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ELA 4: Writing for an Audience, Like a Biographer 41 Views


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Description:

Today's lesson is all about knowing your audience. Like how you shouldn't tell a fart joke to your teacher in your latest essay...no matter how much your mom laughed it this morning.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:06

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

Have you ever picked up a book only to realize it would be way over your head? [Guy tosses a book over his head]

00:17

You know the ones – where every word has five syllables and you’d swear the author

00:21

is using a made-up language of their own? [Complicated sentence in the book]

00:24

The ones that definitely weren't written for kids…or for anyone who wasn't born and

00:27

raised inside of a life-sized dictionary. [Picture of a kid inside a dictionary]

00:30

Okay, so those books might be confusing, but they can also teach you a valuable lesson [Girl is hit in the head by the book]

00:34

– that it's important as a biographer and writer to know who you're writing for. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

00:39

Think about it – if you were writing a book for very small children… [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

00:42

…you’d probably want to use really short words and keep things simple and straightforward

00:46

so they can easily understand. [Young girl reading a book]

00:48

For people your own age and a bit older, you'd use something a little more sophisticated…

00:52

…but while maintaining a casual and conversational tone, so that you can convey

00:56

your information in a way that appeals to the given age group.

00:59

All right…there’s such a thing as trying too hard to sound cool… [Nerdy guy talking in slang]

01:03

Adults, on the other hand, would likely be more comfortable and interested in reading [Man reading a book on a couch]

01:06

more in-depth details…

01:08

…or in reading about an exciting controversy or scandal in the person's life.

01:12

In this case, don't be afraid to shy away from the biggest words you know, and feel

01:16

free to include more primary sources, like letters and diary entries.

01:20

But you probably shouldn't actually make up any words, no matter how smart they might sound… [Person typing a made up word on a computer]

01:24

When you're writing, always take into consideration who it is you're writing for, and then write for them. [Girl writing thinking of a baby]

01:29

If your writing is too simple for your audience, they might get bored.

01:33

If it's too complicated, they'll get lost.

01:36

But if it's just right, well, hopefully they'll be in it for the long haul. [3 bears looking over a girl in bed]

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