Courseversity

Author’s purpose

Primary EducationGrade 5English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G05-ELA-U04-L0445–60 min

You will learn

  • Identify to inform.
  • Identify to persuade.
  • Identify to entertain.
  • Find clues.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Read the text.
  2. Ask why it was written.
  3. Find clues in the words.
  4. State the purpose.

Words to know

inform
to give facts
persuade
to convince the reader
entertain
to amuse or interest the reader
purpose
the reason a text is written

1. Discover: Three short texts

Text A: The Niger is about 4,100 kilometres long and flows through four countries.

Text B: Every school should plant trees! They give shade, clean the air and make us proud.

Text C: The monkey sat on the crocodile’s back and sang a very out-of-tune song.

A gives facts to inform; B uses strong words to persuade; C aims to entertain.

Think: Which clues show each purpose?

2. Understand: Why was it written?

Idea 1: Inform

To inform, writers use facts, numbers and neutral language.

Idea 2: Persuade

To persuade, they use strong words, opinions and commands: should, must, every.

Idea 3: Entertain

To entertain, they use humour, story and vivid description. Many texts have more than one purpose.

Remember: Authors write to inform, persuade or entertain; facts, strong opinions or story and humour are the clues.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Inform

Which text informs?

  1. Facts.

Answer: Text A

Example 2 (We do it together): Persuade

Which text persuades?

  1. Should.

Answer: Text B

Example 3 (You try): Entertain

Which text entertains?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Funny.

Answer: Text C

Did you know?

An advertisement tries to persuade, while an encyclopaedia entry tries to inform.

Why this matters

Knowing the purpose helps you decide how to read and what to trust.

4. Explore: Purpose sort

Sort texts by purpose.

  1. Collect three short texts.
  2. Read each.
  3. Name its purpose.
  4. Write the clue.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can identify purpose.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • The purpose is to ___.
  • The clue is ___.
  • The writer uses ___ language.
  • This text is meant to ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. To give facts is to ___.

inform

Question 2. To convince is to ___.

persuade

Question 3. To amuse is to ___.

entertain

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. To give facts is to ___.
  2. To convince is to ___.
  3. To amuse is to ___.
  4. The reason a text is written is the ___.
  5. The Niger flows through ___ countries.

Level 2: Grow

  1. What did the monkey sit on?
  2. What do trees give?
  3. How long is the Niger?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Do facts inform?
  2. Does should often persuade?
  3. Can a text have two purposes?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Choose three short texts and name each purpose with a clue.

Show a sample answer

a purpose note

Another one. Look at an advert and a news item at home and name their purposes.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can identify to inform.
  • I can identify to persuade.
  • I can identify to entertain.
  • I can find clues.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. To inform is to give ___.

2. To persuade is to ___ the reader.

3. To entertain is to ___ the reader.

4. Purpose is the ___ a text is written.

5. Text A is to ___.

6. Text B is to ___.

7. Text C is to ___.

8. Which word suggests persuasion?

9. Which suggests informing?

10. Which suggests entertaining?

11. An advert mostly aims to ___.

12. Why identify purpose?

Challenge 1. Which is likely written to persuade?

Challenge 2. Which is likely written to inform?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Read the text.
  • Ask why it was written.
  • Find clues in the words.
  • State the purpose.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Claims and reasons. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. Name three author’s purposes. [3 marks]
  2. Give a clue that a text persuades. [1 mark]
  3. What is the purpose of Text A and what is the clue? [2 marks]
  4. Can a text have more than one purpose? [1 mark]
  5. Explain how to identify an author’s purpose. [3 marks]

Total: 10 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. inform [1]; persuade [1]; entertain [1]
  2. words such as should or must or strong opinions [1]
  3. to inform [1]; facts and numbers [1]
  4. yes [1]
  5. read the text [1]; look for clues in the language [1]; state the purpose [1]

Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. To give facts is to ___.
  2. To convince is to ___.
  3. To amuse is to ___.
  4. The reason a text is written is the ___.
  5. The Niger flows through ___ countries.
  6. What did the monkey sit on?
  7. What do trees give?
  8. How long is the Niger?
  9. Do facts inform?
  10. Does should often persuade?

Homework

Look at an advert and a news item at home and name their purposes.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. To give facts is to ___. inform 1
2. To convince is to ___. persuade 1
3. To amuse is to ___. entertain 1
4. The reason a text is written is the ___. purpose 1
5. The Niger flows through ___ countries. four 1
6. What did the monkey sit on? the crocodile’s back 1
7. What do trees give? shade 1
8. How long is the Niger? about 4,100 kilometres 1
9. Do facts inform? yes 1
10. Does should often persuade? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 inform; 2 persuade; 3 entertain; 4 purpose; 5 four. Level 2: 1 the crocodile’s back; 2 shade; 3 about 4,100 kilometres. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Identify to inform Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Identify to persuade Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Identify to entertain Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Find clues Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: identify to inform; identify to persuade; identify to entertain; find clues.

Prerequisite knowledge. Text organisation.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 5 » Reading: Foundational Skills; Grade 5 » Reading: Literature; Grade 5 » Reading: Informational Text. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core RI.5.6 and RL.5.6 (analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences); Cambridge Primary English Stage 5 (purpose and audience). These sources informed the lesson.

Keep learning

Same topic in other grades

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