortunately, it had a simple lock, and the thief had used a screwdriver to pry it open.

The police officer shook her head. "We see a lot of people in the construction trades get their tools stolen," she said. "Because they are always using their tools, they leave them unsecured in their vehicles. That makes it easy for thieves." She suggested Mike get a better lock for the camper top and cover his tools with a tarp. "You made it too easy for a thief. Your safest bet is to park your truck in the garage."

What is the main theme of this passage?

• Mike and his mom live in a bad neighborhood.

• If you have tools, buy good theft insurance.

• Secure your belongings to prevent theft.

• Thieves like carpenters because they have tools.

Rani and the Spill

“Watch what you’re doing,” Rani yelled at the girl sitting next to her at the lunch table. Rani had jumped up from her seat when she saw the girl’s milk had spilled.

The girl quickly started to mop up the spill with napkins. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she said with her eyes looking down.

“I don’t care,” Rani shouted. “You could have messed up my dress and gotten milk on my sandwich.” She sighed loudly so that the girl could hear her anger. Then, she grabbed her things and stomped off to another table.

Later that day, Rani ran into her house. She found her mom sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She poured herself a glass of juice and sat next to her mom. She reached across the table to grab the comics. Her hand brushed against the glass of juice. In slow motion, the glass tilted, and the juice spilled all over the newspaper.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Rani said with red cheeks. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Her mother looked at the ruined sections of the newspaper that she hadn’t read yet. “It’s OK, sweetie,” she said in a gentle voice. “I know it was an accident.”

Which lesson can be learned from this story?

• Never make the same mistake twice.

• Always clean up after spilling milk.

• Everyone has accidents.

• The newspaper is very important.

The Merchant and the Teacher

A rich merchant wanted to study religion. Unfortunately, all the religious teachers he met were all poor. They insisted he give up his wealth and live like they did. The rich man liked the comforts his money brought him and did not want to give them up. He felt those comfortable things made him happy.

One day he heard of a religious teacher who lived in a great palace far away. Excited, he made the journey to see about becoming his student. He was ushered into the teacher's quarters, which were beautiful. The teacher offered the merchant strong coffee and delicious sweets. As they ate and drank, beautiful girls danced for them. The merchant liked what he saw and felt he could follow this teacher. He asked what it would take to become his student.

"Oh, you will have to give up all your riches and take a vow of poverty," replied the teacher.

The merchant was surprised and said, "You live in such splendor, with fine rugs on the floor and delicious sweets and beautiful dancing girls. Why must I give up all that I have?"

"I can be happy without these things," said the teacher.

What is the main theme of this passage?

• Appearances can be deceiving.

• Poor teachers expect to be paid.

• Good teachers are hard to fool.

• Not all teachers are honest people.

Lawn Honors

Mr. Brooks took pride in having the nicest lawn in the neighborhood. When he purchased a new riding lawnmower, even his sons wanted to take part in the beautification of the family's property. After all, with the new mower, yard work was fun.

Much to their dismay, their father was too particular and didn't let anyone mow. He did request, however, that his two sons keep the trash and broken limbs picked up out of the yard. Raymond was faithful to the task. Every day after school, he took great care in ensuring that the lawn was perfectly clean. This pleased his father very much.

Jason, on the other hand, wasn't concerned with his father's request. He chose to wait until his father would finally let him use the riding lawnmower. Then, he would contribute to lawn care.

Mr. Brooks began to notice the commitment Raymond had to keeping the lawn in its very best shape. He realized they shared a common goal. Because of his hard work, his father would now entrust the riding lawnmower to Raymond. At last, he had earned the great honor of mowing the grass.

What is the theme of this passage?

• If you don't like your chore, wait until a better one comes along.

• If you are faithful with small tasks, you will be entrusted with greater ones.

• If it is too hot outside to work in the lawn, ask to do something inside.

• If your brother is already completing a task, you shouldn't bother him.