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Reading and Writing 6-8 / Week 07 / Thursday
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Week 07 · Informational Texts

Thursday

Purpose and other viewpoints
// How a piece of nonfiction is built
⏱ about 20 min

Thursday: Purpose and Other Viewpoints

Rocket reads the newest Signal explainer at the table, frowning. "This piece is about the quiet hour at the library branch."

"And?" Raven asks.

"It says what the book club people think. It even says what the worried people think. Is it on their side?"

Raven reads over his shoulder. "What do you notice about the last two lines?"

Rocket reads them aloud. "The purpose of this piece is not to argue for the rule."

"So the writer explains," Raven says. "And a good explainer tells you who disagreed and what happened next."

Nova hovers near the lamp. "A writer who hides the other side is hiding part of the story," she says.

Learn it: purpose and conflicting viewpoints

Purpose is the reason an author wrote a text: to explain, to describe, to inform or to answer a question. Sometimes the author states the purpose directly.

Strong nonfiction also acknowledges people who see things differently. The author names the other viewpoint fairly, then responds to it.

Raven thinks aloud: "The text says some readers want to talk about books in the room. Then it says the branch gave them a corner room. So the author acknowledged the viewpoint and showed a response."

  • Ask: What does the author want me to understand when I finish?
  • Find each sentence that begins with words like some, others or not everyone. That is a viewpoint being acknowledged.
  • Then find the response: what the author or the people in the text did or said about it.

Read it

This explainer ran in this week's Signal.

Read it
Why the Reading Room Has a Quiet Hour
Starting this month, the library branch keeps the reading room silent from four to five each afternoon.
The Signal asked the librarian why, and this explainer shares what we learned.
The librarian said the quiet hour began because of a stack of notes in the suggestion box.
Most notes came from students who wanted one hour a day to read without talking around them.
Not everyone agrees with the change.
Some readers like to meet in the room to talk about books together.
They say an hour of silence pushes their book club out into the hallway.
The librarian understands that view. "Talking about books is reading too," she said.
So the branch has set aside the small corner room for book clubs during the quiet hour.
Others worried that a rule would make the room feel unfriendly.
The librarian answered that with a small sign instead of a loud one. It says: Quiet hour, thank you.
The Signal watched the room for three afternoons.
Each day, the chairs filled up a few minutes before four, and the corner room filled too.
The purpose of this piece is not to argue for the rule or against it.
It is to explain where the rule came from and how the branch answered the people who disagreed.
CHECK IT: WHY THE READING ROOM HAS A QUIET HOUR
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What is the author's purpose?
Which viewpoint does the author acknowledge first?
How did the branch respond to the book clubs?
How did the librarian answer the worry that the room would feel unfriendly?
Which word in the next to last line names the reason the author wrote the piece? Type the one word.
Which word begins the line that first signals disagreement? Type the one word.
Where did the first notes about a quiet hour come from? Type the two-word place.
About the explainerTrue or false?
The author acknowledges two different viewpoints that disagreed with the rule.?
The author argues that the quiet hour should be longer.?
The librarian responded to the book clubs with a corner room.?
The author leaves out what happened after the rule began.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe explainer names two objections, shows a response to each, and reports what the crew saw afterward.
How many afternoons did the Signal watch the room? Type the number.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe writer reports what the crew saw so the reader can judge the rule, which fits the stated purpose.
HOW THE EXPLAINER IS BUILT
  • Which part of the explainer comes first?
  • Tap the cards in the order the text uses.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
Try it
Read the explainer aloud in two voices: one for the rule, one for the people who disagreed.
Notice where the writer switches between them.

Purpose found, other views heard. Tomorrow Nova reviews all four pieces of this week's Signal.

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