Lesson: Tone

Objectives:
1.
2.
3.

Students will be able to define tone

Students will be able to identify the tone(s) of a poem
Students will understand how tone relates to meaning

Materials:

SmartBoard/projector
Text of poems

Hook:
Watch this video about misunderstanding tone in a text conversation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=naleynXS7yo (would need to edit out the profanity and drugs but I should be able to do that)
Ask the class, what went wrong here? Why did they miss each other? Can use polleveryone, or post-its, or
just call on some students to answer.
Learning Activities:
1

Lecture
About tone in general (in the real world) and how it affects meaning. Use example of tone in
speech and text messaging. Its easier to pick up tone in speech than in text messaging (for
example, sarcasm). In a text, you need to decipher the tone by looking for clues, for example,
punctuation marks, emoticons, lols, etc. Looking for tone in a poem is the same kind of thing.
Difference between Mood (what the writer/character is feeling) and tone (what the reader/listener
is receiving)

Everybody Writes
Pick a mood, it could be angry, sad, dejected, disappointed, happy, exuberant, excited, or any
other mood you could think of. Write a very short scenario in a few sentences (2-5) that depict
that mood using tone (give example).
Ask for volunteers to read (without specifying the mood). As class we discuss what tone is and
what words clued us into it. We can make a running list on the board of different tones and certain
key words that would clue us into it.
Poems work like this too, tone conveys meaning. A speaker moves through a series of moods,
conveyed through tone. This arranged tells an emotional story, emotional drama.

Pair up: Tone Mapping

Split up into groups of 2 and are going to basically do the same thing with a poem (everyone will
work with the same poem).

Provide list of possible tones. Dont need to limit yourself to this list.
Go through the poem twice. The first time, populate the first column (positive or negative) and
just write + if the tone is positive and - if its negative. The second time, populate the second
column and give a word or phrase to describe the tone of the line. You can repeat tones for
different lines.
Everyone will get the poem in a chart with 2 columns (seen below). The 2 columns to the right of
the poem will be empty and each group will fill it in. Students should also underline or circle any
words that help them determine the tone.
This process is called tone mapping.
My Mistress Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun
William Shakespeare

Poem Line
My mistress eyes are nothing like
the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips
red;
If snow be white, why then her
breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow
on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and
white,
But no such roses see I in her
cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there
more delight
Than in the breath that from my
mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I
know
That music hath a far more pleasing
sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads
on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my
love as rare
As any she belied with false
compare.

Positive/Negative
-

Tone
Disappointed

Disappointed

Disappointed

Amazement

Disappointment

Wonder

Disappointment

Love, attraction

Disappointment

Matter of fact

Wonder, joy

Contentment

Circulate during this time and see what theyre coming up with, if theyre thinking along the right
track. Theres flexibility in what they answer in column 3, but look to see if they are getting it for
column 2, specifically if they catch the shift in tone from negative to positive in the last 2 lines.
4

Vote with your Feet

Would you describe the tone of this poem as:
1 Pretty consistent throughout (some changes, but overall, same general tone)
2 General tone changes
3 Im not sure
(you need not vote as a team, you can disagree with your partner).
Once everyone has voted, the groups will be given a couple of minutes to talk amongst
themselves and then tell the class the argument for their position.

Think-Pair-Share
Very briefly identify the shift in the last 2 lines. Mention that this fits with the general structure of
sonnets first 12 lines set up problem, its resolved in the last 2 (couplet)
Think-Pair-Share: Why does Shakespeare set the poem up like this with this buildup in one
direction and then a late shift to another? What meaning does this tonal shift give the poem?
Call on some groups to share their thoughts.

The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

First students read to themselves and write their reaction. What they think the poem means, how
they felt about it, any overarching message, etc.

Then theyll do another tone mapping with the poem. Direct students to focus on the last stanza.
What is the tone there?

Listen to Robert Frost reading the poem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie2Mspukx14.

Whats the tone in his reading? Does it fit what you noticed? (thumb up, thumb down, thumb
sideways) Speak for a moment about the tone of the last stanza in particular and how that is a
clue for the entire poem.

Look at how the poem is portrayed in pop culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wwXfAFQoh8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8ub_SU8hz4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucoddPpZ6v4

Fishbowl discussion: Did the poems overarching meaning change for you when you considered
the tone? Does the last stanza and its tone force us to go back and reexamine anything from the
first sections of the poem?

Exit Card

What does tone mean in poetry?

Name one way in which tone is related to meaning?

Do you have any questions?