Author's Purpose in Historical Texts Practice

Author's Purpose in Historical Texts Practice

Edith Wilson,

"The First Female President"

and

"White House Deception"

Match

Vocabulary Pretest: Match the following

• Author's Purpose

• Author's Perspective

• Deception

• Testament

• Textual Evidence

The main reason an author writes a text, often to persuade, inform, or entertain

The feelings an author has toward the topic they write about, can be negative, positive, or neutral

Lying or deceiving others

Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality

Direct quotes from a piece of writing that support a claim

• The main reason an author writes a text, often to persuade, inform, or entertain

• The feelings an author has toward the topic they write about, can be negative, positive, or neutral

• Lying or deceiving others

• Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality

• Direct quotes from a piece of writing that support a claim

Agenda

• Review the difference between author's purpose and perspective

• Learn who Edith Wilson was

• Write about your perspective on the topic

• Read two different perspectives on the topic

• Multiple-choice comprehension questions on reading

• Comprehension writing question

Learning Goals

• Know the difference between author's purpose and author's perspective

• Know the difference between your own perspective and the author's perspective

• Use text evidence and close and active reading strategies to answer GED-style reading comprehension questions about historical texts

Author's Purpose vs Author's Perspective

On Monday, we talked about the difference between author's purpose and perspective.

• The feelings the author has toward the topic of the text

• Might be negative, positive, or neutral

• You can tell by the author's word choice

Author's Perspective

• The reason why the author wrote the text

• Might be to persuade (convince), inform, or entertain

• You can tell by how the whole text is structured

Author's Purpose

Multiple Choice

What is an author's purpose?

• The main reason he or she creates a piece of writing.

• The author's feelings toward the subject they are writing about, which might be positive, negative, or neutral.

• An author's way of persuading the reader to think like he or she does.

Multiple Choice

What is an author's perspective?

• The main reason he or she creates a piece of writing.

• The author's feelings toward the subject they are writing about, which might be positive, negative, or neutral.

• An author's way of persuading the reader to think like he or she does.

Questions?

Now, we will learn and read about Edith Wilson, an important first lady of US President Woodrow Wilson.

Multiple Choice

What is the author's purpose in creating the video?

• To entertain viewers with a humorous story

• To persuade viewers to support a political candidate

• To inform viewers about Edith Wilson and the causes and effects of her taking the lead after her husband's stroke

• To encourage viewers to donate to a charity

Open Ended

What role do you think the president's spouse should have in government?

Now, we will read two passages that take different perspectives about Edith Wilson.

​1. How would you describe the author's perspective on Edith Wilson?

2. Which words reveal the author's perspective?

Answer out loud or in the Zoom chat.

Multiple Choice

What piece of textual evidence best helps you infer the author’s perspective about Edith Wilson?

• "Rather than allow him to step down, she continued his presidency by acting in his place."

• "In fact, the American people believed their president only suffered from temporary exhaustion."

• "Edith Wilson met these extraordinary challenges head-on and proved herself an admirable leader."

Multiple Choice

Which statement best expresses the author's purpose in writing this article about Edith Wilson?

• To instruct women on how to be better leaders

• To describe the traditional role of the first lady

• To persuade current first ladies to take more power

• To convince readers that Edith Wilson's action had a positive impact

​1. How would you describe the author's perspective on Edith Wilson?

2. Which words reveal the author's perspective?

Answer out loud or in the Zoom chat.

Multiple Choice

What piece of textual evidence best helps you infer the author’s perspective about Edith Wilson?

• "History may remember Edith Wilson as the United States’ first female president..."

• "History must not look favorably upon this hijacking of the government."

• "Then she used the opportunity to exercise head-of-state powers, such as signing official orders and writing decrees in her own hand."

Multiple Choice

How does the author describe Edith Wilson's way of handling the President's stroke?

• She bravely took the role over and worked with Congress

• She announced to the American people the situation.

• An "elaborate deception" to take over power.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best expresses the author's purpose in writing this article about Edith Wilson?

• To convince readers that Edith Wilson's actions had a negative impact

• To instruct women on how to be better leaders

• To describe how congress checks and balances the exective

• To persuade readers that Edith Wilson's actions did not matter

Match

Vocabulary Posttest: Match the following

• Author's Purpose

• Author's Perspective

• Deception

• Testament

• Textual Evidence

The main reason an author writes a text, often to persuade, inform, or entertain

The feelings an author has toward the topic they write about, can be negative, positive, or neutral

Lying or deceiving others

Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality

Direct quotes from a piece of writing that support a claim

• The main reason an author writes a text, often to persuade, inform, or entertain

• The feelings an author has toward the topic they write about, can be negative, positive, or neutral

• Lying or deceiving others

• Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality

• Direct quotes from a piece of writing that support a claim

Questions?

Open Ended

Think about the opinion you shared earlier about the role the president's spouse should have in government. Have the authors changed your mind in any way? Why or why not?