Yes, that is what I'll be helping the children to see. The author of Rules was writing to entertain...but also to inform,no? She says she wrote the book after she and her older child looked for stories with families that looked like theirs. Lord has a child with autism. So when she looked, there were not enough books that fit this. So she wrote a story with characters that were similar to the people in her life. So sometimes, authors write for multiple purposes...to inform and entertain, or to persuade and to entertain (hello advertisements!). Hmmm, so it takes sophisticated critical thinking to read a story and analyze it for author's purpose, message, and or theme.
By the way, here's a great link of an interview with Cynthia Lord done on Real Writing Teachers a few years ago. She discusses her writing process, which I am eager to share with my students as we begin our personal narratives while we finish up Rules. http://www.cynthialord.com/pdf/rwt_interview.pdf Maura 5/NJ ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, November 8, 2009 1:31:30 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message Maura Now I will muddy the waters a bit...our district says the author's purpose is one of three things...she writes to inform, to entertain or to persuade. Authors message and theme are used interchangeably. Jennifer In a message dated 11/8/2009 1:02:29 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: This inquiry was perfectly timed for me. Next week we will be focusing on the author's purpose and then finishing up the book and learning about theme. I am interested on hearing what others think about these topics! Maura _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
