Author's Purpose | Assessment Review
Students review the three common author’s purposes through an art-based lesson: to inform, to entertain, and to persuade. They discuss examples, create simple drawings, and sort picture cards to show understanding.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| author | the person who writes a book, story, or message |
| purpose | the reason someone makes or writes something |
| inform | to give facts or teach something |
| entertain | to make someone happy, laugh, or enjoy a story |
| persuade | to try to make someone do or think something |
Show a simple drawing, poster, or picture and ask: Why did the maker make this? Explain that authors and artists have a purpose.
Share ideas aloud and point to clues in the picture.
Introduce inform, entertain, and persuade with simple examples and gestures. Write each word on the board and connect each to a picture example.
Repeat the words, act them out, and answer quick questions about each example.
Display picture cards one at a time. Model how to think aloud and sort one card together, then guide students to sort the rest into the correct category mats.
Work with the teacher to sort cards and explain their choices using sentence frames like 'I think this is ___ because ___.’
Give students blank paper and assign one purpose at a time or let them choose a card from the sorted examples. Model a simple drawing idea for each purpose: a fact poster for inform, a funny scene for entertain, or a sign asking someone to do something for persuade.
Create one simple drawing that matches the purpose and add one word or short phrase to support the idea.
Call out short descriptions or show quick images. Students hold up one finger for inform, two for entertain, and three for persuade, or point to the labeled mat.
Respond quickly and explain answers when called on.
Pair students and give them two drawings or cards to talk about. Prompt them to tell which purpose each example shows and why.
Talk with a partner, use vocabulary words, and listen to another viewpoint.
Lead a final group review. Ask students to name the three purposes and give one example of each.
Say the three purposes aloud and share one thing they learned.
Review the three purposes one more time: authors inform, entertain, and persuade. Invite students to show with their fingers which purpose they understand best and share one example from the lesson.