RI6: Determining Author's Purpose p120-1

RI6: Determining Author's Purpose p120-1

Edith Wilson, First Lady  or President?

In this lesson we will...

• Review the vocabulary Author's Purpose PIE and Author's Point of View

• Read "The First Female President"

• Answer the question:  "What text evidence helps you infer the author's point of view about Edith Wilson?"

• Use the text evidence you found to complete the chart and determine the author's POV.

The First Female President

History remembers Edith Wilson as far more than just a first lady.  In fact, she's been hailed as the "first female president of the United States."  Though most of her contributions to the presidency took place "behind closed doors" they are a testament to the remarkable woman's strength and intelligence.

As wife to President Woodrow Wilson

Edith bravely assumed nearly all of the president's routine daily activities when her husband suffered a debilitating stroke in October 1919.  Rather than allow him to step down, she continued his presidency by acting in his place.

Multiple Choice

According to the text, what is did Edith Wilson do when her husband suffered a stroke?

• She called in the best doctors to care for him.

• She took over his daily routine as president.

• She helped him resign and a new president was elected.

Edith became the sole point of communication between Woodrow and his Cabinet.

In fact, the American people believed their president only suffered temporary exhaustion.  Edith decided which issues to bring to her ailing husband's attention and which ones she could deal with herself. 

Edith Wilson met these extradorinary challenges head-on and proved herself an admirable leader.

Multiple Choice

How does the author feel about Edith Wilson?

• He is pleased with her helping her husband after his stroke.

• He is disgusted with her deception toward the American people.

Multiple Select

What textual evidence could be used to support the idea that the author thinks of Edith Wilson as a hero?

• "Remarkable woman's strength and intelligence."

• "Edith bravely assumed nearly all of the president's routine daily activities..."

• "contributions took place behind the scenes."

• "president suffered from temporary exhaustion."

Think about the language and tone of the article.  The author describes Edith as:

• Remarkable Woman

• Proved herself
  

• Admirable Leader

• Brave

Now that we have determined that the author likes Edith Wilson and is writing a positive description of her history, lets break down the parts of Author's POV.

The next slides are to see whether you could determine the parts of a chart.

Multiple Choice

What is the topic?

• Edith Wilson

• Woodrow Wilson

• October 1919

Multiple Choice

What does this text mean? "a testament to this remarkable woman's strength and intelligence"

• Edith Wilson deserved to be called "The First Female President"

• Edith Wilson was a fraud and lied to the American people about her husband.

Multiple Choice

What does this text mean,"bravely assumed all of her husband's routine daily activities...after his stroke."

• Edith helped both her husband and her country.

• Edith covered up his illness so she could gain power.

Multiple Choice

What does this text mean? "met these extraordinary challenges head-on and proved herself an admirable leader."

• Edith Wilson became the President of the United States.

• Edith helped cover up the illness of Woodrow Wilson.

• Edith was a good leader in difficult times.

Let's Review Author's Purpose

• Topic:  Edith Wilson

• Textual Evidence: Edith is described as "remarkable; brave; extraordinary; admirable leader."

• Ideas Expressed:  Edith helped her husband and the country during a difficult time.

• What is the Author's Point of View?

Multiple Choice

What is the Author's Point of View about Edith Wilson?

• Edith Wilson was a remarkable woman and good leader.

• Edith Wilson helped Congress lead the country during WW1.

• Edith Wilson's legacy should be one of deceit and shame.

Open Ended

Why do you think the author wrote this article about Edith Wilson? Was it to Persuade, Inform or Entertain the reader? Think about how the author feels about Edith Wilson.