Author’s Purpose
What does the Author's Purpose acronym PIE stand for?
Persuade Inform Entertain
What is a target audience?
The group of people the author wants to reach
True or False: A text can only have one purpose.
False
True or False: Wikipedia is a credible source for research
False: anyone can add to Wikipedia
"Research indicates that adolescents' extensive engagement with social media platforms can significantly influence their psychological development, peer relationships, and academic performance."
Formal or informal tone?
Formal
If a text primarily contains facts and gives background information, what is likely the author’s main purpose?
To inform
Who is the most likely audience for a school communication sent to families?
Parents or guardians
Name two purposes a text about digital learning might have.
Inform and persuade
Which is more credible for school research: a blog or an educational organization?
An educational organization
"Teens are basically glued to their phones scrolling through TikTok and Instagram all day, which is kinda wild when you think about it."
Formal or informal tone?
Informal
Why might an author include facts and emotional language in the same text?
To serve more than one purpose (inform and persuade)
Why might an author change tone depending on the audience?
Ex: a text on the environment presented to a conservation organization and an oil company?
One audience may be receptive and the other may not
Why might a text have one purpose be aimed at parents and another at school leaders?
Each group has different concerns and responsibilities
Which of the following extensions might indicate a source is reliable?
.org
.edu
.com
.gov
.edu
.gov
.org (generally but not always!)
.com (maybe, but needs to be checked thoroughly)
Read the following passage, then identify the purpose:
His face appeared at the window. She knew he had been the reason she woke at 3:00am. Was she seeing things? Was his face real? She tried to lie still and decide what to do, when suddenly, the window shattered. She flew across the room, and ran as fast as she could down the hall.
Entertain
How can word choice help you identify an author’s purpose?
Strong or emotional words often show persuasion, while neutral words show informing
If a text uses simple language and definitions, who is the audience most likely to be?
Students or general readers
How can you identify a shift in purpose within a text?
Changing tone, examples, or type of evidence
What types of information should you check before trusting a digital source?
Author, date, publisher, and accuracy (can you confirm information on other sources)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech aimed to __________________ listeners/readers to end racial discrimination in the United States.
Persuade
An article appearing in National Geographic likely has the following purpose(s)
Inform and entertain
Who is the audience for the Wall Street Journal and what type of text would typically be found there?
Audience is likely investors looking for informational texts
Explain how a text can inform readers while also persuading them at the same time.
It gives facts first, then uses those facts to encourage a belief or action
Information from an outside source does not need to be cited if it is paraphrased in your work
True or False?
False: anything taken from an outside source, whether directly quoted or paraphrased, needs to be cited
The feeling a person has either for or against something is called
Bias
This can be conscious or unconscious