SETTING MOOD The time and place in which

SETTING / MOOD

The time and place in which stories happen is called SETTING. The setting can be anything from a single room to a whole country, from the distant past to the future.

The MOOD of a story is the feeling it gives the reader. Some different moods for stories are funny, sad, exciting, and scary.

Strategies that will help you understand setting and mood:

1. To understand mood, think about how the story makes you feel.

2. To understand setting, think about place and time.

3. The title of a story can be sometimes tell you about the setting and mood.

4. The setting is usually described at the beginning of a story.

5. You may need to read the entire story before you understand the mood.

Once you understand the mood and setting, you know what to expect in a story. You will find it easier to guess ahead of time what will happen in the story.

MONTE ALBAN

The car climbed slowly up the mountain road. The vacationers from the United States looked out at the beautiful scenery and talked about what a great time they were having on their trip to mexico.

At the top of the mountain, they pulled over to the side so they could take a good look at what was ahead.

“Awesome” said Stefan, the oldest child in the car. I’ve never seen anything like that. How old is it? ”

“Monte Alban is over a thousand years old, ” said his mother. “ It was built by the people who lived in Southern Mexico as a city and temple”.

“Tourists from all over the world come here now to see it. ”

After taking a few pictures, the family drove down to the parking area. They got out and headed toward the ruins.

The children were so excited that they ran ahead.

Mom, Dad, come here. Look at this! Lucinda, Stefan’s sister, was waving at their parents.

When they reached her, she pointed at a sign that was printed in Spanish, English, German, and Japanese.

“They played a game like basketball!” she said excitedly. ” They threw a ball through a hoop just like basketball. ”

For the rest of the afternoon, the family explored the ruins. They climbed huge pyramids and made their way through many small rooms, buildings, and passageways.

By the end of the day, they had seen almost everything and were completely exhausted.

On the drive back to the hotel, the children started talking about what a great time they had.

The talk didn’t last long, and after just a few minutes, they were both asleep.

1. Where does this selection take place? a. ) In the United States b. ) In Mexico c. ) In Spain

2. What are the characters doing? a. ) Looking for other tourists b. ) Hiking in the mountains c. ) Visiting ruins

3. How do the characters feel about their experience at Monte Alban?

a. ) They enjoyed it a great deal. b. ) They were tired of the mountain road. c. ) They wanted to go back to the hotel.