The author’s purpose is an important consideration in analyzing a text. This includes determining what an author’s primary intention was when they wrote a particular text, what the author wanted readers to feel when they read the text, and what reaction the author wanted readers to have when they finished reading the text.
There are many ways to teach students about the purpose of writing. One method is to organize them into small discussion groups and ask them to identify the purpose of texts they are reading by themselves, or in a group. Often, this is enough for students to start to realize that many texts have multiple purposes.
Some of the most common purposes include persuasion, informative and entertaining. All of these can be found in a variety of forms and genres, but they aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
When the author’s purpose is to persuade, they want to convince you of a point of view. This can include convincing you to believe in the merits of their viewpoint, or inspiring you to take action on an issue. Examples of this type of writing include advertisements, persuasive letters and speeches.
Usually, authors of persuasive texts will include facts and objective information to support their argument. They will also use language to convey their opinion, such as repetition, specific types of supporting evidence, hyperbole, attacking opposing viewpoints, forceful phrases and emotive imagery and photographs.
They may also include a question to the reader about their thoughts on the topic. They will usually mask their opinion by using facts, but sometimes they will also present information that is not entirely true or objective.
A student’s ability to determine an author’s purpose will depend on their level of comprehension. Increasing their understanding of the different purposes can help them to understand why authors choose certain language features, how they structure their sentences, and how they write from a particular point of view.
Some of the best ways to learn about the author’s purpose are through practice, and this is why it can be helpful to introduce students to many different types of texts early on in their studies. Whether they are learning about the purpose of essays, news articles or their own personal statements, practicing this skill will benefit them as they begin to independently write their own texts and as they prepare for the next year in school.
To aid their learning, some teachers may create an anchor chart or a pie graph that helps students organize their thoughts and notes when they are trying to identify an author’s purpose in a text. This chart can be used when students are working independently, but it can also be a valuable tool for teacher to facilitate collaborative work when the students are discussing the purpose of a text with others in class.
