THEME

Kara chose a difficult piece of music to play for her recital even though her teacher recommended an easier one. She practiced every day after school instead of playing with her friends. Kara thought about giving up, but instead she doubled her practice time. At the recital she made a couple of mistakes. She was so proud of herself that her smile was huge.

• Challenge yourself and you will be rewarded.

• Practice makes perfect.

Which detail supports the theme of Kara's story?

• She practiced every day.

• She picked a difficult piece even though the teacher said to pick an easier one.

• She smiled at the end.

Kevin had 3 weeks to complete a book report. He knew he would get it done eventually so he didn't start right away. He played his new video game, went to his cousin's house, and went to a football game with his friends. The night before the book report was due he still hadn't even read the book. He was not looking forward to seeing his teacher the next day.

• Do your homework right away.

• Don't put off important tasks. Sooner is better.

Which detail supports the theme of Kevin's story?

• Kevin didn't read the book.

• Kevin played his video game.

• He was not looking forward to seeing his teacher.

Sarah didn't play with the new girl, Laila, at recess. No one did. Laila dressed weird, had a weird accent, and didn't like to play any games. One day the teacher made Sarah do an assignment with Laila. Sarah learned that they liked the same music, the same food, and both took jazz dance class.

• Don't be afraid to try new things.

• Listen to your teacher.

Which detail supports the theme of Sarah's story?

• They liked the same music and food.

• The teacher made them complete an assignment together.

• Laila was the new girl.

Kara chose a difficult piece to play for the piano

recital. Her teacher advised her to select an easier piece, but Kara knew she could do it.

Kara practiced every day after school. When her friends called to see if she could play, Kara told them that she couldn't and continued to practice. Even with all that practicing, a week before the recital, Kara still could not play the piece without making mistakes. Kara thought about giving up and switching to an easier piece, but instead she decided to double her practice time.

The night of the recital arrived. Kara was the last student to play. As she walked onto the stage to take her place at the piano, she remembered the long hours she had spent practicing.

Kara began to play. Her hands danced across the

keyboard. She knew the piece so well! When the

final note faded the room erupted in applause. She

had played the piece perfectly!

• It takes a lot of practice to play the piano

• Persistence and hard work pay off.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.

• Kara practiced a lot and did well.

Kevin wasn't worried about his book report. He had

three whole weeks to get it done. There was no reason to get started right away, especially when he had just gotten a new video game!

The next day, Kevin thought about going to the library to pick out a book for his report, but decided to play with his friends instead. He could go to the library on the weekend. The weekend came and instead of going to the library, Kevin spent the whole weekend at his cousin's farm. He didn't go to the library the next week either; there was always something fun to do instead.

Two weeks passed and Kevin still hadn't picked out a book. By the time he finally got to the library, there was not enough time to read the book and write the report. Kevin tried to write the report without reading the whole book, but

it did not go very well. Kevin failed the assignment.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.

• Don't put things off until the last minute.

• Kevin should have done his book report first.

• School work is more important than playing.

The best definition of theme is...

• The lesson the author is teaching. 
• The message the author is sending.
• A word that summarizes the story.
• The character's main problem.

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