Since Tone is how the speaker feels about a subject, it can be illustrated by starting off by comparing two images that deal with the same topic.
.jpg) |
| What do you think is Thomas Kinkade's tone while painting The Spirit of New York? |
1. First, I like making sure students have a tone words list to keep for themselves. I usually make this a blue color and students refer to it throughout the year.
2. Next, I collect 2-3 different paintings of the same subject. Landscapes are great. Nature landscapes tend to have more similar tones, so taking and urban landscape - like New York - works best.
3. Then I have my students who are artists come up with a list of terms the class can use to discuss a painting and how it is painted:use of light, colors, textures, etc. I display one painting and have them discuss in groups, share out one whole class observation, and then I ask them to determine the best tone word and what supports their answer the most.
Here are two that are both Time Square in the rain:
See the energy and excitement? Kids won't even notice it is raining and at night until they really analyze it!
Same location, same weather, and exact same time of day but completely different tone!
4. Then we transition in poetry/lyrics about the subject. You don't need to use the work in the entirety. Post a stanza from a poem. Simply search a phrase on http://www.poetryfoundation.org and you can find a poem about most anything. I, personally, love Dar Williams and must plug her song "Hudson" but the others on this list are also great to pair: http://manhattan.about.com/od/best-of-new-york/tp/Best-Songs-About-New-York-City.htm
You can ask students which painting the stanza is most paired with.
Writing workshop suggestion: do this lesson while your students are in midst of revising a narrative. After doing this lesson, have them enter their draft and work on description of setting with an emphasis on writing the imagery and diction that enhance the tone of their work.
