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Author's Purpose Worksheets

The author's purpose is his or her reason for writing a text, paragraph, or line. There are many reasons why people write paragraphs or lines, but when we look at why people write texts, there are three main reasons. These are to entertain, persuade, and inform. Examples of text written to entertain include stories, poems, and dramas. Examples of texts written to persuade include essays and ads. And examples of texts written to inform include encyclopedia entries and text books.

It's important to note that the study of author's purpose is not so much a science as it is an art. In other words, the author's purpose can be to inform and persuade in some cases, or to entertain and inform. In the following worksheets I have tried to include only clear examples. You may want to discuss the more ambiguous ones in your classroom, however. It may make for a great discussion. Click here for to learn more about author's purpose and watch an informational video.

Author's Purpose Worksheet 1
Here's a great activity to get started with finding the author's purpose. Students read the descriptions of ten texts and determine the author's purpose: inform, persuade, or entertain. Students explain how they got their answers.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Worksheet 2
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.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 2. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Worksheet 3
Here are thirteen more problems to give students practice identifying the author's purpose in a variety of texts. The texts range from comic books to directions to the mall, so this activity sheet will get your students thinking. There is also an online version available.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 3. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Worksheet 4
Here are ten more author's purpose problems. Students consider the author's purpose in a variety of texts and explain their answers, adding an element of critical thinking to this reading activity.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 4. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Worksheet 5
Are you still looking for practice with identifying the author's purpose in a variety of texts? Look no further. Here are ten more practice problems. Students are also required to think about and explain their answers.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 5. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Worksheet 6
This author's purpose worksheet has eleven additional practice problems. Students read the descriptions of the texts and determine whether the author is attempting to entertain, inform, or persuade readers. Then, they explain their answers.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Worksheet 6. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Scavenger Hunt Activity
Here's a fun activity to get students moving and give them practice with identifying the author's purpose. Students search through a library of books to find examples of books written to entertain, inform, and persuade. This will give students practice with finding the author's purpose in real texts.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Scavenger Hunt Activity. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 1
Want to teach or learn about finding the author's purpose? Here is an animated slideshow presentation. It includes 10 review questions after the lesson.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 2
Here is another PowerPoint slideshow on Author's Purpose. This one is a revised and improved version of my first Author's Purpose lesson.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 2. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 3
Here is yet another PowerPoint presentation teaching author's purpose. This one is concise and well-designed. I recommend using this author's purpose lesson for teaching your students. It also includes ten new practice problems after the lesson not found in the other lessons.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose PowerPoint Lesson 3. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Quiz 1
Want to evaluate how well your students understand author's purpose? Check out this author's purpose quiz. It has fifteen multiple-choice questions. Students must recognize the author's purpose in a variety of texts.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Quiz 1. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
Author's Purpose Quiz 2
Looking for another quiz on author's purpose? Here are fifteen more multiple-choice problems. Students read a description of a text and determine whether it was written to entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.
This is a preview image of Author's Purpose Quiz 2. Click on it to enlarge it or view the source file.
 

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.
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153 Comments

  1. Andrea

     /  November 26, 2012

    Thank you so much for this website! I have a group of at-risk students who need to spend 9 consecutive weeks working with author’s purpose, and I was running out of material. Your practice pages and quiz have saved the day! Wonderful! Thanks again.

    Reply
  2. Pamela D.

     /  November 14, 2012

    Hi,
    I have used this website to assess students at the end of a mini lesson. They are all stored here in this one convinient site.
    Thanks a bunch,
    P. D.

    Reply
  3. J.L.

     /  October 11, 2012

    So glad I’ve found you. Now we don’t have to reinvent the wheel so much with all these weekly assessments.

    Reply
  4. love it

    Reply
  5. Mai

     /  August 23, 2012

    Hi Mr. Morton

    Thank you so much for all of your hard work putting this site together and keeping it up. I’m glad I found it, it really help with tutoring my nephews. Thank you so so much.

    Reply
  6. Wendy

     /  June 13, 2012

    Thanks for this info. I was stuck.

    Reply
  7. Andrea

     /  June 11, 2012

    Thank you very much for all your great effort of creating this website. I will use your site for my son’s summer study. Because of all the great questions, I hope there are anser keys for all the questions – I see you have some answer already.

    THANK YOU THANK YOU

    Reply
  8. Ruthi McGarry

     /  April 24, 2012

    The powerpoint on point of view was perfect!!!!! Thank you!

    Reply
  9. In school we had a project when our group in the teacher for 3 days and this really helped me! I am going to show this to the other people in my group! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Kendra

     /  April 9, 2012

    Thank you so much for this site. I am an 8th grade math teacher but am also teaching a 7th grade language arts class this year and this site is very helpful!!!!

    Reply
  11. Mrs. Rizzo

     /  April 6, 2012

    EXCELLENT resource! Will share with all my friends!

    Reply
  12. bella eusebio

     /  March 26, 2012

    Your content is custom-fitted for teachers. Classroom ready and flexible. Thank you.

    Reply
  13. Heather Somers

     /  March 12, 2012

    This is so helpful. Thank you.

    Reply
  14. Fredrick

     /  March 8, 2012

    I really like your work. May I have the Answer Sheet please. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Becky

     /  March 7, 2012

    As a home school Mom, I want to thank you for your efforts. It is wonderful to have these additional resources to utilize as additions and review for concepts especially in areas my daughter is struggling with. This is the best resource I have seen for analyzing the author’s purpose.

    Reply
  16. Daisy

     /  March 3, 2012

    Thank you for the fantastic resources!

    Reply
  17. Derrick

     /  February 29, 2012

    Fantastic stuff here. We constantly struggle with Author’s Purpose at our school and where to find resources to use. This is terrific and I’m happy to have found this material! Thanks for all of your hard work!

    Reply
  18. May the Chinese dragon year bring you great health and energy. Thanks a million for sharing!

    Reply
  19. Concerned Parent

     /  February 7, 2012

    How do you justify posting subjects such as teen pregnancy and abortion as relevant topics for grammar school children??? I had to have a conversation with my 9 year old about these topics because of a teacher sloppily cut and pasting from your website. Please remove these topics IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

    Reply
    • These passages refer to things that occur.
      You will not solve the problem by destroying the referent;
      you will conceal it.

      Perhaps your time is better spent supporting causes rather than attacking references.

      I’m happy that you talked with your child about these things.
      Parents should inform their children of the dangers of the world.

      Thanks for visiting,
      but just as I will not censor your views,
      I will not censor these materials.

      Reply
  20. Sonja Miller

     /  January 26, 2012

    I love your website. I am the chairperson of our English department and after sharing this site with our team, several of the teachers are using your powerpoints and worksheets! Is there anyway to get a PDF version of slide 6 in the author’s purpose powerpoint so I can use it as a classroom poster? (the chart of decision making for author’s purpose)

    Reply
  21. Jen

     /  January 25, 2012

    I LOVE this site! Instead of copying worksheets for my students, I can bring this site up on their laptops! And, the powerpoints are GREAT! Thanks!

    Reply
    • That’s awesome! I hope to join you in the future one day. In the meantime, I’m going to beat the chalk dust off of my primitive eraser tools.

      Reply
  22. Jay

     /  January 23, 2012

    Good Lesson. Simple yet effective.

    Reply
  23. Laura

     /  January 22, 2012

    Oh my gosh! This lesson plan on author’s purpose is amazing. I just told my husband I wanted to find out who wrote it and buy them a present!!!

    Reply
  24. Jan

     /  January 18, 2012

    I was going to make up a few worksheet and it was so great to find yours before I started. You saved me a ton of time! Thanks so much for sharing your talents.

    Reply
  25. Davina

     /  January 14, 2012

    Mr. Morton, you website and it’s contents are awesome. You have provided me a different approach to the critical skills that I teach. Thanks you for your dedicationa and hard work to the amazing job of Teaching.

    Reply
  26. Ms. C

     /  January 11, 2012

    You are amazing! This website is great! I can not tell you how helpful this will be in my classroom!

    Reply
    • I’m happy to hear it, Ms. C. I hope that your students find the same success on standardized achievement tests that mine have.

      Reply
  27. Jen M.

     /  November 28, 2011

    Your website rocks!! So much good stuff here!! Thank you!

    Reply
  28. pamela

     /  November 8, 2011

    Thanks so much for this site. I have found it very helpful, even for my exceptional children.

    Reply
  29. Jessica Ramos

     /  November 6, 2011

    Love Love Love your site!! Thanks for taking the time to help out!!!

    Reply
  30. grandmother

     /  November 2, 2011

    The author’s purpose quiz is really good. I took the quiz myself; however, I would like to check my responses. Please send the key for the quiz.

    Reply
  31. Stephanie

     /  November 1, 2011

    Thank you so much! This site has more resources to help my students understand author’s purpose more…and it doesn’t hurt to add some writing into the lesson!

    This is great!

    Reply
  32. I love this website. It is very proficient with the new generation of learners. Thank you so much for your contribution

    Reply
  33. Liz

     /  October 26, 2011

    This was very helpful in my lesson planning. I’m wondering how I would source this site in APA? Help? Author? Date of publication?

    Reply
  34. Rosie

     /  October 18, 2011

    Thank you very much for this awesome worksheet. i will be using it tomorrow for my students

    Reply
  35. Jessica

     /  October 17, 2011

    This is awesome! These are great resources for high school students. I am so grateful to have these prepared and will certainly use them!

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  October 19, 2011

      I’m so grateful that you found my site. Thanks Google! And thanks for visiting, Jessica.

      Reply
  36. Stephanie

     /  October 13, 2011

    This is a great website with many resources! I am constantly using the worksheets and powerpoints in my classroom. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  37. Teacher

     /  October 10, 2011

    I like your website; however, I found some of the activities inappropriate for young children. Specifically speaking, Author’s Purpose: Activity Three refers to two scenarios that are centered around the topic of teenage pregnancy. I don’t think topics of this matter is appropriate for any school age child.

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  October 10, 2011

      I understand your position. Personally, I feel that education is preferable to ignorance. Therefore, young people should be introduced to such issues as a discussion point and education opportunity, but I understand your position as well. Thank you for posting your apprehensions and informing users of subject matter that they may find questionable.

      Reply
  38. Your site is very useful and accessible.
    Keep it up. Thank you very much

    Reply
  39. camille

     /  October 3, 2011

    Thank you so much. This site is a great resource, thank you for all you’ve shared!!!

    Reply
  40. camille

     /  September 21, 2011

    I love the Authors Purpose rtf3 but can’t find the answer key. Can someone please direct me to it?

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  September 22, 2011

      I’m sorry.
      But none currently exists.

      Oh wait:

      1. entertain
      2. inform
      3. entertain
      4. inform
      5. persuade (Isiah Thomas actually came to our school. This is a reference to that visit. It was pretty cool.)
      6. inform
      7. inform
      8. entertain
      9. persuade
      10. inform
      11. persuade/inform (both can be argued. Read their arguments.)
      12. entertain
      13. persuade/inform (both can be argued. Read their arguments.)

      Reply
  41. Michelle

     /  September 20, 2011

    This site is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

    Reply
  42. I want to thank you for such a great website. You can not imagine the time I loose preparing my own worksheets, but with your site I find EXACTLY want I need and my ESL students benefit greatly. Thank you.

    Reply
  43. Mrs. Hillard

     /  September 14, 2011

    I am a Math teacher, teaching one class of Reading this year. Your site has been SO helpful! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  44. OMG, your work is awesome. The reading worksheets were very helpful. My ESL students even benefited from them. Thank you.

    Reply
  45. K. Lewis

     /  June 30, 2011

    I am in awe of this site!!! So very helpful. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  46. Ms. Brown

     /  May 5, 2011

    This has been the best and easiest assistance I’ve received for help in this area. It was very user friendly!!!:) I will continue to use this site and pass it on to all my colleagues in the Nation’s Capitol.

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  May 6, 2011

      Thanks for the kind sentiments and helping me spread the word. I’m pleased that you found the site helpful. Your visit is appreciated.

      Reply
  47. Sharon Priest

     /  April 9, 2011

    Your website — wow! I wish I had found this earlier in the year! It will be used quite a bit for the coming years — until I retire in six years!!!

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  April 12, 2011

      So pleased to hear it, Ms. Priest. Thanks for visiting.

      Reply
  48. Jen

     /  March 29, 2011

    Great worksheets! Could you please direct me to when I may find the answer key? Thank you

    Reply
  49. Robyn Daigle

     /  February 25, 2011

    I would love to have an answer key for the fabulous worksheets on author’s purpose. Can you email them to me?

    Reply
  50. Karen

     /  February 13, 2011

    I just wanted to say that your site is amazing and I so appreciate all of your hard work.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Mr. Morton

       /  February 13, 2011

      It’s my pleasure, Karen. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

      Reply

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