tone

Definition: Tone is what happens when you add black to a color, making it darker.

A bedtime story read in a soft, gentle voice has a calm tone.

How to teach this in 30 seconds

Try this analogy: Tone is like the feeling in someone's voice — the same words can sound gentle, grumpy, or excited depending on the tone.

Ask your child: Does this part sound happy, sad, or maybe a little scary?

Common mix-up: Kids might think the words are all that matter. Tone is the feeling behind the words — like how 'come here' can sound kind or cross depending on how it is said.

Examples

A story about a birthday party might have a happy, excited tone.
A spooky story uses a quiet, mysterious tone to make you feel a little nervous.

tone is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.

+2 more mentions across the curriculum

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The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗

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