Author's Purpose | Review Lesson
Students will review the three main purposes an author may have for writing: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. Through short texts, discussion, and quick practice activities, students will identify author’s purpose and explain how text clues helped them decide.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Author’s purpose | The reason an author writes a text. |
| Inform | To give facts or information. |
| Persuade | To try to convince the reader to think or do something. |
| Entertain | To tell a story or make the reader enjoy the text. |
| Text clues | Words or details that help readers figure out the author’s purpose. |
Ask: 'Why do authors write?' Record student ideas and guide them to the three purposes: inform, persuade, entertain.
Share ideas orally and help build the class anchor chart.
Briefly review each purpose with one simple example and a matching keyword list. Model thinking aloud: 'This text gives facts, so it is probably written to inform.'
Listen, repeat key vocabulary, and add notes in notebooks.
Read aloud or project one short text at a time. Ask students to identify the purpose and underline text clues that helped them decide. Discuss answers as a class.
Read along, mark clues, and explain their thinking with partner talk.
Give pairs 6–9 short sentence strips or mini passages to sort into inform, persuade, or entertain. Circulate and prompt with questions such as 'What words helped you?'
Work together to sort texts and justify choices.
Have students complete a short written response: read 3 mini passages and write the author’s purpose for each plus one clue.
Independently identify purposes and write evidence from the text.
Review answers, highlight common mistakes, and clear up confusion between persuade and inform.
Share answers, correct work, and ask questions.
End with a quick recap: authors write to inform, persuade, or entertain. Ask students to name one clue that can help readers figure out author’s purpose.