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Year 9

Describing setting and developing tone

I can understand and apply how writers use setting and tone to reflect their characters.

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New
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Year 9

Describing setting and developing tone

I can understand and apply how writers use setting and tone to reflect their characters.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Descriptions of a setting can help reflect a character's personality, mood or emotions.
  2. Using sensory imagery to describe a setting creates a vivid description.
  3. Tone can be built through the description of a setting.
  4. You can combine the sensory description of a setting and an emotional state of a character to create tone.

Keywords

  • Tone - the overall mood or attitude conveyed through a text

  • Setting - the time and place (or when and where) of the story

  • Sensory imagery - the use of descriptive language that appeals to the reader's five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell)

  • Vivid - producing strong, clear images in the mind

  • Reflect - to mirror or show something clearly

Common misconception

Pupils might think that descriptions of setting only serve as background and do not contribute to character development or tone of a piece of writing.

Settings are integral to storytelling as they can reflect and enhance a character's emotions, personality, and the overall tone of the scene. For example, a gloomy, rainy setting can mirror a character's sadness or create a foreboding atmosphere.


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Describing setting and developing tone, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may want to prepare further concrete examples to illustrate how the choice of setting can significantly impact the reader's perception of the characters and the mood of the story.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is tone in literature?
the main theme of the story
Correct answer: the writer's attitude towards the subject
the characters’ dialogue
Q2.
Which sense is used in the following description? "The sweet scent of roses filled the air"
sound
sight
touch
Correct answer: smell
taste
Q3.
Which of the words in the following sentence is an adverb? "He spoke quietly to avoid waking anyone"
He
spoke
Correct answer: quietly
waking
anyone
Q4.
Why is it important to avoid clichés in similes and metaphors?
they are too long
Correct answer: they are overused and unoriginal
they are difficult to understand
they are not descriptive
Q5.
What does 'vivid description' mean?
Correct answer: creating a clear and detailed picture in the reader’s mind
using complex vocabulary
including many characters
Q6.
In dialogue writing, why is it important to be accurate and clear with punctuation?
Correct answer: to ensure the reader knows who is speaking and understands the tone
to follow grammar rules strictly
to make it look neat and easy to read

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword to its synonym.
Correct Answer:setting,place
tick

place

Correct Answer:tone,mood
tick

mood

Correct Answer:vivid,clear
tick

clear

Correct Answer:reflect,mirror
tick

mirror

Q2.
Which of the following best describes tone?
the plot’s sequence throughout a text
the setting of the story and how it reflects character
Correct answer: the overall mood or attitude conveyed through a text
Q3.
What is sensory imagery?
describing only visual details to create vivid descriptions
Correct answer: using the five senses to create vivid descriptions
including many detailed paragraphs
Q4.
Which of these is not an example of sensory imagery?
"The bright light blinded him."
"The sandpaper scraped his skin."
Correct answer: "He thought about his next move."
"The loud bang made her jump."
Q5.
How can describing a setting help develop a character’s personality?
Correct answer: by reflecting the character’s emotions
by describing other characters
by being sensory in its description
Q6.
What is the tone of a setting described as "dark, cold, and silent"?
joyful
Correct answer: mysterious
romantic
death