Reading Comprehension

Fables are short stories, and the characters are usually animals. Today, we are going to practice matching the story elements, theme, and moral to the story “The Little Red Hen.”

The story elements are the characters, setting, problem, and solution of the story. The theme is an underlying message, or the big idea, of a story. The theme of a story is never directly told to the reader. It needs to be figured out by making an inference. An inference is a conclusion or opinion that is reached because of known facts or evidence. Inferring is like putting together puzzle pieces to determine a larger picture. Some examples of common themes are friendship, cooperation (working together), family, courage, and honesty.

In a fable, a clue to the theme is usually found at the end of the story when the moral or lesson of the story is revealed. A moral or lesson is a type of message that teaches a reader a life lesson, such as what is right or wrong, how to make good decisions, or how to treat other people.

Take a look at the word bank below and see if you can match it to the elements of the story. When you think you’ve got it, click on the story element to check your answer.