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Mini-Lessons (continued)
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Plot
Teach
Define plot as the series of events in a story.
Explain that a plot has an exposition that
introduces characters and setting; a conflict;
a series of middle events; a climax, or turning
point; and a resolution.
Model
Help students understand plot by reading aloud
the following story:
Rob wanted to earn money for a bike.
How could he find work in the country?
Rob thought he could deliver newspapers.
But the houses were too far apart. Then
Rob had another idea. It took a long time
for folks to travel into town. Rob could
pet sit while they were away. Soon Rob
had earned enough money for the bike.
Think Aloud: I’ll think about the plot. Rob, who
is way out in the country, has a conflict—he
needs to earn money, but he’s not sure how.
The middle events are: Rob thinks about delivering
newspapers; he realizes that it is not a good idea.
The climax occurs when Rob gets an idea that
people will pay him to pet sit. The resolution is
that Rob pet sits and, as a result, earns money.
Practice/Apply
Distribute Reproducible 7. Have students read the
story and focus on the plot.
Ask: What problem does Paula face? (Paula
wants to eat lunch with her best friend, but her
friend ignores her.)
Then have students complete the Reproducible
on their own.
Answers to Reproducible (R7)
2. Paula stomps out of the lunchroom.
She destroys the congratulations card.
3. Myung apologizes.
4. They are still best friends, and Paula is
singing, too.
Theme
Teach
Explain that theme is the central idea or insight
about life an author wants readers to understand.
Tell students that the theme is the general
message of a story.
Model
© Triumph Learning, LLC
Help students understand theme by reading
aloud a familiar fable:
A lion was awakened by a mouse. The
mouse pleaded for his life, noting that he
could help the lion one day. The angry lion
laughed, but he did let the little mouse go.
Some time later, the mouse saw that the lion
was caught in a hunter’s net. The mouse
nibbled the net until the lion could crawl out.
Think Aloud: What does the author want me to
understand about life? The lion didn’t think the
little mouse could help, but the mouse was a big
help. I think the theme is, “Size doesn’t matter.
Everyone can help.”
Practice/Apply
Distribute Reproducible 8. Have students read the
story and focus on theme.
Ask: What is the theme of this story?
(C. Sometimes we need the help of others.)
Then have students complete the Reproducible
on their own.
Answers to Reproducible (R8)
2. Possible answer: Mr. Perez didn’t want help
until the tornado taught him that even he
needed help.
3. B, C, D
4. Possible answer: Neighbors come to help,
and Mr. Perez doesn’t protest.
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Name: _____________________________________ Date: _________________
Theme
Theme is the central idea or insight about life an author wants readers to
understand. The theme is the general message of a story.
Read the story. Answer the questions about the theme.
Mr. Perez worked alone in his yard from morning until night. One hot, sunny day, Mr. Ma
saw him planting a tree. “You look like you could use a hand,” he offered. But Mr. Perez said,
“Thanks, but no thanks. I know just how to do it.” Blacktopping a driveway is hard work, but
Mr. Perez refused help, even from the teenage boys next door. His heavy stone planters were
made by hand—Mr. Perez’s own hands, with help from no one.
Then one day, things changed for everyone. A tornado ripped through the neighborhood.
Mr. Perez’s home sustained a lot of damage. He sat dazed in the front yard when Mr. Ma came
by with some other neighbors. They all carried tools of one kind or another. Mr. Perez was too
stunned to protest. By the end of the day, the neighbors were beginning to understand how to
rebuild a house, and Mr. Perez was beginning to understand something, too.
1.
Which sentence best describes the theme of the story? Circle the letter.
A. Neighbors can be nosey.
B. It’s best to be independent.
C.Sometimes we need the help of others.
D. Don’t turn away gifts.
2.
Why did you choose that answer?
3.
Which plot events helped you determine the theme? Circle the letters.
A. Mr. Ma wanted to plant a tree.
© Triumph Learning, LLC
B. Mr. Perez wouldn’t allow Mr. Ma to help him.
C. Mr. Perez didn’t want the boys next door to help him blacktop the driveway.
D. Mr. Perez made heavy stone planters on his own.
4.
What is another plot event that helped you determine the theme?
R8
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Answer Keys (continued)
recliner to get the remote control.
He is so lazy he decides to wait for
someone to give it to him.
Coached Example
1.B
2.D
Lesson Practice
1.C
2.A
3.B
4.D
5. Answers will vary. Sample
answer: Ruby pours salt into
Keisha’s milk because Keisha
belittled her career choice.
When Ruby says she wants
to be a kindergarten teacher,
Keisha says Ruby will be
“babysitting noisy brats,” and
she calls the job “boring.”
6. Students should match A to 4;
B to 5; C to 1; D to 6.
7. Students should choose B, C,
and G.
8. Part A: C; Part B: D
9. Part A: Students should
underline “How can I choose
this sad piece of soil over
family and loyalty? he thought
to himself, his anger and
resolve fading.”
Part B: C
Lesson 4
Thinking It Through
Answers will vary. Sample answer:
The theme is: Don’t be afraid to try
new things.
Coached Example
1.A
2.B
Lesson Practice
1.B
2.B
3.D
4.A
5. Answers will vary. Sample
answer: The fable is about
a group of beavers who
play instead of building their
6. 7. 8. 9. dam and end up in danger
and without a home. The
connection to Jian is that
the beavers, like Jian, put off
doing what they need to do
and pay a price.
Students should circle
“argument is, on the other
hand, a great emboldener” and
underline “‘If none of the rest of
you dare,’ she said, ‘Jim and I
dare. Back we will go, the way
we came, and small thanks
to you big, hulking, chickenhearted men!’”
Part A: C; Part B: A, D
Part A: D
Part B: Answers will vary.
Students should underline
details with descriptions of
events frightening to Jim and
his mother. For example, “the
fall of coals in the kitchen
grate, the very ticking of the
clock, filled us with alarm”;
“The neighborhood, to our
ears, seemed haunted by
approaching footsteps”; and
“there were moments when,
as the saying goes, I jumped in
my skin for terror.”
Part A: Students should circle
“Jim and his mother ask
residents of the hamlet for
help” and “Jim’s mother says
they will return to defend
the inn.”
Part B: Answers will vary.
Students should begin their
summary with an original
sentence, and then use the
two sentences they chose
in Part A to complete the
summary. One summary might
be: Jim and his mother are
frightened after the sailor’s
death. They travel to the
hamlet and ask residents for
help, but the residents refuse.
Jim’s mother says they will
return to defend the inn.
Lesson 5
Thinking It Through
Answers will vary. Sample
answer: This passage follows the
Forbidden Love story line. In the
passage, Hannah and Leon want
to be together, but they can’t, so
their love is forbidden.
Coached Example
1.B
2.A
Lesson Practice
1.D
2.B
3.A
4.C
5. Answers will vary. Sample
answer: The story line changes
because in passage 1, Eliza
wants to learn how to speak
properly. In passage 2, Javier
wants to learn how
to skateboard.
6. Part A: Students should circle
“The Great Quest.”
Part B: From “The Minotaur,”
students might underline,
“And at last, in an open space,
at the very center of the
labyrinth, he did discern the
hideous creature. . . .” From
“The Running Back,” students
might underline, “The end
zone still wasn’t visible; Tucker
raced toward safety and
victory by instinct.”
7. Students should write Theseus
and Tucker under “Hero,”
Minotaur and Defender under
“Villain,” and Ariadne and
Quarterback under
“Sidekick.”
8. A, B, D
9. Part A: C; Part B: A
Lesson 6
Thinking It Through
Answers will vary. Sample answer:
The irony in the passage is as
follows: you would think Brandon
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4
Theme and Summary
RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.10
Getting the Idea
The theme of a literary work is its central message or lesson . Many stories,
plays, and poems have themes, although they are usually not stated directly
in the text . One exception is the fable, in which the author often states the moral
at the end of the story . Themes are general statements about life and people .
The specific characters and events in the texts are just a means of expressing
these statements .
Think about the tale of the shepherd boy who cried wolf . He cries “Wolf! Wolf!”
repeatedly, bringing the villagers running to help; time after time they discover he
was lying . Finally, when a wolf actually appears, they ignore the boy’s cries, and
the wolf devours his sheep . The story teaches the importance of telling the truth .
Its theme could be stated as “Honesty is the best policy .” Common themes in
literature include the following:
• Ifatfirstyoudon’tsucceed,tryagain.
• Peoplegetwhattheydeserve.
• Sacrificesoftenbringrewards.
• Behappywithwhatyouhave.
• Appearancescanbedeceiving.
• Goodtriumphsoverevil.
A text may have more than one theme . William Shakespeare’s plays often teach
multiple lessons on love, friendship, greed, pride, and trusting the wrong person .
Authors sometimes develop a theme through the use of recurring images in a
setting, or similar events in a plot . In other words, they use repetition to draw
attention to an important idea . In Death of a Salesman, playwright Arthur Miller
refers to planting many times . At the beginning of the play, the central character,
Willy Loman, complains, “The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot
in the backyard .” Toward the end of the play, he looks for a seed store because
he wants to plant peas and carrots . Later, he goes out to plant seeds in the
middle of the night .
54 • Chapter 1: Reading Literature
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
• Loveconquersall.
Lesson 4: Theme and Summary
The idea of planting seeds is central to the play’s themes . Near the end of his life, Loman
realizes that he has failed as a salesman, a husband, and a father . His attempt to plant seeds
shows that he wants to leave something behind after he is gone . This could be security for
his family, a legacy, or something to show he led a meaningful life . Loman never gets to
plant his garden, supporting the themes of failure and unfulfilled dreams .
While a theme captures an essential message of a story, a summary is a short retelling
of the story in the reader’s own words . It should give the basic elements: the main idea
or theme and the most important details of the story . It should not include minor details,
information from outside the story, or the reader’s opinion or judgments about the story .
A summary of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” for example, would
include only the major plot points . It might look like this: Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane is an
outsider competing against local hero Brom Bones for Katrina Van Tassel’s hand in marriage
in the supposedly haunted town of Sleepy Hollow. One night Crane attends a party at Van
Tassel’s home, where he plans to propose to her. Instead, Crane leaves the party rejected
and spooked from the ghost stories Bones and others tell. On his ride home, Crane runs into
the legendary Headless Horseman, who throws his head at him. Crane is never heard from
again, and his mysterious disappearance becomes another ghost story . This summary gives
you a good sense of what the story is about without getting into too many details .
Thinking It Through
Read the following paragraph, and then answer the question that follows.
Meg looked at the spinach on her plate and scrunched up
her nose. It looked awful. But her mother was staring at her
from across the table. Meg raised a forkful of spinach to her
mouth and took a bite. She was happily surprised.
What is the theme of the passage?
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
HINT
What lesson does Meg learn?
DISCUSS
How would you summarize this passage? How is the summary
different from the theme?
55
Coached Example
Read the passage and answer the questions.
The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat
adapted from a fable by Aesop
Long ago, the birds were at war with the beasts. Through the years, the power
shifted. Sometimes the birds won the battle, and sometimes the beasts won. The
bat, never knowing how a battle might end, always fought on the side he felt
was the strongest. Finally, peace was made, and the birds and the beasts became
friends. The bat’s dishonest conduct became apparent to both sides. The birds
and the beasts decided to punish the disloyal bat and drove him away. From that
day, the bat has hidden himself in dark places and is friends with neither birds
nor beasts.
What is the theme of the passage?
A. One who plays for both sides will
end up friendless.
B. It is better to try and fail than not
to try at all.
C. Birds and beasts should live
separately.
D. Nothing good comes of war.
HINT
Think about what happens to the bat and
choose the best answer.
56 • Chapter 1: Reading Literature
2.
Which word from the passage gives the
BEST clue about the theme?
A. strongest
B. disloyal
C. beasts
D. war
HINT
The correct answer is the word most
directly related to the theme.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
1.
Lesson 4: Theme and Summary
Lesson Practice
Use the Reading Guide to help you understand the passage.
Reading Guide
Think about the central
message or lesson
the writer wants to
communicate.
Look for recurring images
or events as you read the
passage.
Jian Writes a Book Report
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Jian yelled, “Go long!” and tossed the football to his brother,
Li. The ball sailed through the air. Jian watched as Li made a
spectacular catch. In an instant, Li whipped the ball back to Jian.
“Not bad!” Jian called out, running to catch Li’s return.
“Not bad?” Li scoffed. “That doesn’t mean much, coming
from you. You catch like a girl.”
“Thank you,” their sister, Bai, said from the back porch.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Jian grinned as he hurled the ball into the air. “I’m so sure
that’s what Li meant.”
Bai got up to go indoors. “Okay, guys, I have to do my
homework. Jian, don’t you have a book report due next week?”
Jian shrugged and dove for the ball. “I’ve got plenty of time.
Next week’s a long way off.
“That’s what you always say,” Bai replied before going into
the house.
Later that afternoon, Jian sat down at his computer to write
his book report. It had been a long time since he had even looked
at the book. He scanned the first few pages, and then he stared at
the computer screen. It stared back, uncooperative. Li came into
their room and asked him if he wanted to play a board game. Jian
enthusiastically agreed and turned off his computer. Then they
settled into a long game of Risk, his favorite.
As they were playing, their mom came home from work.
She called Jian into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.
“It’s your turn to clean out the refrigerator. I reminded you
this morning.”
“Sorry, Mom. I meant to, but I’ve been working on this
book report.”
Bai heard Jian’s words from the living room and cleared her
throat loudly. Jian pretended not to notice. “I’ll do it right now,
Mom.”
“It’s too late now. It’s dinnertime. Please do it tomorrow.”
57
Why does Bai tell Jian
about the fable?
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
How does the ending of
the passage support the
theme?
Jian promised and returned to the living room, glaring at Bai
as he walked by. As their mother prepared dinner, Bai watched
her brothers play. Finally, she said, “You know who you remind
me of, Jian? Those beavers in that fable who wanted to play with
their friends instead of building a dam. Next thing they knew,
they had no homes. They were also being chased by wolves.”
Jian glanced up from the board game. “Luckily, we don’t live
near wolves.”
Bai shrugged. “We’ll see who laughs last.”
The next day, Jian got himself a snack from the refrigerator.
He paused as he looked inside, remembering he was supposed to
clean it. But Jian figured he still had three hours before his mom
came home. He sat down to watch his favorite show on TV.
His friend Chris called him halfway through the show. “Hi,
Jian. Did you speak to your Little League coach about my trying
out for the team? You’d said you would.”
“Oh, um . . . well . . .”
“Oh, come on, Jian! You’ve been saying you’re going to ask
him for two weeks now. What are you waiting for?”
Jian thought that was a really good question. Unfortunately,
he didn’t have a really good answer. He promised to ask Coach
Rivers the next day.
Later that night, Jian heard his mother yell for him from the
kitchen. After their conversation, he super-promised her he would
clean the refrigerator the next day. She super-promised to ground
him for a week if he didn’t keep his super-promise.
Two nights later, Jian stayed up all night writing his book
report. His sister walked past his room, singing, “Someone’s in
trouble.” She was right. Jian received a D on his report, and the
teacher called his mother in for a consultation. Jian realized he
was going to be grounded after all.
58 • Chapter 1: Reading Literature
Lesson 4: Theme and Summary
Answer the following questions.
1.
Which character in the passage learns
a lesson?
3.
A.Bai
A. by stating it directly in the passage
B.Jian
B. by showing how well Jian and Li
get along
C.Li
C. through a description of Bai’s secret
thoughts
D.Chris
2.
D. through repeated examples of Jian’s
lack of action
What is the theme of the passage?
A. Think of others before you think
of yourself.
B. Don’t put off till tomorrow what
you should do today.
C. If at first you don’t succeed, try
again.
D. You can’t always get what
you want.
5.
How does the author demonstrate
the theme?
4.
Which element in the passage MOST
helps develop the theme?
A. the dirty refrigerator
B. the football game
C. the mother’s job
D. the back porch
What is the connection between the fable Bai mentions and Jian? Use examples from
the passage in your response.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
59
Use the Reading Guide to help you understand the passage.
excerpted and adapted from
Reading Guide
What causes Jim and his
mother to travel to the
neighboring hamlet?
Remember that repeated
ideas often point to a
theme. What idea is
repeated in paragraph 1?
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The narrator, Jim, lives with his mother at his family’s inn, the
Admiral Benbow. An old sailor, Billy, has been staying at the inn. In
ill health, Billy is cared for by Doctor Livesey and has received visits
from a former shipmate, Black Dog, and from a mysterious blind
man. As the passage begins, Billy has just had a fatal stroke.
I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I
knew, and perhaps should have told her long before, and we saw
ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position. Some of
the man’s money—if he had any—was certainly due to us, but
it was not likely that our captain’s shipmates, above all the two
specimens seen by me—Black Dog and the blind beggar—would
be inclined to give up their booty in payment of the dead man’s
debts. The captain’s order to mount at once and ride for Doctor
Livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected, which
was not to be thought of. Indeed, it seemed impossible for either
of us to remain much longer in the house; the fall of coals in the
kitchen grate, the very ticking of the clock, filled us with alarm.
The neighborhood, to our ears, seemed haunted by approaching
footsteps; and what between the dead body of the captain on
the parlor floor and the thought of that detestable blind beggar
hovering near at hand and ready to return, there were moments
when, as the saying goes, I jumped in my skin for terror.
Something must speedily be resolved upon, and it occurred to
us at last to go forth together and seek help in the neighboring
hamlet. No sooner said than done. Bareheaded as we were, we
ran out at once in the gathering evening and the frosty fog. . . .
60 • Chapter 1: Reading Literature
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
As you read, reflect on
the main plot points that
help you understand what
happens to the narrator.
Treasure Island
Lesson 4: Theme and Summary
As you read a detail or
description, think about
whether or not it belongs in
a summary of the text.
What realization do Jim
and his mother come to in
paragraph 3?
Remember that a summary
is objective. It includes the
main idea or theme and
the most important details,
not your own thoughts
about the story.
It was already candle-light when we reached the hamlet, and
I shall never forget how much I was cheered to see the yellow
shine in doors and windows; but that, as it proved, was the best
of the help we were likely to get in that quarter. For—you would
have thought men would have been ashamed of themselves—no
soul would consent to return with us to the Admiral Benbow.
The more we told of our troubles, the more—man, woman,
and child—they clung to the shelter of their houses. The name
of Captain Flint, though it was strange to me, was well enough
known to some there, and carried a great weight of terror. Some
of the men who had been to field-work on the far side of the
Admiral Benbow remembered, besides, to have seen several
strangers on the road, and, taking them to be smugglers, to have
bolted away; and one at least had seen a little lugger in what we
called Kitt’s Hole. For that matter, anyone who was a comrade
of the captain’s was enough to frighten them to death. And the
short and the long of the matter was, that while we could get
several who were willing enough to ride to Doctor Livesey’s,
which lay in another direction, not one would help us to defend
the inn.
They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on
the other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had said
his say, my mother made them a speech. She would not, she
declared, lose money that belonged to her fatherless boy. “If
none of the rest of you dare,” she said, “Jim and I dare. Back we
will go, the way we came, and small thanks to you big, hulking,
chicken-hearted men! We’ll have that chest open, if we die for it.
And I’ll thank you for that bag, Mrs. Crossley, to bring back our
lawful money in.”
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
61
Answer the following questions.
6. Read the final paragraph of the passage. Circle a theme that the paragraph supports.
Underline a detail you might include in a summary of the passage.
7. Use your answer to Part A to answer Part B.
Part A
Which theme is BEST supported by paragraph 2 of the passage?
A. Strangers make people fearful.
B. Bravery is not common among those in a small town.
C. Fear can overcome the desire to help others.
D. People are motivated by fear to argue with others.
Part B
Which two details from the paragraph BEST support the answer to Part A?
A. “The more we told of our troubles, the more—man, woman, and child—they clung to
the shelter of their houses.”
B. “I shall never forget how much I was cheered to see the yellow shine in doors and
windows; but that, as it proved, was the best of the help we were likely to get in that
quarter.”
C. “The name of Captain Flint, though it was strange to me, was well enough known to
some there, and carried a great weight of terror.”
E. “It was already candle-light when we reached the hamlet.”
62 • Chapter 1: Reading Literature
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
D. “For—you would have thought men would have been ashamed of themselves—no soul
would consent to return with us to the Admiral Benbow.”
Lesson 4: Theme and Summary
8.
Use your answer to Part A to answer Part B.
Part A
Which BEST describes how the author uses repetition to develop a theme in paragraph 1?
A. He relates the conversations between Jim and his mother to develop a theme relating to
the dangers of running an inn.
B. He discusses the sailor’s money to develop a theme relating to the ways in which money
can be dangerous.
C. He details noises the characters hear to develop a theme relating to how people are
frightened by sound.
D. He describes ways the characters are frightened to develop a theme relating to how one
reacts to fear.
Part B
Underline three details in the paragraph that support your answer to Part A.
9.
Use your answer to Part A to answer Part B.
Below are three events described in the passage.
Jim and his mother ask residents of the hamlet for help.
Events
Men working near the inn describe strangers near the road.
Jim’s mother says they will return to defend the inn.
Part A
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Circle the two events that would be BEST to include in a summary of the passage.
Part B
On the lines below, write a three-sentence summary of the passage. Include information
from the two sentences you chose in Part A in your summary.
63