1st - 8th Grade Theme Resources

Stories are a fantastic way to teach kids important life lessons. This reading comprehension worksheet uses the classic Aesop’s fable—The Fox and the Crow—to get your students thinking about the central lesson of a story.

Learners will practice identifying the theme of a story by reading a short passage and answering four comprehension questions.

Want to help your young readers learn to discern the central message or lesson of fictional stories? Have your students read this short version of the classic fable of the "Lion and the Mouse" by Aesop to practice determining the moral.

Examine the theme of beauty while reading and analyzing two different poems in this two-page worksheet for middle grades! 

Story webs organize a story into one main idea and several details. Help your second grader read the story, then analyze it using the story web.

What does it all mean? In this sixth-grade worksheet, students will practice using text evidence to identify the theme of a story they've read recently.

Introduce middle school readers to one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son.”

This short fictional text can be used to help students determine words and phrases the author uses to help the reader figure out the central message of the story.

In this exercise, students will work through a series of steps to identify the theme of a classic story.

Young readers practice identifying the theme of a story in this thoughtful fable about two friends who find gold in the forest.

Introduce readers to the poem “When I Was One-and-Twenty” by English poet A. E. Housman with this sixth-grade worksheet! 

This middle grades worksheet features two prompts aligned with Common Core standards for writing in response to literature, citing text evidence, and determining theme.

Introduce readers to the poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats with this poetry analysis worksheet!
 

Short stories, such as The Crow and the Jug, make great reading comprehension tools. Use this short Aesop’s fable to get your second graders thinking about central lessons and morals.

With this easy-to-use flowchart, your students will learn how to find the theme of a fictional story.

After completing R.J. Palacio’s novel Wonder, help students connect to the novel with this acts of kindness activity.

Use this worksheet to encourage critical thinking and support students’ literacy development by asking questions before, during, and after reading.

Introduce readers to the poem “Impressions” by American poet Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson with this eighth-grade reading comprehension worksheet.

Children to identify the theme of a story from the Panchatantra, an ancient collection of Indian animal fables.

Use this two-page graphic organizer to help students compare and contrast informational narratives from two different genres.

Use this resource to help your students familiarize themselves with the concept of literary themes.

Introduce readers to the inspiring poem “Thanksgiving” by American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox with this sixth-grade reading comprehension worksheet.

The Ant and the Grasshopper is a fable that teaches kids the value of hard work. Kids will focus on comprehension and predictions in this worksheet.

What if you met a snake who could make you rich? Enjoy one of the classic Panchatantra stories, animal fables from India that have a moral lesson.

Use this Novel Discussion Guide for Parents as a guide to invite your child into a book discussion about their latest reading!

Improve your child's reading skills and introduce her the classic tale of Peter Rabbit with this comprehension page, all about finding the main idea.

Fairy tales are a great way to engage your students in reading! Help them determine the central message of the classic story, The Tortoise and the Hare, with this fun reading comprehension worksheet.

Children will read this Reader's Theater script, then answer questions designed to support their understanding of the characters, story, and message of the play.

Here's a Loki myth to satisfy fans of this sneaky god: Loki and the Builder, where he tries to outwit an equally sneaky human.