Creative Writing: Tone Approximate Time Needed:   45 minutes Lesson Summary:   Students will articulate the tone (either in short list or paragraph form) for a story (involving assignments previously completed using the Creative Writing: Characterization and Setting lesson plans) by combining research on a particular career with elements of tone studied in literature classes. Lesson Objective:   Students will develop web searching skills; articulate and utilize the elements of tone by understanding the roles of both reader and writer; and exercise creative writing skills by conceiving a tone appropriate to the setting of their story. Materials and Resources: Completed assignments for Characterization and Setting lessons. Helpful Hints:   Teacher should have completed lessons for Characterization and Setting before proceeding to this lesson on Tone. Teacher might want to compile--ahead of time--a template for a short list of traits of tone so that students can work within a structure. Teacher might also use this template to briefly review a rubric for the assignment. Activities Review the definition of tone. Tone: the attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, or audience. For example, Joseph Conrad establishes a tone of tension and suspense in his short story about a stowaway, "The Secret Sharer." On the other hand, James Joyce creates a tone of entrapment in his short story, "Araby." It is important to distinguish between tone and mood: the former refers to the prevailing atmosphere of the entire story, while the latter subject to changing within a story--from Adventures in English Literature, Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. Compile, with the aid of the class, a list of essential traits for an appropriate tone for the character and setting already created. List might include things such as literary devices to invoke this tone (e.g., symbol, image, metaphor, simile, etc.). Once the class has established a list, and drawing on information gathered in doing the lesson on Characterization and Setting, students then compose a list (perhaps using a teacher-made template) of descriptive traits for the tone of their story. Students might combine their imagination with information culled from a particular ECOS career profile. For example, Joan is interested in the life of a government agent. This, combined with a student’s imagination (or even information learned in history class), might generate ideas for the tone. She discovers, using ECOS, that working for the State Department might require someone to travel abroad and to handle sensitive documents or engage in espionage. Drawing on her own creative impulses, perhaps a story read in class, and perhaps information learned about a famous spy in history class, Joan then creates a list of descriptive traits (words, phrases, etc.) for her story’s tone. Either continuing in class or as homework, students compose a descriptive list/paragraph that evokes the primary tone of the story. Evaluation:   Students may be evaluated on their descriptive tone list/paragraph, based on the tone traits established in class or the teacher’s rubric. Unit Goal:   Using this lesson and lessons for characterization, setting, plot, and theme, teacher can ask students to combine these major aspects of narrative to create their own short stories.