ELA3105-ABED_1: 3.1b Exploring Non-Fiction

Receive a grade

Essays have essential elements that are distinct but are also unified. They have different styles and functions, but they come together to form the whole point that the text creator is trying to achieve.

Your English Language Arts Handbook, p. 94, lists reasons why writers write. Purposes include

to express an opinion on a particular topic
to influence the reader to think in a certain way
to entertain the reader
to poke fun at an event or characteristic of an individual or of society
to share an experience
to amuse the reader
to clarify their own thoughts
to present information
to share feelings

Step 1

Choose 5 of the 7 essays you read.

Step 2

For the 5 chosen essays you will use your annotations to answer these questions:

What is the message?
What is the purpose of the author's message? (See ELA Handbook, p. 94 and the Reading Non-Fiction tutorial, pp. 4-5.)
List two points or techniques the author uses to enhance the message.
Who is the audience?
How could the reader benefit from reading this essay?
How effective is the essay? Rate it on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being very effective.
Provide a rationale for your rating. Explain two different techniques (not already mentioned) that the author uses to enhance the message.

After reading each of the 5 chosen essays, fill out the table (see the Document Links below), providing specific details.

Step 3

Submit your table as a PDF or MS Word file.

Assessment
Document Links

Click the Assessment icon to see how your work will be assessed.
3.1 Exploring Non-Fiction

Choose the document format you will use for this assignment.

Assignment