The Tone Map

Poems are meant to be heard. Hearing a poem being read enriches one’s understanding of the tone and mood of the piece. Introduce your class to the sounds of poetry with a packet that not only details how to use poetry recordings in the classroom, but also includes a series of activities that explains how to identify the shifts of tone that occur. Of special value is the Tone List, a handout that lists rich vocabulary words (abashed, blithe, facetious) learners can use to describe the tone of literary works.