Scott Foresman Reading Street

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Author's Purpose Predict

Test

Selection Test:
Unit 2
Benchmark Test: Unit 3

Reteach/
Review

TE: 3.1 51; 3.2 249b, DI•55; 3.3 329b, 347, 391, DI•53; 3.5 275b, DI•56

PB: 3.1 16, 83, 87, 88, 113, 117, 118, 126, 146; 3.2 93, 97, 98

Practice

TE: 3.2 224–225, 3.3 304–305, 3.5 244–245

Introduce/
Teach

Author's Purpose

	Identify author's purpose.
	Make predictions about the author's purpose.

INTRODUCE

Write the following on the board: Instructions, Joke, Informational Article. Ask students why they think an author would write each of them. (Possible responses: To tell how to do something; to make people laugh; to explain something or give information about something)

Have students read the information on
p. 224. Explain the following:

The reason an author has for writing something is called the author's purpose.
Authors write for many reasons. Sometimes, an author has more than one reason for writing. Often, you can predict why an author wrote something by previewing the selection and then checking your prediction as you read.

Use Skill Transparency 9 to teach author's purpose and predict.

TEACH

STRATEGY Use the title to

model making a prediction about author's purpose.

MODEL The title of the
selection is "Salsa Garden."
What is a salsa garden? Why

would the author write about that? I think maybe the author is going to write about how to grow things to make salsa.

SKILL At the end of the

selection, model checking your predictions about author's purpose.

MODEL Before I started
reading, I thought the author
was going to write about

salsa and maybe tell us how to grow a salsa garden. I think I was right—the story was about a family vegetable garden, and the father used the vegetables he grew to make fresh salsa. I think the author was telling us how to make good salsa.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

STRATEGY Using the title and the

illustrations, students can predict that the author wants to explain how to make good salsa.

SKILL When students are finished

reading, they can check their predictions. They should use details that support their ideas, such as the descriptions of the vegetables the father harvested and what he did with them to make the salsa.

WRITE Have students complete

steps 1 and 2 of the Write to Read activity. You might consider using this as a whole class activity.

then… use Practice Book 3.1, p. 83, to provide additional practice.

If… students are unable to complete Write to Read on
p. 224,

Author's Purpose

Available as Skill Transparency 9

Strategy
Predict

Skill
Author’s Purpose

Author’s Purpose

The author’s purpose is the reason an
author writes something.

There are many reasons for writing:
to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or
to express ideas and feelings.

David saw the sign his father put on the
garden fence. It said Salsa Garden.

“Salsa?” David read aloud. “Can you
grow salsa?”

Dad replied, “Just watch and see what
comes up.”

Each time David helped by watering and
pulling weeds, he looked at the green plants.
They all looked different. Not one looked
like salsa.

Strategy Make a
prediction here. What do
you think this story will
be about? Why would
an author write a story
with this title? Maybe
it will tell about making
salsa.

After You Read: Now what do you
think the author’s purpose was?

As You Read: Think about the author’s
purpose.

Before You Read: Read the title.
For which reason might the author
write a piece with this title?

Dad washed and cut everything up. He
dumped his harvest into a machine with a sharp blade and turned it on. When he opened the
lid, it was full of salsa!

“Where’s the salsa, Dad?” David asked as
he followed his father to the kitchen.

Finally, harvest time came. First, Dad dug
in the ground and pulled out round white
things that looked a lot like onions. Then, he
pulled off pods hanging from a plant. They
looked a lot like hot peppers. Next, he cut a
green leafy plant that smelled spicy. Finally,
Dad pulled round, red balls from a fat vine.
They sure looked a lot like tomatoes.

Strategy: Predict

Good readers try to predict what will
happen and why. You can also predict why
an author might have written something.
As you read, check your prediction. Were
you right?

Skill Now we can determine the author’s purpose. What do you think? Perhaps he
wanted to inform us
that good salsa needs
good garden-grown
vegetables.

The top box shows your
prediction. After reading, tell
why you made your prediction
and whether it was correct.

Read “Salsa Garden.” Make a
chart like the one above. Fill in
each box as you read.



	Close
	Access Content Beginning/Intermediate For a Picture It! lesson on author's purpose, see the ELL Teaching Guide, p. 58. Advanced Before students read "Salsa Garden," discuss the kinds of things people grow in their gardens and what they do with their harvests. Author's Purpose Tell students that before they read, they should always preview the selection—read the title; look at the illustrations or photographs; glance at any charts, graphs, or other graphic sources; and read the captions. This will tell what the selection is about. Then they should think about why the author wrote the selection. Was it to entertain, inform, persuade, or express an idea? As they read, they should look for details that show author's purpose. Do the details support their original ideas about why the author wrote the selection? When students finish reading, they should write a sentence that tells why the author wrote the selection and include details that support their idea. Practice Book 3.1 p. 83 with \| without Answers