How Authors Show Their Purpose

Start with the 10 short texts, then compare the three sea turtle texts together. Use the leaves article to show that every paragraph has a job.

Compare an ad, an article and a story about sea turtles to see how purpose shapes each text. An author's purpose is the main reason for writing: to persuade readers, to inform them or to entertain them. The directions on the page read: Read each text. Circle the author's purpose. Then write the features of the text that show that purpose. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade comprehension exercises, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with author's purpose. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Look at what the text does. Commands and calls to act point to persuade, facts and steps point to inform, and characters or jokes point to entertain. Persuade, Inform or Entertain? practices this with 10 short texts.

It is how the author feels about the topic. In Author's Point of View in an Article, the author of Our Town Needs Community Gardens states the opinion in 3 sentences and answers 2 worries about gardens.

How Authors Show Their Purpose has an ad, an article and a story about sea turtles. The ad pushes readers to turn off lights, the article gives facts like about 100 eggs and the story shows one exciting night.