Elementary school children understand moods and feelings, such as happy, sad and mad. Give each child a piece of paper. For grades that can write, tell the children to list words that show how they feel. Younger children can draw pictures of someone crying or smiling. Then write a sentence on the board that describes the emotion of a character or entire town. Ask the class how certain adjectives, such as "dark" and "dreary," make them feel. Once the students have a grasp on relaying mood to the reader, they may be more likely to include those types of descriptions in their writing.
The element of theme in literary works can be difficult for a young elementary school student to grasp. Before the class discussion, pass out a list of popular themes that are easily understood, such as family, love, growing up and making choices. Ask the children to give you examples of some of the themes that you list. Tell short stories and let the students guess the themes. Let them know that a theme isn't usually written in a book, but can be understood through the mood that the writer establishes in the story.
Divide the class into two teams. Each team must decide on a mood and theme to convey to the other group without using the exact words for each element. They may play charades or act out a scene. For example, one group may decide that the mood is jealousy and the theme is friendship. The team can act out a scene in the playground where one student becomes envious when a friend favors another person. Once the other group guesses the mood and theme, discuss the clues the students used to come to their conclusion.
Once students understand theme and mood, instruct them on how to incorporate the elements in their own writing. Give a story title for the entire class, or allow each student to choose their own topic for a one-page paper. Give them words or indicators to use in their story, such as color or description of facial expressions, to show the reader how the characters feel. The students don't have to specify the theme, but the reader should figure it out when the mood is established. Therefore, the children should be encouraged to use adjectives when describing how a character looks, thinks, feels and behaves.