SOAPSTone Evaluating Nonfiction Texts

What is SOAPSTone? “Many students do not see the creation of a piece of writing as a way of ordering the mind, explaining their thoughts and feelings, or achieving a personal voice. One of the problems for these students is that they have no conscious plan that will enable them to begin the process and then to organize and develop their ideas… SOAPSTone (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone) is an acronym for a series of questions that students must first ask themselves, and then answer, as they begin to plan their compositions.” –Ogden Morse, academic director (apcentral.collegeboard.com)

Example Brain-injury program working with NFL players Michigan center updates military veteran brain- injury program to include football players

Speaker Who is telling the story The narrator’s point of view

Speaker Kyle Franko Sports Editor – The Idaho State Journal Point of view = third person (outside of the story)

Occassion Time and place of the text

Occassion Tuesday, Dec. 16 Lansing, Michigan

Audience The group of readers to whom the text is directed

Audience Lansing residents Idaho residents Sports (NFL) fans NFL players Veterans

Purpose Reason behind the text What the author wants the reader to think about or consider after reading the story

Purpose To inform Medical/physical effects of football Available brain-injury rehabilitation

Subject Topic of the text

Subject A brain-injury rehabilitation center is working to help war veterans and NFL players in a unique way.

Tone The attitude of the author toward the subject or audience

Tone Objective It does not show any feelings for or against a topic

SOAPSTone Challenge Using one of my (personal and treasured) National Geographic magazines, choose and read TWO different articles With a partner, SOAPSTone the articles PS: With non-fiction, you need to research the speaker since it is a real person (who are they?)