Author's Purpose | Project Based Learning
Students will explore author’s purpose by reading simple mentor texts, sorting examples by purpose, and creating a class poster to show how authors can teach, tell a story, or make us laugh. The lesson is project-based and hands-on so Grade 1 students can practice identifying why an author writes.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| author | The person who writes a book or text. |
| purpose | The reason the author wrote something. |
| teach | To give information or help someone learn. |
| tell a story | To share events, characters, and what happens. |
| entertain | To make someone laugh, smile, or enjoy reading. |
Show several familiar books. Ask, “Why do you think the author wrote this?” Record student ideas with simple words and pictures.
Look at books, share ideas, and listen to classmates.
Introduce the three purposes: to teach, to tell a story, and to entertain. Model with one short example for each using think-aloud language.
Repeat the purpose words, point to matching picture cards, and listen to examples.
Read or show each mentor text. Guide students to decide the purpose and place it under the correct label on a class chart.
Help choose the correct label, explain their thinking in simple sentences, and move cards to the chart.
Divide students into small groups or pairs. Each group makes one part of a class poster: draw a picture, paste a book cover, or write one sentence about an author’s purpose.
Create a picture or sentence that shows one purpose and add it to the class poster.
Invite groups to present their part of the poster. Ask, “How do you know the author wrote this?” and “What did the author want us to do?”
Share their work, name the purpose, and listen to others.
Review the three purposes together. Ask students to show thumbs up for the purpose when the teacher names a book or text. End by reading the class poster aloud: “Authors write to teach, tell stories, and entertain.”
At home, students choose one book or magazine page and tell a family member why the author wrote it: to teach, tell a story, or entertain. If possible, draw a picture of the book and bring it back to share.