Understanding mood and setting is essential for helping students see how authors bring stories to life. In this Day 6 lesson plan, students will explore how setting influences characters, events, and the overall feeling of a text. Through literary devices, journaling, and guided discussion, they’ll learn to identify the details that create atmosphere and connect emotionally to what they’re reading. This lesson not only builds literary analysis skills but also encourages students to reflect deeply on their own self-selected books.
Lesson Flow
Silent Reading (15 minutes)
Students read their self-selected books. Encourage them to log one key detail about mood or setting as they read.Literary Devices (10–12 minutes)
Still need a copy of the glossary? Click here. Introduce and discuss the next five terms in the Literary Devices Glossary:Logos – an appeal to logic and reason.
Metaphor – a direct comparison between two unlike things (without using like or as).
Mood – the emotional atmosphere a writer creates for the reader.
Onomatopoeia – words that imitate sounds (buzz, splash, hiss).
Oxymoron – a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms (jumbo shrimp, deafening silence).
Students should copy these into their glossary.
Mini-Note on Mood and Setting (5 minutes)
Have students copy down this short note:Mood and Setting
Setting is where and when a story takes place. It includes time, place, and environment.
Mood is the feeling or atmosphere created by the author through setting, word choice, and imagery.
Together, mood and setting help shape the reader’s experience and connect us emotionally to the story.
Journaling and Discussion (15–20 minutes)
Journal Prompt: Write a short reflection on the setting in your book. What details about time, place, or environment stand out to you? How do these details shape the mood of the story so far?
Discussion Question: If the setting of your book were changed to a completely different time or place, how would it affect the mood and overall story?
Have students share journal entries or ideas in pairs or small groups before opening up a whole-class discussion.