Learning Objective: Today we will evaluate the author’s use of various techniques to influence readers’ perspectives.

•Technique=way of doing things•Influence=persuade or convince•Perspective=point of view or way of looking at things

What are we going to evaluate today?

Today we will evaluate the author’s use of various techniques to influence readers’ perspectives.

What do we know about Iron Man?

•He’s a real person•He’s living in a real world

•His actions could happen in our world•He could exist in our world

•His character is very believable

The authors or writers of Iron Man have done such a good job of creating a believable

character in a believable setting that it is hard for us to think that Iron Man is Science

Fiction!

Plot. What is it?Plot is what happens in the story. It

is the pattern of events from the beginning to the end. The story’s problem or conflict moves the story along and determines the events of the plot.

Three Little PigsThree little pigs move

out and build their houses. Momma told them to build them as

best as possible.

Wolf is hungry, blows down 1st house made of

straw and eats the poor pig.

Wolf is still hungry, tries to blow down 3rd house made of

bricks but can’t

Wolf tries to enter through chimney but gets burned!

Wolf is still hungry, blows

down 2nd house made of sticks

and eats the pig.

Characters. What are they?

Characters are the people in the stories. Animals can also be characters. The most important character is the main character. He or she is the focus of the story. Most of the events and details of the story center on the main character! Remember that they have feelings and emotions!

Toy Story Twilight Hachi

Setting. What is it?

The setting is where the story takes place. The setting can change from the character’s home to their school or even their world and country. Remember that the author always wants to paint the best picture of the setting in which the character lives!

IronmanHow does the setting affect the character?

Authors use various techniques to create

effective stories. They develop their

characters and help you see them clearly. They

try to make the characters appealing so you want to read about

them!

*Authors create a believable plot. No matter how fantastic it may be, the plot seems logical. The events seem to make sense.

*This is true even in science fiction and fantasy. *The events might not make sense on Earth, but they do make sense

according to the logic of the world where the story takes place.

*Authors create settings with care. By using secondary details and concrete language, words that relate to the setting, they help you visualize where

and when a story occurs. *They use figurative language to help you see the characters and the

setting in new and surprising ways.

When you read, evaluate the author’s technique. Think about the craft of writing and determine how effective the author is.

Consider the plot and think about the events and the causes for them. Decide whether they are believable. Think about the

characters and the motives behind their actions. Consider whether or not the characters behave in a believable manner. Think about

what you would have done if you were in the same situation.

Add all the elements together to interpret the meaning. This helps you explain what insight about life you think

the author is communicating. Evaluate how effective the author is in communicating this theme.

Steps to evaluating the author’s use of various techniques to influence readers’

perspectives.

1. Read the passage or story2. Think about the plot, characters,

and setting3. How does the author make it

seem real?4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer to the

question

Let’s practice!

The author uses details like “creaky stairs” to show that the house A. should not be lived in anymore.B. did not have very good stairs.C. was not located in the city.D. has been home to several generations.

1. Read the passage or story

2. Think about the plot, characters, and setting

3. How does the author make it seem real?

4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer to

the question

1. Read the passage or story

2. Think about the plot, characters, and setting

3. How does the author make it seem real?

4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer to

the question

Elijah hates being on the farm with his mother. How do you know that he feels this way?A. He is playing outside aloneB. He doesn’t give the key to his motherC. He wishes his mom would sell the farm and go back to the cityD. He finds a key to the music box and wants to give the key to his mother to surprise her

How does the author let the reader know that Elijah will give the key to his mother?A. He doesn’t give it to herB. He doesn’t talk to her during dinner timeC. He keeps playing with it in his pocket.D. None of the above

1. Read the passage or story

2. Think about the plot, characters, and setting

3. How does the author make it seem real?

4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer to

the question

1. Read the passage or story

2. Think about the plot, characters, and setting

3. How does the author make it seem real?

4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer to

the question

In paragraph 3, why does the author tell about Mr. Toga’s false teeth? A to show that health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s B to provide an interesting detail about one of the people in Yoshiko’s life and stories C to show that Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening D to tell about a beloved relative

The places where Yoshiko live had a very big impact on what she wrote in her stories. How does the author show the reader that the setting of Yoshiko’s life had an impact on her writing?A. She went back to those places as an adultB. She wrote about them in her storiesC. She hated where she livedD. None of the above

1. Read the passage or story

2. Think about the plot, characters, and setting

3. How does the author make it seem real?

4. Read the question5. Pick the best answer

to the question

So how will the questions look like on the CST test?

So what did we do today?

Today we evaluated the author’s use of various techniques to influence readers’ perspectives.