Here's another effective activity to give students lots of practice with finding the author's purpose. Students read the descriptions of the texts and determine whether the author's purpose is to inform, persuade, or entertain. Then they explain their answers.
Based on the readability scores for this text, Author's Purpose Worksheet 2 is recommended for students reading at grade levels 5 - 9. This text should be accessible to any student reading at a 5th grade reading level or higher.
5th Grade
← ★ →
9th Grade
Complex
Simple
Author's Purpose Common Core State Standards
Author's Purpose Anchor Standards
R.6 - Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
RI.2.6 - Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. RI.6.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. RI.7.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others. RI.8.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. RI.9-10.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. RI.11-12.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Click to VIEW Grade Level Standards for R.6
W.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.4 - Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.