Marvelous thought! I just read this article after your prompting. http://nnhermosa.net/articles/readers_stance.html
We began the year working on the before, during, and after reading strategies that readers use. Readers set a purpose before they read was one of the strategies we discussed. Bringing it up again, using the readers' stance ideas mentioned in the article would be worthwhile. I find it interesting that so many of my students thought that the purpose was to inform. They knew from an interview with the author that she decided to write the book because she wanted to write a story with a family that looked like hers. In addition, we had a guest speaker come in to talk to the children about autism before they got into the book. I wonder if that was a shadow that affected their stance, since we had sort of front loaded information about autism. So when asked what they thought the author's purpose was, many thought it was to inform. Perhaps they were focused on learning about autism and what it's like to live with a loved one who has it. Interesting stuff! Thanks for the comment; It really got me to thinking more about the whole process of reading. I am eager to connect this with their writing, as they begin their personal narratives. Maura ----- Original Message ----- From: "Beverlee Paul" <[email protected]> To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:05:30 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message As we've become (as a profession) more convinced about the depth of relationship between reading and writing, I think this is a great place to ask us to remember Louise Rosenblatt and her transactional view of reading, with selections being primarily efferent or aesthetic. I think that view takes this discussion to new depths and to new understandings. On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 11:01 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > I just did the Author's Purpose lesson today, using the book Rules. I agree > with you and others who have said that author's purpose can influence the > genre in which the author chooses to write. Rules is about a girl who has a > brother with autism. We (the class) concluded that Cynthia Lord wrote the > book to inform readers what it is like to have a family member with autism. > When I asked if she could have done that by writing an article for our > Current Health magazine, they saw that her purpose was also to entertain. > The noticed that the narrative could actually help readers feel the emotions > of the character, as the reader is also being informed about the life of a > family with a disabled person (yes, they brought it to that, even more > global). We will examine theme next, which I, too, see as distinctly > different than author's purpose. > > Maura > 5/NJ > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Vida Perrine" <[email protected]> > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" < > [email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 9:05:44 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message > > I think of author's purpose as the PIE ingredients---persuade, inform, > entertain. However, to me, the theme is entirely a different thing. I teach > theme as the "subject" (for lack of a better word) that the author is trying > to convey to the reader by either persuading, informing, or entertaining. > The subjects for theme are things like friendship, honesty, responsibility, > awareness of prejudice, effects of gossiping, bullying, etc. For example, I > use Maniac Magee as a novel that entertains us, but the thematic purpose is > to make us aware of homelessness, prejudices, racial discrimination, etc. Am > I off track completely? > > --- On Sun, 11/8/09, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Theme/author's message > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 1:31 PM > > > > 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. > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > -- "There is nothing so unequal as equal treatment of unequals." Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes _______________________________________________ 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.
