Author's Purpose

Helpful Houseplants

Houseplants are more than something pretty to look at. They clean the air! Plants take carbon dioxide out of the air. They replace it with fresh oxygen. Some hospitals put plants in their rooms. They say that it makes patients feel better. Research says that this is true.

What is the author explaining in this text?

• What houseplants look like

• One way houseplants are helpful

• Where you can buy houseplants

Littering

Littering is when people throw garbage on the ground. Garbage belongs in garbage cans. Litter is ugly. No one wants to see litter at the beach, park, or on the street. Littering is bad for animals. Millions of birds and fish die every year from eating garbage. You should always put garbage in the garbage can.

What is the author explaining?

• Where to find litter

• How to recycle

• What litter is and why it is bad for the environment

Why Art Seat Belts Important?

Seat belts are made to save lives. They protect the human body in a car crash. The belt tightly holds a person in a car. This keeps people from bouncing around. It can also keep someone from flying out of a car in a bad crash. It keeps you safe and takes just a few seconds to put it on.

What question is the author answering, describing, or explaining here?

• The author is explaining how to use a seat belt

• The author is answering why seat belts are important

• The author is describing what a seat belt looks like

The First Ferris Wheel

The first Ferris wheel was made in 1892. A man named George Ferris created it. The wheel was 264 feet tall. It could hold 2,000 people. This was before planes. Most people had never been higher than 30 feet. It was a popular ride. People loved the feeling of looking down from so high. Even today, the Ferris wheel is a popular ride.

What is the author answering, describing, or explaining in this text?

• The author is answering the question: What is a Ferris wheel?

• The author is describing the first Ferris wheel.

• The author is answering the question: How fast do Ferris wheels go?

What is the Bermuda Triangle?

The Bermuda Triangle is a mystery in the Atlantic Ocean. It is an area of the ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. Long ago, many boats and planes went missing in this area. They just vanished! Some people say that ghost ships and aliens took them. Other people say that tropical storms took them. Many, many people say that the ships never really went missing. It is a mystery that people love to talk about!

What was the author's purpose of this text?

• to explain what ghost ships are

• to describe how tropical storms are formed

• to tell what the Bermuda Triangle is

Hot Air Balloons

Have you ever seen a hot air balloon? How do they float in the sky? Hot air balloons use hot air to lift off the ground. Most use fire to heat the air. This works because hot air weighs less than cool air. The balloon holds this light air. This causes the balloon to lift up off the ground. If the person flying the balloon heats the air inside the balloon, it goes higher. If they let the air inside cool down, the balloon goes lower.

What is the author answering, describing, or explaining here?

• The author is answering the question: How do hot air balloons stay in the sky?

• The author is explaining the steps to riding in a hot air balloon.

• The author is describing what a hot air balloon looks like.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was a famous inventor. His most important invention was the first light bulb. He made it in 1879. Before the lightbulb, people had to use candles to see in the dark. This invention changed many lives. Thomas Edison spent most of his time thinking of new inventions. When he died in 1931, he had made over 1,000 inventions. He was a curious person! He loved to figure out how things worked.

What is the main purpose for this text?

• To describe where Thomas Edison was born.

• To answer the question: Who was Thomas Edison?

• To describe the lightbulb.

First, Next, Last are seen when the author's main purpose is to....

• explain

• answer

• describe

Using adjectives and the 5 senses means the author's main purpose is to...

• describe

• explain

• answer

The author's main purpose for writing this book is...

• to answer a question about zebras

• describe zebras

• explain where zebras come from