Authors Purpose

Ashlin just read a story called Piggie Pie to her little brother. It is a story about a

witch who thinks she is going to trick the pigs at a farm, but the pigs end up tricking Gritch the Witch!

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Ashlin just read a book about horses. The book had lots of photographs of real

horses. She learned about the different stages of a horse’s life.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Ashlin says she wants to be a vet someday, so she checks out a nonfiction book from the library that tells about a vet’s job, and how a vet cares for all sorts of animals.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Since Ashlin wants to be a vet, she decides to write an essay to try to convince

her parents to adopt more pets. She explains that if she’s going to be a good vet, she needs to know how to take care of all sorts of animals, including snakes, birds, and hamsters.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Lakes and rivers are both made of water, but they are very different. A lake is a

large body of water that is surrounded by land on all four sides. If you look at a lake on a map, it looks like a puddle of water. A river is a body of water that is always moving in one direction. On a map, a river looks like a very long snake..

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

If you plan to spend time in a boat this summer, you must wear a life jacket. Sadly,

some people do not wear life jackets because they don’t like the way they look. Others skip wearing life jackets because they think they are good swimmers, and they don’t need them. Boat accidents happen suddenly and quickly. Wearing a life jacket might save your life!

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Larry proudly glided though the water toward his mother, wearing his lime green life jacket. When she saw him, she gasped. “Larry, please don’t tell me that you wasted your money on that thing.”

Larry felt confused. “I thought you would be proud of me, Mom. You’re always telling me to be more careful. There’s nothing more safe than wearing a life jacket here in the lake.”

“You’re a fish, Larry. Your body is made to swim,” Mom replied, shaking her head. “What a waste of money.”

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Schools should stop cancelling school in June, July, and August for summer break.

Many studies show that this practice is harmful to kids. In the three long months of summer, kids forget things they learned. Also, their reading skills decrease. It is much better for students to attend school throughout the year. Students who enroll in a year-round school attend for the same number of days, but they have shorter breaks four times a year. Many experts agree that this is best for kids. You agree, too, don’t you?

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

When adults get married, they wear a wedding ring on their fourth finger. Have you ever wondered why? Long ago, Egyptians believed that there was a vein in the fourth finger, known as the lover’s vein, that was connected to the heart. Therefore, it made sense for a wedding ring to be placed on that finger, as a sign of love. Later, this belief was found to be untrue, but the ring finger is still used today.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain