Reading and Responding to Nonfiction 2: Evaluate Author's Purpose and Craft

2^nd Reading: Rereading and Analyzing Author’s Purpose and Craft

Experienced researchers realize that nonfiction is not the truth, but someone’s perspective on the truth. We have to be alert to the author’s biases, the validity of texts and how an author may manipulate our emotions.

Reread the article a second time and underline details that show the author’s purpose and craft, details that stir your emotions and opinions; use a different colored pen. Choose meaningful excerpts that support the author’s purpose and in general make you stop, think, and wonder.

1. What does the author want me to feel and think? What are my inferences, thoughts, opinions, and feelings? How does the author convey his message (writing techniques)?
2. Evaluate the author’s purpose and bias (unfair judgment of a particular subject).
1. Does the author use “loaded” words that are highly opinionated?
2. Who is quoted in the article? What do their perspectives add to the articles? Whose perspectives are missing or misrepresented? Why?
3. In your notebook take notes under the summary by writing down 2-5 quotations from the text that relate to the above questions. Either make two columns, one for quotations and the other for elaboration, or write a paragraph for each quotation.
4. When responding to and elaborating on excerpts in the text, introduce and provide context for quotations. Use transitions and signal phrases such as:
1. One example that shows…
2. Name, profession or brief description, (ex. Ishmael Beah, former child soldier, states…) states/asserts/implies/believes/ that…
5. For elaborating on the text, use sentence starters such as:
1. This shows/proves/demonstrates/illustrates…
2. This part of the text makes me think/wonder/feel…
3. The author wants the reader to…
4. The author shows bias by…
5. Also, in addition, another…

Identify important quotations (textual evidence/excerpts from text):	Elaboration: What does this part of the text make me think/feel? How does the text extend into your life and the world overall? What are your connections, questions, opinions, and realizations about the issue?
Ex. According to Gettleman, the Lord’s Resistance Army is “filled with boys brainwashed to burn down huts and pound newborn babies to death.” (1)	This makes me feel disgust and shock for the brutal violence that becomes the daily life of child soldiers. The author uses loaded words such as “brainwashed” and “pound” to emphasize the vicious behavior exhibited by young boys.