- English Language Arts and Reading
- Grade 5
- Author's purpose and craft
examine how the author's use of language contributes to voice; and
Share several examples of texts that have an easily recognizable voice in the writing. Have students work in small groups to choose one of the provided texts and share particular examples of language in the author's text that contribute to voice.
This assessment requires students to understand that voice refers to the distinctive way in which a writer expresses ideas with respect to style, form, content, and purpose by examining how an author uses language to help create the voice of a written work.
1. Kinsey, B., & Comerchero, V.A. (2012). Language in style: Formal language and tone. Communique, 41(1), 37.
Summary: This is a one-pager that addresses how language and words imply assumptions, beliefs, and biases. The article provides examples of how word choice and the sequence of words significantly change the meaning. The authors advocate that writing should be appropriate for its audience and the writing style generally should be formal.
2. Rief, L. (2017).What reading makes. Voice from the Middle, 24(4), 59–63. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/journals/vm/issues/v24-4
Summary: This article provides a detailed explanation about the integration between reading and writing. Rief focuses the study on four ideas: 1) What do students notice when they listen to a story?; 2) Which craft moves does the writer use do the craft moves impact the story, if so, how?; and 3) Which students borrow from the writer? The article includes a detailed chart that identifies the multiple strategies used by a writing.