ABSTRACT
The author of a business report would decide on a particular tone then would make specific stylistic choices, such as the kind of language used, to create this tone. Similarly, when writing a note to one’s cousin, one would think about what kind of tone the note should have and use language that fits this tone. This chapter looks inside a sixth-grade classroom and observe a group of students working on the importance of style and tone to effective writing. The next step in this process is to ask students to select excerpts from published pieces and change their styles and tones. This chapter’s classroom snapshot section describes one way this activity can look in action. This activity requires students to understand what the tone of the original piece is, how the author achieved it, and what the author would need to do to create a different kind of tone.
