Use this slideshow to help teach upper elementary students (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students) different theme skills. Students will consider how theme is different from main idea, determine the theme that best fits a story, use theme in their own writing, and more.

1. Determining Theme Practice
Laura and Clarissa hung out every day after school.
Sometimes Clarissa would make fun of Laura. She
also would trick her into doing her chores – Clarissa
hated cleaning her room, so it was nice that she
could get Laura to clean it for her. One day, Laura
told Clarissa that she was going to start hanging out
with Brittney after school instead. Laura even
stopped hanging out with Clarissa at recess.
Which theme best fits the story?
a. Friends support you even when
you make mistakes.
b. To have a good friend, you
must be a good friend.
c. Be kind to your friends and you
will be rewarded.
d. Friends do whatever it takes to
help each other.
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

2. Determining Theme Practice
When Siljo went out of town, he left his bird with his
friend Don. Don was supposed to feed it and make
sure it got a chance to fly around everyday. One
day, Don forgot that the bird was out of its cage
and he opened the front door. Siljo’s bird flew away.
Don tried to find it but he couldn’t. Don apologized
when Siljo came home. Siljo was sad, but he knew it
was an accident and wasn’t mad.
a. Friends support you even when
you make mistakes.
b. To have a good friend, you
must be a good friend.
c. Be kind to your friends and you
will be rewarded.
d. Friends do whatever it takes to
help each other.
Which theme best fits the story?
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

3. Determining Theme Practice
All of Nala’s friends had a phone, but Nala didn’t. She begged and
pleaded with her mom, and finally Nala’s mom bought her one.
Nala’s mom told her not to use the phone until they had bought a
case for it, but Nala was too excited. She wanted to show her friends.
While Nala was taking a selfie with her best friend, she accidently
dropped her phone. The screen shattered, and Nala was horrified. Her
new phone was already broken.
Nala’s mom made her pay $50.00 to fix the screen. When she got
the phone back, she wrapped it in a pair of socks and stored it safely
until she had bought a case for it. She wasn’t going to risk breaking it
again.
Learn from your
mistakes.
Which statement below could be the theme of the passage?
Which statement could be the main idea of the passage?
Which statement is a detail from the passage?
A girl breaks her phone
and then decides to
keep it safe until she
gets a case.
Nala wrapped her
phone in a pair of socks
so it wouldn’t break.
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

4. Determining Theme Practice
Which of the main idea statements below could be for a story that
has the theme “We are stronger together than we are apart.”
Hint: There are 3 possible answers. Find all 3!
Blake has to finish his
homework before he is
allowed to play video
games.
A class works together
to stop the school bully.
The lone penguin dies
from the cold, but the
penguins that stayed in a
group were able to
huddle for warmth.
Deion protests an unfair
rule. Nobody listens until
the whole community
gets involved.
After waiting patiently all
day, the crocodile finally
gets a meal.
Jessica hides a broken toy
so her sister won’t get
mad.
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

5. Determining Theme Practice
Amal and Jake were building a maze using
simple machines. They had been working on this
project for weeks, and it was due tomorrow. Jake
grabbed the lever to make a few adjustments and
ended up breaking it in half. Amal was really upset.
He had worked hard on that lever. He took a deep
breath, reminding himself that Jake had not broken
it on purpose. He told Jake not to worry about it.
Right now, the theme of this story could be
“Friends forgive each other when they make
mistakes.”
Change details in the story so that the theme is
“If at first you don’t succeed, try again.”
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

6. Determining Theme Practice
Write a paragraph about a child at home
alone with one of the following themes:
Do the right thing, even when it is hard.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Everyone has a place where they belong.
Share your story with a partner. See if they
can figure out the theme.
© 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.

7. Graphics by: A Peace of Africa © 2019 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Determining Theme Practice
Find more free theme tips, freebies, and
ideas here.
Or, check out these
low prep theme activities!