Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
Suggested Time Frame: ≈ 5 – Six weeks
Introduction
The Instructional Timeline is provided for teachers to assist with the organization of the
nine/six weeks of TEKS/SE into shorter periods of time. In terms of pacing considerations,
this timeline includes one week(s) for teachers to extend the instructional period
Description
Students will read fictional texts both critically and analytically to deepen their understanding
of the theme, mood, tone, and style of a selection. As students learn to identify themes they
will also focus on comparing and contrasting themes and characters, identifying and
interpreting symbols, and analyzing how theme can be expressed directly or indirectly. This
unit will continue with students identifying and analyzing style, tone, and mood; as well as the
elements that make up style such as sentence structure, word choice, imagery and dialogue.
In addition, they will analyze and interpret fiction in class discussion and/or through written
reader responses.
Through the use of literary selections or literature circles, students will analyze theme, mood,
tone, and style. The study will culminate in students crafting their own imaginative story.
TEKS/SE
taught during
this period and
eligible for
testing on
district
assessments
Bold and
underlined
TEKS/SE are
high stakes for
our district
(less than
___% mastery
on TAKS)
Bold TEKS/SE
are assessed
on TAKS
ONGOING: The TEKS are recursive in nature and many of the standards are revisited
throughout the school year. The following TEKS should be embedded and addressed in
each unit of study: Figure 19, 1, 2, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
It is the expectation that the TEKS, KSSs, and SEs will continue be reviewed as appropriate
so that students master their grade level TEKS, KSSs, and SEs.
Reading/Vocabulary
Figure 19: Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive
reading skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message.
Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more
complex texts as they become self-directed, critical readers. The student is expected to:
(A) establish purposes for reading selected texts based upon own or others’ desired
outcome to enhance comprehension;
(B) ask literal, interpretive, evaluative, and universal questions of text;
(C) reflect on understanding to monitor comprehension (e.g., summarizing and
synthesizing; making textual, personal, and world connections; creating sensory
images);
(D) make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support
understanding;
(E) summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize texts in ways that maintain meaning and
logical order within a text and across texts;
(F) make connections between and across texts, including other media (e.g., film,
play), and provide textual evidence.
(2) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from
Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes;
(B) use context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words;
(E) use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine
the meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate word choices, and parts of
speech of words.
(3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to:
(A) describe multiple themes in a work of fiction;
(B) describe conventions in myths and epic tales (e.g., extended simile, the quest,
the hero's tasks, circle stories); and
(C) analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work.
(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide
evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the
importance of graphical elements (e.g., capital letters, line length, word position) on the
meaning of a poem.
(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide
evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to explain a
playwright's use of dialogue and stage directions.
(6) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide
evidence from text to support their understanding.
(8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand,
make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates
imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to determine the figurative meaning of phrases and analyze how an
author's use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood.
(9) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students
analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural,
historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding. Students are expected to explain the difference between the theme of a
literary work and the author's purpose in an expository text.
(10) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze,
make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text
to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(B) distinguish factual claims from commonplace assertions and opinions;
(D) synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across
two or three texts representing similar or different genres, and support those findings
with textual evidence.
(13) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words,
images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students
will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
Students are expected to:
(B) interpret how visual and sound techniques (e.g., special effects, camera angles,
lighting, music) influence the message;
(D) assess the correct level of formality and tone for successful participation in
various digital media.
Writing and Oral/Written Conventions
(14) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning,
drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:
(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended
meaning to an audience, determining appropriate topics through a range of strategies
(e.g., discussion, background reading, personal interests, interviews), and developing
a thesis or controlling idea;
(B) develop drafts by choosing an appropriate organizational strategy (e.g.,
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
sequence of events, cause-effect, compare-contrast) and building on ideas to create
a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing;
(C) revise drafts to ensure precise word choice and vivid images; consistent point of
view; use of simple, compound, and complex sentences; internal and external
coherence; and the use of effective transitions after rethinking how well questions of
purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed;
(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling; and
(E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish
written work for appropriate audiences.
(19) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and
use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue
to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A) identify, use, and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the
context of reading, writing, and speaking:
(iii) adverbial and adjectival phrases and clauses;
(v) prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subjectverb agreement;
(vi) relative pronouns (e.g., whose, that, which);
(vii) subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, since); and
(B) write complex sentences and differentiate between main versus subordinate
clauses; and
(C) use a variety of complete sentences (e.g., simple, compound, complex) that
include properly placed modifiers, correctly identified antecedents, parallel structures,
and consistent tenses.
(20) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation.
Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their
compositions. Students are expected to:
(B) recognize and use punctuation marks including:
(i) commas after introductory words, phrases, and clauses; and
(ii) semicolons, colons, and hyphens.
(21) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are
expected to spell correctly, including using various resources to determine and check correct
spellings.
Listening and Speaking
(27) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the
conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater
complexity. Students are expected to present a critique of a literary work, film, or dramatic
production, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, a variety of natural
gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
(28) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams.
Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are
expected to participate productively in discussions, plan agendas with clear goals and
deadlines, set time limits for speakers, take notes, and vote on key issues.
CCRS:E/LAS
Reading: A: Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and analyze and
evaluate the information within and across texts of varying lengths.
1. Use effective reading strategies to determine a written work’s purpose and
intended audience.
4. Draw and support complex inferences from text to summarize, draw conclusions,
and distinguish facts from simple assertions and opinions.
6. Analyze imagery in literary texts.
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
7. Evaluate the use of both literal and figurative language to inform and shape the
perceptions of readers.
8. Compare and analyze how generic features are used across texts.
9. Identify and analyze the audience, purpose, and message of an informational or
persuasive text.
10. Identify and analyze how an author's use of language appeals to the senses,
creates imagery, and suggests mood.
11. Identify, analyze, and evaluate similarities and differences in how multiple texts
present information, argue a position, or relate a theme.
Reading: B: Understand new vocabulary and concepts and use them accurately in reading,
speaking, and writing.
1. Identify new words and concepts acquired through study of their relationships to
other words and concepts.
2. Apply knowledge of roots and affixes to infer the meanings of new words.
3. Use reference guides to confirm the meanings of new words or concepts.
Reading: C: Describe, analyze, and evaluate information within and across literary and other
texts from a variety of cultures and historical periods.
1. Read a wide variety of texts from American, European, and world literatures.
2. Analyze themes, structures, and elements of myths, traditional narratives, and
classical and contemporary literature.
Speaking: B: Develop effective speaking styles for both group and one-on-one situations.
1. Participate actively and effectively in one-on-one oral communication situations.
2. Participate actively and effectively in group discussions.
Listening: B: Listen effectively in informal and formal situations.
2. Listen actively and effectively in one-on-one communication situations.
3. Listen actively and effectively in group discussions.
Generalizations
1. Theme is influenced by time and place.
2. Multiple themes may exist within a selection.
3. Themes are often universal and appear in many different stories through a variety of
characters.
4. Authors use symbolism to express their message on multiple levels.
5. Occasionally the theme of the story is stated directly by the narrator or a character,
but often a theme is implied.
6. Inferences come from details as well as prior knowledge.
7. A story’s mood is often shaped by its setting.
8. Mood creates an atmosphere through the author’s choice of words, especially
imagery.
9. An author’s style is comprised of sentence structure, word choice and tone.
10. Opinions reflect thoughts and feelings, while facts are statements that can be proven.
Essential
Questions
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How can a theme connect different texts?
How does setting influence the theme of a literary work?
How can mentor texts be used to influence an author’s technique when crafting a
short story?
How can one symbol be interpreted differently by different readers?
If not directly stated, how can the reader infer the theme of a written piece?
What techniques does an author use to create style, tone, and mood?
How do culture and/or author’s background affect symbols?
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
Core
Components
Teaching Notes
This unit is designed to focus on stylistic devices used by authors to convey mood and
express theme(s). The depth of understanding needs to be at a more advanced level since
the formal state reading assessment occurs around this time of the year. Stressing text
evidence and requiring inference with reading is critical.
Slow release and scaffolding, using mentor texts and picture books, and applying the use of
graphic organizers throughout the unit will aide in increased comprehension. Students must
continue to implement skills of identifying vocabulary meaning within context. The teacher will
want to use best practices of ongoing assessment to meet the individual student needs
regarding levels of understanding. This translates to using mini-lessons geared toward a
specific class, modeling skills, applying think-alouds, pulling students out for reteaching,
employing peer tutoring, and making use of the differentiated learner strategies (e.g. TE
notes).
Refreshing students regarding plot and a character’s motivation prior to writing the
imaginative story may be essential and vital for the writing process. Teachers should
emphasize that writing according to the writing traits (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and
publishing) is a process, and several revisions or edits may be necessary. More advanced
learners should be encouraged to “push the limits” with creativity. Consider grouping students
to enhance creativity and imagination with all students.
Pacing Considerations
Week 1: Reflect back when students made connections between their experiences and their
beliefs. Allow this conversation to be the jumping point to introduce the concept of lessons
learned. Set the focus of the week on theme and begin to explore themes using various text
selections. Consider using picture books as a means to transition into the more difficult
literary texts. Students should implement reader/writer notebooks to note characters’ actions,
thoughts, and dialogue along with key plot events to discern theme.
Week 2: The teacher will use mentor texts to model the skills of identifying multiple themes.
Use of a TV show or movie will assist students in the comprehension. Practice and apply
using text selections. Utilize mini-lessons, paired readings (e.g. fiction + expository), small
groups, and/or literature circles.
Week 3: The focus should move to symbolism, mood, tone and style. Making inferences
through the use of graphic organizers (e.g. SIM frame) will provide the reader/author
connection to assist the understanding. Conduct whole class discussions, comparing and
contrasting texts and/or characters, to help students interpret symbols. Provide mini-lessons
on mood and tone. Use movie clips, media, comic strips, or other types of texts to engage the
students.
Week 4: Focus on assessing skills of text analysis, specifically with regards to theme, mood,
tone and style. Students should be at an independent level of comprehension and analysis.
Consider short answer responses with text evidence in combination with objective-style
questions. Reteach as needed.
Week 5: Discuss the types of reading students have viewed and read throughout this unit.
Students will apply the knowledge in an imaginative story. Teachers should make choices
regarding group writing, individual writing, creating a short film, writing a children’s story book
and so on. The goal should be on the application of the concepts of theme, mood, tone, and
style. Key traits for writing are: focus and coherence, organization, development of ideas,
voice, and conventions.
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
Vocabulary
TEA Glossary – English / Spanish
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Curricular
Connections
(within,
between, and
among
disciplines)
A-M
Characters
Dialogue
Drama
Dynamic character
Fact
Imagery
Irony
Media literacy
Mood
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N-Z
Opinion
Poetry
Point of view
Plot
Science fiction
Sensory language
Sentence structure
Setting
Sequence
Style
Symbolism
Theme
Tone
Word choice
ELAR/TEKS Vertical Alignment K-12
Required
Lessons
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Theme
Style, Tone, Mood
Author’s style
Symbolism
Recommended
Lessons and
Learning
Experiences
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Up High, Down Low: Students will use Flip Cameras to take pictures from new
perspectives. After, pictures will be gathered and viewed through a gallery walk. A
discussion will follow of the mood and tone of individual photographs. (Idea submitted
by Laurie Humphries, Cedar Valley Middle School.)
Lightning in a Bottle / Truisms by Gretchen Bernabei
Use a menu-style format when assigning the story writing to allow students to play
with various genres and subjects.
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Differentiation:
Suggestions for scaffolding learning by employing strategies for diverse learners within the
classroom setting (i.e.: Special Education, TAG, 504, ESL).
English Language Proficiency Standards Student Expectations with Sentence Stems
and Activities to support implementation of the Standards (Note: when you open the
link, it may ask you for a certificate or if it is OK to open the file, click OK each time you see
the screens.)
Instructional
Resources
Interactive Reader
 “Amigo Brothers”
 “The War of the Wall”
 “Homeless”
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
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“Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”
“maggie and milly and molly and may”
“who are you, little I”
“old age sticks”
Textbook
 Reader’s Workshop: Understanding Theme – p. 316
 “Amigo Brothers” – p. 322
 “The War of the Wall” – p. 338 (“Back to the Wall” – p. 349)
 “What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything?” – p. 350 (“Homeless” – p. 368)
 “A Crush” – p. 374
 “A Christmas Carol” – p. 398 (“Dickens and Too Many Scrooges” – p. 425)
 From “A Christmas Carol” – p. 428
 Writing Workshop: Short Story – p. 432
 Reader’s Workshop: Mood and Style – p. 454
 “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” – p. 460 (“An Interview with Ray Bradbury” – p.
478)
 “A Day’s Wait” – p. 482 (“How Hemingway Wrote” – p. 492)
 “The People Could Fly” – p. 496
 “Breaking the Ice” – p. 510
 “One Perfect Rose” – p. 516
 “Song for an April Dusk” – p. 520
 “maggie and milly and molly and may” – p. 524
 “who are you, little I” – p. 525
 “old age sticks” – p. 526
 Style and Mood in Photographs – p. 528
Internet
 Anecdotal Records
 Digital Book Talk Link by Dr. Bill McBride
 Literary Elements
 Literary Elements Advanced Organizer
 Literary Elements and Devices
 Lonestar Reading List
 Plot Diagram
 Plot Diagram 2
 Status of the Class
 Teaching with Picture Books
Professional References
 Beers, Kylene - When Kids Can’t Read
 Burke, Jim - Teacher's Essential Guide: Effective Instruction
 Burke, Jim - What's the Big Idea?: Question-Driven Units to Motivate Reading,
Writing, and Thinking
 Gallagher, Kelly - Deeper Reading
 Harvey, Stephanie and Daniels, Harvey - Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry
Circles in Action
 Lesesne, Teri - Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right
Time, Grades 4-12
 Lesesne, Teri – Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where They Are to Where
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Instructional Timeline – 7th Grade ELAR
Unit Seven: Literary Elements
Theme, Mood, Tone, and Style
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Assessment
Resources
We'd Like Them to Be
Rasinki, Timothy - The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word
Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension
Wilhelm, Jeffrey - Action Strategies for Deepening Comprehension: Role Plays, Text
Structure Tableaux, Talking Statues, and Other Enrichment Techniques That Engage
Students with Text
Wilhelm, Jeffrey and Smith, Michael - Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements:
How to Teach What Really Matters About Character, Setting, Point of View, and
Theme
Non-Negotiable Assessments/Work Products
 Imaginative Short Story
o Writing Workshop: Short Story – pp. 432-439
Suggested Assessments/Work Products
 Students will create a response to the literary text in the form of a multi-paragraph
essay that includes text evidence and quotations as necessary. Note: the workshop
noted below may be used as a resource in Unit 8.
o Writing Workshop: Response to Literature – pp. 532-539
 Multi-media product
o Media Study: Style and Mood in Photographs – pp. 528-531
 Presenting a Critique – pp. 542-543
 Media Study: Style and Mood in Photographs – pp. 528-531
 Texas Assessment Practice
Practice, pp. 544-549
Ongoing Assessments
 Anecdotal Records- An anecdotal record is a positive, written record of a student’s
progress based on achievement made in social, emotional, and/or academic growth.
A teacher observes and records a student’s actions and work within a period. The
recording is informal and typically based on notes or a checklist with space for writing
comments. Anecdotal records may be useful when conducting parent conferences.
 Status of the Class - teachers use a “status of the class” chart to keep track of
student progress and to determine when teacher conferencing is needed
Tools
 RubiStar Rubric Builder
 Scoring rubric, p. 440
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