Purpose and Rhetoric
Aligned to RI.9-10.6 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Writers reveal a purpose and point of view through rhetorical choices — appeals, repetition, word choice; analyze how these advance their aim.
Worked example
An op-ed urging bike lanes repeats 'every family deserves a safe street,' using an appeal to fairness and emotion to push readers toward the author's goal.
Practice questions
- State the author's purpose and one clue that reveals it.
- Identify a rhetorical device and explain how it serves the purpose.
- Analyze how the author's point of view shapes which facts appear.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Propósito y retórica
Los autores revelan un propósito y un punto de vista mediante recursos retóricos —apelaciones, repetición, elección de palabras—; analiza cómo estos impulsan su objetivo.
Ejemplo: Un artículo de opinión que pide ciclovías repite «toda familia merece una calle segura», con una apelación a la justicia y la emoción para empujar al lector hacia la meta del autor.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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