Point of View

1. INTRODUCE: What do you remember about the different types of characters in fictional texts?

While it is important for a good book to have an interesting plot, it is also important for it to have a good mix of characters. I mean, who would want to read a book filled with stagnant or flat characters? No one! So let's take a look at the types of characters we should be looking forward to reading about in The Outsiders over the next couple of weeks.

Step One: Cut and glue your types of characters note sheet into your LA Notebook on page 10.

Step Two: View this slideshow!

1. DEFINE: What is Mood & Tone?

Mood and tone are what set the scene for the reader. You can't have one without the other; if an author has a certain tone about a subject, it is going to create a specific mood for the reader. Here are the definitions to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.

• Tone: An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience

Example: “All morons hate it when you call them a moron.” –Catcher in the Rye; the author’s tone is sarcastic.

• Mood: A literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions

Example: The mood in Diary of a Wimpy Kid is pretty light-hearted and comical.

When discussing mood and tone, it is also important to be aware of words like connotation and denotation.

• Connotation: a word's underlying meanings; it is all the stuff we associate with a word. So, while a rose is indeed a type of flower, we also associate roses with romantic love, beauty and even special days, like Valentine's Day or anniversaries. Connotations go beyond the literal to what we think and feel when we hear or see a word.
• Denotation: a word's literal meaning. For example, were Juliet to look up the word 'rose' in the dictionary, she would find something like, 'a bush or shrub that produces flowers, usually red, pink, white or yellow in color.'

In order to understand an author's tone, we need to be able to identify the connotations he/she is implying with his/her word choice.

2. WATCH: Mood & Tone Flocabulary

Let's take a closer look at mood and tone by using one of my favorite resources, Flocabulary! :) We will watch the video as a class, but you can refer to these lyrics of you would like to follow along or review them later.