Transcript Author’s Purpose

Author’s Purpose
An author write a piece for 3
main reasons:
1. to inform or teach
2. to entertain people
3. to persuade or convince
Author’s Purpose Questions
To identify the author’s purpose, try asking:
Why did the author write this
anyhow?
OR
What was the reason this piece was
written?
Are you ready to give it a try?
Let’s read the paragraph on
the next slide together and
determine the author’s
purpose!
There are several reasons that authors
write things. They write to inform or
teach someone about something.
Authors sometimes write things to
entertain people. Still another
reason is to persuade or convince,
their audience to do or not do
something.
The main reason or purpose
of this paragraph was to....
A.
B.
C.
Entertain you with a story about
authors’ purpose questions
Inform you about author’s purpose
questions
Persuade you to enjoy taking tests
that include author’s purpose
questions
The Answer is…TO INFORM
See? You knew that my purpose in
writing this was to inform you
about author's purpose
questions.
There are many pets that a child can have,
but a dog is the best one of all! There are
several reasons why dogs make better
pets than other animals. They are always
willing to play with you when you need a
friend. Snakes are interesting, but they
don't play with you. They just sit there
coiled around your arm. Dogs can be
trained to do many tricks, unlike cats who
just stare at you when you try to get them
to do anything that you want them to do.
They are also very loyal animals that will
try to protect you and your household
from danger! Have you ever seen a
hamster try to protect its master? If you
are thinking of getting a pet remember
that a dog makes the best one of all!
The author wrote this to…
A.
B.
C.
Entertain you with a story about
why dogs are wonderful pets
Inform you that dogs are the best
pet a child can have
Convince you that dogs make
better pets than other animals
The answer is…TO CONVINCE
The author was not trying to entertain you or to
make you laugh. Her reason for writing this
was not to inform you about what great pets
dogs make, or to tell you why they make great
pets. The author's purpose in writing this was
to convince you that a dog makes a better pet
than other animals."There are several reasons
why dogs make better pets than other
animals." and "If you are thinking of getting a
pet remember that a dog makes the best one
of all!" are two clues in the text that tell you
the author's purpose was to convince you that
dogs make better pets than other animals.
When an author writes to convince, or
persuade, s/he is trying to talk you into (or out
of), doing or believing something!
The Day Ralph Packed His
Suitcase With Snowballs!
Sammy and Ralph were snowmen. Sammy
was Ralph’s cousin. Sammy was a very
proper little snowman and Ralph was a
rebel. Ralph always wanted to be different
and Sammy always wanted to do what he
was supposed to do. One day Ralph
decided to pack his suitcase full of
snowballs. His cousin, Sammy, told him not
to. He told Ralph that all the snowballs
would melt and ruin his suitcase. Ralph
packed his suitcase full of snowballs
anyway, and they all melted. Ralph figured
out a way to solve his problem. He put his
suitcase in the freezer, and the water in his
suitcase turned to ice!
The author wrote this to…
A.
B.
C.
Entertain you with a story about two
snowmen who were cousins
Inform you about how Ralph solved
his problem
Convince you that you should not
pack snowballs in your suitcase
The answer is…TO ENTERTAIN
The author was not trying to
persuade or convince you not to
pack your suitcase with
snowballs. She didn't write this to
inform you about two snowmen
who were cousins. The author
wrote this story to entertain you
with a funny tale about two
snowmen!
Joe had been fishing for over two hours
without a single bite. Suddenly there was
a nibble at the end of his fishing line. He
stood up on the boat and leaned out too
far. Just then there was a sharp yank on
the line. Joe fell overboard and landed
head first into the water. Joe and his
friends laughed and laughed.
To ENTERTAIN
The Underground Railroad was a secret
organization which helped slaves escape
to freedom. Many slaves were able to
escape because of the conductors and
station masters. The northern states were
free states and slaves were free once they
arrived in the north. Secret codes and
signals were used to identify the
conductors and station masters.
To INFORM
Judy Glen's amazing Wrinkle Remover
cream will make you look younger in
thirty days or less. This remarkable
cream has special ingredients to
make your wrinkles disappear. The
cost for a thirty day supply is $ 25.99.
Send your check to P.O.Box 00002,
Shelton, CA 74836
To PERSUADE
How does knowing author’s
purpose help the reader?
1. It helps prepare your mind for the type of
information in the reading.
2. It makes the article easier to summarize.
3. It makes it easier for you to determine the
article's main idea and important details.
Can you think of any other ways it helps?
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are
almost experts on determining
author’s purpose! Your next mission
is to work with a partner to identify
passages in your Author’s Grab Bag!
GOOD LUCK!
References
• Created by V. S. Bell
H. H. Beam Elementary School
Gastonia, NC 28052
• http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/pal
masola/rcap1.htm
• http://fcit.usf.edu/FCAT/strategies/ap/default.htm
Games
• www.oswego.org/ocsdweb/match/term/matchgeneric2.
asp?filename=kderitteauth
• http://www.readingupgrade.com/
cu/demo.htm