Lessons & Units

Author's Purpose Lesson Plans

The reason why an author has written a text for readers.

Due to the complexity of the Concept, Author's Purpose (along with Point of View, Theme, and Voice) is not introduced until 2nd Grade.

Lesson 1 ::
Identify text evidence that shows the author’s purpose is to entertain
  • The Adventures of Taxi Dog
Lesson 2 ::
Identify text evidence that shows the author’s purpose is to inform
  • Apples
Lesson 3 ::
Identify text evidence that shows that the author’s purpose is to persuade
Draw a conclusion about what the author is trying to persuade the reader to do or think
  • Becoming Expert Readers
  • Banning Junk Food

Unit Reading Passages

  • A Day to Celebrate Earth
  • Give Thanks
  • It is Apple Season
  • Smile! Show Off Those Pearly Whites
  • Splash Into Summer
Lesson 1 ::
Identify the author’s purpose as: to entertain, to inform, or to persuade
Identify text evidence that supports the author’s purpose
  • Smoking Hurts the Lungs and Heart
  • Hispanic Population Soars
  • Casey Saves the Play
Lesson 2 ::
Use a graphic organizer to identify the author’s purpose
Identify text evidence that supports the author’s purpose
Lesson 3 ::
Distinguish between different author’s purposes in texts with the same topic

Unit Reading Passages

  • Stay Candle Safe
  • Tough Talkin'!
  • Hispanic Population Soars
  • Smoking Hurts the Lungs and Heart
Lesson 1 ::
Identify the author’s purpose in different sections of a newspaper
Lesson 2 ::
Classify and categorize examples of each of the three purposes: to entertain, to inform, and to persuade
Lesson 3 ::
Change an author’s purpose
  • Students Get Healthy!
  • Don’t Miss the Festival at Olympia!

Unit Reading Passages

  • Animal Instinct
  • Get Up and Go
  • The Heat is On
  • Turn It Off
  • When Lightning Strikes

Author's Purpose lessons can be found in the following fifth grade novel units:
Leaf by Leaf:  Autumn Poems
Words with Wings:  A Treasury of African American Poetry and Art

Unit Reading Passages

  • A Hero With Heart
  • Goodbye to Lice
  • Once Upon a Time
  • The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Returns
  • Vanishing Vultures

Author's Purpose lessons can be found in the following sixth grade novel units:
The Lost Garden
Rosa Parks:  My Story
 

Unit Reading Passages

  • Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
  • China Under Attack
  • Front of the Bus
  • Hot Topics
  • Icy Voyage

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