4.RL.2 RL.4.2 ELAGSE4RL2 4R2 RL.4.2 4.RL.KID.2 R.4.2 4.RL.9 RL.4.9 ELAGSE4RL9 RL.4.9 RL.4.9 4R9 4.RL.IKI.9 R.4.9 4.3* 4.3.A CC.1.3.4.A      E04.A-K.1.1.2 ELA.4.R.1.2 4.RC.9.RL 4.T.T.1.c

Theme

Theme: A theme of a story is a message, lesson, moral, or meaning that can be drawn from the story. It is not a summary of the story’s characters and events. The theme rises above the story itself. It is what the reader can learn from what happens to the characters in the story.

There can be more than one theme in a story.

The Lazy Lion and the Fox

There once was a Lazy Lion. He decided that he no longer wanted to hunt. Hunting was hard work. However, he did want to eat. He came up with a plan.

The Lazy Lion pretended that he was sick. He stayed in his cave all day long. The animals in the forest felt bad for him. They came, one by one, to visit him. However, whenever one of the animals entered his cave, the Lazy Lion ate him!

One day, the Fox came to visit the Lion. The Fox was very alert. He noticed things that others did not.

“Come into my cave, and sit for a while,” the Lion said, acting weak.

“You should come outside instead,” said the Fox. “The fresh air will be good for you.”

“No, no,” said the Lion. “I am too old and sick to go outside. Come in and keep me company.”

As the Fox walked towards the cave, he noticed the footprints of the other animals who had entered the Lion’s cave. He stopped and sat down.

“You must have a lot of company already,” the Fox said to the Lion.

“What do you mean?” asked the Lion.

“I see that many animals have come into your cave.” He nodded to the footprints on the ground. “But none have come out.”

Now that he was caught, the Lion decided to get up and finish the Fox. But the Fox quickly ran away. The Lion was so fat and out of shape from lying in his cave and eating too much that he could not chase the Fox.

The Fox told all the other animals of the forest what he had learned. No one visited the Lazy Lion again, and so he was very hungry.

THEME: If you are too lazy to work, you will end up hungry and weak.

Evidence:

The Lion was lazy and didn’t want to work to catch his food.

He became too fat and weak to catch his food.

Another theme?

Evidence:

The Lion tricked animals into coming into his den, where he ate them.

In the end, things did not turn out well for the Lion. His trick was found out, and he had no more food and no ability to get it without trickery.

Another theme?

Evidence:

The Fox visited the Lion to be kind, but he noticed that other animals’ footprints only went into, not out of, the Lion’s cave.

Therefore, the Fox cautiously stayed out of the Lion’s reach.

Because he was observant and cautious, the Fox did not get eaten like the other animals did.

When looking for themes of a story, think about —

What ideas are bigger than the story itself?

What can the reader learn from the story?

What message or messages can the reader infer?

What evidence from the passage supports the theme or themes?

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Go to the next page to practice identifying themes.

Theme

Pennsylvania Core Standards: CC.1.3.4.A

Determine a theme of a text from details in the text; summarize the text.

Pennsylvania Core Standards: E04.A-K.1.1.2

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text

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