Lesson 8 Part 1: Introduction

Determining Theme or Central Idea

Theme: A Time to Change

Do you know the story of Spider-Man? After Peter Parker is bitten by a mutant spider, he
mostly goofs around with his new powers. He doesn’t capture criminals; in fact, he lets
one go. But this bad decision teaches Peter an important lesson: With great power comes
great responsibility. In other words, if you’re Spider-Man, you owe it to the world to use
your powers to help others. This is a major theme, or lesson, of the Spider-Man comics.

Look at the picture below. What lesson, or theme, does the picture seem to convey?

I used to be the worst player on

the team, but I practiced hard Most
Improved Player
every day, rain or shine !

Before you can describe the theme of a picture or story, you must first understand its
central idea. The central idea is what a picture or story is mainly about.

In the chart below, write two details from the picture that support its central idea.

Central Idea
The boy practiced soccer every day and became the “Most Improved Player.”

Detail Detail Detail

Used to be worst on the team he practiced everyday he got better and better

Based on the chart, describe a general lesson the reader might learn from the picture.
The
lesson in this passage is to never give up and keep on trying.

While reading, ask yourself: What lesson is the author trying to tell the reader? What
details does the author use to tell it? If you can ask and answer such questions, you’ll
succeed in the “great responsibility” of better understanding what you read.

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 Part 2: Modeled Instruction Lesson 8

Read the first four paragraphs of the following story.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Tiana’s Scar  by Maria Kane

When she was five years old, Tiana was bitten by Rex, her uncle’s dog. The bite left a small
scar on Tiana’s finger.
Now 11, Tiana still avoids dogs wherever she goes. Every morning, Tiana walks an extra
block to school to avoid walking by her neighbor’s dog, Millie. Millie lies quietly behind a
locked gate and doesn’t bark much, but Tiana insists on avoiding the dog at all costs.
When her best friend, Kim, laughed at Tiana’s extra hike one morning, Tiana exclaimed,
“I don’t care what you think! Passing a ferocious beast is not how I want to start my day.”
“OK, calm down, Tiana,” Kim responded as Tiana rushed away angrily.
(continued)

Explore how to answer this question: “What is the central idea of this part of the story?”
To find the central idea of this part of the story, underline the most important details.

In the chart below, write down the important details you find. One has been done for you. Then,
use these details to find the central idea.

Central Idea

Tiana tries to avoid dogs where ever she goes.

Detail Detail Detail

“When she was five years old, Tiana walks an extra block to Passing a ferocious beast is
Tiana was bitten by Rex, her school to avoid walking by not how I want to start my
uncle’s dog.” her neighbor’s dog, Millie day.

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 Part 3: Guided Instruction Lesson 8

Continue reading Tiana’s story. Use the Close Reading and the Hint to
help you answer the question.

Close Reading (continued from page 70)

Underline important One day, Tiana’s class took a field trip to an animal shelter.
details. Find the The tour guide explained different types of dogs and their
sentence that shows behaviors. Tiana asked the guide many questions and described
Tiana is changing.
her fear of dogs. “You should never act scared of a dog,” the
guide explained. “If you walk calmly and with confidence, dogs
are less likely to bark at you.” The guide demonstrated this for
Tiana and her class.
Walking home from school that day, Tiana decided to be brave
and give it a try. She walked confidently past Millie. At first, the
dog stood up and stared, but when it saw Tiana holding her head
high, it sat down quietly. Tiana felt proud—and not scared at all.

Hint Circle the correct answer.

Which choice best sums What sentence below best expresses a theme of this story?
up the main message of A Knowledge can help a person overcome fears.
the story? B Friends stand by you even when times are tough.
C Dogs only bark at people who act scared.
D Confidence does not help people solve problems.

Show Your Thinking

Look at the answer you chose above. Explain which details from the story helped to convey
this theme.
when she was scared of passing through her neighbors house she probably thought that the dog was

An angry dog but the animal could be a nice dod

Choose an incorrect answer. Explain to a partner why it is not a theme of the story.

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 Part 4: Guided Practice Lesson 8

Read the text. Use the Study Buddy and the Close Reading to guide your reading.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Rushmore  by Mark Santiago

1 This summer, my parents planned a trip for us to visit

Mount Rushmore. Our sixth-grade class had studied Mount
Maybe the author is Rushmore, and a visit there sounded really boring. Last
giving clues about the summer, we went to a theme park, and I went on about fifty
theme by showing how rides. Now I was supposed to enjoy staring at a huge carved
the main character
rock?
changes. I’m going to
underline sentences 2 As we drove to the airport, I prepared myself for the
that show the main boredom that I would have to endure over the next week. A
character’s feelings
few hours later, we landed in Rapid City, and we spent the
change.
afternoon driving through a wildlife park, where we saw all
kinds of amazing creatures. I was starting to think this trip
Close Reading might not be a huge waste of time after all.
Why does the narrator 3 Seeing the animals was fascinating, but nothing could
think the family trip will prepare me for what we saw the next day. We drove about
be boring? Underline
30 miles to Mount Rushmore. I knew that Mount Rushmore
the sentence that
explains why the was a mountain with the faces of the presidents George
narrator is not looking Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and
forward to the trip. Abraham Lincoln carved into its side. I’ve seen statues of
famous people before. I didn’t know why these would be any
different, but boy did I find out!
What is the narrator’s 4 When I saw the monument for the first time, I felt
final opinion of Mount frozen in my tracks. Mount Rushmore is simply majestic.
Rushmore as a place to The size of the carvings is astonishing—each head is about
see and visit? Circle
60 feet high! I never thought anything could top the theme
words or phrases that
describe the narrator’s park adventure I had last year, but now I know that sometimes
opinion at the end of a big rock can actually take my breath away.
the story.

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 Part 4: Guided Practice Lesson 8

Use the Hints on this page to help you answer the questions.
Hints
Which sentence 1 In this story, the narrator’s feelings are clues about the story’s
describes how the central idea. Which sentence from the story shares an important
narrator initially feels detail about the author’s feelings?
about the trip to Mount A “Last summer, we went to a theme park and I went on about
Rushmore? fifty rides.”
B “Our sixth-grade class had studied Mount Rushmore, and a visit
there sounded really boring.”
C “This summer, my parents planned a trip for us to visit Mount
Rushmore.”
D “I’ve seen statues of famous people before.”
Think about why the 2 Which of the following sentences best states a theme about human
narrator’s feelings about behavior as described in “Rushmore”?
the summer vacation
have changed. A People often dread situations that turn out to be fine or even
fun.
B What is pleasing to one person may be disappointing to
another.
C We should always do what we can to make the best of a difficult
situation.
D Memories of great times in the past can help us through boring
times in the present.
What aspects of the trip 3 Select two pieces of evidence from “Rushmore” that support your
surprise the narrator? answer to question 2. Check the boxes of your two choices.
What can readers learn
from the narrator’s “planned a trip for us to visit Mt. Rushmore”
feelings about the trip? “and a visit there sounded really boring”
“As we drove to the airport”
“the size of the carvings is astonishing”
“We drove about 30 miles”
“I knew that Mt. Rushmore was a mountain with the faces of
presidents”
“I’ve seen statues of famous people before.”

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 Part 5: Independent Practice Lesson 8

Read the story. Then answer the questions that follow.

Vivian’s Move
by Miguel Pereira

  1 On a gray, rainy morning, Vivian waved goodbye to the red door she had walked through for the last
time. She waved goodbye to her bus stop, which looked lonely in the rain. She waved goodbye to her favorite
bakery, the grocery store, and the neighborhood softball field, which was a swirl of cold, brown mud. She
waved goodbye to the frozen Charles River, and a tear fell down her face as she watched Boston vanish in the
rearview mirror of the truck they had rented to move their lives across the country.
  2 Vivian had known for over six months that she was going to move to San Francisco, but she didn’t
want to believe it. Boston had been her home since she was born; it was all she knew, and she loved it. After all,
Boston had the best Italian food, beautiful buildings, subways, and—most importantly—her friends. What
would she do in a new city without her friends?
  3 For the past couple of months, Vivian and her dad had been reading about San Francisco and
California. He wanted her to be excited, but she didn’t care that San Francisco was on a beautiful bay with
scenic hills. She didn’t care that the city was known for having some of the best food in the world. She didn’t
care about the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge and the warmer winters. Boston was beautiful and had
wonderful restaurants, and she adored the fall leaves and the snowy winters.
  4 Vivian and her dad took two and a half weeks to drive to San Francisco. By the time they crossed the
California state line, they had driven through twelve states, four mountain ranges, three national parks, and
countless cities and towns. Vivian felt exhausted from the long trip, and now she had to face the reality of why
she was on the trip in the first place: California was her new home.
  5 The book that said San Francisco is hilly was right. Vivian thought that “hilly” was an
understatement. She felt like she was on a roller coaster as they drove through the steep hills of the city. She
thought it was too bad that San Francisco didn’t get snow like Boston does. These hills would be amazing for
sledding! On the other hand, she thought about how much more fun the double-seated bike that she and her
dad rode around Boston would be on these hills—at least going down!
  6 After driving around for a while, Vivian’s dad stopped the truck at the top of a hill in front of a house
with a pink door. Her dad wasn’t particularly excited about the bubble-gum-colored entrance, but Vivian was
thrilled. The red door on their house in Boston suddenly didn’t feel so far away. She ran through the door, up
the stairs, and into the second room on the right, just like her dad had explained. This was her room, and it
was perfect. It had blue walls, a slanted ceiling, and a circle window that looked out on the street. The movers
already had set up her bed in the room. San Francisco was starting to feel more like home every minute.
  7 Vivian and her dad left their new house after several hours of unpacking to find somewhere to eat
dinner. They found themselves in a part of town called North Beach. Vivian smiled when she saw restaurants
with names like Mama Mia and Mangia Bene, and red, white, and green flags hanging in the windows. She
was delighted to smell the delicious aromas floating in the air. She recognized that this was the Italian section
of town and couldn’t believe how similar it was to the North End in Boston.

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 Part 5: Independent Practice Lesson 8

  8 Before going home, Vivian and her dad decided to take a trolley car to
a nearby beach. They wanted to watch the sun set on their first day in San
Francisco. When Vivian stepped off the trolley, she saw the waves lapping onto
the beach in front of the silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge. She wondered if it
were possible for San Francisco to be as wonderful as Boston. So far, San
Francisco was pretty great. She let out a sigh as she watched the sun turn colors
and fade away. She thought about how her friends in Boston were probably
asleep, and she wondered what new friends she would meet in San Francisco.

Answer Form
Answer the questions. Mark your answers to 1  A B C D
questions 1–3 on the Answer Form to the right. 2  A B C D Number
3  A B C D Correct 3

1 Which sentence helps convey the central idea that Vivian is changing her mind about the
move?
A “On a gray, rainy morning, Vivian waved goodbye to the red door she had walked
through for the last time.”
B “San Francisco was starting to feel more like home every minute.”
C “For the past couple of months, Vivian and her dad had been reading about San Francisco
and California.”
D “Boston was beautiful and had wonderful restaurants, and she adored the fall leaves and
the snowy winters.”

2 What is the central idea of paragraph 3?

A Vivian’s dad thinks San Francisco is better than Boston.

B San Francisco doesn’t get snow like Boston does.
C Vivian doesn’t want to leave Boston for San Francisco.
D Only Vivian loves the fall and the winter seasons.

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 Part 5: Independent Practice Lesson 8

3 Vivian starts to like San Francisco better when she sees ways in which it is like Boston. A reader
could agree or disagree with this statement. Choose the sentence from the story that could be
used to support agreement with the statement.
A “She thought it was too bad that San Francisco didn’t get snow like Boston does.”
B “On the other hand, she thought about how much more fun the double-seated bike that
she and her dad rode around Boston would be on these hills—at least going down!”
C “Vivian smiled when she saw restaurants with names like Mama Mia and Mangia Bene,
and red, white, and green flags hanging in the windows.”
D “She wondered if it were possible for San Francisco to be as wonderful as Boston.”

4 The story “Vivian’s Move” explores the theme that change can be both sad and exciting. Write
a short paragraph in which you describe how Vivian is feeling about her move by the end of
the story. Use details from the text to support your answer.
Vivian felt really annoyed because she was moving to San fransisco but when she got there she started to

Compare everything to what was like in Boston. After a while she started liking San Francisco more

And now she’s really happy that she moved to there.

Self Check Go back and see what you can check off on the Self Check on page 43.
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