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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.
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
Full Transcript
- 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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