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Mood Worksheets

Students often confuse tone with mood. These are very similar reading skills, but they are not the same. Tone is the author's attitude toward his or her subject. Mood is the feeling that the author is trying to create in the mind of readers. Both tone and mood deal with feelings and attitudes. Tone is concerned with the narrator's feelings. Mood is about how the reader is supposed to be feeling. I say "supposed to" because an author can never be certain of how their readers will respond. Nonetheless, the mood is about how the reader is supposed to feel.

Let's Look at an Example
One of my favorite short texts is A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift. In this work Swift proposes the radical idea of eating the children of poor people. Obviously, this is meant to enrage the audience and the title of the work is ironic. So the mood of the work is outrageous, in that it is intended to build outrage in the minds of readers. Nonetheless, Swift develops this proposal as though it is a simple logical leap of the most sound kind. His "sensible" tone does not match the outrageous mood of the work. I hope that this example helps you understand the difference between mood and tone. I hope that you can also see how talented authors can play tone against mood to create works that thrive on cognitive dissonance.

This page contains some mood worksheets that I wrote to help students practice identifying mood. I also made some tone worksheets that can be found here. Each worksheets contains 9 or 10 problems. Students read the short texts and determine what mood the author is trying to create. They underline words and phrases from the passage that support their argument. They also explain their answers. I'm sure that these worksheets will be enough to help your students master mood. Let me know if they help. I love comments and feedback. Even the nasty stuff makes me laugh sometimes. Thanks for visiting!

Mood Worksheet 1
Here is a double-sided mood worksheet with 9 problems. It will give students practice with interpreting and expressing literary mood. Students read the passages, underline the words that help to create the mood, and then explain their answers.
This is a preview image of Mood Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Mood Worksheet 2
Here is another double-sided mood worksheet. Students read another nine passages. Again, each passage expresses a distinct mood that students will attempt to interpret and describe. Students will underline words and phrases from each passage that help establish the mood. This will help them be more considerate and thoughtful in their interpretations. Then they will explain their answers.
This is a preview image of Mood Worksheet 2. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Mood Worksheet 3
Here are 9 more problems on mood to your students master this valuable reading skill. Each passage evokes a distinct mood. Students read the passages, underline the words and phrases that help create the mood, and then they explain their answers.
This is a preview image of Mood Worksheet 3. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.

That's all the mood resources that I have right now. Eventually, I'd like to create and post a PowerPoint slideshow, a video, and maybe some activities. All that sounds like pie in the sky right now though. I hope that the mood worksheets and online activities that I do have prove to be useful to you and your students. Thanks for visiting!

Mood
Common Core State Standards

Mood Anchor Standard
R.1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

RL.K.1 - With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.1.1 - Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.2.1 - Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RL.3.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL.4.1 - Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.6.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.7.1 - Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.1 - Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.1 - Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.11-12.1 - Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Click to VIEW Grade Level Standards for R.1
Related Content
Tone Worksheets
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2 Comments

  1. talaysia

     /  December 4, 2023

    I helped my sister

    Reply

  2. Lee

     /  April 17, 2023

    Do you have a lesson for mood?

    Reply

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