Theme

Matt was always mean to the other younger kids on the school bus. He would make fun of them and put sticky stuff in their seat. He was the oldest and “coolest” kid on the bus. After this year, Matt would be going to high school. He would not have to ride with these little “rug rats” anymore. The summer had passed and Matt was headed to high school. He was a little nervous getting on the bus. When he walked on, he could feel the older kids laughing at him. When he got into his seat there was chocolate sauce smeared all over his seat. What is the theme?

• Loyalty

• Treat others how you would like to be treated.

• Money can't buy happiness (or friends)

• Be yourself

George and Brent were brothers, but you would never know it. They did not really get along. George loved sports, and Brent loved to read. They were complete opposites., but the one thing they had in common was they were both failing a subject. George was failing reading and Brent was failing Math. Their mom would not be happy. They decided to help each other in their failing subjects. By the time the report card came home, they were both passing reading and math. What is the theme?

• Loyalty

• Treat others how you would like to be treated.

• Two heads are better than one.

• Be yourself

Lucy is a superhero. There is an evil villain approaching Lucy's small-town of Gray. Lucy hears of this news, and she instantly begins training so she can defeat him.

What theme can we take away from this summary of a story?

• Friendship is important.

• Treat others how you would like to be treated.

• You must work hard to reach your goals.

A story can have more than one theme.

• true

• false

Which of the following is NOT a theme?

• sharing with others is caring

• money is the root of all evil

• hard work pays off

• love

In math class, Mr. Carico handed the students their graded tests. Nicole showed her friend Maura the score she had gotten. It was bad. Maura, on the other hand, had gotten an A. On the bus ride home, Nicole and Maura were talking about the math homework for that night. "I just don't get this stuff," Nicole said. "I guess I'll bomb the next test, too." "Look, let's do the math homework together. I can help you," said Maura. Nicole shook her head. "No, I'll figure it out." Maura shrugged. "Okay," she said. That evening, Maura called Nicole. "I'm bored. What are you up to?" Maura asked. Nicole had been struggling with the math homework but didn't want to say so. Clearly, Maura had already finished. "Just getting ready for bed. I'm beat," Nicole lied. "It's not even nine!" Nicole bristled. "Well I'm tired, okay? It's not my fault you're bored." Maura was silent for a moment. Then she quietly said she had to go. Nicole hung up, too, and grabbed her pencil again. But the longer she stared at her worksheet, the more the problems looked like a jumble of meaningless symbols. She took a deep breath and reached for her phone. "Yeah?" Maura answered. Nicole told her the truth. "I'm sorry I was a jerk earlier. I was in a bad mood because I was stuck on the homework. I guess I was feeling resentful that you finished already." Maura said she understood. "Do you think . . . would you still be willing to help me?" Nicole asked meekly. "Of course," Maura said. "Like I said, I'm bored. I need something to do." On the next math test, Nicole got an A. The theme of this passage is- Don't let pride keep you from asking for help.

• "Do you think . . . would you still be willing to help me?"

• Nicole had been struggling with the math homework but didn't want to say so.

• But the longer she stared at her worksheet, the more the problems looked like a jumble of meaningless symbols.

• Math is the hardest subject of all.

What is a theme?

• a story line

• the topic/subject

• a universal truth about life and people

• the time and place of an event

The theme of a piece of literature is the same as its ...

• message

• significance

• subject

• meaning

You can often infer the theme of a piece of literature by ...

• evaluating how a character has changed

• sharing a character's experience

• determining how the conflict has resolved

• ALL of the above

To identify a theme in a story, a reader can ask ...

• What has the character learned?

• What is the setting?

• Who is the narrator?

• ALL of the above