Guided Notes: Author’s Purpose



Author’s Purpose

1. An author’s purpose is: ___________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________

|2. The four main __________________________ author’s write are: |Ask, “Why did the author choose to write this way instead of another way?” |

|To ___________________________ | |

|To ___________________________ | |

|To ___________________________ | |

|To _________________/___________________ | |

|Author’s Purpose: |Synonyms for that purpose:|Explanation: |Details/Evidence: |Questions to ask yourself: |

|To inform |* To explain | |* facts -NO Opinions! |Does the author want me to learn |

| |* To provide information | |*steps in a process |something/know about something by|

| | | |*statistics |reading this? |

|To persuade |* To convince | |*facts |Does the author want me to change|

| | | |*Author’s Opinions |the way I think about something? |

| | | |*statistics |Is the author trying to get me to|

| | | |*persuasive language |do something? |

|To entertain |* To amuse | |*humor |Does the author want me to be |

| | | | |amused or to laugh at their |

| | | |*fiction |story? |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

|To share |To describe | | |Does the author want me to see |

| | | |*description of events/feelings |something new about a character, |

| | | | |a place, or a setting? |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

Example #1

I don’t like pickles. In fact, even thinking about pickles makes me crazy. Looking back, the beginning of my pickle phobia started about seven years ago. My family and I went to a party. Our neighbor, Mrs. Scott, brought her homemade pickles. I was only four, and I couldn’t reach the pickle dish. So I asked each person who came to the table to please pass me a pickle. At the end of the day, my stomach felt like a big balloon that was ready to burst. I had eaten every single one of Mrs. Scott’s pickles.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to inform B. to persuade

C. to entertain with a funny memory D. to describe a good pickle

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #2

Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States. It opened on April 20, 1912. Fenway Park is the second home field for the Red Sox. The team was established in 1901, with a different name—the Boston Americans—and a different home field. In 1904, General Charles Henry Taylor, a Civil War veteran, bought the team. In 1907, he changed the team name to the Red Sox, and three years later, he began the construction for their new field, Fenway Park.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to inform B. to persuade

C. to analyze history D. to entertain

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #3

It is important that everyone who is eligible to vote do so in all elections. It does not matter whether it is a local, state, or national election. In some countries, citizens are denied the right to vote. Here in the United States, we have that right. It is important that we live in a country where leaders are chosen by the people. Therefore, voting is a responsibility as well as a right. Many Americans think, “My one vote doesn’t really matter.” Yet that’s not true. Some elections have been very close. Every vote does count. Make sure your vote is one of them.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to explain how elections work B. to entertain the reader

C. to persuade people to vote C. to inform voters about elections

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you to determine the author’s purpose.

Author’s Purpose

Directions: Read each passage below and answer the questions. Be sure to underline key details or evidence that helps you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #1 Stronger, Faster...Bravest

Two weeks after the Summer Olympics ended, a crowd once again packed the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Fireworks and cheers rocked the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games on September 6.

The Paralympics began in 1960. They are held every four years, after the Olympics. This year, some 4,000 top athletes from 148 countries are competing for medals in 472 events in 20 sports. Some, like cycling and table tennis, are Olympic sports. Others, like sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, are in the Paralympics only.

South African runner Oscar Pistorius won gold in the 100-meter event last Tuesday. Pistorius is known as the Blade Runner because of his artificial legs. He was born without all of his leg bones. His legs were removed when he was a baby. In May, Pistorius won a legal battle for the right to run against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics. But he did not make the South African team. He hopes to qualify for the next Games. "I'm looking forward to London 2012," he said.

By Wednesday, China led the overall medal count, followed by Britain and the United States. The Paralympic Games end on September 17.

1. What is the author’s purpose of the article above?

A. To inform readers about the Paralympics

B. To entertain readers with stories about Paralympians

C. To persuade readers to support the Paralympics

D. To explain why the Paralympics are important

2. List at least two details or pieces of evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example #2 Never Again, Again

Hurricane Gustav gave the state of Louisiana a test for which it had three years to prepare. There were thousands of poor, sick, disabled and elderly people who could not get out on their own. They needed to be rescued with dispatch, and sheltered in safety and dignity. One simple test. The state flunked. Three years to the week after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, Louisiana executed an unfair evacuation plan and did it badly.

All those without a car or a ride were taken on state buses to four state-run warehouses. When they arrived, there were not enough portable toilets, and no showers. For five days there was no way to bathe, except with bottled water in filthy outdoor toilets. Privacy in the vast open space — 1,000 people to a warehouse, shoulder-to-shoulder on cots — was nonexistent.

In New Orleans, disaster is never far away, and poor government decisions cannot be allowed to get in the way of a swift, sure evacuation. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration should move quickly on a better plan that does not expose the poor to unhealthy or substandard treatment.

1. What is the author’s purpose of the article above?

A. To inform the reader about hurricanes

B. To entertain the reader with tales of hurricane survivors

C. To persuade the government to create a better plan to handle hurricanes

D. To explain what happens in a hurricane

2. Give at least two examples from the text that helped you determine the author’s purpose:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example #3 Banana Dogs

|Ingredients |Directions |

|1/2 cup peanut butter |Spread 2 tablespoons peanut butter on the inside of each hot dog bun. |

|4 whole-wheat hot dog buns |Place a peeled banana inside each bun. Cut off the end of the banana if it is |

|4 bananas, peeled |too long for the bun. |

|1/4 cup honey |Drizzle the top of each banana with 1 tablespoon of honey. Sprinkle |

|1/2 cup granola |approximately 2 tablespoons of granola on top of the honey. Drizzle with |

|1/4 cup raspberry sauce |raspberry sauce. Top with diced kiwi. |

|2 kiwis, peeled and diced | |

1. What is the author’s purpose of this text?

A. To entertain readers with a silly story about banana dogs

B. To inform how to make banana dogs

C. To persuade the reader to eat banana dogs

D. To inform the reader of the facts on banana dogs

2. Give at least two details or pieces of evidence from the text that helped you determine the author’s purpose: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. An author’s purpose is: The author’s MAIN reason for writing

2. The four main purposes author’s write are:

• To inform

• To persuade

• To entertain

• To explain/describe

|Author’s Purpose: |Explanation: |Details/Evidence: |Questions to ask yourself: |

|To inform |To give the reader information |* facts |Does the author want me to learn |

| |about a topic | |something/know about something by |

| | |*NO Opinions! |reading this? |

| | | | |

| | |*statistics | |

|To persuade |To convince the reader to do |*facts |Does the author want me to change |

| |something or to change the way they|*Author’s Opinions |the way I think about something? |

| |think about something |*statistics |Is the author trying to get me to |

| | |*persuasive language |do something? |

| | |*call to action | |

|To entertain |To amuse the reader – wants the |*humor |Does the author want me to be |

| |reader to really enjoy their work | |amused? |

| | |*fiction | |

| | | | |

|To describe or explain |To describe feelings or a series of| |Does the author want you to |

| |events |*description of events/feelings |understand something? |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

Example #1

I don’t like pickles. In fact, even thinking about pickles makes me crazy. Looking back, the beginning of my pickle phobia started about seven years ago. My family and I went to a party. Our neighbor, Mrs. Scott, brought her homemade pickles. I was only four, and I couldn’t reach the pickle dish. So I asked each person who came to the table to please pass me a pickle. At the end of the day, my stomach felt like a big balloon that was ready to burst. I had eaten every single one of Mrs. Scott’s pickles.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to inform B. to persuade

C. to entertain with a funny memory D. to describe a good pickle

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #2

Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States. It opened on April 20, 1912. Fenway Park is the second home field for the Red Sox. The team was established in 1901, with a different name—the Boston Americans—and a different home field. In 1904, General Charles Henry Taylor, a Civil War veteran, bought the team. In 1907, he changed the team name to the Red Sox, and three years later, he began the construction for their new field, Fenway Park.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to inform B. to persuade

C. to analyze history D. to entertain

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #3

It is important that everyone who is eligible to vote do so in all elections. It does not matter whether it is a local, state, or national election. In some countries, citizens are denied the right to vote. Here in the United States, we have that right. It is important that we live in a country where leaders are chosen by the people. Therefore, voting is a responsibility as well as a right. Many Americans think, “My one vote doesn’t really matter.” Yet that’s not true. Some elections have been very close. Every vote does count. Make sure your vote is one of them.

1. What is the author’s purpose?

A. to explain how elections work B. to entertain the reader

C. to persuade people to vote C. to inform voters about elections

2. Underline details or evidence from the text that help you to determine the author’s purpose.

Name: _____________________________

Directions: Read each passage below and answer the questions. Be sure to underline key details or evidence that helps you determine the author’s purpose.

Example #1 Stronger, Faster...Bravest

Two weeks after the Summer Olympics ended, a crowd once again packed the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Fireworks and cheers rocked the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games on September 6.

The Paralympics began in 1960. They are held every four years, after the Olympics. This year, some 4,000 top athletes from 148 countries are competing for medals in 472 events in 20 sports. Some, like cycling and table tennis, are Olympic sports. Others, like sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, are in the Paralympics only.

South African runner Oscar Pistorius won gold in the 100-meter event last Tuesday. Pistorius is known as the Blade Runner because of his artificial legs. He was born without all of his leg bones. His legs were removed when he was a baby. In May, Pistorius won a legal battle for the right to run against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics. But he did not make the South African team. He hopes to qualify for the next Games. "I'm looking forward to London 2012," he said.

By Wednesday, China led the overall medal count, followed by Britain and the United States. The Paralympic Games end on September 17.

1. What is the author’s purpose of the article above?

A. To inform readers about the Paralympics

B. To entertain readers with stories about Paralympians

C. To persuade readers to support the Paralympics

D. To explain why the Paralympics are important

2. List at least two details or pieces of evidence from the text that help you determine the author’s purpose:

-Paralympics began in 1960 (Fact)

-They are held every four years (fact)

Example #2 Never Again, Again

Hurricane Gustav gave the state of Louisiana a test for which it had three years to prepare. There were thousands of poor, sick, disabled and elderly people who could not get out on their own. They needed to be rescued with dispatch, and sheltered in safety and dignity. One simple test. The state flunked. Three years to the week after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, Louisiana executed an unfair evacuation plan and did it badly.

All those without a car or a ride were taken on state buses to four state-run warehouses. When they arrived, there were not enough portable toilets, and no showers. For five days there was no way to bathe, except with bottled water in filthy outdoor toilets. Privacy in the vast open space — 1,000 people to a warehouse, shoulder-to-shoulder on cots — was nonexistent.

In New Orleans, disaster is never far away, and poor government decisions cannot be allowed to get in the way of a swift, sure evacuation. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration should move quickly on a better plan that does not expose the poor to unhealthy or substandard treatment.

1. What is the author’s purpose of the article above?

A. To inform the reader about hurricanes

B. To entertain the reader with tales of hurricane survivors

C. To persuade the government to create a better plan to handle hurricanes

D. To explain what happens in a hurricane

2. Give at least two examples from the text that helped you determine the author’s purpose:

-Louisiana executed an unfair evacuation plan and did it badly (opinion)

-Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration should move quickly on a better plan (call to action)

Example #3 Banana Dogs

|Ingredients |Directions |

|1/2 cup peanut butter |Spread 2 tablespoons peanut butter on the inside of each hot dog bun. |

|4 whole-wheat hot dog buns |Place a peeled banana inside each bun. Cut off the end of the banana if it is |

|4 bananas, peeled |too long for the bun. |

|1/4 cup honey |Drizzle the top of each banana with 1 tablespoon of honey. Sprinkle |

|1/2 cup granola |approximately 2 tablespoons of granola on top of the honey. Drizzle with |

|1/4 cup raspberry sauce |raspberry sauce. Top with diced kiwi. |

|2 kiwis, peeled and diced | |

1. What is the author’s purpose of this text?

A. To entertain readers with a silly story about banana dogs

B. To inform how to make banana dogs

C. To persuade the reader to eat banana dogs

D. To inform the reader of the facts on banana dogs

2. Give at least two details or pieces of evidence from the text that helped you determine the author’s purpose:

-directions

-ingredients

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