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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 12

Connotation & Tone

Word choice changes meaning

What your child practices

Words can share a dictionary meaning (denotation) but carry different feelings (connotation), like “cozy” and “cramped.” Students choose words for effect and identify a writer's tone.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 6.2.3.2; 6.1.8.1 · denotation, connotation and the effect of word choice on tone

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Denotation is a word’s dictionary meaning. Connotation is the feeling it carries.
  2. Cozy and cramped both mean small, but cozy feels good and cramped feels bad.
  3. Tone is the writer’s attitude, shown by word choice: cheerful, angry, worried, playful.

Example: Which has the more positive connotation: “thrifty” or “stingy”? Both mean careful with money. Stingy sounds selfish. Thrifty sounds wise. Answer: thrifty

Connotation & Tone in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 12 in 6th grade English Language Arts, after Point of View and before Make Your Case.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Sort each word: positive or negative connotation?

    Sort into: 😊 Positive · 😒 Negative

    • 🔤assertive
    • 🔤nosy
    • 🔤stench
    • 🔤thrifty
    • 🔤scrawny
    • 🔤home

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence shows that the writer admires Leo?

    • Leo is arrogant and talks over everyone.
    • Leo is confident and speaks up in class.
    • Leo talks in class.

  3. Question 3

    Which word has the most negative connotation?

    • unusual
    • weird
    • unique

  4. Question 4

    “youthful” and “childish” have the same denotation (dictionary meaning). What is it?

    • a building where people live
    • not common or ordinary
    • like a young person
    • not wide or heavy

  5. Question 5

    A reviewer wants readers to dislike a character. Which word fits best? “The hero was _____ and refused to listen to anyone's advice.”

    • determined
    • stubborn
    • cheerful

  6. Question 6

    What is the tone of this message?

    Please be careful near the edge. The rocks are slippery, and the water is deeper than it looks.

    • bored
    • cautious
    • furious
    • playful

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