💡 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 Fox and the Grapes
A hungry fox spotted a bunch of juicy grapes hanging from a high vine. He jumped again and again, but the grapes were always just out of reach. After several failed attempts, the tired fox walked away and muttered, "Those grapes were probably sour anyway." He convinced himself he never wanted them in the first place, just to feel better about giving up.
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.
After failing his first three spelling tests, Andre studied a little every night instead of giving up. By the end of the year, he earned the highest score in his class.
Bianca noticed a substitute teacher looking lost in the hallway. She stopped what she was doing to walk him to the right classroom.
Some classmates teased Yusuf for always doodling dragons in his notebook margins. He kept drawing anyway, and his dragons became famous around the whole school.
Hard work and practice pay off
Kindness matters, even in small moments
Be yourself — it's okay to be different
3 Find the Theme
📖 Read the story. Choose the BEST theme from the options.
The Practice Field
Coach Diaz noticed that some players skipped practice whenever a game felt unimportant. He explained that every practice, no matter how small the game, helped build better habits for bigger challenges. A few players took his advice and practiced harder, even during easy weeks. By playoff season, those players performed the best under pressure because they never skipped their preparation.
A Practice only matters for big games.
B Consistent effort, even in small moments, builds success later.
C Coaches should cancel all practices.
D Games are more important than practice.
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 6.
Topic words: school, poster, teacher, idea
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.