ZOOM IN ON:
TONE
Identifying Tone in Poetry
DICTION
TONE: the general
character or attitude of
a place, piece of
writing, situation, etc.
+
SYNTAX
+
DETAILS
Ms. McCoy,
why do we
need to
identify tone
anyway??
Well, evaluating tone
gives readers a
better understanding
of the author’s
argument and
purpose for writing.
LET’S THINK ALOUD !
It was the third of September
That day I'll always remember, yes I will
'Cause that was the day, that my daddy died
I never got a chance to see him
Never heard nothin' but bad things about him
Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth
Momma just hung her head and said, son
Papa was a rolling stone,
Where ever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
Papa was a rolling stone, (my son, yeah)
Where ever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
.
 Turn to a partner and continue reading the
song using the Think Aloud strategy.
 As you read, use Post-Its and colored
pencils to annotate your thoughts.
 Using specific lines from the text, terms
from your tone worksheet, and your
interpretation of the song to create a Tone
Statement with your partner.
I WONDER…
THIS REMINDS ME OF…
I’M NOT SURE IF…
I BET THAT…
SO NOW I KNOW THAT….
I THINK THE AUTHOR IS…
THIS CONFUSES ME BECAUSE…
I STILL DON’T KNOW…
EARLIER I READ…
I PREDICT THAT…
THIS IS WHY…
MAYBE I SHOULD CONSIDER…