Author’s Purpose

8th Grade

AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

WHAT IS IT?When an author writes something he chooses his words for a purpose. The author’s purpose is the MAIN REASON that he is writing the article.

WHY? Knowing the author’s purpose will: Give you a better understanding of what you are reading Help you to know how to read the selection

READING STRAND - Critical Thinking TARGET – LT08/IT18

What is the author’s purpose?In literary text, it includes the

ability to:

Analyze author’s purpose

Analyze the effectiveness for different audiences

Identify fact and opinion

Identify the author’s assumptions and beliefs

What is the author’s purpose?

In informational text, it includes the ability to:

• Analyze author’s purpose • Evaluate the effectiveness for different

audiences• Identify fact and opinion• Identify the author’s point of view• Identify the author’s use of persuasive

devices • Identify the author’s assumptions and beliefs

It helps us make sense of and comprehend textIt helps us understand the reasons the authors wrote the pieceIt help us distinguish between fiction and non-fictionIt helps us understand how to read the selectionIt allows us to think critically about techniques the author includedIt allows us to acknowledge the author’s point of view

Why do we need to work with the author’s purpose?

AUTHOR’S PURPOSETO ENTERTAIN

TO TELL A STORY THAT AMUSES PEOPLE

AUTHOR’S PURPOSETO INFORM-TO EXPLAIN-

TO DEMONSTRATE-TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION

AUTHOR’S PURPOSETO PERSUADE

TO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHINGTO CONVINCE SOMEONE TO ACCEPT THE AUTHOR’S

POINT OF VIEW

AUTHOR’S PURPOSETO DESCRIBE

TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF IN WORDSTO PAINT A PICTURE IN THE READER’S MIND

TODESCRIBE To paint a picture in the reader’s

mind Show, not tell

TO INFORM-EXPLAIN-DEMONSTRATE

To provide accurate information

TOENTERTAIN

To tell a story that amuses people

TO PERSUADE

To convince someone to do something, to convince someone to accept the author’s point of view

To Describe

• When an author uses description in their writing, they often use vivid verbs and figurative language. They pay attention to sentence fluency and to their audience.

Rachel put on her jacket and her mother’s gardening shoes. She took her gloves, too. Then she went out into the rain, splashing through puddles in the garden. Rachel crawled under the soggy bushes, hoping to find a creepy-crawly insect. Each leaf she disturbed dropped more water down her back. With a muddy hand, she wiped away a spider’s web that had stuck to her clammy face. Damp leaves clung to her stringy, brown hair while a yellow dandelion clasped to her soaked jeans.

To Entertain•When an author writes to entertain readers, he or she tries to amuse them!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(an excerpt)

The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time…

The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come in time. When you got to the table you couldn’t go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn’t really anything the matter with them… After supper, she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers; and I was in a sweat to find out about him; but by and by she let it out that

Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn’t care no more about him…

Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on took and sat me down now, with a spelling book… Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. She would say things like, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;’ and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry.” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there!

To Inform•When an author writes to

inform readers, he or she tries to teach them about a topic by defining it, explaining it, or analyzing it.

Crazy About MessagingThink Fast! Write this exchange in proper

English. “Wass^?” “N2M, U?” “JC.” “G2G. BFN.” Don’t get it? The dictionary will not help you out, but our useful guide will. You may be one of the many kids online who use instant messaging or, IM. With the right software, they can talk to each other online in real-time in pop-up text windows. When they type instant messages, they don’t slow down to use capital letters, periods, and commas or to spell out words. Kids are thinking up IM words as fast as they can punch their keys.

GET THE MESSAGEbfn: bye for now sry: sorrybrb: be right back sup, wass^:

What’s up?g2g: got to go ur: yourjc: just chillin’ wat: whatl8r:later wuz: waslol: laugh out loudnm: not much oic: oh, I seepos: parents over shoulderrly: really

To Persuade• When an author writes to persuade

readers, the author tries to convince readers to agree with his or her position on an issue and, perhaps take an action.

I am writing in opposition to the proposed ban on the use of cell phones while driving. Though I understand and respect people’s concerns about the role cell phones play in certain types of accidents, I believe in all-out ban would unfairly penalize all cell-phone users, most of whom are careful drivers.

No statistical studies have been done to prove that accident rates fall in areas where cell phones have been banned. In fact, bans have not even successfully curtailed cell-phone use. In New York, for example, rates of use dropped after a ban was enacted but crept back up to pre-ban rates within a few years. Highway safety expert Tom Benson, who once supported a ban, now agrees that “cell-phone bans are unenforceable.”

We already have laws in place to discourage reckless driving. We do not need to add a ban that is likely to make law-abiding citizens into criminals. If a cell-phone user drives carelessly, the police can ticket him or her for reckless driving. Don’t penalize all cell-phone users just because a few are careless.

Practice WASL Question

What is the Author’s Purpose for writing the story/selection/poem?

THINK…….“The author's purpose for writing this

selection isto _________ the reader about _____ .”

CHOICES:

TO persuadeTO describeTO informTO entertain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(an excerpt)

The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time…

The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come in time. When you got to the table you couldn’t go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn’t really anything the matter with them… After supper,

she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers; and I was in a sweat to find out about him; but by and by she let it out that

Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn’t care no more about him…

Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on took and sat me down now, with a spelling book… Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. She would say things like, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;’ and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry.” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there!

What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?

The author’s purpose for writing this selection is to entertain the reader about Huck Finn, a character in one of Mark Twain’s novels. Two examples that support this idea are when the author uses the dialect that Huck uses. When he says that the Widow Douglas wants to “sivlize” him. Also, when Huck talks about the lessons he learns from

the Bible and Moses. It is humorous when Huck is fearful of Moses until he finds out he is dead! An additional example is when Huck details his encounter with Miss Watson.

“Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. She would say things like, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;’ and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry.” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there!” The reader can relate to this grueling experience because of the comments she makes to Huck and about him wanting to be in the bad place because it would be better than what he is having to endure!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(an excerpt)

The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time…

The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come in time. When you got to the table you couldn’t go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn’t really anything the matter with them… After supper, she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers; and I was in a sweat to find out about him; but by and by she let it out that

Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn’t care no more about him…

Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on took and sat me down now, with a spelling book… Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. She would say things like, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;’ and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry.” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there!

An example of ????Yesterday, someone in math class said,” Ben,

give me one good reason to vote for you for student-council president.”

I replied, “Because I am the best-qualified candidate. I have been a member on the council for three years. During that time, my goal has always been to make this school a better place. That is why I voted yes on the requests for money to have an international food fair, to buy new uniforms for our football teams, and to help finance a tutoring program. In fact, I am a math tutor in that

program. Now, in case you think I only vote yes on requests I like, let me remind you that last year I voted no to a request for funds to build a skateboarding course on school grounds, even though I am an avid skateboarder. I did so because after listening to your opinions, I learned that the majority of you think skateboarding would make the school a more dangerous place.

In closing, I have learned a lot from being on the student council and am eager to put that knowledge to use for you. But I can’t do it without your support. Please give me your vote.

An example of ????Eric Le Marque’s situation was grim. He was

alone and lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in frigid weather, he had no food, and his cell phone was dead. What was suppose to be an exhilarating day of snowboarding became a seven-day struggle to survive. Yet he did survive, and his story has lessons to teach about what to do- and what not do- in the wilderness.

First, the “don’ts”: Le Marque went into the mountains alone and unequipped. According to experts, you should bring a companion and

and certain supplies with you when you go into the wilderness, even if you plan to be there only a day. Those supplies include a compass, a map, extra food and water, extra clothing, waterproof matches, and a candle or a fire-starting tool. Le Marque brought none of those and it almost cost him his life.

Now, the “do’s”: Once LeMarque knew he was lost, he stayed calm and confident, and he did some creative thinking. To avoid starving, he ate tree bark. To insulate himself from the cold at night, he slept on wood chips he made by using his snowboard as an ax. Most important, he thought

of a new use for the MP3 player he had with him. He realized that the player, a portable device that plays computer files of music, picked up radio signals. The stronger the signals, he reasoned, the closer he was to civilization. He was correct. Using the signals as a guide, he began walking in the right direction, back to safety. Experts say if you do become lost in the wilderness, do what LeMarque did. Keep a cool head, persevere, and be creative.

An example of ????The gusts seemed to rip the world apart,

crashing and shrieking even louder than ever. This time, the wind was hitting the outside of the wall facing the girls. The storm had come back with even greater fury than before.. Would the walls of their shelter crumble? Would something huge come crashing through the roof? Families were holding each other in the deafening darkness. Comforting whispers filled the ears of trembling children.

An example of ????“The Fish,” by Elizabeth BishopI caught a tremendous fish……….Here and

there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wall-paper: shapes like full blown roses stained and lost through age. He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime and infested with tiny white sea-lice, and underneath two or three rags of green weed hung down. His gills were fresh and crisp with blood, that can cut so badly-and the dramatic reds and blacks of his shiny entrails.

An example of ????Yesterday, someone in math class said,” Ben,

give me one good reason to vote for you for student-council president.”

I replied, “Because I am the best-qualified candidate. I have been a member on the council for three years. During that time, my goal has always been to make this school a better place. That is why I voted yes on the requests for money to have an international food fair, to buy new uniforms for our football teams, and to help finance a tutoring program. In fact, I am a math tutor in that

program. Now, in case you think I only vote yes on requests I like, let me remind you that last year I voted no to a request for funds to build a skateboarding course on school grounds, even though I am an avid skateboarder. I did so because after listening to your opinions, I learned that the majority of you think skateboarding would make the school a more dangerous place.

In closing, I have learned a lot from being on the student council and am eager to put that knowledge to use for you. But I can’t do it without your support. Please give me your vote.

An example of ????Eric Le Marque’s situation was grim. He was

alone and lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in frigid weather, he had no food, and his cell phone was dead. What was suppose to be an exhilarating day of snowboarding became a seven-day struggle to survive. Yet he did survive, and his story has lessons to teach about what to do- and what not do- in the wilderness.

First, the “don’ts”: Le Marque went into the mountains alone and unequipped. According to experts, you should bring a companion and

and certain supplies with you when you go into the wilderness, even if you plan to be there only a day. Those supplies include a compass, a map, extra food and water, extra clothing, waterproof matches, and a candle or a fire-starting tool. Le Marque brought none of those and it almost cost him his life.

Now, the “do’s”: Once LeMarque knew he was lost, he stayed calm and confident, and he did some creative thinking. To avoid starving, he ate tree bark. To insulate himself from the cold at night, he slept on wood chips he made by using his snowboard as an ax. Most important, he thought

of a new use for the MP3 player he had with him. He realized that the player, a portable device that plays computer files of music, picked up radio signals. The stronger the signals, he reasoned, the closer he was to civilization. He was correct. Using the signals as a guide, he began walking in the right direction, back to safety. Experts say if you do become lost in the wilderness, do what LeMarque did. Keep a cool head, persevere, and be creative.

An example of ????The gusts seemed to rip the world apart,

crashing and shrieking even louder than ever. This time, the wind was hitting the outside of the wall facing the girls. The storm had come back with even greater fury than before. Would the walls of their shelter crumble? Would something huge come crashing through the roof? Families were holding each other in the deafening darkness. Comforting whispers filled the ears of trembling children.

An example of ????“The Fish,” an excerpt of a poem by Elizabeth Bishop

I caught a tremendous fish……….Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wall-paper: shapes like full blown roses stained and lost through age. He was speckled with barnacles, fine rosettes of lime and infested with tiny white sea-lice, and underneath two or three rags of green weed hung down. His gills were fresh and crisp with blood, that can cut so badly-and the dramatic reds and blacks of his shiny entrails.

“Staying Alive”, Time MagazineBrian Kang: A surfer saves himself from the jaws of death.

In November of 2004, Brian King sat on his surfboard off a California beach. He was waiting for a wave when-BAM! Kang, 38, remembers a giant force hitting his left side. “I look over and see this huge black tail fin sticking out of the water,” he says. Kang had run into every surfer’s nightmare-a great white shark. “It had me in its mouth.

“Brian was off his board and there was all this churning water,” says Jennifer Savage. She had gone surfing with Kang.

The 18-foot shark let go of Kang’s left hip and legs for a moment. He was bleeding, but he climbed back on his board. A few seconds later, the great white surfaced right beside him. They were almost face-to-face. Kang tried to push the shark away. Then he punched it in the nose-an easily hurt part of a shark's body. “I cut my thumb pretty bad. At that point it went back under the water,” says Kang.

Kang knew he had to paddle for his life. He finally made it to shore. It took about five minutes, but to Kang it seemed like forever. Someone on the beach called 911, and Kang was rushed to the hospital.

The shark’s bite had sliced through part of his left hip to the bone. The shark had also come close to cutting a major nerve. If the nerve had been cut, Kang would not have been able to move most of his body.

After three months, Kang is walking once again. And he is back on his board. “I just feel a deep connection to the ocean,” he says. “I’d rather take my chances out on the water than driving on a highway!”

“Saving Lions”, Time MagazineWill new ways to protect lions work?

More than half of the lions in Africa live in protected parks. Outside these protected parks, lions are in danger. So are most of the world’s other big cats. Big cats need big spaces. When they leave the parks, they often get into trouble with people.

Even inside the parks, lions are not always safe. In 1994, one-third of the lions in one of the largest parks in Africa became sick. Many of them died. Joshua Ginsberg, a scientist who works with wildlife, says that protected lands alone are not the answer.

Ginsberg thinks that the only way to save big cats is to let them live among people. Lions should be able to go from the parks to land shared by people, he says.

There is still no simple way to meet the needs of both people and big cats. If a choice must be made, whose needs will come first? The needs of people will come before the needs of big cats. Even on Mugie Ranch, a ranger had to shoot a lion. The lion was killing sheep. “If you don’t move quickly, they teach other lions to do the same,” explains the manager.

Lions have to hunt in order to live. And people may have to learn to live with them. To keep lions in the world, people will have to help them. Without help, these big cats will end up living in zoos, far from the wild plains where they can live free. It is up to us, the people, to make a difference for these beautiful animals. We MUST take action to help save them from extinction.

“A Real School of Rock”, Time MagazineOne teacher helps turn students into rock musicians.

It is 7:30 a.m. at a public school in Newark, New Jersey. The school day has not even started, but the kids are noisy. Students, ages 11 to 17, are there before school to jam on guitars and crank out tunes. They want to play like rock stars.

This may sound like the movie School of Rock. However, it is not! It’s real life. In 1996, David Wish started a group called Little Kids Rock. Wish is a teacher who also plays jazz guitar. He takes Little Kids Rock to different schools.

Many kids in the United States do not learn about music in their schools because the schools do not have enough money for music classes. Wish did not want kids to miss out on the fun of music, so he started Little Kids Rock with instruments he borrowed from friends.

Wish’s kids learn to play by ear, not by reading music. He also shows students how to rock out like stars on a stage. They soon start playing and writing songs on their own. “We teach kids to play the kinds of music they listen to,” he explains. Now, about 2,000 kids are playing music in their classrooms. Wish plans to open classes in even more cities.

Little Kids Rock recorded its own songs on the group’s fourth CD. The musical styles range from rap to folk rock. We can all be rock stars, says Wish, if we “find a fun way to put our thoughts and feelings into words and are proud of what we do.” Wish’s kids pick up a love of music from making their own music.

But real-life Little Kids Rock is different from the group in School of Rock. “In the movie, it’s one teacher and one class full of well-to-do kids,” Wish says. “In real life, it’s hundreds of teachers, thousand of kids, and it’s free.” Rock on!

An excerpt from Forten, the Sailmaker by Ester DoutyAt sunrise the prisoners were allowed to ascend

to the upper deck where they gratefully gulped the fresh air. James, scrambling up the ladder with the rest, searched through the horde of ragged, dirty, half-starved men for a familiar figure. After awhile he found one-a wiry, freckle–faced boy from Philadelphia named Daniel Brewton.

Daniel was only 14, a year younger than James. When he saw the stalwart, brown-skinned Forten, he flung his bony arms around him and tried to keep back his salty tears. James’s eyes fastened

on the silk handkerchief Daniel wore knotted around his neck. It appeared to be alive with crawling black spots.

“Ugh!” he cried in disgust, “vermin.” He snatched the kerchief and flung it overboard. Then he felt something crawling on his own head and down his neck and arms. He too, was covered with the horrible black lice that infested the entire hulk and crept over the helpless men, carrying disease as they went.

James soon learned that vermin were among the lesser horrors of the Jersey. Much worse were the drinking water and the food. The water, stored in

enormous casks that were never cleaned, was thick and clammy, with a foul odor. The food allowance for the week-what little there was of it- never varied: pork, salt beef, dried peas, oatmeal, flour, biscuits, and butter. The biscuit was moldy and filled with worms. The pork was slimy with decay and stank so that even half-starved prisoners could seldom bring themselves to swallow it. The damaged peas were as indigestible as grapeshot. The flour and oatmeal were sour, and the oil and suet, which passed for butter, were rancid.