Q When trying to identify author's purpose, we have to identify the following: • Is the author trying to inform the reader about something? • Is the author trying to persuade their audience? • Is the author trying to relate a personal experience? While these are not the only reasons authors write, they do offer some examples. Understanding author's purposes gives us insight into why the author sat down to write in the first place. And, this allows us to understand how the text is supposed to affect us as readers. Why is this important? Well, for example, if we understand that an author sat down with the intention to persuade us to align with their view on a particular issue, then we understand that their purpose is to persuade. And, if we understand that they want to persuade us, then we can read with a more critical eye and decide whether or not we want to be persuaded to agree with their perspective, rather than following them blindly due to lack of understanding. Having reading skills is all about giving the reader power so that we can determine how we want to interact with the information we're being presented, allowing us to take an active, rather than passive, role. Our author's purpose practice will take a two part approach, because I would like you to consider purpose from both a reader's and a writer's perspective. Task 1: • Think about the writing you've done in the past week. This can be writing you've done for class, text messages, social media posts, journaling, etc. List out 3-5 instances where you were writing something down. • Consider your purpose for writing on each of these occassions (please do not say for homework. Instead, if it was for an assignment, consider what the assignment was asking you to do). • For each of your 3-5 writing moments of the week, explain your purpose in 5-7 sentences. Task 2: • Consider the Unit 3 reading from Unit 3 in 1301. In 5-7 sentences, explain what you think Clint Smith's purpose was in writing the article. Include specific examples from the text (these examples do not count toward your 5-7 sentence explanation). • Explain how the article impacted you as a reader.* • Consider, in 5-7 sentences, whether or not the article achieved it's intended purpose. • Respond to one of your classmates. Discuss whether or not you agree with their author's purpose identification and why. *Note: Since the Smith article deals with incarceration, which can be a sensitive subject for many, please be mindful of how you craft your response. Remember that you must exercise mindfulness. This is an academic setting, and you must be able to discuss controversial issues in a way that is both intelligent and thoughtful.