Theme or Topic?
Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher
"Theme or Topic?" is written for 6th Grade (Ages 11-12), and it covers Common Core RL.6.2. If your student is a year younger but already steady on story elements, the page still works. You may just need to read the instructions out loud. And if they are older and theme never quite stuck, this is a short review rather than busywork.
6th grade reading worksheet: sort 10 items like Courage and Honesty into topic or theme, then turn 4 topics into themes. Answer key included. Part of our theme story elements collection. Aligned to Common Core standards.
How do I use this worksheet?
Use Theme or Topic? as a warm-up, then assign one story from Find the Theme in Three Short Stories at a time. How Details Build a Theme works well as a partner chart.
What students will practice
- Students will decide whether each of 10 phrases and sentences is a topic or a theme.
- Students will tell short topics like Growing up from full theme statements about life.
- Students will turn 4 topics, such as loyalty and patience, into complete theme sentences.
Curriculum Links
Common Core State Standards
Reading: Literature · 6th Grade
Standard: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
View all RL.6.2 worksheets →Find this in the curriculum
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FAQ
How do I use this theme worksheet?
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Use Theme or Topic? as a warm-up, then assign one story from Find the Theme in Three Short Stories at a time. How Details Build a Theme works well as a partner chart.
What does this worksheet teach?
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Sort 10 items like Courage and Honesty into topic or theme, then turn 4 topics into themes. A topic is one word or short phrase that names what a story is about, but a theme is a full sentence that states its message about life. The directions on the page read: Circle topic or theme in Part A. In Part B, write a theme for each topic as a sentence. An answer key is included.
Can I use this theme worksheet for homeschool or classroom?
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Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade story elements, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with theme. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.
How do you write a theme statement?
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Write a complete sentence about life, not one word. Theme or Topic? turns topics like loyalty into themes such as loyal friends stand by you when things go wrong.
How do details build a theme?
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Key moments, when a character acts, changes or learns, add up to the message. How Details Build a Theme traces 4 moments in The Lot on Fifth Street, where one girl's daily cleanup spreads to her whole neighborhood.
Can two different texts share a theme?
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Yes. Theme in a Fable and a Poem pairs The Beaver Who Built Alone with the poem The Knot, and both show that asking for help can solve a problem you cannot solve alone.
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Worksheet Details
| Grade | 6th Grade |
| Subject | Reading |
| Topic | Story Elements |
| Standard | RL.6.2 |
| Pages | 1 page |
| Difficulty | Medium |
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