MINI LESSON: Audience and Purpose

Audience and Purpose

Overview:

Students will practice writing with a specific audience and purpose in mind by participating in a “charades” type writing activity.

Objectives:

• I can write with a specific audience and purpose in mind.

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4

Vocabulary:

• Audience: The group that will be reading my posts
• Target Audience: The group that I am targeting my posts at.
• Purpose: The reason for which I am writing the post.

Materials:

• One to one devices
• Box/hat/bowl full of random writing purposes (to persuade to buy, to inform about, etc.)
• Box/hat/bowl full of random target audiences (4th graders, businessmen, parents, etc.)
• Box/hat/bowl full of random products/objects (kittens, hot sauce, glasses, etc.)

Lesson Outline:

• Part One: Direct Instruction
  • Explain to students that they will be participating in an activity that will help them to better understand intended audience and purpose when writing.
  • Define as a class the terms audience, intended audience, and purpose.

• Part Two: Guided Practice

• Do one example as a class. Choose a purpose, target audience, and object at random (example: persuade to buy, parents, mismatched socks). Write a quick post together persuading a parent to buy mismatched socks. Identify the audience, target audience and purpose as a class. Choose a photo from photosforclass.com to add to the post.

• Part Three: Individual

• On their own (or in pairs, if you prefer), students will pick an audience, purpose, and object at random and create their own posts.
• Student will search an appropriate, corresponding image from photosforclass.com to add to their posts.
• Publish!

Enrichment/Extensions:

• Have student(s) choose two target audiences
• Have student(s) read and comment on the posts of their classmates

Accommodations:

• Step-by-step printed instructions will break down the task analysis for many special education students. Beyond that, feel free to modify the lesson to include small groups and be sure to follow provide personalized accommodations based upon any student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).