Author's purpose worksheets

Students often begin by naming a broad purpose, such as to inform, entertain, or persuade. A stronger explanation connects that purpose to details, examples, scenes, or wording choices in the passage. The goal is to explain what the writer seems to be doing and show what in the text supports that reading.

Read the source passage and discuss who might read it before answering. Ask which detail makes the writer’s goal most visible. For a complete text and comprehension lesson, open the reading passages library; for another evidence-based skill, compare claims and evidence worksheets.