Voices of Freedom: Author's Purpose
Understanding Why Authors Write Grade 6 English Language Arts Exploring Harriet Tubman's Story
Think-Pair-Share: Why Do Authors Write?
Think: Why do authors write stories about real people? Pair: Discuss with your partner for 2 minutes Share: What do authors want you to understand or feel?
What is Author's Purpose?
The reason why an author writes a text Authors have specific goals when they write Understanding purpose helps us read more deeply We can discover the author's message
Three Main Purposes for Writing
INFORM: To teach or give facts ENTERTAIN: To make you enjoy or feel emotion PERSUADE: To convince you to think or do something
Practice: Identify the Purpose
Read this example paragraph together Chocolate ice cream is the best flavor because it's rich, creamy, and loved by most people. You should try it! What is the author's purpose? How can you tell?
Meet Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery around 1822 Escaped to freedom in 1849 Became a 'conductor' on the Underground Railroad Helped over 70 enslaved people escape to freedom
Guided Reading: Harriet's Story
Listen as we read together Follow along in your excerpt Think about the author's purpose Notice how the author describes Harriet's experiences
Group Analysis Activity
Form groups of 4 students Re-read the excerpt together Underline words showing Harriet's hardships Circle phrases that create strong emotions Discuss: What is the author trying to tell us?
Discussion Questions
What is the author trying to tell us about Harriet Tubman? How does the author make us feel about her experiences? What emotions does the passage create? Why did the author choose to focus on these details?
Reflection and Next Steps
Why is understanding author's purpose important? How does it help us read stories about real people? What questions do you still have? Next lesson: Using evidence to support our understanding