What is the difference between theme and main idea?

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?

Larry had it all. A huge house, all the toys he wanted, and best of all he had enough money to buy anything he wants. He was always coming to school with new shoes and designer clothes. What more could a kid ask for? But everyday at recess Larry went out to the playground and played on the swings by himself. He disliked recess because there was no one that wanted to play with him. It made him very sad. What is the theme?

Sandy had a huge Social Studies project do on Monday. She did not even start it yet, but she knew it would not take her long. So she decided to go out with her friends to the movie on Friday night and then sleepover her other friends on Saturday night. When she got home Sunday morning her stomach was hurting her. She did not feel quite right. Her mother felt her forehead, and it felt warm. She was coming down with something, and just could not concentrate on her Social Studies project. What was she going to do? What is the theme?

Gary thought it would be funny to hide Tracy’s book bag. One day he took it from the back of the room and threw it behind the book case. At the end of the day Tracy was looking everywhere. The teacher started looking and asked the class if anyone has seen the book bag. Gary of course did not answer. After about ten minutes of searching the teacher called for the principal to come and help. Gary had told the teacher he did not know where it was, so what was he going to tell the principal? He should have just taken it out right away when Tracy was looking. What is the theme?

One morning, a boy led his sheep to a field. His job was to watch for wolves that might want to eat his sheep. But watching the sheep was boring. Then, he thought of a way to have a little fun. As loud as he could, the boy cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" In no time, farmers from a nearby farm rushed to help him. But the boy just laughed. He told them that there was no wolf. The farmers all shook their heads and left. By lunchtime, the boy was bored again. So, he cried "Wolf!" a second time. Again, the farmers came running. Again, the boy just laughed. The farmers shook their fists at him and stomped away. But a little while later, the boy really did see a wolf. It was looking at his sheep. The boy cried "Wolf!" a third time. But this time, nobody came to help. The farmers didn't believe the boy anymore

In the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," a brother and sister find a house made of candy in the forest, are invited inside by an old woman, and are almost cooked and eaten by the woman, who turns out to be a witch. In "Little Red Riding Hood," a little girl is on her way through the forest to see her grandmother and tells a wolf where the grandmother lives. The wolf races ahead of the little girl and eats her grandmother. What recurring theme is present in both stories?

One day, a little red hen decided to make bread. It was hard work, so she asked the other animals for help. "Who will help me get the wheat from the field?" she asked. Each animal said, "Not I." So, the hen did it herself.

Then she asked, "Who will help me turn the wheat into flour?" Each animal said, "Not I." So, she did it herself.

Then she asked, "Who will help me mix the dough?" Each animal said, "Not I." So, she did it herself.

Later on, the sweet smell of baking bread filled the air. The animals all crowded around the oven. "Who will help me eat the bread?" asked the hen. Each animal said, "I will! I will!"

But the hen said, "No. I will do that myself, too." And she did.

The Ant and the Dove

One day an ant was out walking and became very thirsty. She saw a stream and decided to take a sip from it. But when she bent over, she slipped and fell into the water. Luckily, a dove flying overhead spotted the ant. The bird took a leaf in its beak and dropped the leaf into the water for the ant. The ant climbed onto the leaf and floated safely to the edge of the stream. "Thank you, dear dove," said the ant. "You saved my life." Just then, the two animals saw a hunter nearby. The hunter was holding a net high in the air. Seeing that the hunter was about to capture the dove, the ant acted quickly. She bit the hunter hard on his leg. "Ow!" he cried, and he dropped the net on the ground. The dove flew away, and the ant walked away smiling.

"You can do it!" shouted her father, as he pushed Chloe and let go. She was going on her own, but suddenly fell. She cried, but said, "Again, daddy!" This time she went farther but fell into the ditch. A few moments later, she was riding down the street, smiling from ear to ear.

Which best represents the theme or moral?

Eleanor invited the new girl Jessica over to play. When Jessica arrived, she didn't bother to wipe her shoes. She got mud all over Eleanor's white bedroom carpet and didn't even say sorry. Then, she hopped onto Eleanor's bed and took out a cherry juice box. When cherry juice dripped onto Eleanor's bed, Jessica just shrugged. Later, when Jessica was eating some Cheetos, she wiped the orange powder on her fingers onto Eleanor's pillow. When Jessica left, Eleanor called all of her friends to tell them what happened. Jessica was never invited to play at any of their houses again.

What is the theme of this passage?

Derek's mom and dad were billionaires. Derek always got everything he wanted. When Derek was three, his parents paid the whole cast of Sesame Street to come to his birthday party. In fifth grade, when Derek wanted to win the science fair, his parents paid a tutor to create an award-winning project. In tenth grade, when Derek wanted to be the best soccer player, his parents paid for David Beckham to privately train him. By the time Derek was an adult, he was bored and struggled to find anything meaningful to do. None of the things that he could buy made him happy.

What is the theme of this passage?