Creating Mood Boards

Overview

Class: Year 6
Duration: 45 minutes
Unit: Setting the Scene (Lesson 5 of 24)
Class size: 4 students
Subject: English

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National Curriculum Links

• English – Key Stage 2 – Writing – Composition:
  • Pupils should be taught to describe settings, characters and atmosphere (English Programme of Study, KS2).
• English – Key Stage 2 – Reading – Comprehension:
  • Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader.
• English – Spoken Language:
  • Participate in discussions, building on others' ideas and challenging viewpoints courteously.

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• WALT: Create a mood board using images and descriptive words that represent different settings.
• WALT: Understand how visual and language elements influence the mood and atmosphere in a story.
• WALT: Discuss and explain how mood boards can aid in setting development when writing narratives.

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Success Criteria

• I can select appropriate images and words that represent a setting.
• I can explain how the images and words create a specific mood or atmosphere.
• I can work collaboratively to discuss how mood influences storytelling.
• I can use descriptive vocabulary linked to settings confidently.

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Resources

• Printed images cut from magazines or printed from approved online sources (natural landscapes, urban scenes, spooky places, magical places, etc.)
• Words and phrases printed or handwritten on cards (e.g., “gloomy,” “peaceful,” “mysterious,” “vibrant,” “desolate”)
• A3 sheets for mood boards
• Glue sticks, scissors, colouring pencils
• Whiteboard and markers
• Vocabulary mats with descriptive adjectives for settings
• Lined paper or notebooks for reflection

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Recap of previous lessons on settings and how important mood and atmosphere are in stories.
• Introduce the concept of a mood board: a visual and textual collage that represents the ‘feel’ of a setting.
• Show a simple example mood board (can be pre-made) with images and words representing a spooky forest.
• Ask: How do these images and words make us feel? How could this affect a story?

2. Activity Instructions (5 minutes)

• Explain to students they will create their own mood boards representing different settings.
• Each student picks one setting: e.g., beach, city at night, abandoned house, enchanted forest.
• They will select images and words to reflect their setting’s mood and atmosphere.
• Encourage them to think about how these elements could influence the story’s tone and reader’s emotions.

3. Creating Mood Boards (20 minutes)

• Students work individually but can discuss ideas as they choose pictures and words.
• Teacher circulates, asking questions:
  • Why did you choose this image/word?
  • What mood does this word/image create?
  • How could this mood affect a story set here?
• Support students in using vocabulary mats if stuck, and encourage varied descriptive language.

4. Sharing and Discussion (10 minutes)

• Each student presents their mood board.
• Teacher asks the class to express how the mood board makes them feel and how it shapes their perception of the setting.
• Discuss how mood boards could help writers plan descriptive writing.

5. Plenary / Reflection (5 minutes)

• Students write 3-4 sentences reflecting on what they learnt about mood and setting.
• Prompt:
  “Today I learnt that the mood of a setting can be shown through …”
  “One way pictures and words influence a story is …”

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Differentiation

• For students needing support:

  • Provide a limited selection of words and images tailored to specific moods.
  • Use sentence starters and sentence frames for reflection writing.
  • Support vocabulary with images and definitions.

• For advanced learners:

  • Challenge to use similes and metaphors to describe the mood on their mood boards.
  • Add a short creative writing task: write a paragraph using their mood board to describe the setting.
  • Encourage use of complex vocabulary, e.g., “ominous,” “serene,” “chaotic.”

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of participation and understanding during mood board creation and presentations.
• Mark reflection writing for use of descriptive vocabulary and understanding of mood.
• Use questioning throughout to check comprehension of how setting and mood interrelate.

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Cross-curricular Links & WOW Factor

• Art & Design: Creating visual collages promotes creativity and design skills.
• PSHE: Explore feelings evoked by different settings—link to emotional literacy.
• WOW: Use an interactive digital mood board tool (if technology is available) for future lessons to create collaborative boards online.

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This lesson plan builds purposeful vocabulary and creative thinking aligned to the National Curriculum and prepares students for more complex narrative writing by immersing them in the sensory and emotional dimensions of settings.