Sixth graders learn how a writer’s word choice creates tone — the attitude or feeling of a piece — discovering that “shuffled wearily” and “bounced with joy” paint completely different pictures.
Students will be able to…
“She walked in” vs. “She stormed in” — same action, totally different feeling! How do a writer’s exact words create the tone of a story?
Project this and match each word choice to the tone it creates — tap a phrase, then tap the tone.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
“She walked in” vs. “She stormed in” — what changed?
Teacher models.
Class uses Match the Tone.
Students analyze tone.
Students share a phrase.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Analyze the impact of word choice on meaning and tone.
Determine the meaning of words, including figurative and connotative meanings.
Understand figurative language and word relationships.
Analyze how the author develops characters and events.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students rewrite a plain sentence twice — once with a happy tone and once with a scary tone — just by changing the word choices. A printable word-choice sheet is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.