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

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Thanks! Jennifer Findley