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Course: 6th grade reading and vocabulary (improved and expanded) > Unit 3

Lesson 4: Determining author's purpose
Reading & language arts
6th grade reading and vocabulary (improved and expanded)
What defines us?
Determining author's purpose
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How do authors reveal purpose in their work?

Google Classroom
Authors have goals, just like the rest of us.
Behind every passage you read is the author who wrote it. And that author has a purpose, a goal that they want to achieve with their writing. Maybe the author wants to argue that cats make better pets than dogs, or persuade you that homework should be eliminated, or entertain you with a story about meeting their favorite celebrity. Or maybe the author wants to provide facts and teach you about something, like why the sky is blue or how to ride a bicycle. The point is, authors always have a purpose (or, sometimes, more than one!). In this article, we’ll investigate how you can identify an author’s purpose, which will help you understand and analyze every text you come across.

What is an author's purpose?

An author's purpose refers to their
goal in writing a text. It answers the question: why did they write the text? Authors may write to inform, persuade, entertain, or make an argument. Identifying an author’s purpose helps readers engage with the content more effectively and interpret it in the way the author intended.

Why is it important to identify an author’s purpose?

Identifying and understanding an author’s purpose can help you with these key reading skills:
  • Comprehending : Knowing the author’s purpose helps you grasp the main ideas and central themes of a text. It allows you to connect the dots and make sense of the information presented.
  • Analyzing: By identifying the author's purpose, you can evaluate how effective the text is in achieving the author’s goal. You can measure the strength of an author’s argument and get a sense of whether that argument is fair or biased.

How do authors reveal their purpose?

Authors use different elements of a text to reveal their purpose to readers. Here are some common ones:
  • Language and word choice: Authors carefully select words that convey their purpose.
Authors often use the connotation of words to reveal their purpose in texts. The connotation of a word is how it makes us feel. A rainstorm described as “dreary” has a negative connotation, while a rainstorm described as “refreshing” has a positive connotation.
  • Tone: The tone of a text reflects the author's attitude towards the subject matter. In turn, the tone helps reveal an author’s purpose. The tone of a text may, for example, be serious, playful, or critical.
  • Techniques of the genre: A genre refers to a specific type of writing. Certain writing techniques are more common in some genres over others. For example, the narrative genre uses storytelling to engage the reader. Narratives tend to use dialogue and setting to reveal the author’s purpose. In another genre, the argumentative essay, the author will often use the technique of providing evidence to support their claim.
  • Omissions: It’s also important to consider what the author leaves out. When an author’s purpose is to argue a certain point, they often don’t mention evidence that supports a different view.

How can I identify an author's purpose?

Here are some steps to help you identify an author’s purpose:
  1. Pay close attention to the author's language, tone, and writing techniques. What do they include or leave out? What is the connotation of the words they choose to use?
  2. Ask why the author chose to write the text. What message are they trying to convey? What emotions or reactions are they aiming to stir up?
  3. Ask yourself what the author’s opinion is. Most of the time, the author gives clues in a text about their opinion. Determining the author’s opinion is key to identifying the author’s purpose.

Try it!

Practice: Author's purpose
Sea turtle swimming over sea grass
Sea turtles are amazing creatures that need our help. These gentle animals have been living in our oceans for over 100 million years. But now, their survival is threatened by serious challenges, like pollution, plastic waste, and loss of nesting sites. Saving sea turtles is important because they play a key role in keeping our oceans healthy. For example, they eat seagrass, which supports the health of seagrass meadows. Seagrass meadows are important because they provide food and a habitat for many ocean species. Besides eating seagrass, sea turtles also control jellyfish populations. If we take action to protect sea turtles, we can make a big difference for our oceans and the planet. So, let's work together to save these beautiful creatures and keep our oceans flourishing.
What is the author’s purpose in writing this text?
Choose 1 answer:

Practice: Author's purpose
Which line from the text shows the primary message the author is trying to convey?
Choose 1 answer:

Practice: Author's purpose
Headshot of David Blaine
David Blaine is a wacky magician who loves to shock people with his outrageous tricks. He's not your ordinary magician, finding a coin in your ear and pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Nope! He'd rather freeze himself in a huge ice cube or float in a box above a river for days. Once, he even buried himself alive for a week! His improbable stunts make people wonder, "How does he do it?" and "Is he part superhero?" But don't worry; David Blaine isn't magical or invincible in real life. He's just a guy with a talent for trickery and a passion for adventure.
The author most likely wrote this text to…
Choose 1 answer:

Remember!

Understanding an author's purpose is key to comprehending and analyzing texts. By recognizing the ways authors reveal their purpose, such as through language and tone, you can delve deeper into the meaning of a text. Developing this skill will not only make you a masterful reader but also empower you as a writer and critical thinker.
Happy reading! 📖

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