Theme and Details

Jess was not happy that she had to sit beside Ben. He was loud and silly, he talked all the time, and his desk was always messy. She promised herself that she would ignore him and never make contact. That is until one morning.. THUD! When Jess heard this loud noise, she looked up to see Ben had tripped over a chair that should have been pushed in. He was suddenly laying on the floor, and his papers were strewed everywhere. Jess rushed over to him. Despise Ben's obnoxious behavior, Jess helped him up and picked up all of his papers. "No worries, Ben, that chair was in your way," Jess said. That afternoon during recess, Ben thanked Jess for helping him. Jess realized that Ben was actually nice, and that she had never taken the time to get to know him. Jess and Ben had each found a new friend.

• It's better to push your chair in than trip someone.

• You never really know the quality of a person's character until you get to know them.

• A nice gesture sometimes goes unnoticed.

What is the theme of the story? Think about the lesson Tania learned.

• It's best to be brave and speak the truth even if your voice shakes.

• The unknown can be scary.

• Temptation can get you in trouble.

The message or lesson that the author wants you to learn from the story is called the

• thesis

• summary

• theme

• plot

Jess was not happy that she had to sit beside Ben. He was loud and silly, he talked all the time, and his desk was always messy. She promised herself that she would ignore him and never make contact. That is until one morning.. THUD! When Jess heard this loud noise, she looked up to see Ben had tripped over a chair that should have been pushed in. He was suddenly laying on the floor, and his papers were strewed everywhere. Jess rushed over to him. Despise Ben's obnoxious behavior, Jess helped him up and picked up all of his papers. "No worries, Ben, that chair was in your way," Jess said. That afternoon during recess, Ben thanked Jess for helping him. Jess realized that Ben was actually nice, and that she had never taken the time to get to know him. Jess and Ben had each found a new friend. What happened in the story that helped you find the theme? Think about the author's message.

• Jess helped Ben up when he tripped over a chair.

• Ben thanked Jess for helping him and asked if she wanted to play soccer.

• Jess realized that Ben was annoying and messy.

What is the best definition of THEME?

• A universal truth, moral, or idea that the author wants to express. 

• The author's reason for writing a story

What is the best definition of THEME?

• universal truth, moral, or idea that the author wants to express. 

• location and time of the story

• events that occur in the story

• author's reason for writing a story

What is the definition of theme?

• how an author reveals a character's traits

• time and place a story takes place

• character vs. self

• author's message about life or human nature

Tania broke her mother's favorite snow globe. She knew that she wasn't supposed to pick it up, but it was so tempting to shake it and watch the glittery snow fall. Tania felt so guilty. She knew she couldn't fix it. So, gathering up all of her courage, she walked downstairs where her mother was to confess in a shaky voice what she had done. Her mother scolded her for picking up the snow globe when she was told not to. However, she didn't punish her because she had been honest. Her mother was proud of her for telling the truth. Tania felt so relieved. What happened in the story that helped you find the theme? Think about the author's message.

• Tania felt guilty and was scared to tell her mother the truth.

• Tania told the truth, and her mother didn't punish her because she was honest.

• Tania's mother was disappointed in her.

What is the theme of the story? Think about the lesson Jake learned.

• Nothing is a sure thing.

• You can get too much of a good thing.

• Always walk at a crosswalk.

Jake loved his phone and was always looking at it. His parents would try to talk to him, but he would just ignore them. When he was at school, he'd sneak peeks at his phone under his desk when no one was looking. When he was at his friend's house, he spent more time on his phone than with his friend. One day Jake was watching a funny video of people doing tricks with their dogs while he was walking home. He began crossing the street and was so into the video that he did not notice the oncoming traffic. Jake was suddenly hit by a car. He had mild injuries, but his phone was destroyed. Jake quickly realized that he didn't need to be on his phone so much. What happened in the story that helped you find the theme? Think about the author's message.

• Jake ignores others and eventually gets hit by a car because he's on his phone too much.

• Jake couldn't get enough of the funny videos on his phone.

• Jake was injured and his phone was destroyed.