Theme

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

Jorge had to go to the eye doctor and get glasses. At school the next day, he took them off for recess and left them outside. When he arrived home that day his mom asked where his glasses were and Jorge told her he lost them at school. She made him mow the yard and take out the trash to earn money for a new pair.

• Being honest doesn't always work
• Be responsible and thoughtful with your possessions
• Jorge should have been more responsible
• Parents can be too mean

Andrew worked all summer mowing yards. In the fall he raked leaves. He saved his birthday money. When he was sixteen Andrew bought a car with his earnings. His friends were jealous at first, but they remembered how hard he had worked. 

• Friends shouldn't get jealous
• Andrew is great at saving money
• Work is hard, but you do get rewards
• Slow and steady wins the race

Chris was walking home from the park when he saw an old man drop his wallet. His friends saw Chris pick it up and they told him to keep it. Without hesitating, Chris ran and gave the old man his wallet back. He offered Chris a reward but Chris said no. He didn't need a reward to do what was right. 

• People should offer to reward you for being honest
• Honesty is the best policy
• Chris should have kept the money and given back the wallet
• Always tell the truth

What is theme?

• A lesson or moral in a story

• what the text is mainly about

• how the author feels about the text

A theme should be a statement, not just one word. 

• TRUE
• FALSE

One way you could figure out the theme is to...

• Skim through the story
• Just read the beginning of the story
• Think about what the character has learned
• Read the ending of the story

What is the THEME of this story:

Once a frog jumped off an embankment into what he assumed was a pond. Unfortunately it was not a pond; it was just a ditch. There was a raccoon in the ditch that ate him.

• Respect your elders.

• Look before you leap.

• Don't steal.

• Don't be boastful.

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow bridge, he looked down and saw his reflection in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what a foolish Dog he had been.
What is the theme?

• Be honest.
• Don't be greedy.
• Always share your things with others.
• Be respectful to others.