Bellwork for August 24, 2017 Take any handouts from the back counter. Write in your agenda. Read your novel.

Author’s Purpose Lesson and Review

What is Author’s Purpose? An author is a person who wrote something. A purpose is a reason for doing something. The author’s purpose is the reason why someone wrote something.

Purposes for Writing There are three main purposes for writing: Entertain Inform Persuade You will learn about each of these.

To Entertain Writing texts to give readers enjoyment. Examples: A story about a kid overcoming bullies A poem about bullying A play about a bully losing his friends Stories, poems, and plays may teach a lesson, but the author’s main purpose is to entertain.

To Inform Writing texts to provide information Examples A set of directions to create a bird house An article about the habits of a rare bird A report predicting the day’s weather Some directions, articles, and reports may be entertaining, but the author’s main purpose is to inform.

To Persuade Writing text to influence the reader Examples A flyer saying vote “no” on proposition 54 An commercial for foot cream An letter pleading for forgiveness Be careful. A text that is written to persuade may also be entertaining or informative, like a funny commercial.

How to Find the Author’s Purpose Ask yourself, “Is it a story, poem, or play? ” If so, it was probably written to entertain. Ask yourself, “Is the text teaching me about something or showing me how to do something?” If so, it was probably written to inform. Ask yourself, “Is this text trying to get me to do something?” If so, it was probably written to persuade.

Practice Take out a separate sheet of paper. I will project short descriptions of texts on to the board. You will determine what is most likely the author’s main purpose in writing the text. You will write your answer on your paper. We will discuss our answers when everyone has had a chance to answer.

1 A poem about a garbage truck that uses a lot of onomatopoeia

2 A five-paragraph essay in which the author attempts to convince readers to recycle more and to be less wasteful

3 A short story about a boy who never cleans his room and the horrible mess that accumulates

4 Instructions on how to make a compost pile

5 A bookmark with facts about garbage, such as the average weight of garbage created each year by each individual and the height and width of the largest pile of garbage

6 The story of a garbage truck who has a hard time making friends

7 An article in a magazine comparing and contrasting waste management in New York City and Mexico City

8 A billboard asking voters to appoint Joe Santiago as Sanitation Commissioner

9 The script for a television commercial to be read by Miley Cyrus telling viewers to make environmentally friendly decisions because future generations depend on it

10 A sticker on the trash compactor that shows how to operate it

Answers Entertain Persuade Inform

But wait… there’s more! On the test, you will not be asked for a one-word answer. You will need to identify the specific purpose for a text. For example: The author is persuading the reader to recycle paper and plastic products. The author is entertaining the reader with a story about his life as a child growing up in Alabama.

Let’s practice. Read the passage and answer the question that follows. Ever since the third grade, my mother had made a deal with me that she would buy back any candy that teachers gave to me. I walked in the house and dug deep into my backpack. I pulled out a fistful of candy. Mom's jaw dropped. “It was a financially advantageous day for me! Three pixie sticks from the reading teacher... One roll of Smarties for taking a test in health... three peppermints from my science teacher... a lollypop for ‘Lollypop Monday’ in Art, of course... and one Tootsie Roll from math class. That's nine pieces of candy," I called out. “That’s four dollars and fifty cents!” I smiled smugly. “I guess I don’t have to buy Halloween candy this year,” mom said, reaching into her purse. What is the author’s main purpose? to present an objective discussion of some aspects of education to narrate a story that teaches a lesson or affords insight to narrate an incident using description and humor to make an argument based solely on opinions

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