The Veldt

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Illustrated Cover”

After exploring the literary devices of tone and mood or atmosphere, students create an illustrated cover for “The Veldt.”

Create an illustrated cover for “The Veldt” that captures the mood and tone of the short story, and discuss the literary techniques the writer uses to achieve the mood and tone.

• Begin by investigating and taking notes on the difference between the literary terms mood and tone.
• Brainstorm a list of descriptive phrases that encompass the story’s mood and tone.
• Your cover can depict a specific symbol, theme, or image, or it can be more abstract, but images and design should convey the tone and mood you’ve determined.
• Include 2-3 “book blurbs” (short captions that offer a glimpse of the story’s contents to potential readers).
• Present your cover to the rest of the class and discuss your descriptive phrases and blurbs.

Once all illustrated covers are displayed, compare the ways in which each one conveys tone and mood, and discuss the literary techniques Bradbury uses to communicate tone and mood.