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9: Understanding the Author

  • Page ID
    25763
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    • 9.1: Purpose
      Identifying an author's purpose can better lead students to identify main ideas, major details, support for an argument, and gain an overall understanding of the text. This section identifies the various purposes in which an author may choose to write and how readers can accurately identify which purpose an author has set.
    • 9.2: Tone
      This section discusses the importance of identifying an author's tone based on the words in which they use in their writing. Just as with purpose, an author will not typically notify readers explicitly of their tone. Therefore, it is up to the reader to determine how an author feels about a particular topic based on the words they use. By demonstrating this skill, students will better understand what an author is trying to say about a topic.
    • 9.3: Bias
      Identifying bias is a way for readers to determine if an author is being objective or not in their writing. It is an important element to identify because critical readers must understand when information is being presented in a truthful and genuine manner, or when information is being slanted, manipulated, or omitted. This section discusses various ways to determine if bias is present in an author's writing.

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