Storm Shelter Worksheet
Grade 6 • Reading Literature
Finding Topic & Theme
Name:
Date:
Period:
1
Topic (The Subject) What the text is about in 1–2 words.
Example: Family, friendship, courage.
2
Theme (The Life Lesson) The author's big message in a complete sentence.
Example: Family gives us strength when bad things happen.
Passage: The Saved Apple
Read the story below
After the wildfire swept through our valley and burned our barn to gray ash, my dad stood by the tractor with his head in his hands. It was the first time I had ever seen him look defeated. Before sadness could take over, my older sister squeezed his arm, and Nana gathered us onto the tailgate of our pickup truck. She pulled out the single apple she had saved from our kitchen and cut it into four neat slices, smiling as if she were serving a Thanksgiving feast. Huddled together in the cold air, we ate in silence, and I knew that even though we had lost our farm, we had not lost each other.
A Step 1: Choose the Best Topic (What is the story about?) Select one
Fire Prevention
Family in Tough Times
Life on a Fruit Farm
B Step 2: Write the Theme (The Life Lesson) Must be a full sentence that applies to anyone in life.
Sentence Frame: Even when people face terrible loss, family gives them the strength to...
C Step 3: Text Evidence Find proof directly from the paragraph
1. What action did Nana take to comfort the family?
2. What did the narrator realize at the very end?
6th Grade Theme Checklist: Full sentence No character names Backed by text details
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
