THEME Review

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.

During a baseball game, Tanner tried to tag a player leaving first base. When the umpire called the player out, Tanner immediately informed the umpire that he in fact did not tag the runner. Two weeks later, the very same umpire was at another one of Tanner’s baseball games. Tanner was playing short stop and tagged a runner as they approached third base. When the umpire called the player safe, Tanner didn’t say a word, but the umpire noticed the surprised look on Tanner’s face. “Did you tag the runner?” she asked Tanner. When Tanner told her that he did tag the runner, the umpire changed her decision and called the player out. The coaches and parents were furious, but the umpire stood by her decision.
What is the theme?

• You should cheat to win.
• Always work hard.
• It pays to be honest.
• Teamwork is best.

The theme is a lesson learned; the moral of the story.

• True
• False

Which of the following is an example of THEME?

• Carry your laptops with two hands at all times.
• Cereal is the healthiest food you can eat.
• You can severely break your leg while crossing the street.
• Life is short; make the most of it.

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

The Tanner put some animal hides in the bottom of a stream to soak. Several hungry dogs noticed the hides but realized that the water was so deep that they couldn't reach the hides from the bank. So they came up with a plan. They decided to drink the water from the river until it uncovered the hides.

All of the dogs began drinking the water as quickly as they could. Regardless of their effort, the water remained as high as ever. They drank and they drank and they drank until they burst.

Which piece of evidence supports the theme?

• "...animal hides in the bottom of the stream to soak."

• "Regardless of their effort, the water remained as high as ever."