Tania Gutierrez Ramirez

May 6, 2019
Author’s Purpose Lesson

Objectives:
The children will be able to identify three common reasons authors write: to inform, to persuade,
or to entertain.

Ages:
7 to 8-year-olds

Materials:

1. Construction paper
2. Marker
3. Tape
4. Written story prompts on paper

Time:

20 minutes

Introduction:
Ask the students if they have heard of what an author’s purpose may be. They may confuse it
with the theme of the story, so clarify that it is the “why” the author wrote it, not the message.
Introduce that there are three common reasons an author may write a story: to entertain, to
inform, or to persuade. Give an example of each, and then tell them of the activity.

Procedure:
1. Do the introduction.
2. Tape the signs labeled “convince”, “inform”, and “entertain” onto three different corners
of the room.
3. Tell the students that you will have different prompts of stories.
4. When one is read out, students will decide if an author is intending to entertain, convince,
or inform.
 5. The students will move to the corresponding corner, and after everyone is there, ask them
why they are there.
6. Give the correct answer, and give out a few more prompts.

Closure:
Ask again what the author’s purpose is. Have a few of them answer, and then ask for some
examples. Reiterate that author’s purpose is different from a theme, and then have them sit down.
Move onto the next lesson.

Assessment/Adaptations:
This topic was a bit more difficult to teach, but the activity went well. The kids responded after a
bit of explaining and examples, and were able to correctly choose the purpose with the given
prompt. Initially the signs were on the ground, but later taped to the walls. The children enjoyed
moving around, and they had to decide for themselves what they thought was right.