reading: author perspective stage 2...task 4: mood 1. teacher shows an image for students to...

| NSW Department of Education Literacy and Numeracy Teaching Strategies - Reading

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Author perspective Stage 2

Learning focus Students will learn to identify author perspective in texts. Students will learn to find evidence in the text to understand author perspective.

Syllabus outcome The following teaching and learning strategies will assist in covering elements of the following outcomes:

• EN2-1A: communicates in a range of informal and formal contexts by adopting a range of roles in group, classroom, school and community contexts

• EN2-4A: uses an increasing range of skills, strategies and knowledge to fluently read, view and comprehend a range of texts on increasingly challenging topics in different media and technologies

• EN2-8B: identifies and compares different kinds of texts when reading and viewing and shows an understanding of purpose, audience and subject matter.

Year 3 NAPLAN item descriptors • identifies the first-person narrator in an imaginative text • identifies the intended audience of a text • identifies the author's perspective in an information text • analyses an author's perspective in a persuasive text • analyses the author's perspective at the end of an information text • identifies an author's assumption in a text • analyses the author's perspective in a text • infers the author's perspective at the end of an information text

Literacy Learning Progression guide Understanding Texts (UnT6-UnT8) Key: C=comprehension P=process V=vocabulary

UnT6 • describes the purpose of informative, imaginative and persuasive texts (C) • identifies parts of text used to answer literal and inferential questions (P)

UnT7 • identifies the purpose of predictable texts and moderately complex texts (C) • answers inferential questions (C) • cites text evidence to support inferences (P)

2 Reading: Author perspective Stage 2

UnT8 • identifies author’s perspective (C) • explains how authors use evidence and supporting detail in texts (C) • identifies language features used to present opinions or points of view (P)

Resources • Fact and opinion task cards - Appendix 1 • Anchor chart scaffold - Appendix 2 • Sort your tone match and sort cards -

Appendix 3 • Interview with an author - Appendix 4

• Finding clues in the text graphic organiser - Appendix 5

• Visual image analysis - Appendix 6 • ‘Adopt-a-Dog’ - Appendix 7 • Get to the heart - Appendix 8

Background information Perspective A way of regarding situations, facts and texts.

Tone The voice adopted by a particular speaker to indicate emotion, feeling or attitude to subject matter.

The author's attitude towards the subject and audience, for example playful, serious, ironic, formal, etc.

Text structure The ways information is organised in different types of texts, for example chapter headings, subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect. Choices in text structures and language features together define a text type and shape its meaning (see language features).

Textual form The conventions specific to a particular type of text, often signalling content, purpose and audience, for example letter form, drama script, blog.

Visual literacy The ability to decode, interpret, create, question, challenge and evaluate texts that communicate with visual images as well as, or rather than, words. Visually literate people can read the intended meaning in a visual text such as an advertisement or a film shot, interpret the purpose and intended meaning, and evaluate the form, structure and features of the text. They can also use images in a creative and appropriate way to express meaning.

NSW K-10 English Syllabus Glossary, 2012 NESA

Where to next? • Fact and opinion • Audience and purpose • Text structure

© NSW Department of Education, Apr-20 3

Teaching strategies Task 1: Fact and opinion

1. Show two sentences to students, for example:

Kangaroos are a mammal native to Australia. The kangaroo is an amazing creature that makes me proud to be Australian.

Discuss the two sentences – which sentence is fact and which is opinion? What vocabulary indicates it is fact or opinion? Unpack the language difference such as using terms like ‘think’ or ‘beautiful’ can indicate an opinion whereas using facts, technical language and statistics may indicate it is factual.

2. Using cards (Appendix 1), students work in pairs to create either a fact or opinion on different subjects, for example, a fact or opinion about the water cycle.

Task 2: Purpose and tone 1. Anchor Charts: Students review the key attributes of persuasive, imaginative and informative texts by

working in teams to analyse a range of example texts linked to a current unit of learning, for example, if learning about the local environment, a collection of texts such as brochures, local Aboriginal Dreaming stories and historical books or fact sheets can be used. Students read texts, discuss key language and structural features and create a mind map on what they have found.

2. Students then design an anchor chart using the scaffold from Appendix 2, or develop their own way to demonstrate ideas. Alternative task: Students might create a ‘headline’ graphic organiser instead of anchor chart (see How to use guide for more detail).

3. Discuss with class the three types of texts (informative, imaginative and persuasive) and the text forms they take (newspaper article, diary entry, poem).

Task 3: Tone 1. Watch your tone!: Teacher states “Look, I can see the light” to students in a range of voices (angry,

sad, conversational, happy, nervous). Ask students how they thought you were feeling when you said this? Discuss that it is not always what is said, but how it is said. Discuss how author’s get this tone across with words (vocabulary and punctuation).

2. Ask students to practise with their partner different tones to say these words. 3. Teacher models writing “Look, I can see the light” in different ways by changing punctuation and

surrounding vocabulary to change the tone.

Look!! I can see the light!! excited

Look…I can see the light…but unsure

Look! He whispered. “I can see the light.” Interested

4. Discuss tone and what clues might be found in a text to indicate the tone of an author. Tone is the voice adopted by a particular speaker to indicate emotion, feeling or attitude to subject matter. In the context of author perspective, tone is the author's attitude towards the subject and audience, for example playful, serious, ironic, formal and so on. (NSW English K-10 Syllabus Glossary, 2012)

5. Brainstorm a list of words that describe an emotion/tone, eg. annoyed, happiness, unconcerned, sadness, bitter, joyful, direct. Model categorising into three groups:

• Positive tone words – happiness, joyful • Neutral tone words – unconcerned, direct • Negative tone words – sadness, bitter


6. Students use Appendix 3 ‘Sort your tone’ match and sort into the three categories.

Task 4: Mood 1. Teacher shows an image for students to brainstorm the mood it evokes for the viewer. Discuss that

mood is the feeling of the viewer and reader and this is impacted by the author’s tone. 2. Students add mood to the ideas in Task 3. 3. Mood board: Students are given a mood to become experts in. Students find text examples and

images to create a ‘mood board’ to share with class.

Task 5: Theme 1. Review idea of ‘theme’ as a central message of a text. It is what the author wants you to learn or

know and is a broad idea about life. The theme is usually not stated and must be inferred from vocabulary, text structure, purpose, tone and bias.

2. Read or view a range of short texts and model identifying the central theme. Using short films such as ‘miniscule’ or Pixar shorts (pixar.com) are a great way to see a whole text to identify the theme. Pixar shorts also provide a short overview of the film.

Task 6: Finding evidence in text 1. Discuss and define ‘perspective’ with the class: a way of regarding situations, facts and texts.

Discuss how authors all have a perspective and a reason for writing a text; it might be to teach an idea, persuade someone to try something new or that something is important.

2. Using a collection of texts linked to a current unit of learning, students work in teams to read the text and discuss why they think the text was written and what the author’s perspective on the topic might be. Encourage students to use accountable talk to support the conversation i.e. “I agree with … but I can also see that…”, “Building on this idea, I would like to add…” and “I can see the text says …this makes me think…”

3. Interview with an author: Students use their own work sample of a text they have composed and conduct panel interviews with a small group of three (a persuasive text may work better in this scenario as a clear perspective is evident). Each student takes turns sharing their text with the panel. The panel then takes time to create and ask questions about what was shared in order to understand why the text was created and to ascertain the author’s perspective.

4. Using Appendix 4 ‘Interview with an author’, teacher models highlighting evidence in the text which might indicate perspective, discuss how we look for clues such as opinion vocabulary (believe, wonderful, frightening) and modal verbs (should, must, should not). Students then find other examples in their own copy of the text and share with the class.

5. Apply the Appendix 5 graphic organiser to a text currently being explored in a unit of learning.

Task 7: Author perspective through images 1. Review key elements of visual literacy (lines, vector, salient image, colour, modality etc.) Display

Appendix 6 for students to consider what the author’s perspective might be. Discuss what students can see, what this might indicate and what the author’s perspective might be. Alternative task: choose images connected to a current unit of learning instead of Appendix 6.

Task 8: Get to the heart 1. Students are given a copy of Appendix 7: Adopt-a-Dog to discuss with a small group (see

accompanying teacher guide for some evidence in text to indicate author perspective). 2. Using Appendix 8, students analyse the text and enter information onto the graphic organiser ‘Get to

the heart’.


Appendix 1 Fact and opinion cards

What is a fact about:

healthy food choices

What is your opinion on:

healthy food choices


your local community


your local community


staying safe in the water


staying safe in the water


Aboriginal history


Aboriginal history


growing plants


growing plants


the Earth


the Earth


the seasons


the seasons


Australian history


Australian history


the First Fleet


The First Fleet


the water cycle


the water cycle


Appendix 2 Anchor chart guide

Title:

Vocabulary clues: Facts

Text structure clues: Headline

Examples: Newspaper article


Appendix 3 Sort your tone! Match and sort cards

Positive tone words Neutral tone words Negative tone words

admiring commanding angry adoring direct annoyed affectionate impartial anxious celebratory objective bewildered cheerful questioning bitter comforting unconcerned blunt comical understand bossy compassionate confused delightful condescending encouraging curt excited cynical friendly depressed funny desperate happy disappointed joyful disrespectful optimistic fearful proud furious respectful gloomy joyful greedy


Appendix 4 Teacher copy: Interview with an author

Evidence from text

“Only if I really have to. I much prefer the freedom and fun of writing for children.”

This makes me think…

Andy Griffith likes writing for children.

This makes me think the author’s perspective is:

Freedom and fun with writing is important to creating children’s stories.

Year 3 NAPLAN Reading magazine, 2013 ACARA


Student copy: Interview with an author

Evidence from text

This makes me think…

This makes me think the author’s perspective is:

Year 3 NAPLAN Reading magazine, 2013 ACARA


Appendix 5 Student copy: Finding clues about author perspective in texts Evidence in text I think… Author thinks…

Without bees, we cannot have flowers, without flowers, we don’t eat.

Bees are important • Our lives are at risk if welose bees

• Something needs to bedone to ensure we keepbees safe


Appendix 6 Visual images to determine author perspective

Photo by Sylvie Tittel on Unsplash


Appendix 6 Visual images to determine author perspective

Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash

https://unsplash.com/@popnzebra?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText

https://unsplash.com/s/photos/sustainability?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText


Photo by Boxed Water Is Better on Unsplash

https://unsplash.com/@boxedwater?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText

https://unsplash.com/s/photos/environment?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText


Appendix 7 Teacher guide: Identifying author perspective in text

Tone

•Usinghumour:“…4 pawsofapproval”

•Realstories forpeople toconnectwith.

Logo advertising a phone number and email address – an easy process for anyone.

Image of dog looking sad and alone: this helps to make an emotional connection with the audience.

Vocabulary:

• “…fun-loving”• “two wags of

a tail…”• “You would

have to bebarking madto miss out.”

Text features:

•Quotes•Rhetorical

questions• Facts


Appendix 7 Student copy: Identifying author perspective in text


Appendix 7 Accessible student copy: Identifying author perspective in text

Adopt –a-Dog

Candy is a fun-loving dog who could come home with you straightaway-or in two wags of a tail. She is a much-loved pet but sadly, her family has moved overseas. Candy is now searching for a new family. Could Candy be the perfect pet you are looking for?

The Evans family found their perfect pet last year when they adopted a Labrador. Here’s what they said: “We love Rocky. He is really part of our family. He loves to be walked and to play with the kids.”

At Adopt-a-Dog we know that each of our furry friends will make a great addition to your family. Kids, are you having trouble convincing your parents? Tell them that Candy is friendlier than a cat, more interesting than a fish and cheaper to feed than a pony. And if you are lucky enough to take Candy home, you can even start using the excuse, “The dog ate my homework!”

We are proud to say that Adopt-a-Dog has helped more than 50 dogs to find a home this year. All our dogs have been to the vet so they are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and wormed.

You can adopt Candy now for $300.

You would have to be barking mad to miss out.

Candy has our full 4 paws of approval.


Appendix 8 Get to the heart

Feelings that you had

Explain

Evidence

Link to author’s perspective

reading: author perspective stage 2...task 4: mood 1. teacher shows an image for students to...

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