This document appears to be notes from an English class discussing author's purpose and tone. The key points covered are: 1. The teacher reviews the concepts of author's purpose, which can be to inform, persuade, or entertain, and tone, which is the attitude or feeling conveyed. 2. Students practice identifying the purpose and tone of different passages. Examples discussed include news articles, political speeches, and quotes from literature. 3. The homework assigned is to read a chapter and answer comprehension questions, as well as complete an activity identifying author's purpose and tone in given passages.

1. WE E K 6 , D A Y 2 E . B U C H A N A N
ENGLISH 83R 10/3/13

2. ACCORDING TO PACO, WHAT % OF
SHOPPERS PENETRATE ZONE 4?
a. 7%
b. 91%
c. 25%
d. 70%
Please place your KWL “Science of Shopping” on the
counter after you “click” in and pick up the four
handouts.

3. AGENDA
• Review “The Science of Shopping:” KWL Reading Strategy
• Quiz: Supporting Details and Implied Main Idea
• New Lab Contract
• Author’s Purpose & Tone
• Learning Center Lab to work on Connect (distribute Lab
Contract #2)

4. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

5. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE & TONE
• Authors are people with thoughts, feelings, and
opinions—behind everything you read.
• They write from a personal point of view.
• The purpose of a piece of writing is to inform, to
persuade, or to entertain.
• its tone — the expression of attitude and feeling.

6. • The purpose of this
cartoon, like all
cartoons, is to
entertain.
• Can you figure out
what the tone of
the speaker is? Is
there really a
language barrier?

7. • The woman is actually
being sarcastic, right?
A language barrier
usually means that
two different
languages are
involved. Instead, how
is the woman feeling?

8. Author’s Purpose
• To inform — to give information about a subject.
There are three common purposes (reasons for
writing):
• To persuade — to convince the reader to agree
with the author’s point of view on a subject.
• To entertain — to amuse and delight; to appeal
to the reader’s senses and imagination.
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

9. INFORM, PERSUADE OR ENTERTAIN?
• The cover and title of anything you read often
suggests the author’s primary purpose. What do you
think is the main purpose of each of these books?
•

10. INFORM, PERSUADE OR ENTERTAIN?
• In the paragraph below, what is the author’s
purpose?
• People can now enroll in health care coverage in
the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges --
the centerpiece of Obama's landmark legislation.
Coverage begins in 2014, but folks must sign up by
Dec. 15 if they want coverage to begin Jan. 1.
a. Inform
b. Persuade
c. entertain

11. INFORM, PERSUADE OR ENTERTAIN?
• This characterization of poor people as lazy drug
abusers is often cast in the narrative of Democrats
representing urban areas with large minority
populations fighting Republicans from
predominantly white regions. It's impossible to
ignore a racial component here that neither party
should foster.

12. AUTHOR’S TONE
•A writer’s tone reveals the attitude
he or she has toward a subject.
•Tone is expressed through the
words and details the writer
selects.

13. READ THESE STATEMENTS BY STUDENTS
AND NOTICE THE VARIOUS TONES USED:
• Yeah, I just love going to college. I get to get up
early, work hard all day, then go to work, and never
go out anymore because I’m too tired.
• Sarcastic, mocking
• I just love going to college. I have some really
understanding teachers, and I am learning a lot!
• Enthusiastic, positive
• I don’t love going to college but I know that in order
to achieve my dreams, it is important to have an
education.
• Motivated, realistic

14. AUTHOR’S TONE
• Let’s practice
• Distribute “Tone” handouts
• Look up these words in the dictionary
• Author’s Purpose and Tone activity
• Students that are using the book Freedom Writers find a
person that is using The Blind Side and work on this activity
that uses quotes from Freedom Writers.

15. WHAT IS THE TONE?
• "There are enough Republicans and Democrats in
the House of Representatives today that if the
speaker of the House, John Boehner, simply let the
bill get on the floor for an up or down vote, every
congressman could vote their conscience, the
shutdown would end today." (Quote fromPresident
Obama on the health care situation)
a. Disapproving
b. Sarcastic
c. Caring

16. MORE QUOTES FROM OBAMA ON THE
HEALTHCARE SITUATION
• "There will be no negotiations over this. The
American people are not pawns in some political
game. You don't get to demand ransom in
exchange for keeping the government running" or
keeping the economy running, he said.” (Obama)
A. Indignant
B. Joyful
C. Ironic

17. AND QUOTES FROM THE OTHER SIDE
• Must be nice. Those of us trying to fix Washington
may be “anarchists” in the eyes of the Democrats’
Senate majority leader, but at least we show up for
work.
a. Melancholic
b. Pessimistic
c. Cheerful

18. AND ANOTHER QUOTE
• The Democrats seem hell bent on feeding into the
slimdown scare in the public eye, rather than being
cooperative and helping House Republicans to put
the fire out.
a. Outraged
b. Sympathetic
c. Earnest

19. REMINDERS
• Homework for Tuesday:
• Read Habit Ch. 7 and answer the comprehension
questions.
• Complete the Author’s Purpose & Tone activity.