Identifying the Writer’s Purpose in a Text for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 4
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: English Language
Curriculum Theme: Reading
Focal competence: Identifying a writer’s mood, tone and purpose
Key competencies/values: Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies; Digital Competencies; Collaboration; Information Literacy; Respect
Skills:

• state the features of a dictionary

Previous Lesson: Features of a dictionary
Topic: Comprehension: Reading To Identify The Writer’S Mood, Tone And Purpose And The Relationship Between Purpose And Tone: Reading To Identify The Writer’S Purpose
Subject Matter: meaning of mood, meaning of tone, meaning of writer’s purpose, differences among mood tone and purpose

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define mood, tone, and writer’s purpose.
• Identify the mood of a given text.
• Identify the tone of a given text.
• Identify the purpose of a given text.
• Differentiate among mood, tone, and purpose in a text.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of understanding a writer’s intent.
• Show interest in analyzing texts for deeper meaning.

Psychomotor Domain

• Read passages to accurately identify the writer’s mood, tone, and purpose.
• Demonstrate understanding of how tone conveys purpose and meaning.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with peers to analyze reading passages.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable English Language textbook for SS 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work For The New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Course books
• Reading passages (e.g., excerpts from novels, short stories, articles)
• Selected passages from newspaper and magazine clippings
• Online sources for diverse texts
• Radio and television extracts (audio/video clips)
• Recorded materials to reflect aspects of moods, tones and purpose
• Whiteboard and markers

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it equips students with essential critical reading skills, enabling them to move beyond surface-level comprehension. By understanding a writer’s mood, tone, and purpose, students can better interpret messages, evaluate arguments, and appreciate the nuances of language, which are vital for academic success and effective communication in everyday life.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have basic reading comprehension skills and be able to understand the literal meaning of texts.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Comprehension: Reading To Identify The Writer’S Mood, Tone And Purpose And The Relationship Between Purpose And Tone: Reading To Identify The Writer’S Purpose

Meaning of Mood

Mood refers to the atmosphere or feeling a literary text creates for the reader. It is the emotional response the reader experiences while reading the text. Mood is often evoked through setting, imagery, word choice (diction), and descriptive details.

Examples of Moods:

1. Joyful
2. Melancholy/Sad
3. Suspenseful
4. Peaceful
5. Frightening
6. Hopeful
7. Humorous
8. Nostalgic

Meaning of Tone

Tone refers to the writer’s attitude towards the subject matter or the audience. It is how the writer feels about what they are writing about. Tone is conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and the overall style of writing.

Examples of Tones:

1. Formal
2. Informal
3. Serious
4. Humorous
5. Sarcastic
6. Critical
7. Optimistic
8. Pessimistic
9. Respectful
10. Condescending

Meaning of Writer’s Purpose

The writer’s purpose is the reason why the author wrote the text. It is the goal or aim the writer intends to achieve through their writing. Common purposes include to inform, to persuade, to entertain, or to describe.

Common Writer’s Purposes:

1. To Inform: The writer aims to provide facts, data, or explanations about a topic. (e.g., news articles, textbooks, encyclopedias)
2. To Persuade: The writer aims to convince the reader to agree with a particular viewpoint, take action, or change their mind. (e.g., advertisements, editorials, political speeches)
3. To Entertain: The writer aims to amuse, delight, or engage the reader through storytelling, humor, or imaginative language. (e.g., novels, short stories, poems, jokes)
4. To Describe: The writer aims to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind using sensory details. (e.g., travelogues, descriptive essays, character sketches)

Differences Among Mood, Tone, and Purpose

While mood, tone, and purpose are interconnected, they represent distinct aspects of a text:

1. Mood (Reader’s Feeling): This is the emotional atmosphere the text evokes in the reader. It’s about how the reader feels while reading.
2. Tone (Writer’s Attitude): This is the writer’s attitude towards the subject or audience. It’s about how the writer feels about what they are writing.
3. Purpose (Writer’s Reason): This is the writer’s main reason for writing the text. It’s about why the writer wrote it.

Relationship between Purpose and Tone:

The writer’s purpose often dictates the tone they adopt. For example:

1. If the purpose is to persuade, the tone might be urgent, authoritative, or passionate.
2. If the purpose is to inform, the tone is usually objective, neutral, or formal.
3. If the purpose is to entertain, the tone could be humorous, light-hearted, or imaginative.
4. If the purpose is to describe, the tone might be evocative, appreciative, or detailed.

Understanding this relationship helps readers to fully grasp the writer’s message and intent.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Pair Work, Group Work, Individual Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them to recall what they understand by “comprehension” in English Language. The teacher then introduces the topic by explaining that good comprehension involves understanding not just what a text says, but also how it makes them feel, how the writer feels, and why the writer wrote it.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Introduction to comprehension

Step 2: Defining Mood

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the meaning of “mood” in a text, using simple examples to illustrate how words and descriptions can create a specific feeling for the reader. The teacher provides a short descriptive passage and asks students how it makes them feel.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, ask questions for clarification, and share their feelings about the example passage.

Learning Point: Meaning of mood

Step 3: Defining Tone

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines “tone” as the writer’s attitude, differentiating it from mood. The teacher gives examples of different tones (e.g., sarcastic, serious, humorous) and reads short sentences or phrases aloud, asking students to identify the speaker’s implied attitude.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, identify tones in given examples, and discuss how word choice reveals attitude.

Learning Point: Meaning of tone

Step 4: Defining Writer’s Purpose

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Categorisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains “writer’s purpose” as the reason for writing, introducing common purposes like to inform, persuade, entertain, or describe. The teacher provides examples of different text types (e.g., news report, advertisement, story) and asks students to guess the writer’s purpose for each.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, identify purposes for various text types, and contribute their ideas.

Learning Point: Meaning of writer’s purpose

Step 5: Differentiating Mood, Tone, and Purpose

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Comparison/Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher highlights the key differences between mood, tone, and purpose, emphasizing that mood is for the reader, tone is from the writer, and purpose is why the writer wrote. The teacher uses a single short passage and guides students to identify all three elements.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate in the discussion, clarifying their understanding of the distinctions, and attempting to identify all three elements in the given passage.

Learning Point: Distinguishing mood, tone, purpose

Step 6: Guided Practice and Application

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Collaboration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides students into pairs and distributes different reading passages (from course books, newspaper clippings, or online sources). The teacher guides students to read the passages in pairs and identify the writer’s mood, tone, and purpose for each, encouraging them to discuss their findings.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in pairs, read their assigned passages, discuss, and identify the mood, tone, and purpose, preparing to share with the class.

Learning Point: Identifying elements in texts

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is the difference between mood and tone in a text?
2. Mention two common purposes a writer might have.
3. How does a writer’s tone help convey their purpose?
4. Read a short sentence (e.g., “The old, dilapidated house stood silently under the stormy sky.”) and ask: What is the mood of this sentence? What might be the writer’s purpose?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Assessment of understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on the meaning of mood, tone, purpose, and their differences into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording key concepts

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the main points of the lesson, reiterating the importance of identifying mood, tone, and purpose for effective reading comprehension. The teacher encourages students to apply these skills in their daily reading.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and ask any final questions.

Learning Point: Reinforcement of concepts

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Read the following passage and answer the questions below.

1. Passage: “The decrepit old man hobbled slowly down the dusty path, his tattered clothes flapping in the cold wind. A lone dog whined mournfully from a nearby shack, its ribs showing through its thin fur. The sun, a pale disc in the grey sky, offered no warmth.”
2. Identify the mood of the passage.
3. Describe the writer’s tone in this passage.
4. What do you think is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?
5. Find a short news article from a newspaper or online source. Identify the writer’s purpose and the tone used in the article.

Lesson Keywords

• Mood – The feeling a text creates in the reader.
• Tone – The writer’s attitude towards the subject or audience.
• Purpose – The reason the writer wrote the text.
• Inform – To provide facts or explanations.
• Persuade – To convince or influence.
• Entertain – To amuse or delight.
• Describe – To create a vivid picture using details.

Differentiation

For struggling learners, the teacher will provide simpler, shorter passages with more explicit clues for mood, tone, and purpose, offering direct guidance and sentence starters. Advanced learners will be challenged with more complex literary texts, encouraged to analyze subtle nuances in tone and purpose, and asked to justify their interpretations with detailed textual evidence.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, students can search on YouTube for: writer’s mood tone purpose SS1 English