Name: Date: Hour: Author s Perspective [CCSS.ELA.RI.9-10.6] What is the author s purpose for writing The True Story of the Three Little Pigs? _ Thinking about an author s main reason for writing helps readers for reading a selection. Author s purposes may include: to, to, and to. Recognizing the author s purpose can help readers understand the author s perspective. Author s Perspective* What it is: What it isn t: * Also referred to as the author s: point of view, viewpoint, perspective, attitude, and thoughts or feelings. A author s perspective can be determined by considering the following : The purpose - Why was the text written? To persuade? To inform? To entertain? To explain? To describe? The intended audience - Whom was the text written for? The level and type of language - Is it formal and academic? Is it informal with slang? Positive and negative connotation in word choice - Are the author s words positive or negative? Examples in details and facts - What examples does the author choose to give? Bias and omissions - Does the author use biased (offensive, hurtful) words? What is left out? Propaganda and logical fallacies - Does the author only show one side of an argument? Are there arguments that don t make sense? Author s background - What type of person is the author? What is his/her belief system? Choice of structure or punctuation - Does the author use all capital letters, underlining, or exclamation points to emphasize a point? Does the author use formal or informal writing? GUIDED PRACTICE Directions: Read the following passages and consider the following questions: What is the topic? What is the writer s attitude about the topic? How do you know? 1.) The sooner we move out of this dump, said Jack, the happier I ll be. 2.) Mrs. Jones s class is challenging, but I learn so much and feel confident about the work.
Literature 9 - Rea 3.) The trend toward full day kindergarten programs in public schools is taking its toll on the young children of today. Recent studies showing improved reading skills may be misleading. This improvement in reading is unlikely to carry on as these children progress through elementary school. Analyzing Author s Perspective Directions: Complete the graphic organizer to identify the author s perspective on the topic. ARTICLE #1 from The Washington Post ARTICLE #2 from SB*Nation Author s Perspective: Main Topic: Author s Perspective: Proof from Text: Proof from Text: Author s Tool(s) Used: Purpose Intended audience The level and type of language Positive and negative connotation in word choice Examples in details and facts Bias and omissions Propaganda and logical fallacies Author s background Choice of structure or punctuation How does this example illustrate the author s perspective? Author s Tool(s) Used: Purpose Intended audience The level and type of language Positive and negative connotation in word choice Examples in details and facts Bias and omissions Propaganda and logical fallacies Author s background Choice of structure or punctuation How does this example illustrate the author s perspective? 1.) Do both authors have the same purpose and audience for their articles? Why or why not?
2.) Do both authors believe Betty Cantrell should have been crowned Miss America? How do you know? Article # 1 Miss America: Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell wins, even after bizarre DeflateGate question By Emily Yahr on September 13, 2015 for The Washington Post ACTIVE CODING * = Key Ideas L = New Learning T-S = Text-Self T-W = Text-World T-T = Text-Text? = Question I = Inference WOW = Surprising And your new Miss America is Miss Georgia, Betty Cantrell, who thinks that Tom Brady definitely cheated during last season s DeflateGate scandal! Yes, this really was relevant during the pageant. Cantrell, a 21 year old student at Mercer University, made it all the way to the Top 7 and the famously awkward Q&A portion of the evening. Although contestants always prep for current events questions, she had quite the bizarre query from judge/country singer Brett Eldredge. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for his part in the so called DeflateGate scandal, then reinstated by the courts, Eldredge read off a card. Legalities aside, did Tom Brady cheat? Cantrell stalled for time as she asked him to repeat it. Then she had 20 seconds to answer. Did he cheat? Um, that s a really good question. I m not sure, she said. I think I d have to be there to see the ball and feel it and make sure it was deflated or not deflated. But if there was question there, then, yes, I think he cheated. If there was any question to be had, I think that he definitely cheated, and that he
should have been suspended for that. That s not fair. The question (among others about gun control, Kim Davis and Planned Parenthood funding) was roundly mocked on Twitter, but Cantrell was still awarded the crown and a $50,000 scholarship at the end of the competition. She also impressed the judges by wearing a crop top evening gown: I would say that my dress may be a little sexy because it s a two piece that shows, like, an inch of midriff so, breaking ground, she said. But I would say it s more classy and elegant than sexy. She also briefly stumbled twice on the stage during the evening gown segment, obviously captured on social media, but it apparently didn t matter. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/09/13/miss-america-miss-georgia-betty-cantrell-wins-even-after-bizarre-deflategate-question/
Article # 2 Miss America contestant says Tom Brady 'definitely cheated,' immediately crowned Miss America By Rodger Sherman on Sep 13, 2015 for SB*Nation Literature 9 - Rea Determining Miss America is a serious matter. We need a true all-around woman to hold the title. She needs to have a talent. She needs to look good in various clothing. And she wouldn't be able to do... whatever it is Miss America does if she wasn't able to answer questions about current events in a cogent, confident, smiley and inoffensive manner. In Sunday night's Miss America competition, the contestants were asked questions about the issues of the day: gun control, Planned Parenthood, Donald Trump's presidential campaign and... DeflateGate? Yes, Miss Georgia -- aka Betty Cantrell -- was asked if Tom Brady cheated. We just spent, like, seven months debating that, and she had to answer it with no preparation whatsoever! And it's done in 20 seconds. So much quicker than the NFL's arbitration process! Her answer: Did he cheat? Um, that's a really good question! I'm not sure. I think I'd have to be there to see the ball, and feel it to make sure it was deflated or not deflated. But if there was question there, then yes, I think he cheated. If there were any question to be had, I think that he definitely cheated, and he should've been suspended for that. That's not fair. Miss Georgia begins by saying she's not sure. She adds, however, that if she saw or felt the ball in question, she would've been able to tell if it was deflated. I think it's pretty impressive that she can accurately detect PSI with her hands/eyes, which is definitely a talent worthy of being Miss America. That said, THE MERE FACT THAT THE BALLS WERE DEFLATED ISN'T EVIDENCE BRADY INTENTIONALLY DEFLATED THEM, HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE IDEAL GAS LAW? Ugh, sorry. I'm being haunted by the ghost of a New England sports fan and every few hours he bubbles up again. But after her initial answer, she switches paths COMPLETELY. She states that if there were any doubt, he cheated, and like Roger Goodell, thinks he should be suspended. Miss Georgia is clearly familiar with the age-old American policy that criminals are guilty until proven innocent, and as such earned the right to do... whatever it is Miss America does. Congrats to Betty, the new Miss America! Too bad we didn't know about you until now -- you could've saved us seven months of bad sports debates. Then again, her first reaction after winning was... admitting she had no idea what she was talking about, saying she "thought she blew her on-stage question. Let's hope Judge Berman doesn't overturn her reign on lack of evidence. http://www.sbnation.com/2015/9/13/9321267/miss-america-contestant-says-she-knows-tom-brady-cheated-immediately