Author's Purpose
What is the author's purpose?
An instructional booklet describing how to operate a smart phone
Inform
What genre is it?
I Want a Puppy by Shirley Douglas
Second-grade student Shirley Douglass argues as to why her parents should buy her a puppy.
Nonfiction
What is the text structure?
If you ask me, the perfect pizza has a thin crust, but not too thin. Even though I’m from Chicago, I prefer the New York style crust. Your perfect pizza might have tomato sauce on it, but mine has pesto on top of the crust. On the pesto I’d like to see lots of cheese: a full layer of shredded mozzarella and Romano cheese, and on top of the shredded mozzarella, I’d like to see some slices of fresh mozzarella. Now you might think I’m crazy for this one, but I’d really like to see some goat cheese in the crust. To top it all off, I’d like to see it polka-dotted with pepperoni slices. Now that’s what I call a pizza pie.
What is the author's purpose?
An article where the author argues that an iPhone is better than an Android phone.
Persuasive
What genre is it?
Space Racers by Eric Marshall
This book follows a group of competitors from different interstellar backgrounds. These racers are competing to win the ultimate race across the universe.
Fiction
What is the text structure?
You’d think that making a frozen pizza would be as easy as rolling out some dough, dropping some ingredients on it, and freezing it, but it’s actually a lot more complicated than that. Some of the challenges in creating a good frozen pizza include the sauce combining with the dough and the crust becoming rigid after it is frozen and reheated. To prevent the sauce from combining with the crust, you can use a layer of modified cornstarch as a moisture barrier between the sauce and the crust. This will prevent the crust from absorbing the sauce. Additionally, partially baking the dough and other ingredients will keep the dough from becoming too rigid after it is frozen and reheated. On second thought, you’re probably better off not trying this at home.
What is the author's purpose?
A poem about a “packrat,” a person who refuses to throw things away, even things that most people would consider garbage
Entertain
What genre is it?
Odysseus's Long Trip Home retold by Ginger B. Miller
After the fall of Troy, Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, and his men seek to return home. But after angering Poseidon, the God of the sea, the journey home is anything but smooth. Miller retells the epic story of Odysseus's voyage across the sea
Folklore
What is the text structure?
When I got home from school after a long boring day, I took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. After taking the lid off of the jars, I spread the peanut butter on one side of the bread and the jelly on the other, and then I put the two pieces of bread together. After that, I enjoyed it while watching “Cops” on the TV. I swear, that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever ate
Chronological Order
What is the author's purpose?
The Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, where two young lovers are forbidden from seeing one another due to a centuries old blood feud between their two families
Entertain
What subgenre is it?
"If a Tree Falls" adapted by Stan Tanner
This is the very short story of a buck. The buck was admiring his horns in the water's reflection and feeling bad about his skinny legs. Then a hunter tries to kill him. As the buck tries to escape, his big horns get stuck in some tree branches, but his skinny legs manage to pull him free. The moral is that what is truly valuable is often unappreciated.
Fable
What is the text structure?
Robert James Fischer was born in Chicago but unlocked the secrets of chess in a Brooklyn apartment right above a candy store. At the age of six he taught himself to play by following the instruction booklet that came with his chess board. After spending much of his childhood in chess clubs, Fischer said that, “One day, I just got good.” That may be a bit of an understatement. At the age of 13 he won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, becoming the youngest Junior Champion ever. At the age of 14 he won the U.S. Championship and became the youngest U.S. Champion in history. Fischer would go on to become the World Champion of chess, but he would also grow to become his own worst enemy. Instead of defending the title, he forfeited it to the next challenger without even making a move, and the rise of a chess superstar ended with a fizzle.
Chronological Order
What is the author's purpose?
The track listing to Miss Directed’s album, I Want Pizza, which shows the order, length, and producer of each song
Inform
What subgenre is it?
"Rapunzel" adapted by Craig Hooper
Once upon a time a young girl named Rapunzel was running an errand for her mother. An evil witch kidnaps Rapunzel and imprisons her in the tower of a castle. After years in the tower, Rapunzel grew long, beautiful hair. Having seen nobody but the evil witch her whole life, Rapunzel is very lonely. One day a prince wanders by and climbs up her hair. The witch doesn't like this and action ensues. Eventually the prince and Rapunzel live happily every after.
Fairytale
What is the text structure?
Many people are confused about why our economy went to shambles in 2008. The crisis was actually the result of a combination of many complex factors. First, easy credit conditions allowed people who were high-risk or unworthy of credit to borrow, and even people who had no income were eligible for large loans. Second, banks would bundle these toxic loans and sell them as packages on the financial market. Third, large insurance firms backed these packages, misrepresenting these high-risk loans as safe investments. Fourth, because of the ease of acquiring credit and the rapid growth in the housing market, people were buying two or three houses, intending to sell them for more than they paid. All of these factors created bubbles of speculation. These bubbles burst, sending the whole market into a downward spiral, causing employers to lose capital and lay off employees. Consumer spending then plummeted and most businesses suffered. The economy is like a big boat, and once it gets moving quickly in the wrong direction, it’s hard to turn it around.
Cause and Effect