Author

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Authors Purpose
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An author write a piece for 3 main reasons

• 1. to inform or teach
• 2. to entertain people
• 3. to persuade or convince

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Authors Purpose Questions

• To identify the authors purpose, try asking
• Why did the author write this anyhow?
• OR
• What was the reason this piece was written?

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Are you ready to give it a try?

• Lets read the paragraph on the next slide
  together and determine the authors purpose!

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• 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.

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The main reason or purpose of this paragraph was
to....

1. Entertain you with a story about authors purpose
   questions
2. Inform you about authors purpose questions
3. Persuade you to enjoy taking tests that include
   authors purpose questions

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The Answer isTO INFORM

• See? You knew that my purpose in writing this
  was to inform you about author's purpose
  questions.

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• 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!

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The author wrote this to

1. Entertain you with a story about why dogs are
   wonderful pets
2. Inform you that dogs are the best pet a child can
   have
3. Convince you that dogs make better pets than
   other animals

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The answer isTO 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!

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The Day Ralph Packed His Suitcase With Snowballs!

• Sammy and Ralph were snowmen. Sammy was Ralphs
  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!

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The author wrote this to

1. Entertain you with a story about two snowmen who
   were cousins
2. Inform you about how Ralph solved his problem
3. Convince you that you should not pack snowballs
   in your suitcase

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The answer isTO 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!

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• 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.

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• To ENTERTAIN

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• 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.

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• To INFORM

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• 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

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To PERSUADE
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How does knowing authors 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?

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• CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are almost experts on
  determining authors purpose! Your next mission
  is to work with a partner to identify passages in
  your Authors Grab Bag!
• GOOD LUCK!

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References

• Created by V. S. Bell
• H. H. Beam Elementary School
• Gastonia, NC 28052
• http//www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palm
  asola/rcap1.htm
• http//fcit.usf.edu/FCAT/strategies/ap/default.htm
  

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Games

• www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/term/matchgeneric2.a
  sp?filenamekderitteauth
• http//www.readingupgrade.com/cu/demo.htm