CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6
The Standard
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6—12
What This Standard Means
Students need to notice clues that show what an author thinks or wants readers to think. They should look for word choice, tone, selected facts, left-out facts, labels, headlines, images, and repeated ideas. In history texts, they also need to ask who wrote it, when, and for what audience.
Mastery looks like a student citing exact words or choices from the text and explaining how those choices shape the message. Students often get stuck by naming the topic instead of the viewpoint, or by saying “the author is biased” without proof. They may also miss what is left out.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students two short accounts of the same event and have them highlight loaded words in one color and missing facts in another.
- Ask students to write: What does this author want me to believe, and what sentence or choice gives it away?
- Use an exit ticket with one paragraph, asking students to underline one clue to the author’s purpose and explain it in one sentence.
- Show two news headlines about the same event and have students decide which sounds more favorable, then justify with specific words.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.