Author's Purpose | Assessment Review
Students review the three main purposes of writing—to persuade, inform, and entertain—through quick examples, guided practice, and a short exit assessment. This lesson is designed as a fast, classroom-ready review before a formal assessment.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Author's purpose | The reason an author writes a text. |
| Persuade | To try to convince the reader to think or do something. |
| Inform | To give facts or teach the reader about a topic. |
| Entertain | To amuse, interest, or engage the reader with a story or fun details. |
| Text clues | Words or details in a text that help readers figure out the author's purpose. |
Display three short titles or sentences. Ask: 'What do you think the author is trying to do?' Briefly review the three purposes.
Think aloud, share quick responses, and name the three purposes.
Read one short passage aloud. Model how to look for clues and identify the purpose. Point to words that show whether the author is persuading, informing, or entertaining.
Follow along, underline clues if provided, and answer questions with the class.
Give students 2 short passages. Ask partners to identify the author's purpose and explain one clue for each.
Work with a partner to decide the purpose and share evidence.
Hand out a short assessment with 3–4 items. Remind students to read carefully and answer independently.
Complete the assessment on their own.
Review answers briefly, clarifying any common mistakes and reinforcing key vocabulary.
Check work, ask questions, and correct misunderstandings.
Restate the three purposes and ask students to complete the sentence: 'One clue I can use to identify author’s purpose is ___. '
Students complete a short independent review assessment identifying author’s purpose in brief passages and explaining one supporting clue for each answer.
Find a short passage, ad, or article at home and write 1–2 sentences identifying the author’s purpose and one clue that helped you decide.