DISCUSS AUTHOR’S PURPOSEExplain that the author’s purpose is the author’s reason or reasons for writing. Four common reasons for writing are to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or to express ideas or feelings.
EXPLAIN ITS USETell students that one reason they need to consider the author’s purpose is to adjust their reading rate. If a story is meant to be fun, they may decide to read quickly. If the author wants to explain how something works, they may need to read slowly and carefully.
ASK QUESTIONS Authors don’t usually state their purposes for writing, and they often have more than one purpose. Before, during, and after reading a selection, ask questions to help students draw conclusions about the author’s purposes: Why do you think the author wrote this story? What reasons might the author have for writing the story this way? What is the author trying to tell you? Why is the author telling you that?
Garner, Ruth. “Metacognition and Self-Monitoring Strategies.” In What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction, edited by S. J. Samuels and A. E. Farstrup. Second Edition. International Reading Association, 1992, p. 238.
Ruth Garner,
“Metacognition and Self-Monitoring Strategies”
“Younger and less proficient readers are unlikely to differentiate between ‘study’ reading and ‘fun’ reading.”
Research on Author’s Purpose
USE A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
