💡 The theme is the big lesson or message in a story. It's what
the author wants you to learn.
Common Themes:
• Be kind to others • Hard work pays off • Be yourself • Friends help each
other • Don't give up • Honesty is important • Treat others how you want to be treated
The Ant and the Grasshopper
All summer long, an ant worked hard gathering food and storing it in her nest. A grasshopper spent his days singing and playing instead of preparing for winter. "Why not relax with me?" the grasshopper asked. "I am preparing for winter," said the ant, "and you should too." When the cold winter came, the grasshopper had no food and was hungry, while the ant's nest was full and warm.
Question
Your Answer
What is the theme/moral of this story?
Which character's actions best showed this theme?
What mistake did the other character make?
2 Match the Story to the Theme
🔗 Read each mini-story. Draw a line to the best theme.
Diego wanted to quit the chess club after losing his first three matches. His coach encouraged him to keep practicing, and after months of effort, Diego won the school championship.
Everyone laughed at Priya's mismatched socks and bright striped backpack. She kept wearing what she liked anyway, and soon other kids started copying her fun style.
Malik saw a classmate drop her lunch tray in the cafeteria. Even though his friends were waiting, he stopped to help her clean it up.
Hard work and practice pay off
Be yourself — it's okay to be different
Kindness matters, even in small moments
3 Find the Theme
📖 Read the story. Choose the BEST theme from the options.
The Careful Carpenter
A young carpenter named Ravi was building a treehouse for the neighborhood kids. He wanted to finish quickly, so he skipped measuring some of the boards carefully. When he tested the ladder, it wobbled dangerously because the steps weren't even. Ravi took the ladder apart and rebuilt it slowly, measuring every board twice this time. The finished treehouse was sturdy, and all the kids agreed it was the safest one on the block.
A Building things is always difficult.
B Taking your time and being careful leads to better results.
C Treehouses should always have ladders.
D Kids should not help build things.
Why did you choose that answer?
4 Create a Story with a Theme
✍️ Choose a theme. Then write a short story (3–5 sentences) that teaches that
lesson.
Pick a ThemeDon't give upBe a good friendTell the truth
My theme:
5 SBA Performance Task: Extended Response
This section is like a performance task on the state test. Read carefully, find evidence, and write a complete response.
Question: What is the theme or lesson of this story? Use two details from the text to explain how the author develops this theme.
My claim or answer:
Evidence 1: (Quote or detail from the text)
Evidence 2: (Another quote or detail)
My explanation: (Connect the evidence to your claim in 2-3 sentences)
+ Bonus Reading Practice
Use this short practice to extend Set 2.
Topic words: library, shelf, book, clue
1. Write one sentence using two of the words above.
2. What detail would you expect to find in a passage about this topic?
3. Write one inference a reader could make from a text about this topic.