LESSON ONE: Using Details from Text to Identify Author’s purpose

 

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS

o              R3C  The student will use details from the text to identify the author’s purpose for writing the text.

 

LESSON MATERIALS

Sources of Literature

o        None

 

Supplies 

o        Copy of a local newspaper, student magazine or textbook

o        Three charts labeled “inform”, “persuade” and “entertain”

o        Post-it notes

 

Handouts provided

o        “Take me out of the bathtub” funny poem

o        Sample letter to the editor

o        Sample editorial

o        Sample editorial cartoons

 

Words to know

o        author’s purpose

 

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Using a newspaper, student magazine or textbook, students individually locate an example of each purpose and mark it with a post-it note designating the author’s purpose (inform, persuade, entertain).  Teacher will use observation checklist provided.

 

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1.              Have an example of an informative, entertaining and persuasive text. (Examples:  a passage from a nonfiction book on water/water cycle; a funny poem such as “Take Me Out of the Bathtub!”; and a persuasive letter such as a “letter to the editor”).   Read each example to students and ask them to think about why an author may have chosen to write each piece.

 

Strategy

After reading each selection, ask students, “Why might the author have chosen to write this selection?”

 

2.              Share a copy of a local newspaper.  Read a news story from the paper and explain it is written to inform readers. (Authors may wish to give readers facts.)  Share an editorial and/or a movie/book review from the paper and explain that the author has written to persuade. (Authors may write to convince readers to believe something.)  Share a cartoon as an example of writing to entertain. (Authors may write to tell a good story.)

 

Questions

for

Students

What is the main idea of each of the passages modeled?  Explain to students that if they have understood the main idea of the text that will help them identify author’s purpose.

In what ways are the texts alike?

In what ways are the texts different?

 

Suggestions

Some newspapers are willing to supply multiple copies of newspapers free of charge for a classroom activity.  If possible students could use the same copy of newspaper the teacher uses for the Modeling Activity.

Use examples that are readily identifiable as informative, entertaining, and persuasive as well as of interest to children.

Some good student magazines are Time For Kids, Scholastic News, Weekly Reader, Discovery, National Geographic for Kids.  A word of caution; some magazines may have inappropriate ads or articles if they are written for an adult audience.

 

 

3.              Have three charts labeled “Inform”, “Persuade” and “Entertain”.  Provide newspapers and magazines to small groups of students.  Each group finds an example of each purpose, cuts out and pastes on the appropriate chart. Groups then use details from the examples to justify their classifications.  This sharing may be done in a cooperative learning format such as round robin.