WorksheetsFinding Theme
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 1hrs 10mins
If I am trying to find the theme in a story. I can ask myself: What did the characters learn?
TRUE
FALSE
What is the best definition of THEME?
A universal truth, lesson about life, or idea that the author wants to express.
The location and time of the story
The events that occur in the story
The author's reason for writing a story
Which of the following is an example of theme?
Love
Power
Family
Good will always win against evil.
What is theme?
A lesson or moral in a story
what the text is mainly about
how the author feels about the text
What is the difference between theme and main idea?
Main idea is what the text is mainly about and theme is the lesson or moral in the story
Theme is what the text is mainly about and Main idea is the lesson or moral in the story
Theme is specific to characters in the story and main idea is not
What is the theme?
Share with your neighbo.r
It s important to work before you play.
Be respectful
Don't be greedy.
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.
Ethan had never learned to swim. He hadn't really
needed to in the city where he had lived. But then his family moved to a new town. The town was on a lake and it soon became clear that everyone hung out down by the lake all summer long.
Ethan's family had moved in the spring and Ethan had made some great new friends at the end of the school year. But now he had a big problem. Everyone just assumed he could swim and he was too embarrassed to set them straight. So far, no one had really noticed that he never went into the water.
Then one day his friends decided they wanted to sit on the dock instead of on the beach. Ethan knew it would look strange if he did not come along, so he followed them out onto the dock. When they got past the shallow part of the lake, the boys started to horse around, and pretty soon they were pushing each other into the water. Suddenly, Ethan felt hands on his back. He lost his balance and plunged into the cold water. Down, down he sunk. Fortunately, the lifeguard was paying attention and was able to save Ethan from drowning.
If you can't swim, avoid the lake.
Speak up and tell the truth, even it it is hard.
Don't swim without a lifeguard.
Be kind to lifeguards. It's the right thing to do.
Which of the following is an example of theme?
Love
Don't forget to feed your gerbil.
If you stay up all night playing video games, you will be tired.
Sometimes you have to face your fears in order to conquer them.
A story can have more than one theme.
True
False
The theme only applies to the characters in the story. It means nothing to the reader.
True
False
A theme is universal, which means
It comes from space
It only matters to the characters in the story
It can relate to all people.
There is only one theme in a story
You and your friend found two different themes. You can both be right if
Your teacher is nice
Both themes have the same subject
The author agrees with you
You both have evidence to support them
"Simba has to face his past" is NOT a good theme because
It does not apply to everyone
It is too random
It is a subject
It is an opinion
What is theme?
The subject an author writes about in the story
The life lesson a reader can learn from reading the story
The main symbol the author uses in the story
The changes the character goes through in the story
Select all of the ways to identify a story's theme. Choose three right answers.
Look for a statement of theme
Think about changes in the character's behavior
Look at the first paragraph only
Think about the title
What is a common theme?
Money
Happiness
Be careful what you wish for
Fate
A good theme:
Teaches an important life lesson
Is hard to find
The reader will ALWAYS agree with the theme of a text.
TRUE
FALSE
A Chinese Fable
A young man wanted to get a fox skin to please his new bride. He searched until he caught a fox by the tail. With great happiness at his success, he said to the fox, “My bride wants a fox coat. Can you give me your skin?” The fox recognized trouble and thought quickly about how to save himself. “I will be happy to do that, but I can’t help you when you hold my tail so tightly. Please let go, and I’ll immediately give you my skin.” The man let go, and the fox ran away laughing.
A Greek Fable
A wolf caught a young goat returning from the pasture. The goat knew that he couldn’t escape, but he thought that he could fool the wolf. The goat said, “I know that you’ll eat me, my friend, but I’d like just one favor from you. Would you play a tune so that I can dance once last time?” The wolf took out his pipes and played. Some dogs heard the music and became curious. They saw the wolf and began to chase him. The wolf knew that he’d been fooled. He said to the goat, “I got what I deserved; I’m a hunter, not a musician.”
How are the fables SIMILAR?
Both fables are about a hunter and its prey
Both fables are about the fox and the young man
Both fables are about the goat and the wolf
A Chinese Fable
A young man wanted to get a fox skin to please his new bride. He searched until he caught a fox by the tail. With great happiness at his success, he said to the fox, “My bride wants a fox coat. Can you give me your skin?” The fox recognized trouble and thought quickly about how to save himself. “I will be happy to do that, but I can’t help you when you hold my tail so tightly. Please let go, and I’ll immediately give you my skin.” The man let go, and the fox ran away laughing.
A Greek Fable
A wolf caught a young goat returning from the pasture. The goat knew that he couldn’t escape, but he thought that he could fool the wolf. The goat said, “I know that you’ll eat me, my friend, but I’d like just one favor from you. Would you play a tune so that I can dance once last time?” The wolf took out his pipes and played. Some dogs heard the music and became curious. They saw the wolf and began to chase him. The wolf knew that he’d been fooled. He said to the goat, “I got what I deserved; I’m a hunter, not a musician.”
Which theme BEST explains the moral or lesson of the fables?
The moral, or lesson, in both fables is that it is always best to tell the truth.
The moral, or lesson, in both fables is that you should never turn your back on their friends.
The moral, or lesson, in both fables is that being smart can sometimes win over being strong.
The theme of a story is the...
main character.
message about life that the author expresses.
sequence of events.
short summary of what the story is about.
Which of the following could be the theme of a story?
Fear is more dangerous than any beast.
A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army.
a fear of heights
"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."
Which of the following could be a theme of a story?
a 35-year-old woman named Essie and her brother
a small apartment in Marfa, Texas
Telling the truth may cause pain, but in the end, it's better than lying.
Essie lied to her brother about her identity for two years, but she finally decided to tell him the truth.
Read the following sentence:
Friendship helps people get through hard times.
The sentence above is an example of a
plot.
character.
main idea.
theme.
Passage 1
The Little Golden Bird
Once upon a time, five Buddhist monks lived in a great temple that stood in a beautiful garden full of flowers and rare plants. The monks spent their days praying and meditating. The beauty of their home was all they needed to make them forget the world. Then one day, a young monk arrived, upsetting their lives by telling them all about the outside world beyond the garden wall. He told them about cities, the bright lights, everyday life full of entertainments and pleasure. And when the monks heard about this different world, their paradise started to seem like a lonely life. The monks decided they would leave the temple to go and see the world. But just as they were about to go, a golden bird fluttered over their heads, dangling five white strings. Each monk grasped a string, and suddenly the little group found itself carried away to the land of their dreams. And there, they saw the outside world as it really was, full of hate, misery and violence, where there was no peace. It was a long journey, and when the golden bird brought them back to the temple garden, they decided never to leave it again.
Passage 2
The Wizard of Oz
In the famous story of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wishes she could travel "over the rainbow." Then she dreams she is in the Land of Oz where animals can walk and talk like people, and everything is very colorful. But after she is there for a while, she begins to miss her home on the farm in Kansas and all the people she knew there. When she finally wakes up from her dream, she is so happy to see her family around her. She decides to never wander so far from home again.
How are the themes of these two stories similar?
In both stories, happiness is found at home.
Both stories say you have to travel to find happiness.
Both stories are about monks and birds.
In both stories, there is a magical Land of Oz.
Passage 1
Aesop’s "The Lion, the Donkey, and the Fox"
A lion, a fox, and a donkey made an agreement. They would share all of the food they gathered in the forest, splitting it among them at the end of a day. By the end of the first day, they piled all of their food into one great heap, and the lion asked the donkey to divide the food as he saw fit. The donkey very carefully divided all of the food into three exactly equal portions. When the lion was presented his share, he grew angry, and then he killed and ate the donkey. The lion then turned to the fox. He asked the fox to divide the food as best he saw fit. The fox piled most of the food into one stack, leaving only the tiniest portion of meat for himself. The lion was happy. “Who taught you such a fair skill at arithmetic, Fox?” the lion asked. “The donkey,” the fox replied.
Passage 2
Aesop’s "The Lame Lion"
A lion had become too old to chase down game, so he thought of a ruse to continue to hunt. The lion lied down in his cave and pretended to be ill. He made it a point to let all the other animals in his kingdom know that he was ill. One by one, the other animals lined up outside to pay their respects. Each went into the cave, one at a time, to wish the lion a quick recovery from his “illness.” As each of them entered, the lion leapt on each one in turn, devouring them before the others knew or grew wary. Soon, only the fox remained outside the cave. The fox leaned close to the cave opening and yelled down to the lion, “I do wish you recover soon, King Lion. I am sorry that you are ill.” The lion said, “Come a bit closer. Come into my cave. I am ill, and I cannot see you where you stand.” “I think not,” replied the fox, “For you see, there are many footprints leading into your cave, but none leading away. I think I shall stay outside where it is safe.”
How are the themes of these two stories similar?
It is best to remain apart from the group.
It is wise to learn from others' mistakes.
It is best not to anger powerful people.
It is always better to negotiate in peace.
What is the theme of this poem?
There is a missing shoe.
Being late is stressful.
Always put things back where they belong.
What is the theme of this poem?
Be your own person, even if it means being a "nobody."
If you're a "nobody" people will won't talk to you.
Don't talk to people.
What is the theme of this poem?
You become wiser with age.
When you turn six you are the smartest you will ever be.
He's six years old.
What is the theme of this poem?
If someone says something mean, say something mean back.
Don't let anyone bring you down.
Give up if things get too hard.
