Author’s Purpose Anchor Chart

Welcome to our author’s purpose anchor chart page! With any text, it’s important to understand the author’s purpose for writing and sharing that particular piece. This analysis involves examining a written work to determine the primary reason or goal related to why the author wrote it. In general, the author may wish to persuade or convince the audience of something, simply inform them, or even entertain them. Understanding the author’s purpose allows readers to recognize the connection between intentions and outcomes.

To make the most out of analyzing for author’s purpose, always:

• expose students to a variety of genres
• discuss author influences, motives, and the intended audience
• support all analyses with evidence
• note keywords, language, or tone that supports the author’s purpose
• consider the connectedness between the text and the real-world scenarios to better understand the author’s aim

Analyzing the author’s purpose is a great way to facilitate meaningful discussions and awaken student consciousness to the importance of understanding who is publishing the text and why. Like all analytical literacy skills, deliberate and engaging practice can aid a learner’s development. Source your texts from a wide range of authors and genres.

Be sure to check out our author’s viewpoint task cards too!