Uncovering the Truth: Informational Text Analysis · Weeks 10-18

Author's Purpose and Point of View

Students will evaluate the intent behind a text and how the author's perspective shapes the presentation of facts.

About This Topic

Author's purpose and point of view are critical for developing media literacy and critical thinking. In 6th grade, students learn to determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.6). This goes beyond 'to inform' or 'to persuade', students must look at how the author's specific perspective shapes the facts they choose to include or omit.

This topic is especially relevant when discussing historical events or scientific debates. By understanding that every author has a lens, students learn to ask, 'Who wrote this, and why?' This fosters a healthy skepticism and a more nuanced understanding of the world. Students grasp this concept faster through structured discussion and peer explanation where they compare two texts on the same topic written from different viewpoints.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how an author's specific word choices reveal their attitude toward a subject.
• Evaluate the potential bias in an informational text by identifying what information may have been omitted.
• Compare two texts on the same topic, explaining how differing author perspectives shape the presentation of facts.
• Explain the relationship between an author's purpose and the evidence they select to support their claims.

Before You Start

Identifying Main Idea and Supporting Details

Why: Students need to be able to find the central point of a text and the evidence used to support it before they can analyze how that evidence is presented due to perspective.

Text Features and Structure

Why: Understanding how headings, subheadings, and text organization contribute to the overall message helps students recognize how authors guide reader interpretation.

Key Vocabulary

Author's Purpose	The main reason an author decides to write a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain.
Point of View	The author's perspective or opinion on a topic, influenced by their background, beliefs, and experiences.
Bias	A prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. In texts, this can appear as slanted language or selective information.
Tone	The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and imagery.
Persuasive Language	Words and phrases used by an author to convince the reader to agree with their point of view or take a specific action.

Active Learning Ideas

Formal Debate: The Bias Battle

Give two groups articles on the same topic (e.g., school uniforms) written from opposing viewpoints. Students must identify the 'loaded words' each author uses and debate which author is more objective.

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Generate mission

Role Play: The Editorial Board

Students act as editors for a newspaper. They are given a set of facts and a specific 'purpose' (e.g., to make people excited vs. to make people cautious). They must decide which facts to feature and which to cut to achieve that purpose.

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Generate mission

Gallery Walk: Point of View Posters

Students create posters for the same event (like a local festival) from the perspective of a child, a business owner, and a police officer. The class walks around to identify how the 'facts' change based on the person's perspective.

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Generate mission

Real-World Connections

News reporters writing articles about local government decisions must consider their own perspective and aim for objectivity, while also understanding how their editor's viewpoint might influence the final story.

Advertisers for products like new video games or healthy snacks craft their messages to appeal to specific audiences, carefully choosing words and images to persuade potential customers.

Historians analyzing primary source documents, such as letters from soldiers during wartime, must consider the writer's personal experiences and potential biases to accurately interpret events.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

If a text is 'informational,' it doesn't have a point of view.

What to Teach Instead

Explain that even choosing which facts to include is a form of point of view. Use a 'What's Missing?' activity to show how two 'factual' articles can tell very different stories.

Common Misconception

Point of view is just 'first person' or 'third person.'

What to Teach Instead

In informational text, 'point of view' refers to the author's opinion or perspective on the topic, not just the grammatical perspective. Clarify this by using the term 'perspective' interchangeably with 'point of view.'

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a short opinion piece. Ask them to identify the author's main purpose and two specific words or phrases that reveal the author's point of view. They should also write one sentence explaining what information might be missing from the text.

Discussion Prompt

Present two short articles about the same controversial topic (e.g., a new school policy, a local environmental issue) written from different perspectives. Ask students: 'How does the author's word choice in Article A make you feel about the topic? How does Article B present the same information differently? What might be the purpose behind these differences?'

Quick Check

Give students a paragraph from an informational text. Ask them to underline three words that suggest the author's attitude toward the subject. Then, have them write one sentence stating whether the author seems more inclined to inform or persuade, and why.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can active learning help students understand author's purpose?

Active learning puts students in the role of the creator. When students have to 're-write' a neutral paragraph to make it persuasive, they personally experience how word choice and fact selection change the message. This 'insider' perspective makes them much more observant when they return to reading texts written by others.

What is the difference between tone and point of view?

Point of view is the author's 'stance' or opinion on a topic. Tone is the 'attitude' or emotion they use to express that stance (e.g., angry, sarcastic, or professional).

How do I teach students to identify bias?

Look for 'loaded language' (words with strong positive or negative connotations) and 'omission' (leaving out the other side of the story). If a text only uses experts from one side, that is a sign of bias.

Why is author's purpose important for 6th graders?

At this age, students are using the internet independently. They need to be able to tell if a website is trying to sell them something, trick them, or truly inform them.