Student Responses will vary. These are some possible responses.
The Three BearsQuestions about the readingsName:______
Answer the following questions for each of the three readings. Be prepared to discuss your ideas with the class.
Reading #1:__Bears Emerging from Hibernation______Author:___Ben Pierce______
- What is the author’s purpose?
The author’s purpose is to inform the reader. The newspaper is from Montana. He is giving information to the readers of the paper.
- Who is the intended audience?
Montana locals and possibly tourists. People who live by Yellowstone need to know about any threats from the natural world.
- What is the main message of the piece?
Information is about bears in general, what they are like when they wake from hibernation. Also, the article states that there are earlier bears than usual, possibly because of different winter season.
- How successful was the author in getting the message across to the audience?
It is a longer piece;it gives good information to the reader. It is easy to read and understand.
- What is the emotional impact of the piece?
The emotional impact is scientific and informative. It is a warning, but it is not trying to scare the reader.
Reading #2:____The Bear______Author:___Craig Childs______
- What is the author’s purpose?
His purpose is to entertain and inform. It is a mixture of facts and personal impressions. This really happened to him in his youth.
- Who is the intended audience?
The intended audience is for young adult to adult readers. The book’s chapter is easy to read.
- What is the main message of the piece?
Craig Childs is telling about his first encounter with a bear and how similar they were in age and curiosity. He talks about the landscape and the adventure of the moment. It is descriptive storytelling.
- How successful was the author in getting the message across to the audience?
He gives interesting facts about bears, but also entertains with humor and descriptive abilities. He paints a good picture of the “scene”.
- What is the emotional impact of the piece?
The emotional impact of the piece is adventurous and funny. He is trying to entertain the reader.
Reading #3:______The Bear______Author:___GalwayKinnell______
- What is the author’s purpose?
The author is writing a poem. It is creative, poetic storytelling. It is not factual.
- Who is the intended audience?
The audience would be literature readers, fellow poets. It is not meant to give facts and information.
- What is the main message of the piece?
The poem is a fantasy about watching a bear, feeding a bear, and becoming the bear.
- How successful was the author in getting the message across to the audience?
He uses a lot of descriptive language and imagery. He uses emotional words like gnash, blood, turd, petty, odor.
- What is the emotional impact of the piece?
It is an adventure that is exciting, serious, and brutal. It’s more scary than the news article and the short story.