6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 14
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.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 6.9(F) · connotation, mood and tone
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Denotation is a word’s dictionary meaning. Connotation is the feeling it carries.
- Cozy and cramped both mean small, but cozy feels good and cramped feels bad.
- 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 Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 2 of 14 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.
- 6th grade guide for Texas parents
- Printable 6th grade English Language Arts sheet
- Texas report cards explained
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Sort each word: positive or negative connotation?
Sort into: 😊 Positive · 😒 Negative
- 🔤confident
- 🔤lazy
- 🔤home
- 🔤slender
- 🔤stingy
- 🔤reckless
😊 Positive: confident, home, slender · 😒 Negative: lazy, stingy, reckless
Hint: Ask yourself: would you feel pleased or upset if someone used this word to describe you?
Question 2
Which word has the most negative connotation?
- unique
- weird
- unusual
weird
Hint: All three words mean about the same thing (not common or ordinary). Which one sounds the most unpleasant?
Question 3
Which word has the most negative connotation?
- childish
- young
- youthful
childish
Hint: All three words mean about the same thing (like a young person). Which one sounds the most unpleasant?
Question 4
“stroll” and “trudge” have the same denotation (dictionary meaning). What is it?
- like a young person
- to move along on foot
- not common or ordinary
- little in size
to move along on foot
Hint: Ignore the feelings for a moment. “walk” is the plain word that means the same thing.
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.”
- cheerful
- stubborn
- determined
stubborn
Hint: “Determined” and “stubborn” both mean not giving up, but one sounds negative.
Question 6
Which sentence makes the room sound unpleasant?
- The room was cramped and dim.
- The room was cozy and softly lit.
- The room was small and had one lamp.
The room was cramped and dim.
Hint: Look for words with negative connotations.