Author’s Purpose & Attitude Unit 4

Author’s Purpose & Attitude REVIEW - Author’s Attitude Tone = author’s attitude toward subjects, settings, story, etc. how the author feels about the subject they are writing about. You find tone by figuring out the tone of voice associated with the writing. Positive, negative, neutral? Attitude helps to determine what the point of his or her writing will be. NEW - Author’s Purpose Every piece of writing has a point (purpose)! Author’s purpose is the reason they wrote the selection. Your job on the OAA & OGT will be to decide what the point of a passage or piece of writing is. An author may have more than one purpose in a piece of writing. A purpose may be stated directly or need to be inferred by the reader.

Author’s Purpose Inform Persuade Provides facts, ideas, terms, or directions Simply informs, explains, teaches, or “tells” you about a topic Tone is neutral and fair (unbiased) Examples of this type of writing: expository essays or articles, instructions or directions, Encyclopedias or other reference texts Keep in mind – for example, many readers find reading the newspaper to be very entertaining, but the primary purpose of the majority of the text is to provide information. Persuade The author attempts to lead the reader to take on a belief or opinion about the topic / an attempt to change the reader’s mind The author wants you to take on his or her viewpoint Tone is either strongly positive OR negative / approving OR disapproving Examples of this type of writing: advertisements, campaign speeches, persuasive letters or notes -- Also called persuasive writing

Author’s Purpose Entertain Describe Meant to entertain and provide enjoyment for the reader. Tone is outrageously funny, scary, witty, etc. This does not mean that the text must be happy; the text could be a tragedy, but the main reason for writing the text is to amuse readers. There may be persuasive or informative elements; however, is the primary purpose to entertain or amuse? Some examples of this type of writing can be poems, stories, plays, or comic strips. Describe Gives a word picture of a person, place, thing, and/or event (an attempt to get the reader to truly see what the author sees) Uses imagery and several adjectives Painting a picture with words Tone is neutral and fair (unbiased)

Tips to help you find author’s purpose… Is the text a poem, play, or story? Does the text provide facts or opinions? Is the text attempting to get the reader to do something? Based on the title, why do think the author wrote this selection? Which words do you think best describe the main reason the author wrote this selection: to provide readers with information? To describe a person, event, or issue? To persuade readers to think about an issue in a certain way and to take action? Or to entertain the reader? Why did the author write the article from a particular point of view? How did the author influence your response to the selection? Was the author’s purpose specifically stated? Do you think that the author achieved his/her intended purposes? Did the article effectively give information? Entertain readers? Persuade readers to think about an issue and/or take action? What examples from the text support your conclusions about author’s purpose?

Practice #1 Jim was unable to get to sleep. When he went to bed he cried. Tomorrow is his birthday party and it is going to be ruined. How can we go sledding with no snow? The next morning, when Jim got out of bed and ran to the window, he shouted with glee, "The snow has fallen and we can go sledding!" Jim was happy because now he can have his birthday sledding party.

Practice #2 Everyone should have a pet of some sort. Pets are very loving and affectionate, and can add a great deal of emotional and mental value to one’s life. In addition, pets help children learn responsibility because a child can have jobs to help care for them. Overall, pets give you unconditional love. Having a pet is a wonderful experience for many reasons.

Practice #3 It was a cold grey day in late November. The weather had changed overnight, when a backing wind brought a granite sky and a muzzling rain with it, and although it was now only a little after two o'clock in the afternoon the pallor of a winter evening seemed to have closed upon the hills, cloaking them in mist.

Practice #4 If you want to become a better reader, you need to read often. Research supports that children need to read frequently to be able to read fluently and to be able to read high frequency words. All students will benefit by reading at least 20-30 minutes per day. Make it a point and read more often!

Practice #5 The largest animal ever to live on earth is the blue whale. They can grow this large because seawater can support their tremendous weight. Once whalers in the Antarctic caught a 108 foot long blue whale. In modern times, blue whales can reach 150 tons. To maintain its size, a blue whale will eat up to four tons of krill per day.

Practice #6 To spot a blue whale, start by watching the surface of the sea, looking for the blow of water. Blue whales release blows of up to 30 feet in height. Next use binoculars to spot the body. A blue whale looks like a large moving sandbar. Then look for the short dorsal fin near the tail. Finally, check for the triangular parts of the tail. If the tail rises above the water the animal is diving deep and may be gone for awhile.

Answers – 2 pts each #1 - entertain #2 - persuade #3 - describe #5 - inform #6 - inform