RC 2.4 AmericasInitial Instruction

Author's Purpose

The standard says…Identify and trace

the development of an author’sargumentpoint of viewor perspective

in a text.

Figure out the writer’stopic and evidenceviewpoint or

attitude on the subject

It means

The primary intent of the passage is…

The author’s attitude is best described as…

What argument does the author make in the passage…

According to the passage, …

So, let’s figure out what questions we should be asking as we read.

It is tested with stems like this

Author’s intent is the author’s point in writing the essay, article, story or passage.

This is also referred to as author’s purpose.There are generally 4 main reasons a writer writes.

1. to inform by giving information2. to persuade the audience to do something3. to entertain an audience with stories and

descriptions4. to express feelings about a topic

Author's Intent is the place to start

Author’s Intent = Author’s Purpose

What is the author’s topic?What does he/she want us to know or feel

about that topic?

Let’s read an article and answer these questions.

To figure out author's intent, we need to figure out

Most of the more than six million modern Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.The Maya today are not very well off economically. In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

Maya Today

Maya TodayMost of the more than six million modern Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.The Maya today are not very well off economically. In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

•We checked the title.

•We checked the topic sentence.

What is the topic of the article?

Maya Today or modern Maya

How do we know?

So how would we answer this question?1. The primary intent of the article “Maya Today”

isa. to persuade people to protest against the

Guatemalan governmentb. to tell a story about the Mayan people of todayc. to express the author’s feelings about the modern

Maya d. to inform people about the condition of the Maya

in today’s worldPrimary means main, so while there are elements of each of

those intents or purposes, the main reason the article was written was to inform people about the modern Maya.

We should look for words in the article that have feelings associated with them. We’ll be looking at

the connotation of the words.

Now that we know what the article was about, let's see if we can figure out how the author felt about it?

We're looking for the AUTHOR'S ATTITUDE.

Maya TodayMost of the more than six million modern Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.The Maya today are not very well off economically. In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

What words show emotion in this passage? Are their negative words used? Positive ones? Are they mostly neutral?

Maya TodayMost of the more than six million modern Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.The Maya today are not very well off economically. In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

•Negative connotation words that show the author’s attitude toward topic.

•Neutral words that show no emotion, just factual info—the author is objective in using these words.

2. In “Maya Today” the author’s attitude toward the Guatemalan government is best described as

a. respectfulb. disappointedc. objectived. critical

So how would we answer this question?

The negative words the author used clearly show he/she is not objective to or respectful of the government. So is she disappointed or critical. While she probably is disappointed in the government’s actions, she is pointing out their actions to criticize them, or be critical of them. So, the best answer is D.

Let’s look back in the article for facts and examples.

Author's intent Author's attitude

What information was actually provided?

Maya Today Paragraph 1Most of the more than six million modern

Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.

What is the main idea of paragraph 1?

How does the author support the main idea?

Maya Today Paragraph 1Most of the more than six million modern

Maya live in rural areas of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize– areas where their ancestors lived. Their culture is a mixture of pre-Columbian Indian, European, and modern elements – not purely one or another.

What is the main idea of paragraph 1?•The main idea is to clarify who the modern Maya are.How does the author support the main idea?•The idea is supported by description of where the Maya live in relation to their ancestors and of what their culture now looks like.

What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

What support does the author use in his/her explanation?

Maya Today Paragraph 2The Maya today are not very well off economically.

In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.

What is the main idea of paragraph 2?•The main idea of paragraph 2 is to explain what has been happening to the modern Maya.What support does the author use in his/her explanation?•The author uses examples of how the Guatemalan government has killed Mayan people or forced them off the land.

Maya Today Paragraph 2The Maya today are not very well off economically.

In the 1970s, the Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign to destroy the culture, killing thousands of highland Indians and forcing tens of thousands of others to flee across the border into Mexico. Entire villages have been razed to the ground and new ones built where natives are forced to abandon their language, native dress, and local village organizations.

What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

How does the author wrap up the article?

Maya Today Paragraph 3

Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

What is the main idea of paragraph 3?•This is a conclusion to the passage.How does the author wrap up the article?•The author uses a rhetorical question to show the uncertainty of the future of the Maya.

Maya Today Paragraph 3

Will the Maya survive this latest onslaught or not? This remains to be seen.

4. According to “Maya Today,” how many Maya are being forced out of their homeland?a. six millionb. all the Maya in Mexicoc. thousandsd. hundreds of thousands

And, how would we answer this question?

This is a factual question that you can find by looking back into the passage. All the numbers are in there, so you have to find the one that matches those leaving their homeland in Guatemala. The answer is D.

1. Figure out the topic of the selection. Look at the title and topic sentence.

2. Figure out the reason the author wrote it. to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to

express3. Figure out the author’s attitude about the

topic. Look for words in the passage that signal

positive or negative connotations, or feelings.4. Figure out what you were supposed to learn

or do. Look in the passage for the facts and

examples tell you what the author wanted you to know.

So let's review the strategies for assessing author's purpose… ( highlight these points in your notes)

See the article entitled “The Spanish Conquest and the Decline of the Maya”

Let's try some guided practice.