Author's Purpose
What is the author’s purpose if they are trying to make you laugh or tell a fun story?
What is the main idea of a paragraph that tells how birds build nests and lay eggs?
How birds build nests and lay eggs.
What is the cause? “I wore my rain boots because it was raining.”
It was raining.
What does it mean to compare two things?
To tell how they are the same.
If the author is giving you facts about how bees make honey, what is the author’s purpose?
Inform
Which of these is a key detail: “Sharks have sharp teeth,” or “Sharks are the best pets”?
“Sharks have sharp teeth.”
What is the effect? “She studied hard, so she got an A on the test.”
She got an A on the test.
What does it mean to contrast two things?
To tell how they are different.
The author wrote a letter trying to get people to recycle more. What is the author trying to do?
Persuade
How can you tell what the main idea of a nonfiction paragraph is?
Look at the title, first sentence, and repeated ideas.
“Since the power went out, we used flashlights.” What caused the family to use flashlights?
The power went out.
Both penguins and parrots are birds. How are they different?
Penguins can't fly, but parrots can.
This type of writing includes real facts and teaches the reader something new. What’s the author’s purpose?
Inform
If the main idea is “Elephants are very smart animals,” what would be a good key detail?
They can remember people and solve problems.
If the cause is “The snowstorm blocked the roads,” what could be the effect?
School was canceled.
How are dogs and cats the same?
They are both pets and have fur.
A story tells about a talking dog that opens a bakery and saves the town. What is the author’s purpose?
Entertain
Read this sentence: “Rainforests are home to many animals. They get lots of rain and help keep the Earth cool.” What is the main idea?
Rainforests are important and full of life.
What is the effect? “Because the soccer team practiced every day, they won the championship.”
They won the championship.
You read two articles: one about tornadoes, one about hurricanes. What is one way you can compare them?
They are both strong storms with high winds.