Author's Purpose
Name three (of the four) main reasons an author writes and publishes any piece of text.
Student should have named three of the following:
1. Persuade
2. Inform
3. Entertain
4. Explain/Describe
we learn that the story takes place in a highly advanced, near-future European city. the reader meets Mr. Toussaint whose smart apartment controls his daily life. This is which part of the plot mountain?
The exposition
A main idea should be expressed in how many sentences?
one sentence
This is the name of the maliciously programmed smart energy drink pouch that tricks Mister Toussaint’s refrigerator into throwing away perfectly good food.
Loony Goony
To meet the massive demand for Halloween, manufacturers produce roughly 35 million pounds of this striped, tri-colored candy every year.
Candy Corn
If an author writes a step-by-step manual on How to Build a Solar-Powered Oven, what is their primary purpose for writing this text?
To explain
A series of mishaps unfold: Mister Toussaint tries to destroy the rogue smart-pouch, Loony Goony, using a trash can, a microwave, and a dishwasher. These events are examples of which part of the plot mountain?
Rising Action
Often found in the introduction of an essay or article, this single sentence explicitly states the main idea and outlines the points to follow.
a thesis statement
Mister Toussaint first realizes something is wrong with his high-tech, networked home when he returns to find 300 euros' worth of these unexpectedly left on his doorstep.
groceries
If an 8th grader ate too many sweets on Halloween night, they might experience a temporary rush of energy from this hormone, which is released by the brain alongside dopamine during a "sugar rush."
Adrenaline
Read this snippet: "Councilor Hayes voted against the new community skatepark, citing high taxpayer costs. However, local teens have raised over $15,000 independently, proving this project deserves the city's green light." The author's primary purpose is to do this.
to persuade (or argue)
This is the most intense turning point of the plot, where Mister Toussaint retrieves an analog, non-networked antique from his grandfather's storage box to melt and finally destroy Loony Goony.
the climax
These specific facts, statistics, examples, or descriptions are used by an author to prove, explain, or back up the main idea.
supporting details
When Mister Toussaint tries to throw away the energy drink, his smart trash can refuses to cycle it down the chute, claiming the pouch contains these types of substances.
toxic (or hazardous) substances
Long before pumpkins became the standard, the original Jack-o'-lanterns in Ireland and Scotland were carved out of this spicy root vegetable.
turnips
An editorial starts by sharing a tragic statistic about ocean plastic (to inform), uses vivid imagery of choking sea turtles (to entertain/elicit emotion), and ends by asking readers to sign a ban on single-use straws. The ultimate or overarching author's purpose is this.
to persuade
This plot event officially kicks off the main conflict when Mister Toussaint comes home to find 300 euros worth of unwanted groceries on his doorstep because his refrigerator was tricked.
the inciting incident (or initiating event)
When a main idea is not explicitly stated in the text, a reader must use clues and background knowledge to determine it. Using clues to draw a interpreted conclusion is called...
Inferring
Mister Toussaint is briefly arrested by the police in full biohazard containment gear after his smart appliances falsely report him for carrying a hazard on this public transit platform.
metro platform (or subway station)
According to Spotify playlist data, this 1962 novelty hit by Bobby "Boris" Pickett is the most played and added song on Halloween playlists.
"Monster Mash"
What kind of words (written within the text) can help the reader determine an author's intention for writing the piece?
tone words
During the falling action, firefighters break into the apartment to put out the toxic smoke and take away the ruined appliance. This final stage of the plot diagram occurs when Mister Toussaint is left without his grandfather's toaster but has successfully freed his home from the manipulative device.
The resolution
If a topic is the focus of a written work, then the main idea is...
...what is being said about the topic.
Unlike the modern smart appliances, the antique toaster is able to destroy the energy drink because it lacks this feature, meaning it cannot receive messages from other devices.
being networked (or connected to the internet/Internet of Things)
When you walk through a haunted house and get startled, this almond-shaped set of neurons deep inside your brain's temporal lobe instantly triggers your "fight-or-flight" response.
the amygdala