Whether it’s an email to a teacher or a speech to the president, students often struggle with adjusting tone in writing. This fun, practical, no-prep activity helps them identify tone, evaluate audience expectations, and revise their writing using a clear formality scale.

Perfect for middle and high school ELA, this hands-on tone activity encourages self-awareness in word choice and voice—while giving students a good laugh and meaningful practice!

Why Teachers Love It:

• Engaging and humorous — students enjoy the examples
• Supports writing voice and style instruction
• Great for mini-lessons, sub plans, writing workshops, or assessment prep
• Easy to differentiate by grade level or writing proficiency
• Helps students think critically about purpose, audience, and tone

What’s Included:

Tone Scale Reference

• Ranges from informal (Level 1) to highly formal (Level 5)
• Helps students evaluate and adjust writing tone based on audience

2-Page Practice Activity

• Students read informal/formal passages, identify tone, and revise based on audience
• Audiences include: teacher, friend, parent, boss, principal, college board, and more

Answer Key Included

Printable PDF and Digital Versions for Google Classroom

Perfect For:

• Middle School and High School ELA (Grades 6–10)
• Argumentative and narrative writing units
• Test prep for formal writing
• Writing centers or stations