RL.6.4: Word Meanings, Figurative and Connotative Language, and Tone
In plain English: RL.6.4 is the Common Core grade 6 ELA standard that asks students to work out what words and phrases mean as they are used in a story, poem or play, including figurative meanings and connotations (the feelings words carry). Students also analyze how one specific word choice shapes the meaning and the tone of a passage.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Reading Standards for Literature · Cluster: Craft and Structure · Official standard
Students learn to work out what a word or phrase means as it is used in a literary text, to tell literal meanings from figurative ones, to hear the connotations words carry, and to explain how one word choice shapes a passage's meaning and tone. The texts are two short passages from Anna Sewell's Black Beauty (1877), told by the horse himself, and two complete poems: Robert Louis Stevenson's "Windy Nights" (1885) and Emily Dickinson's "Hope" ("Hope is the thing with feathers," 1891).
The two Black Beauty passages share one narrator and plain sentences but sound completely different, which makes word choice easy to see. Students then read figurative language with the teacher in Stevenson's poem and on their own in Dickinson's. A third Black Beauty passage, about the horse Ginger years later, is the homework text.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Use context clues to determine what a word or phrase means as it is used in a passage
Tell literal from figurative language and explain what a figurative phrase means
Explain the connotation of a word and compare it with a word of similar meaning
Analyze how a specific word choice affects the meaning and tone of a passage
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Working out the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including similes and metaphors RL.5.4
Interpreting figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, in context (L.5.5a)
Using context clues, such as a comparison in the sentence, to find a word's meaning (L.5.4a)
Citing textual evidence for what a text says and suggests RL.6.1
"Would you rather be called curious or nosy? Relaxed or lazy? Would you rather live in a house or a home? For each pair, write which word you would pick and why."
Take a few answers. Point out that each pair has nearly the same dictionary meaning, yet students feel strongly about which one they want. Tell them that this feeling has a name, connotation, and that writers choose words for it on purpose.
Direct Instruction15 minutes
Teach these words and leave them on the board:
Context clues: hints in the nearby words and sentences that show what a word means in this spot.
Literal meaning: what the words say, exactly. Figurative language: words used in a way that is not literally true, to create a picture or an idea. Four kinds: a simile compares two things using "like" or "as"; a metaphor says one thing is another; personification gives human actions or feelings to something that is not human; hyperbole is an exaggeration made for effect.
Denotation: a word's dictionary meaning. Connotation: the feelings and ideas a word carries beyond that meaning, which can be positive, negative or neutral. "Home" and "house" have the same denotation but different connotations.
Tone: the attitude a text shows toward its subject, such as calm, cheerful, gloomy, angry or tender. Readers hear tone mainly through word choice.
Introduce the text: Black Beauty was written by the English author Anna Sewell and first published in 1877. The narrator is the horse himself. Words to know: meadow (a grassy field), rushes (tall grass-like plants that grow in water), grove (a small group of trees), bit (the metal bar put in a horse's mouth so a rider can steer), bridle (the straps around a horse's head that hold the bit), halter and headstall (simpler head straps without a bit). Read both passages aloud.
1The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.
2While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.
Anna Sewell, Black Beauty (Chapter 1, My Early Home, opening) (1877; this edition 1911). Public domain (published 1911). Source text.
1I had of course long been used to a halter and a headstall, and to be led about in the fields and lanes quietly, but now I was to have a bit and bridle; my master gave me some oats as usual, and after a good deal of coaxing he got the bit into my mouth, and the bridle fixed, but it was a nasty thing! Those who have never had a bit in their mouths cannot think how bad it feels; a great piece of cold hard steel as thick as a man's finger to be pushed into one's mouth, between one's teeth, and over one's tongue, with the ends coming out at the corner of your mouth, and held fast there by straps over your head, under your throat, round your nose, and under your chin; so that no way in the world can you get rid of the nasty hard thing; it is very bad! yes, very bad! at least I thought so; but I knew my mother always wore one when she went out, and all horses did when they were grown up; and so, what with the nice oats, and what with my master's pats, kind words, and gentle ways, I got to wear my bit and bridle.
Anna Sewell, Black Beauty (Chapter 3, My Breaking In, the bit and bridle) (1877; this edition 1911). Public domain (published 1911). Source text.
Meaning from context
In the Chapter 3 passage, the master "gave me some oats as usual, and after a good deal of coaxing he got the bit into my mouth." What does "coaxing" mean here?
Result: Coaxing means gently persuading someone to do something, a little at a time. The clues are the oats (a treat) and "a good deal of," which shows it took patience. Later in the same paragraph the horse mentions "my master's pats, kind words, and gentle ways," which confirms the meaning.
A word with two meanings
In Chapter 1, "Some shady trees leaned over it." "Shady" can mean "giving shade" or "dishonest." Which meaning fits, and what does the word connote here?
Result: Here it means giving shade: in paragraph 2 the horses "used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees." In this passage the word connotes coolness and rest, a positive feeling, while the other meaning is negative. The sentence around a word decides which meaning, and which feeling, it carries (Diagram 1).
Literal or figurative?
The horse calls the bit "a great piece of cold hard steel as thick as a man's finger." Is this literal or figurative? Compare it with the made-up sentence "The bit was an iron fist in my mouth."
Result: Sewell's words are literal: a real bit is steel, it is cold and hard, and "as thick as a man's finger" gives its actual size. The made-up sentence is figurative, a metaphor: the bit is not a fist, but the comparison suggests it grips and hurts. Sewell's plain, exact words let the reader feel the bit without any figure of speech.
The impact of a word choice
The horse ends his description with "it is very bad! yes, very bad!" How does this choice affect the meaning and tone?
Result: The repeated "very bad" and the exclamation points make the horse sound like a young creature protesting, not a calm adult explaining. If Sewell had written "it is uncomfortable," the meaning would be the same but the tone would be flat. The choice makes the reader feel the horse's distress and take his side (Diagram 2).
Model the four questions with Diagram 1, then compare the two passages with Diagram 2. Ask: "Same narrator, same kind of sentences. Why do they feel so different?" Lead students to the answer: the words.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Read Stevenson's poem aloud twice. The speaker is a child lying in bed on a stormy night. Words to know: set (gone down below the horizon, as the sun sets), gallop (a horse's fastest run) and highway (a main road).
1Whenever the moon and stars are set, Whenever the wind is high, All night long in the dark and wet, A man goes riding by. 5Late in the night when the fires are out, Why does he gallop and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud, And ships are tossed at sea, By, on the highway, low and loud, 10By at the gallop goes he. By at the gallop he goes, and then By he comes back at the gallop again.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Windy Nights (1885). Public domain (published 1885). Source text.
Find the figurative phrase. Pairs find the line where something that is not human does something human. Teacher key: "the trees are crying aloud" (line 7) is personification. Literally, the wind makes the branches creak and whistle; "crying" connotes sadness or fear, a darker word than "rustling" or "moving."
Hear the repeated words. Pairs circle every "gallop" and every "By." Teacher key: "gallop and gallop" (line 6) and the lines that begin with "By" (lines 9-12) sound like hoofbeats. The repetition makes the rider seem restless, passing and coming back again all night.
Name the tone. Pairs choose one word for the tone and support it with two words from the poem. Teacher key: mysterious or a little spooky; the child never learns who the rider is and can only ask, "Why does he gallop and gallop about?" (line 6).
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students read Dickinson's poem on their own. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) wrote nearly 1,800 poems; most were printed only after her death. Words to know: gale (a very strong wind), sore (an older meaning: severe, very bad) and in extremity (in the worst danger or need).
1Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all,
5And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.
I 've heard it in the chillest land, 10And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.
Emily Dickinson, Hope ("Hope is the thing with feathers") (1891). Public domain (published 1891). Source text.
On the handout, students (1) name what the poem compares hope to and list every word that belongs to that picture; (2) choose one line and explain its literal and its figurative meaning; (3) name the poem's tone and support it with two word choices. The quiz uses this poem, the two Black Beauty passages in Direct Instruction, the Stevenson poem and the Ginger passage in Closure.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Write two words with the same denotation but different connotations, and label each positive or negative. (2) Choose one word from today's texts and explain how it affects the tone.
Teacher note on language and content: the texts keep the wording of their older printings, including "one's" and the 1891 spacing "I 've." The Ginger passage describes a horse worn out by hard work and poor care; Black Beauty was written to make readers feel for working horses, and some students may find the description upsetting. The excerpt stops before Ginger tells her story.
For homework: students read the passage below, from Chapter 40, which the homework uses. Years have passed, and Black Beauty is now a cab horse in London. Words to know: cab (a carriage for hire, pulled by a horse), chestnut (a reddish-brown horse), knuckled over (bent forward at the joint) and fetlocks (the joints just above a horse's hooves).
1One day, while our cab and many others were waiting outside one of the parks where music was playing, a shabby old cab drove up beside ours. The horse was an old worn-out chestnut, with an ill-kept coat, and bones that showed plainly through it, the knees knuckled over, and the fore-legs were very unsteady. I had been eating some hay, and the wind rolled a little lock of it that way, and the poor creature put out her long thin neck and picked it up, and then turned and looked about for more. There was a hopeless look in the dull eye that I could not help noticing, and then, as I was thinking where I had seen that horse before, she looked full at me and said, “Black Beauty, is that you?”
2It was Ginger! but how changed! The beautifully arched and glossy neck was now straight, and lank, and fallen in; the clean straight legs and delicate fetlocks were swelled; the joints were grown out of shape with hard work; the face, that was once so full of spirit and life, was now full of suffering, and I could tell by the heaving of her sides, and her frequent cough, how bad her breath was.
Anna Sewell, Black Beauty (Chapter 40, Poor Ginger, opening) (1877; this edition 1911). Public domain (published 1911). Source text.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a three-column organizer for each phrase: What it says, What it means, How it feels
Pre-teach connotation with pictures: show two photos (a cozy cabin and a run-down shack) and ask which fits "home" and which fits "house"
Read the poems aloud, and let students mark words with a plus or minus sign before they write about tone
For Advanced Students
Ask them to find a second figure of speech in "Hope" beyond the main comparison, and explain how it builds on it
Have them rewrite the Chapter 1 passage so the tone becomes lonely, changing no more than eight words, then explain each change
Ask them to compare Dickinson's bird with Stevenson's rider: which one is comforting and which unsettling, and which words make it so?
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that students explain a word's meaning in its sentence, not only a dictionary meaning, and that they name the context clue they used. For figurative language, look for both the literal picture and what it stands for. For connotation, look for a comparison with a word of similar meaning ("slender" instead of "skinny"). For tone, look for a precise tone word ("sorrowful," not "sad feeling") supported by specific word choices. Watch for answers that label a figure of speech without explaining its effect.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Connotation Line-Up
10 minPairs
Pairs arrange three sets of word cards on a line from most negative to most positive. Every word in a set has nearly the same denotation, so the only thing that changes is the connotation.
The 12 Cards
Set A (not heavy): slender, skinny, scrawny, lean
Set B (a smell): aroma, scent, odor, stench
Set C (talking): chat, chatter, discuss, gossip
Procedure
Pairs lay each set on a line, most negative on the left and most positive on the right
For each set, they write a sentence using the most positive word and the same sentence with the most negative word, and read both aloud
Pairs compare lines with another pair and discuss any word they placed differently
One reasonable order for the teacher (placements can be argued): A, scrawny, skinny, lean, slender; B, stench, odor, scent, aroma; C, gossip, chatter, chat, discuss
Discussion Questions
Which set was hardest to order? Why?
Can a word's connotation change with the sentence around it? Try "lean" for a person and for a year with little money.
Modification
For students who need support, give only the two end words of each set first (such as "stench" and "aroma"), then add the middle words.
2
Figurative Language Stations
15 minGroups of 3-4
Groups rotate through four stations, each with one figurative sentence written for this activity. At each station they name the kind of figurative language, write the literal meaning and describe the feeling it creates.
The Four Station Cards
Station 1: "The old car coughed and wheezed up the hill."
Station 2: "After the long hike, my legs were as heavy as sandbags."
Station 3: "The science test was a mountain I had to climb."
Station 4: "I have told you a million times to close the gate."
Procedure
Groups spend about three minutes at each station and fill in one row of a chart: kind, literal meaning, feeling
At each station, groups also rewrite the sentence literally and decide what is lost
Answer key for the teacher: Station 1, personification (the car makes rough noises and struggles); Station 2, simile (the legs feel very tired); Station 3, metaphor (the test is hard and takes a long effort); Station 4, hyperbole (the speaker has said it many times and is annoyed)
Discussion Questions
Which literal rewrite lost the most feeling?
Station 1 and Station 4 both have a tone. How would you describe each one?
3
Tone Swap
15 minIndividual, then pairs
Students rewrite a plain paragraph twice, once with a cheerful tone and once with a gloomy tone, by changing no more than six words each time. Partners then name the tone of each version and point to the words that set it.
The Plain Paragraph (written for this activity)
"A dog walked down the street. The sky was gray. A car went past. The dog stopped at a house and sat by the door."
Procedure
Students copy the paragraph twice and underline the words they will change
They write a cheerful version and a gloomy version, changing six words or fewer in each
Partners swap, name each tone in one word, and circle the words that created it
Model for the teacher: cheerful, "A puppy trotted down the street. The sky was silver. A car zipped past. The puppy stopped at a cottage and sat by the door." Gloomy, "A stray limped down the street. The sky was gray. A car roared past. The stray stopped at a shack and sat by the door."
Variation
For a challenge, students make a third version with a tone their partner must guess, such as nervous or proud.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Four Questions About a Word
The four questions students ask about any word or phrase, worked for "shady" in the opening of Black Beauty. The context clue in paragraph 2 decides which meaning fits.
Diagram 2: Word Choice and Tone in Black Beauty
Word choices from the two Black Beauty passages in Direct Instruction, with the tone each set of words builds. Quotations come from Chapter 1, paragraphs 1-2, and the one-paragraph Chapter 3 passage.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
RL.6.4 Homework: Word Choice and Tone in "Poor Ginger"
Directions: Read the passage from Chapter 40 of Black Beauty at the end of the lesson plan (in Closure). Problem 3 also uses Dickinson's "Hope" in Independent Practice. Answer in complete sentences, put words you copy in quotation marks, and give the paragraph or line number.
Part 1: Meaning in Context (Problems 1-2)
Use context clues to explain what "ill-kept" (paragraph 1) and "lank" (paragraph 2) mean in the passage. For each word, quote the clue that helped you.
The word "dull" can mean boring, not sharp, or not bright. Which meaning does "dull" have in "a hopeless look in the dull eye" (paragraph 1)? Explain how you know.
Part 2: Figurative and Connotative Meanings (Problems 3-4)
In "Hope," the bird "kept so many warm" (line 8). Explain the literal meaning of these words and their figurative meaning in the poem.
Find three words or phrases in paragraph 1 that describe the horse or the cab, other than "shabby" and "poor creature," which the quiz covers. For each, explain its connotation. Then replace one of them with a word that has a positive connotation, and explain how the picture changes.
Part 3: Word Choice and Tone (Problems 5-6)
Name the tone of paragraph 1 of the Chapter 40 passage in one precise word, and support it with two word choices other than "shabby" and "poor creature." Then compare it with the tone of the Chapter 1 passage, using two word choices from Chapter 1 that are not shown in Diagram 1 or Diagram 2.
Write a paragraph of five to seven sentences explaining how Sewell's word choices in paragraph 2 make the reader feel about what has happened to Ginger. Discuss at least three specific words or phrases. Do not use the sentence about her neck or the words "full of," which the quiz covers.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Meaning in context
Correct meanings as used in the passage, each with a quoted clue
Correct meanings without clues, or one meaning missing
Dictionary meanings that do not fit, or no answer
Figurative and connotative meanings
Literal and figurative meanings both explained; connotations named and compared
One of the two explained, or connotations named without comparison
Labels only, with no explanation
Tone
A precise tone word for each passage, supported by specific word choices
A general tone word, or support from only one passage
No tone named, or no support
Impact of word choice
Three words analyzed for their effect on meaning and on the reader
Two words analyzed, or effects stated without explanation
Words listed with no analysis
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 3-5 and 20 use the Black Beauty passages in Direct Instruction; questions 6-11, 16 and 19 use Dickinson's "Hope" in Independent Practice; questions 14 and 17 use "Windy Nights" in Guided Practice; questions 12, 13, 15 and 18 use the Chapter 40 passage in Closure. Questions 1-2 are about words in general. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
All four words describe a person who spends little money. Which word has the most negative connotation?
Answer: D
"Stingy" suggests someone who is selfish and will not share, a negative connotation. "Saving" and "careful" are close to neutral. "Thrifty" is positive: it suggests someone wise with money. All four have nearly the same denotation, so only the connotation separates them.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses figurative language?
Answer: B
A backpack cannot really weigh a ton (2,000 pounds), so Choice B is hyperbole, an exaggeration made to show how heavy it felt. Choices A, C and D are literal statements that could be exactly true; a common error is to think any sentence with a number in it is exaggerating.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the Chapter 3 passage, the bit is "held fast there by straps over your head." What does "fast" mean in this phrase?
Answer: A
Here "fast" means firmly, so it cannot move: the straps hold the bit so that "no way in the world can you get rid of the nasty hard thing." Choice B is the most familiar meaning of "fast," but the bit is not moving. Choice C is the meaning in "to fast" (to go without eating). Choice D mixes it up with phrases like "breakfast."
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Near the end of the Chapter 3 passage, the horse mentions "the nice oats" and "my master's pats, kind words, and gentle ways." How do these words change the tone?
Answer: C
After "it is very bad! yes, very bad!" the words "nice," "kind" and "gentle" are all positive, and the paragraph ends calmly: "I got to wear my bit and bridle." Choice A has no support; the horse never says he was tricked. Choice B treats the oats as a joke, which nothing in the passage does. Choice D is contradicted by "kind words, and gentle ways."
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"Those who have never had a bit in their mouths cannot think how bad it feels." What does "cannot think" mean in this sentence?
Answer: A
People who have never worn a bit have no experience to picture, so they cannot imagine the feeling. Choice B is wrong because you cannot remember something that never happened to you. Choice C does not fit: there is nothing to decide. Choice D confuses the listener with the speaker: the horse is the one explaining.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Line 1 of Dickinson's poem says, "Hope is the thing with feathers." What kind of figurative language is this?
Answer: B
The line says hope is a feathered thing, a bird, without "like" or "as," so it is a metaphor. Choice A would need "like" or "as" ("Hope is like a bird"). Choice C is wrong because hope, a feeling, cannot literally have feathers. Choice D names a sound pattern, not a comparison, and line 1 does not rhyme with the line after it.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"That perches in the soul" (line 2). What does the word "perches" suggest about hope?
Answer: A
A bird perches when it lands and rests on something, so the word suggests that hope comes to rest inside us and stays. Choice B is contradicted by line 4: it "never stops at all." Choice C reads the metaphor literally. Choice D uses another sense of "perch" (a high seat), but the bird perches "in the soul," not above people.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What does the bird's singing "the tune without the words" (line 3) suggest about hope?
Answer: D
A tune without words is felt, not explained: hope keeps us going even when we cannot say why things will be all right. Choice A invents a memory the poem never mentions. Choice B takes the music too literally. Choice C reads "without the words" as forgetting, and ignores "never stops at all" (line 4).
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"And sweetest in the gale is heard" (line 5). What does this line mean in the poem?
Answer: C
A gale is a very strong wind; in the poem it stands for a hard time in a person's life. The line says hope sounds "sweetest" then, when we need it most. Choice A reverses the line. Choice B reads the gale only literally, as weather for birds. Choice D is contradicted by "never stops at all" (line 4) and by the next lines, where only a very "sore" storm could trouble the bird.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"And sore must be the storm / That could abash the little bird" (lines 6-7). Using context, what does "abash" most likely mean?
Answer: B
To abash someone is to make them feel ashamed or shy, so that they go quiet. The context supports it: the poem is about a bird that "never stops" singing, and it would take a very bad ("sore") storm to stop it. Choice A and Choice C borrow ideas from other words in the poem ("crumb," "warm"), not from what the storm would do to the bird. Choice D guesses from "storm" but ignores that the question in the poem is whether the bird keeps singing.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The poem ends, "Yet, never, in extremity, / It asked a crumb of me" (lines 11-12). What do these words show about hope?
Answer: D
A crumb is the smallest bit of food a bird could want, and hope "never" asked even that, so it gives help and takes nothing. The word choice makes the tone grateful. Choice A invents a detail. Choice B misreads "crumb" as hunger, when the lines say the bird never asked. Choice C reverses the meaning: hope asks for nothing.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Chapter 40, "a shabby old cab drove up beside ours." What does the word "shabby" connote?
Answer: A
"Shabby" means worn and in poor condition, and it connotes neglect and poverty. It prepares the reader for the horse that pulls the cab, "an old worn-out chestnut, with an ill-kept coat" (paragraph 1). Choice B describes the opposite, a well-kept thing. Choice C is about size, not condition. Choice D gives "shabby" a positive feeling it does not have.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
"The beautifully arched and glossy neck was now straight, and lank, and fallen in" (Chapter 40, paragraph 2). How does this word choice affect the tone?
Answer: C
The sentence sets positive words for the past ("beautifully arched," "glossy") against negative words for the present ("lank," "fallen in"), and the word "now" marks the change. The contrast makes the reader feel the loss, so the tone is sorrowful. Choice A reverses the meaning. Choice B ignores every negative word. Choice D is contradicted by "It was Ginger!"
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In "Windy Nights," the rider goes by "Late in the night when the fires are out" (line 5). What do the words "the fires are out" suggest?
Answer: B
Homes were heated by fires, which were put out at bedtime, so "the fires are out" tells us it is late, dark and quiet, and everyone except the listening child is asleep. The words add to the lonely, mysterious tone. Choice A reads "out" as a disaster; nothing in the poem burns. Choice C invents a reason for the ride. Choice D confuses the fires with the stars, which are "set" (line 1).
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
In Chapter 40, the narrator calls Ginger "the poor creature" (paragraph 1). Explain the connotation of this phrase. How would the passage change if Sewell had written "the animal" instead?
Model answer: "Poor" here does not mean without money; it connotes pity, and "creature" suggests a living thing that can feel. Together they show the narrator's sympathy before he even knows it is Ginger. "The animal" has almost the same denotation but a neutral connotation, so the passage would sound cold and distant, and the reader would feel less for her. Rubric: 2 points for the connotation of the phrase and a clear comparison with "the animal"; 1 point for one of the two; 0 points otherwise.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Dickinson compares hope to a bird all through her poem. Explain how this comparison shapes the meaning of the poem. Use two lines from different stanzas.
Model answer: The comparison lets the reader see a feeling as a small living thing that stays with us and keeps singing. In stanza 1 the bird sings and "never stops at all" (line 4), so hope keeps going when other feelings fade. In stanza 2, "sore must be the storm" (line 6) that could trouble it, so hope is very hard to defeat, even in bad times. Because a bird is small and fragile, the comparison also makes hope's strength in the storm more surprising. Rubric: 2 points for explaining what the comparison shows, with lines from two stanzas; 1 point for one line or an explanation without evidence; 0 points otherwise.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
In "Windy Nights," "ships are tossed at sea" (line 8). What does "tossed" mean here, and how does this word choice add to the feeling of the poem?
Model answer: "Tossed" means thrown up and down or side to side, the way a ball is tossed. The ships are big and heavy, so the word shows how wild the storm is. It adds to the restless, uneasy feeling of the poem, since the ships, like the rider, cannot stay still. A gentler word such as "rocking" would make the night sound calm. Rubric: 2 points for the meaning in context and its effect on the feeling; 1 point for one of the two; 0 points otherwise.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
"The face, that was once so full of spirit and life, was now full of suffering" (Chapter 40, paragraph 2). How does repeating the words "full of" affect the meaning and tone of this sentence?
Model answer: The repeated "full of" sets the two halves of Ginger's life side by side: once "full of spirit and life," now "full of suffering." The repetition makes the change sharper, because the same words hold opposite things. The tone becomes sorrowful; the reader feels that everything good in her has been replaced by pain. Rubric: 2 points for explaining how the repetition creates the contrast and naming its effect on tone; 1 point for one of the two; 0 points otherwise.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
In "Hope," the speaker has heard the bird "in the chillest land, / And on the strangest sea" (lines 9-10). What do the words "chillest" and "strangest" connote, and what do they suggest about where hope is found?
Model answer: "Chillest" connotes cold, lonely and unwelcoming, and "strangest" connotes unfamiliar and a little frightening. Both are the most extreme forms ("-est"). They suggest that hope is found even in the hardest and loneliest places a person can be, which fits the claim that it "never stops at all" (line 4). Rubric: 2 points for the connotation of both words and what they suggest about hope; 1 point for one word or no link to hope; 0 points otherwise.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Rewrite these words from the opening of Black Beauty so that their tone becomes gloomy, changing no more than four words: "when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove" (paragraph 2). Then explain how your word choices changed the meaning and tone.
Model answer: "when it was cold we had a damp drafty shed near the swamp" I replaced "nice warm" with "damp drafty" and "grove" with "swamp." The facts are almost the same, a shelter near some land, but "damp" and "drafty" connote discomfort instead of comfort, and "swamp" connotes mud and gloom instead of shady trees. The tone changes from safe and cozy to uncomfortable and dreary. Rubric: 2 points for a rewrite with four or fewer changes and an explanation of the effect on meaning and tone; 1 point for a rewrite with a weak explanation; 0 points otherwise.
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06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does RL.6.4 mean?
It means sixth graders must figure out what words and phrases mean in a story, poem or play, including figurative meanings and connotations, and explain how a specific word choice affects meaning and tone. The key words are "as they are used in a text": the same word can mean different things in different sentences.
What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling or idea the word carries. "Slender" and "scrawny" both mean thin, but "slender" feels positive and "scrawny" feels negative. Writers pick words for their connotations to shape how readers feel.
What is tone in reading?
Tone is the attitude a text shows toward its subject, such as calm, angry, playful, sorrowful or mysterious. Readers hear tone mainly through word choice. To name a tone, students should use a precise word and point to the specific words in the text that create it.
What kinds of figurative language should sixth graders know?
Sixth graders usually work with similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole. The standard is less about naming the device than about explaining what the figurative words mean and what effect they have. A student who explains a metaphor well has done more than one who only labels it.
How is RL.6.4 different from RL.5.4?
RL.5.4 asks students to determine word meanings, including figurative language "such as metaphors and similes." RL.6.4 adds connotative meanings and asks students to "analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone." In grade 6, students move from what a word means to what it does.
What comes after RL.6.4?
RL.7.4 adds the effect of rhymes and other repeated sounds, such as alliteration, on a poem or a section of a story. RL.8.4 adds analogies and allusions (references to other texts). Both keep the grade 6 focus on figurative and connotative meanings and on tone.
What is the difference between RL.6.4 and RI.6.4?
They ask for the same word skills with different kinds of texts. RL.6.4 is for literature and adds the impact of word choice on tone. RI.6.4 is for informational texts and adds technical meanings, such as science or history terms.
What mistakes do students make with word choice questions?
A common error is giving a dictionary meaning that does not fit the sentence, such as reading "a bright student" as a student who gives off light. Another is naming a figure of speech without explaining it, or naming a tone without evidence. Teaching students to ask "What does it mean here, and what does it make me feel?" helps with all three.
Why teach RL.6.4 with poems and Black Beauty?
Short poems pack many word choices into a few lines, so students can study each one closely. Black Beauty is told by a horse in plain, simple sentences, which makes changes in word choice and tone easy to see. Both are old enough to be in the public domain and are still widely read.
How can parents help with RL.6.4 at home?
When reading together, stop at a vivid word and ask, "Why do you think the author picked that word instead of a plainer one?" Swapping in a different word and hearing the difference is a quick way to practice connotation and tone.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to RL.6.4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
RL.5.4Prerequisite
Determine word and phrase meanings in a text, including metaphors and similes
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
RI.6.4Parallel
Determine figurative, connotative and technical meanings of words in informational text
Lesson coming soon
L.6.5Parallel
Understand figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings
Lesson coming soon
After this lesson
RL.7.4Next step
Determine figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and repeated sounds
Lesson coming soon
RL.8.4Extends to
Analyze the impact of word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies and allusions
