What is the Authors Purpose Cut & Paste - Top Teacher - Free Printable

This worksheet is designed to help students understand the author's purpose—why an author writes a particular piece. The three main purposes are:

1. To Persuade – To convince the reader to do or believe something.
2. To Inform – To teach the reader about a topic.
3. To Entertain – To provide the reader with enjoyment.

Below the chart, there are several types of texts (or media) listed:
- newspaper article
- magazine article
- commercial
- biography
- speech
- story
- billboard
- poem
- song

Task:

Students must sort these items into the correct column based on the author’s purpose.

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Let's analyze each item and determine its most likely author’s purpose:

#### 1. Newspaper Article
- Purpose: To report news and facts.
- ✔ To Inform

#### 2. Magazine Article
- Purpose: Often educational or informative (e.g., health, science, lifestyle).
- ✔ To Inform

#### 3. Commercial
- Purpose: To sell a product or service; convince people to buy it.
- ✔ To Persuade

#### 4. Biography
- Purpose: To tell the life story of a person; share facts about them.
- ✔ To Inform

#### 5. Speech
- Purpose: Can vary, but often aims to inspire or persuade (e.g., political speech).
- ✔ To Persuade (most common), though some may inform or entertain.

> *Note:* Some speeches may have multiple purposes, but persuade is typically the primary one in public speaking.

#### 6. Story
- Purpose: To tell a narrative for enjoyment.
- ✔ To Entertain

#### 7. Billboard
- Purpose: To advertise and promote a product or idea.
- ✔ To Persuade

#### 8. Poem
- Purpose: Often expressive or emotional; meant to evoke feelings or imagery.
- ✔ To Entertain (though some poems may also inform or persuade)

> *Note:* Poems can be complex, but generally they aim to entertain or express emotion, so entertain is best here.

#### 9. Song
- Purpose: Usually to express emotion, tell a story, or enjoy music.
- ✔ To Entertain

> *Note:* Songs can also persuade (e.g., protest songs) or inform (e.g., educational songs), but entertainment is the primary purpose.

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Final Sorting:

| To Persuade | To Inform | To Entertain |
|------------------|----------------|--------------------|
| Commercial | Newspaper article | Story |
| Billboard | Magazine article | Poem |
| Speech | Biography | Song |

> *(Note: "Speech" could be debated, but in this context, it's usually persuasive.)*

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Answer Key:

To Persuade:
- Commercial
- Billboard
- Speech

To Inform:
- Newspaper article
- Magazine article
- Biography

To Entertain:
- Story
- Poem
- Song

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Explanation:

The activity teaches students to recognize intent behind writing by categorizing different forms of communication. This helps build critical reading skills and comprehension of how authors use language to achieve specific goals.