Merchant’s Lesson

This literature analysis worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 to strengthen understanding of theme, moral lessons, and character motivation in narrative texts. Students read the fable The Greedy Merchant, identify its underlying message about honesty and greed, and explain how key events reveal and develop that lesson using evidence from the story.

Learning Goals

• Determining Theme & Moral (Grades 5-7)
  Students identify the central lesson the story teaches about values and behavior.
• Analyzing Characters & Motivation
  Learners examine how the merchant’s choices drive the message of the fable.
• Using Textual Evidence
  Students support interpretations with specific story events and details.
• Literary Reasoning & Reflection
  The activity builds connections between actions, consequences, and ethical insight.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with upper elementary and middle school ELA standards.
• Classic Fable Structure
  Accessible narrative supports moral reasoning and comprehension.
• Focused Analytical Prompts
  Guides students from identification of theme to explanation.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for theme lessons, fable units, guided reading, or assessment.

This printable worksheet gives students meaningful practice with identifying themes and explaining how stories convey moral lessons. By analyzing The Greedy Merchant, learners strengthen critical thinking, reading comprehension, and evidence-based interpretation skills. Suitable for classroom instruction or homeschool use, this no-prep resource supports confident analysis of literary themes and ethical messages.

This worksheet is part of our Grade 6 Reading Comprehension collection.