Gentle sleep eludes poor King Henry IV. Uneasy under the weight of his responsibilities, Henry contemplates the darkness of the night and in his soul. To develop their skill reading difficult text, class members engage in a close reading...

How are mood and tone similar? Different? Help your readers understand the difference between the two with this helpful guide. On the first page, they read the definition for both tone and mood and identify words that are describe each....

The Olmec were an ancient people native to Mexico who lived from 1000-500 BC. Young artists examine the Olmec piece Seated Figure to analyze the use of body language to communicate a tone or feeling. They then use clay or play-dough to...

Ever heard of CTE? A passage about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) provides the text for a reading comprehension check. The subject matter is sure to engage your readers and the questions, based on the passage, assess whether high...

Analyze the motivation, purpose, and value of letters to the editor by examining letters written in response to the violence at Columbine High School. For homework, middle and high schoolers write their own letters to the editor about an...

Discuss the meaning of the phrase tone of voice with the class. They respond to a variety of scenarios where a particular tone would be prevalent. They then read "Mother to Son" without knowing the title and answer some questions about...

Introduce various perspectives of the civil rights movement to your middle schoolers by having them take on roles in groups. They read a projected excerpt describing a house (linked) from either the perspective of a real estate agent or...

This outstanding lesson will encourage your students to combine their knowledge of rhythm, pitch, tone and color with their imaginations to create original compositions about animals. They create a music carnival to "Peter and the Wolf"...

Poets generally choose each word carefully, and Robinson Jeffers is no exception to this rule. Look closely at Jeffers' word choice in "Inscription for a Gravestone" and "The Deer Lay Down Their Bones" through discussion and writing....

Focus on the musicality of poetry by reading out loud or playing a recording of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells" and "The City and the Sea." Discuss the tone, rhythm, and sounds of the poems before launching into a written analysis of the...

Break an article down with a SOAPSTone chart. Class members determine the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. The chart includes a question for each of these elements, provides some clarifying text for each, and...

Read a poem, any poem, and use this graphic organizer for analysis. The resource consists of a questions about the poem's literal meaning, a grid for noting down and analyzing poetic devices, specific questions about tone and theme, and...

Find out how much your class knows about literary elements with a quick pre-assessment. Pupils work first individually to identify the instances of personification, metaphor, simile, and more, and then with group members to determine the...

The second instructional activity of a pair about Paul Laurence Dunbar, this plan focuses in particular on his poem, "We Wear the Masks." After a short historical introduction, class members conduct a series or readings, marking up the...

College-level writers learn the importance of using academic language in their papers and essays. Assessing the audience is an important aspect of choosing the language with which one writes. Review these 10 slides to make sure each...

Explore literary devices and figurative language using higher level examples. The 33 slides here define common types of figurative language (like simile, metaphor, personification, etc.), and then focus on specific examples in...

Before diving into their first literary analysis, review this presentation with your class. They study sentence patterns, figurative and literal language, tone, mood, and diction as they relate to literature.

Who is Drake and why is he hiding under a car? The flashback technique used to open Drake Bennett’s short story, “Coward,” is sure to hook readers into a tale about a four year old who fears getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Class...

Dark humor, anyone? Kerry Mitchell’s “Unhappy Hour,” compels readers to laugh at his very chilling tale. Explore with your class how the author combines tone and mood to create a sci-fi story with a very unhappy ending. Pre-reading...

A key element of literary criticism is the analysis of diction and tone. The 26 slides in this presentation model for scholars the questions to ask when forming an analysis. Loaded with examples and practice exercises, the presentation...

Ninth graders determine the rhyme scheme, identify figurative language, and determine the tone of a selected song. They study how poetry, in song form, has greatly influenced society. Additionally, they explore how poetry in music, not...

Dynamics are elements of music that indicate how a piece is to be played or sung. Budding musicians practice musical dynamics by singing in small groups. The teacher indicates the dynamic (or how) the song is to be performed and pupils...

Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...

Need a quick but comprehensive reading strategies exercise? Even your most reluctant readers will be engaged by the story of a nuclear reactor explosion at a top-secret Idaho base. After reading the short passage, learners answer nine...