1. Author’s Purpose & Perspective

2. Three Reasons for Writing
To Persuade (Persuasive)
To Inform (Expository)
To Entertain (Narrative or Poetry)

3. Writing to Persuade Attempts to influence the reader
Persuasive writing makes an argument.
Examples:
Political speeches
Advertisements
A cover letter for your resume
An essay urging readers to recycle

4. Remember: Expository = Expose
Writing to Inform
Often called expository writing
Expository writing shows or explains facts.
Examples:
Biography of Tom Brady
News report about an earthquake
Note to a friend
Essay about killer bees
Remember: Expository = Expose

5. Examples of Writing to Entertain
Narratives: stories.
Have a beginning, middle, and end
A story may have a lesson, but the author’s main purpose is to entertain.
Examples of Writing to Entertain
Harry Potter books
Poems about love
Narrative essay about the big game
Script for a TV show

6. Review
Informative or expository writing provides factual information about a topic.
Persuasive writing expresses an opinion (may use facts to support).
All narratives are written to entertain.

7. Practice I will describe a piece of writing.
Your group discusses the purpose.
Hold up the appropriate color.
inform
persuade
entertain

8. 1
A list of the 25 richest athletes in the world.

9. 2
An article arguing why Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever.

10. 3
An “X-men” comic book.

11. 4
The story about a young girl with low self-esteem learning to love herself.

12. 5
A National Geographic article about the eating and breeding habits of the endangered bald eagle.

13. 6
A website saying that a new shopping mall should not be built because it threatens an endangered bald eagle’s home. The website also lists other reasons why the mall should not be built.

14. 7
A magazine ad telling you to buy Nike shoes because you’ll jump higher.

15. What about perspective?
How the author feels about the topic he or she is writing about
It shows what he or she values
Opinions and beliefs
Personal experiences

16. Why should I care?
If you know how to figure out the author’s purpose and perspective you will be able to…
Recognize bias and decide whether a source of information can be trusted.
Understand why an author says things in a specific way or includes some facts and not others.

17. Review
Author’s Purpose: the reason the author chose to write the passage
Author’s Perspective: how the author feels about the subject based on the lens through which he/she views it