Theme Test 2

Mr. Pig and Mr. Dog were hanging out at the food court of the animal shopping mall. Mr. Pig was eating a huge feast of pizza and drinking a large jug of fruit punch and Mr. Dog was watching him eat. "Hey, Mr. Pig. If you give me a slice of your pizza, I'll let you have the next bone I find." Mr. Pig declined, even though it hurt his stomach to eat the last three slices of pizza. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dog," Mr. Pig said, "but I paid for this pizza and it's all mine." Mr. Dog sighed and waited for Mr. Pig to finish, and then they left the animal mall together. On the way out, a hunter spotted them and gave chase. Mr. Pig normally could have escaped the hunter but since he was weighed down by such a large meal, Mr. Pig collapsed and the hunter killed him. Mr. Dog easily escaped. Later that night while returning to the scene, Mr. Dog caught the scent of something delicious and began digging around a trash can. He found a large ham bone with lots of meat and marrow still stuck to the bone. Mr. Dog happily ate. 

• Watch out for danger 

• Treat others the way you want to be treated 

• It is better to share than to be greedy.

• Don't mistreat other people

Growing up, Sally was always in the shadow of her older sister Mary. Mary always got better grades, was better at sports, and seemed to even be prettier. Sally spent a lot of time in the family's garden feeling sorry for herself. Then one day Mary needed help on a science project about plants. Due to all of her time in the garden, Sally knew a lot about plants and was able help Mary with the project. Sally was shocked that she was better at something than her sister. What is the theme? 

• Accept yourself for who you are. 

• You should always be kind to others

• Sports are not important 

• You can learn a lot from plants.

Mrs. Smith was doing a unit on healthy living with her students. All week she taught her students about eating the correct foods like fruits and vegetables. Over the weekend, some of Mrs. Smith's students were at the mall and saw her eating pizza, a milkshake, and candy. Mrs. Smith's student Molly was going to order a salad, but now decided to order junk food too.

What is the theme? 

• Actions speak louder than words 

• Never eat pizza at the mall 

• Vegetables are good for you

• You should always eat healthy

Lisheng and the Fox

Long ago in China there lived a man named Lisheng. He had just gotten married and wanted to please his new wife. More than anything, she wanted a coat made of fox fur. She asked Lisheng to buy her one, but the coat cost too much. Lisheng came up with a plan. He would find a fox and make the coat himself. So he waited in the woods until a fox approached, and he grabbed it by the tail. "My wife wants a fox coat. Could you give me your fur?" Lisheng said.

The fox replied, "I'll make a deal with you. Let go of my tail, and I'll take off my fur and give it to you."

Lisheng did as the fox asked, but the fox ran away, laughing. Lisheng had been tricked, and his wife never got a fox fur coat.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• Don't trust someone who has a good reason to lie to you.

• Slow and Steady wins the race

• If you are kind to others, you will get what you want in the end.

• Money is the root of all evil

The Fox and the Goat

Once upon a time, a fox was out walking in the woods. He did not see a well in the ground ahead, and he fell right into it. It was too deep for him to climb out. After several hours passed, a goat came walking by. The goat was feeling thirsty and saw the fox in the well. "How's the water down there?" asked the goat."Why, hello, Goat," said the fox. "The water tastes great. Why don't you come in and have a sip?" The goat jumped into the well and leaned down to start drinking. Quickly, the fox leaped onto the goat's back and used her horns to spring up and out of the well."Oh no!" said the goat. "Now I'm stuck down here. Please help me!" But the fox only said, "That was your mistake." And he ran off into the woods.

What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?

• Think about what could happen before you act.

• The fox thought only of himself.

• Don't talk to strangers

• Be kind to others

Why the Bat Flies at Night

Once upon a time, there was a war between the animals of the air and the animals of the land. The eagle would hunt and eat the rabbit. The owl was never safe from the fox. The bat had wings like the flying animals, but it had teeth like the land animals. Unsure which side to join, the bat joined whichever side was winning. When the air animals were ahead, the bat fought along with the air animals. When the land animals won a battle, the bat joined them. After many years, both sides decided to end the war. There was peace across the earth. But the animals could not forget what the bat had done. Both the air animals and the land animals felt tricked by the bat. They decided to drive the bat away. And that is why the bat hides away during the day and goes out only at night.

What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?

• People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one.

• Don't count your chickens before they hatch

• Love conquers all

• People shouldn't go to war to settle their differences.

Why the Spider Has Long, Thin Legs

Long ago there lived a spider named Anansi who had eight short legs. He was always hungry.

One day he visited Rabbit's house. Rabbit was cooking wonderful-smelling greens. He invited Anansi to stay and eat, but Anansi wanted to try other animals' foods, too. Anansi decided to spin a web and tie his leg to the pot. When the greens were done, Rabbit would tug on the web to tell Anansi to come and eat. Next, Anansi visited Monkey's home. Monkey was cooking beans. Anansi tied another leg to Monkey's pot. Now Monkey could tug on the web when the beans were ready. On he went until he had visited eight friends and tied each of his eight legs to eight different pots. Suddenly, he felt a tug on one leg. Then he felt another, and another. Soon all eight legs were being tugged in different directions. Ouch! Anansi finally untied his legs, which were now stretched long and thin. He went home to rest, still hungry.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• If you are greedy, you may end up with nothing.

• patience is a virtue

• slow and steady wins everytime

• If you wait long enough, you will get what you want.

Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus and his son Icarus were trapped on the island of Crete by King Minos. One day Daedalus saw a flock of birds in the sky. This gave him an idea. He would make two pairs of wings so that they could escape from the island.

For weeks Daedalus gathered all the feathers he could find on the ground. He glued them together with wax. Finally, he and Icarus put on the wings. Daedalus told Icarus, "Do not fly too close to the sun, or the wax will melt."

Daedalus and Icarus flapped their arms as fast as they could. They soared into the sky! As they flew upward, the island of Crete grew smaller below them. But Icarus was so excited about flying that he kept going higher and higher. "No, Icarus, no!" Daedalus shouted. It was too late. The sun had already begun to melt the wax. The feathers blew away, and Icarus fell into the sea.

What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?

• Don't be too bold

• treat others how you want to be treated

• don't judge a book by it's cover

• Don't count your blessings before they arrive

The Man with the Coconuts

One day a man gathered dozens of coconuts to sell in the village. He loaded all the coconuts onto his horse. On his way, he met a boy. "How long do you think it will take for me to reach the village?" the man asked the boy.

The boy looked at the huge pile of coconuts packed on the horse.  "If you go slowly, you will arrive very soon," the boy said. "But if you go quickly, it will take you all day long. This boy doesn't make sense! the man thought to himself. I shouldn't listen to him. The man hurried his horse along. Soon, though, the coconuts fell off the horse. The man had to stop and pick them up again. He wanted to make up for lost time, so he made his horse go even faster. The coconuts fell off again, and once more the man had to gather them. It was late at night before he reached the village.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• If you are lazy and waste time, you might not get to where you need to go.

• patience is a virtue

• Sometimes rushing can make a task take longer than it needs to.

• Good always wins over evil