This reading comprehension worksheet is best used as an independent practice to support your identifying themes teaching presentation. 

In this worksheet, students are given 3 short stories to read. They will then write a theme sentence for each story, and underline the text evidence that led them to the theme they identified. 

Identifying Themes Worksheet Scaffolding and Extension Tips 

This worksheet could also be completed with a peer group or pair in order to facilitate conversation. It also works well when used in the middle of your lesson. Simply project the worksheet up on the board and work through it together as a class. 

To extend this activity (or keep fast finishers busy) ask students to write or discuss the following with a partner: What changes to the story would change the theme? 

Students can also discuss or list additional texts, shows, movies, etc. that share the same theme as the examples, and provide evidence to support their assessment. 

To support struggling students, underline some of the textual evidence before printing to help the students determine the theme. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Because this resource includes an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy of the entire file. Then, make photocopies of the blank worksheet for students to complete.  

Turn this teaching resource into a sustainable activity! Print a few copies on cardstock and slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a dry-erase marker, then erase and reuse. 

You can also project the worksheet onto a screen and work through it as a class by having students record their answers in their reading notebooks. 

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. An answer key is also included with this download.

Get more handy worksheets here!  

This resource was created by Jennifer Hall, a teacher in North Carolina and a Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more reading comprehension activities we know your students will love:  

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