Authors' Point of View and Purpose

Author's Purpose and Perspective Review

Author's Purpose

• An author's purpose is the reason why the author writes a text.

• The three main reasons are PIE:

• Persuade: The author will use their opinions to sway you to agree with them

• Inform: The author gives facts to teach the reader

• Entertain: The author is writing for pure enjoyment - such as a story with a plot

Multiple Choice

What is the author's purpose for this text?

Marsupials are a type of mammal. Female Marsupials have a pocket that they use for carrying and protecting their babies. Most marsupials, such as Kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas live in Australia. The only marsupial native to North American is the opossum.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

• No purpose

Multiple Select

Which of the following are examples of texts that are written to entertain? Check ALL that apply.

• poems and mystery stories

• math and history texts

• novels and chapter books

• debates and advertisements

Multiple Choice

What is the author's purpose of the following text?

You should really work on your AR goal this week. Not only will it raise your reading grade, but the more you read the better reader you will become! Reading is a fun activity and once you find a good book you'll never want to put it down.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Author's Perspective

• An author's perspective is how they feel about the topic they are writing about.

• The author may have a negative or positive view of the topic

• Look closely at the connotations of words and phrases the author uses

• Ask yourself: How does the author feel about the topic?

Multiple Choice

The average school day for kindergartners is getting longer, and it's paying off in improved reading skills. Public schoolchildren who attended kindergarten for a full day showed more improvement than those enrolled in half-day programs.

Which statement would the author agree with?

• Longer school days improves learning

• School days should be shorter

Multiple Choice

The average school day for kindergartners is getting longer, and it's having an effect on our students. Public schoolchildren who attended kindergarten for a full day may be improving their skills, but at what cost? Young children are spending too much time in structured learning and returning home exhausted and with little time for learning life skills at home.

Which statement would the author agree with?

• We should not have longer school days

• We should have longer school days.

Multiple Choice

I wonder who made gym class mandatory? He was a great guy! It is a welcome break from sitting in chairs. In a recent poll, gym class was the favorite subject of elementary students. PE reinforces the importance of health, exercise and staying active. Every school should offer a PE class.

What is the author's perspective?

• The author feels that PE is an important class for all schools

• The author feels that PE should be offered in the junior high level schools only.

• The author has no perspective

Open Ended

Should young children have pets, and if so what pet would be best for a young child? What is your perspective on this topic?