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ComparingThemes
Sort and Activities
About this Resource This resource was created to allow advanced practice in determining themes.
This theme sort includes 16 half-page stories and 4 theme header cards. The
students will read each story and sort it under the one theme header that it best
fits.
This activity will allow students to think carefully about which is the best theme
for a story. It also allows them to see how the same theme can be
demonstrated through multiple plots.
After the students sort the stories, I have them take the activity a step further
with an additional activity. The additional activities are:
• Choosing two stories with the same theme and comparing and contrasting
them (this can be done several times)
• Choosing three stories and writing an additional theme for each story
• Choosing two stories with similar plots but different themes to compare and
contrast
• Choosing a theme and creating a new story that demonstrates that theme
©Jennifer Findley
DirectionsRead each story, think
about the lesson the author
wants the reader to learn,
and then sort each story
under the one theme
header that it best fits.©Jennifer Findley
Be kind even
when others are
not.
ThemeDifferences are
what make us
unique.
Theme
Working together
is better than trying
to do it alone.
ThemePersistence pays
off.
Theme
Adya loved the forest. She was often lured there by
the smell of fresh pine. The sounds of the forest
fascinated her, and she walked aimlessly through the
forest without a care in the world.
On this particular trip, Adya did not pay attention to
her path. She found herself lost in a sea of green.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps. This quickly got her
attention. She turned to see what it was.
It was a tiger. Deer have always been taught to run
away from tigers. However, she was lost and helpless,
and he was her only hope. She remembered what her
mother had taught her about kindness going a long way
in difficult situations. Well, this was definitely a difficult
situation.
“Hi, I’m Adya,” she said in a confident tone.
The tiger, Marcus looked confused. “Is she talking to
me?” he said aloud. “I am the king of this forest. I’m
strong. I glide when I walk. I’m the man! This deer can’t
be talking to me. She’s weak. She’s scared. She’s a
deer!”
“I don’t want trouble,” Adya stated. “I just need to
find my way home. If you help me, I will tell everyone
about your heroism. You will be liked even more.
Everyone will bow down to you.”
Marcus helped Adya, but he wasn’t very humble
about it. Despite his rambling, Adya continued to pile on
the kindness.
Eventually, she made it home safely. 1
Swallowing Her Pride
Daphne wasn’t good at vocabulary. She was tired
of getting bad grades on her tests, so she decided to
make a plan.
On Monday, Daphne took great notes in class.
Then, she made flash cards. The flash cards
contained the vocabulary words on one side and the
definitions on the other side.
On Tuesday, she studied the flash cards with her
mom. She also looked the words up in the dictionary
so that she could see the words in context. After
examining how each word was used, she added a
sentence to each flash card.
On Wednesday, Daphne brought her flash cards
to school with her so that her teacher could check
her sentences. If needed, she corrected the
sentences. Additionally, her mom made her a mock
exam that night. If she missed any, she extensively
studied the missed words. Then, she added a picture
to each flash card.
On Thursday, Daphne studied the spelling of each
word, the definition, the sentence, and the picture.
She went to bed on time so that she could get a
good night’s rest before her test.
When Daphne took her test on Friday, she passed
with flying colors. Daphne discovered that with hard
work and persistence, it is easy to achieve your goals.
Daphne’s Plan of Action
2
©Jennifer Findley
3
An Ant’s Lesson Friends from Different Worlds
4
A boisterous ant should be a lonely ant. That’s
what the other ants thought about Franklin. They
were tired of him bragging about his strength. They
knew that he was a worker ant. He didn’t have to
repeat it over and over! They were tired of hearing
about it, but they put up with it because he was
part of the colony.
Eventually, enough was enough. They began to
ignore him, which only made it worse. He became
more obnoxious day after day.
Jeannie, the queen ant, decided to talk to
Franklin about his bad attitude. She did not want to
be mean to him like the rest of the colony. She still
cared about Franklin. She wanted him to be a
productive, humble member of their family. Even
when Franklin irritated her nerves, she was still loving
and kind. Instead of being mean and scolding him,
she explained how his behavior was affecting
everyone else.
To further emphasize her point, she gave him a
simple test. She told him to build another mound for
the colony. While attempting to build the mound,
Franklin quickly realized that he was not as strong as
he thought he was. He returned to the queen and
thanked her for kindly teaching him a lesson in
humility. She had taught him, through kindness,
what the others had been trying to for years.
Joanie and Margaret had been friends for ten years, but
one chilly day, Joanie delivered ice cold news. They were
moving to Durham, NC. The two friends gloomily packed
Joanie’s suitcases and remembered their good times
together.
“I will never find a friend like you at my new school. We
literally have all of the same interests and hobbies. We have
to promise to stay in touch,” Joanie cried.
“Most definitely!” Margaret promised.
Joanie met Sarah the first day at her new school. Joanie
was sitting alone in the cafeteria when Sarah sat beside her.
Sarah was quite the opposite of Joanie. She wore all pale
colors, and she seemed to never talk with anyone in class but
the teacher.
“Hhhiiii,” Sarah said nervously.
“Hey, what’s on your plate?” Joanie responded with a
smile.
“A surprise with gravy,” Sarah said with a chuckle.
From that day forward, they became lunch buddies.
Eventually, they became friends.
Sarah and Joanie learned to appreciate each other’s
differences. Their differences also made it easier for them to
have interesting conversations. Sarah, it turned out, was a
whiz at mathematics and could even help Joanie with
difficult algebra. Joanie, in turn, helped Sarah learn a difficult
song that she had been trying to play on the piano for years.
Surprisingly enough, Joanie realized that finding a friend
who was different from her was actually pretty interesting.
©Jennifer Findley
5
An Exhausting Lesson Lost in the Forest
6
Jason was an awesome basketball player. He
always scored at least 25 points per game. The
other basketball players respected him. Some of
them wished for his talent.
However, as Jason’s talent grew, so did his
ego. Later in the basketball season, he began to
scold other players. He also started to hoard the
ball during games. The coach tried to talk to him.
Other players tried to talk to him. It didn’t work.
After a tough practice one day, Jason yelled,
“If I don’t play, we don’t win!”
The other players sighed in frustration at
Jason’s arrogance. They knew that they had a
game the next day and that they needed to
work together, not against one another.
However, the players decided to get together
and teach Jason a lesson. During the game, no
one else took a shot. They intentionally passed the
ball to him every time. By the end of the 3rd
quarter, Jason was exhausted. They ended up
losing the game. As far as the team was
concerned, the loss was worth it.
From that day forward, Jason recognized the
power of teamwork.
Samantha’s life was turned upside down when
she found herself going in circles in the forest. She
usually stayed on the walking trail, but she had
decided to venture deeper into the woods today.
That wasn’t a good idea. She wasn’t good with
directions. She became lost. Samantha could hear
a flowing stream of water, so she walked toward it.
Once she got there, she sat down and tried to
figure things out.
Tim, a triathlete, also found himself in a similar
situation. Instead of running two miles that day, he
ran four. After this strenuous feat, he was lost, and
his body was a dry sponge. He was close to a
stream, so decided to go and have a drink.
Samantha was relieved to see Tim at the other
end of the stream. She ran down to see him.
“I’m so glad to see you,” said Samantha. “Can
you help me get back to the walking path?”
There, beside a stream of sparkling blue water,
they worked out a plan to get back to civilization.
Within minutes, they had a plan in place, and
within the hour, they could hear noises and the
chatter of people on the walking path. They smiled
tired smiles at one another as they realized that
they were in the homestretch.
©Jennifer Findley
7
William A Wedding Meltdown
8
William was the richest man in town. He was also the meanest.
He looked around his huge bedroom and grinned at his
possessions. The doorbell sounded to remind him that his limousine
driver was waiting.
At the bottom of the stairs, his butler waited. William threw the
bags at him.
The car sped past other expensive homes in the neighborhood.
As he passed the house on the corner, he shouted for the driver to
stop. William got out of his car and rang the doorbell. Soon, a
young man answered the door.
“Do you have my money, Jacob?” William asked with a
disgruntled look on his face.
“No,” Jacob replied, “but I will have it by the end of the week.”
“You’re worthless,” said William. “I’ll never lend you money
again!”
Jacob closed the door in William’s face. He hated to be rude,
but he was about to be late for his second job. He quickly got
dressed and caught a cab to the airport.
While traveling to the terminal, bright flashes of red and blue
filled the sky. Then he noticed a black limousine. Jacob asked his
cab driver to stop. He noticed a familiar face. It was William.
“Sir, do you know this man?” asked the paramedic.
“Yes, he used to be my boss,” Jacob replied.
“Well, he’s had a heart attack. We need someone to ride with
him to the hospital.”
Jacob thought about his new job. However, he then
remembered what his parents had taught him- You must love
your fellow man. Love is not guaranteed to be received, but love
can be given.
It was Thursday. Julie’s wedding was on
Saturday, and there was so much to be done.
Julie’s budget was limited, so she decided to make
the bouquets and decorations herself.
However, she underestimated the amount of
time and work that would be required. There was
no way she was going to get everything done. She
looked out into her living room, only to see an
ocean of tulle, flowers, and faux diamonds.
Feeling overwhelmed, Julie broke down in tears.
How was she ever going to get done? Her fiancé
was working, so he couldn’t help. She had asked
her maid of honor and bridesmaids, but they were
all busy.
Toward the end of her breakdown, the doorbell
rang. Tiny tears continued to flow slowly as she
opened the door. It was her mom, sister, and aunt.
They were there to rescue her from her distress.
Tears of anxiety turned into tears of joy.
The family worked throughout the night to get
everything done. By 4:30 a.m., Julie had beautiful
bows and bouquets. She was relieved, but most of
all, she was very thankful for the help of her family
members.
©Jennifer Findley
9
Superheroes of Seattle A Change in Attitude
10
Dally had an interesting group of friends. Each
one had a unique ability. They called themselves
the superheroes of Seattle, Washington.
Michael was an outdoor enthusiast. He could
climb trees and make a fire, but he wasn’t very
sociable. Caleb was a great fisher, but he was not
a team player. He preferred to work alone. Tristan
could sing like a songbird, but he didn’t like crowds.
Dally had a very outgoing personality, and he
could be quite persuasive.
On March 3, the group of friends decided to go
on a camping trip. They were aware of each
other’s strengths and weaknesses, so they assigned
jobs accordingly. Michael scouted out the area.
He looked for the best campsite and examined the
grounds. Then he pitched their tent and started a
fire. Caleb went fishing. By the end of the night, he
had caught 50 fish! Dally went to the nearby
campsite and invited other campers to join them
for dinner. They graciously accepted. Michael built
Tristan a mini stage. It was away from the crowd,
so he was comfortable. After dinner, Tristan
provided the entertainment. The group had a
great time!
The friends did not allow their differences to
come between them. Instead, they embraced
them and put them to good use.
Jorge wanted to be a basketball star. He was the
tallest kid in his class, but he lacked athletic ability.
Whenever he tried to play with his neighbors, he would
get frustrated and quit. In fact, the boys in the
neighborhood stopped picking Jorge to be on their
team. They were tired of how he constantly quit.
One afternoon, Jorge’s dad saw how easy it was
for his son to quit. He was very disappointed. He called
Jorge into the house and talked to him about hard
work and determination. Jorge’s dad encouraged him
to learn everything he could about basketball. He
even provided him with a day-by-day tutorial on the
basics of basketball.
Jorge viewed the tutorial and practiced the moves
each day. However, whenever things got too hard, he
would quit. His dad warned him to not push himself too
hard but to also not give up. He encouraged him to
set small goals and increase them over time.
By the end of the month, Jorge started to see
improvements. His improvements gave him the
motivation to keep going.
After months of practicing, Jorge’s skills
dramatically improved. His neighborhood friends
noticed a change in his skills and work ethic, so they
invited him to play again.
©Jennifer Findley
11
Rebecca Tina’s Plan
12
Rebecca was quite rude to Tiffany. If Tiffany hadn’t
had self-confidence, she would have surely crawled
under a rock.
“Look at her,” Rebecca teased. “She’s such a
character!”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Tiffany replied.
“Your concern means a lot to me.”
Rebecca didn’t know how to respond. She wanted
to upset Tiffany, but it clearly didn’t work.
Tiffany refused to let Rebecca’s negative words
affect her. She went to school day after day with her
head held high. She was determined to be a nice young
lady even when Rebecca judged her.
Despite Rebecca’s attitude, Tiffany never spoke a
bad word about her. Her parents had taught her to
always respect others regardless of the defects in their
character.
Her positivity made the other girls in the class
recognize how rude and thoughtless Rebecca was
being. It turns out that Rebecca was just as mean to
them as she was to Tiffany. However, Tiffany’s willingness
to show great citizenship and kindness made her an
unofficial role model to the other girls. Her kindness was
duplicated by others in the class.
No one encouraged Rebecca’s negative behavior or
acted bothered by it. Because of this, Rebecca learned
to play nice.
No matter how hard Tiana tried, she could not
keep her room clean. She would clean her room on
Monday, but by Wednesday, it would be in shambles.
She decided to examine her own behavior.
This is what she found out.
Every day after school, she fixed a snack. This
would be followed by a nap. After that, she watched
a couple hours of television. Then, she completed her
homework and anything else that her parents asked
her to do. However, Tiana never took the initiative to
do anything herself.
After examining her behaviors for a week, Tiana
discovered that she was being rather lazy.
To break her laziness spell, Tiana created a daily
checklist to complete. She included all of the things
she must do on her checklist and even extra chores
she could do if she finished all of the must-do tasks.
It was not always easy sticking to the items on her
checklist, but Tiana powered through and remained
determined. After a few weeks of completing the
checklist, her actions became a habit. To her surprise,
Tiana realized that she had more time for interests
and hobbies and that she was getting all of her
chores (and then some) completed each day. Tiana
was surprised to discover that being productive and
busy was far more interesting than being lazy!
©Jennifer Findley
13
A Walk in the Park Zebras vs. Tigers
14
David walked around the park for several hours. He
was alone. He was different from others at his school
because he didn’t like the same things they did. He
knew this, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He
wanted to belong, yet he didn’t want to be fake.
“David!” yelled a voice.
David spun around. It was Megan. They had chatted
in the park before, but Megan made him nervous. She
was very popular, and David was not. However, they
could talk about anything. Megan didn’t seem to care
that David was obsessed with Star Wars and comic
books. She didn’t judge him at all.
“Hi,” he said awkwardly. “How long have you been
here?”
“Not long,” she replied. “Where are you headed?”
“Nowhere. I’ve just been wondering and thinking all
day.”
“That makes two of us,” Megan said. David looked at
Megan. Even though they were so different in their
interests and personalities, she understood him.
David and Megan continued to walk until the
darkness of the night sky surrounded them. Megan
appreciated David’s quirky personality and ability to
listen.
Time passed slowly as two people from different
worlds made wishes on the same sparkling star.
Gabrielle’s family was tired of moving around
the savanna. They were an intelligent bunch of
zebras, but they were still zebras. Because of this,
they were being bullied by two of the most
ferocious tigers in the land, Ken and Kelvin. Every
time the zebra families settled on a different spot on
the savanna, Ken and Kelvin harassed them.
Gabrielle wondered how they could defend
themselves against Ken and Kelvin.
She called a meeting and invited every zebra
family in their territory. At the meeting, she
developed a plan to confront Ken and Kelvin.
Everyone voiced their concerns. They were very
afraid of the tigers. They did not want to endanger
their children. However, they also knew the
importance of standing up for themselves. After a
heated debate, they decided to go along with
Gabrielle’s plan.
On the way home from the meeting, the zebras
were met by the tigers. They flashed their sharp
teeth. This was the zebras’ chance to be brave.
They stood up straight. They were unaffected by
the tigers’ aggression. All 15 families stood together.
There in the middle of the savanna, courage was
revealed. When Ken and Kelvin saw this, they
retreated. They were never heard from again.
©Jennifer Findley
15
A Driving Lesson A Big Problem with a Tiny Solution
16
There are many dangers on an African savanna. Jeff,
the elephant, did not think that a tiny pebble could be
one them. While on an expedition, Jeff slipped on a
pebble, fell into a hole, and injured his knee. He couldn’t
believe it! He couldn’t walk, and the tremendous pain
consumed him.
“I’m never going to get out of here,” Jeff said in a low
voice. He pondered and pondered, and then he saw Tiny.
Tiny, the ant, was always very quiet, yet he had a strong
reputation. He belonged to a well-known, hardworking
colony. His colony always had the best mounds, and they
were role models for other ants.
Jeff knew this, but there was one problem. Elephants
disliked ants. A few months ago, a few comedic ants
crawled inside Jeff’s trunk. This irritated him, and he was
very unhappy about it. After this situation, Jeff vowed to
avoid ants.
However, today was different. Today, he needed help,
and Tiny was the only one that could help him. Tiny’s small
body and climbing capabilities made him the perfect
person to assist Jeff.
“Tiny,” Jeff said reluctantly, “can you please let my
family know that I’m hurt? This is going to sound crazy
coming from an elephant, but I slipped on a pebble and
fell into this hole. I can neither walk, nor can I climb out.”
Tiny accepted Jeff’s plea for help and alerted his
family. A tiny difference can have a big effect on a
situation.
Most teenagers dream about receiving shiny
new cars on their sixteenth birthdays. However, this
does not come without work. A teen must pass a
driving course that includes a written test and
mandatory supervised driving hours.
Jill knew of this requirement, and she was
determined to pass the course. She studied her test
preparation booklet every day. She also practiced
driving with her dad and older sister.
On the day of the test, Jill was very confident
and excited. She sped through the written exam
without any problems. Then she took the driving test.
She made a few mistakes, but she was confident of
her driving ability.
Jill was wrong. She failed the written test and the
driving test. She never thought that failing was an
option. She was devastated. However, she was not
discouraged. She viewed this situation as a
temporary setback. She made up her mind to
overcome defeat.
Jill was tempted to retake the test within 30 days,
but she didn’t. She took her time, studied additional
materials, and practiced her driving. Sixty days later,
she took the test again.
Jill passed with zero errors. Her patience and
determination made the difference!
©Jennifer Findley
Be kind even when
others are not.
Differences are what
make us unique.
Working together is
better than trying to
do it alone.
Persistence pays off.
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Sort each story under the one theme statement that best represents the theme of the story.
Theme Sort Recording sheet
©Jennifer Findley
Be kind even when
others are not.
Differences are what
make us unique.
Working together is
better than trying to
do it alone.
Persistence pays off.
Story #1
Story #3
Story #7
Story #11
Story #4
Story #9
Story #13
Story #16
Story #5
Story #6
Story #8
Story #14
Story #2
Story #10
Story #12
Story #15
Theme Sort Answer key
©Jennifer Findley
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose two stories with the same theme. Compare and contrast how the stories demonstrate the
same theme.
Story: _____________________________________ Story: _____________________________________
Comparing Themes
©Jennifer Findley
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose two stories with the same theme. Compare and contrast how the stories demonstrate the
same theme.
Story: _____________________________________ Story: _____________________________________
Comparing Themes
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©Jennifer Findley
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose two stories with the same theme. Compare and contrast how the story demonstrates the
same theme.
Story: An Ant’s Lesson Story: Rebecca
Comparing Themes
Did you realize that two very different stories can have the same theme? The story titled An
Ant’s Lesson and the story titled Rebecca are two such stories that have very different plots but
the same theme.
Both stories teach the reader the power of being kind even when others are not. In An Ant’s
Lesson, the queen ant is kind to Franklin while the other ants ignore him because he boasts and
brags. In the end, the queen ant’s kindness helps Franklin learn a valuable lesson. In Rebecca,
Tiffany is consistently kind to Rebecca, despite Rebecca’s rudeness toward Tiffany and her other
classmates. By being kind when Rebecca is anything but kind, Tiffany becomes a great role
model to the other girls and causes Rebecca to reflect on her own behavior.
Even though both stories have the same theme, the stories are very different. In An Ant’s
Lesson, the main characters are ants and the problem is that Franklin is obnoxious because of his
constant bragging and the other ants have begun to ignore him. In Rebecca, the main
characters are girls and the problem is that Rebecca is being rude and mean to the others.
These two stories are great examples of how the same theme can be demonstrated through
two very different stories.
Example Response
©Jennifer Findley
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose three stories, and write additional themes that the stories have.
More than just one theme
Story Theme from Sort Activity Another Possible Theme
©Jennifer Findley
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose two stories with similar plots but different themes. Compare and contrast them.
Story: _____________________________________ Story: _____________________________________
Comparing Plots
©Jennifer Findley
Comparing plots
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Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose two stories with similar plots but different themes. Compare and contrast them.
Story: _____________________________________ Story: _____________________________________
©Jennifer Findley
A new story
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Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Choose one of the four themes from the activity. Write another story that demonstrates the same
theme.
Theme: ___________________________________________________________________________________
©Jennifer Findley
This resource was created by Jennifer Findley. It may be printed and photocopied for single classroom use. It may not be put on the Internet, sold, or distributed in any form. Check out my
store for more resources that are common core aligned.
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Thanks! Jennifer Findley
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