7.9.A
The Standard
explain the author's purpose and message within a text
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading · Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students determine why a writer created a text and what idea the writer wants readers to take away. They explain their thinking with details from the text.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students clearly state the writer’s reason for creating the text and express the main message in their own words. They support both ideas with specific details or word choices.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name the topic instead of stating the message. They may label every purpose as inform, persuade, or entertain without explaining further. Some rely on personal reactions rather than details from the text.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short editorial and ask, “Why did the author write this, what message should readers take away, and which sentence supports your answer?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Place short text excerpts at stations, then have pairs label each writer’s purpose, message, and strongest supporting detail on sticky notes.
Ask, “What does the writer want readers to think, feel, or do, and which words reveal that goal?”
Play Purpose Detective by awarding points when teams identify a purpose, state the message, and cite matching evidence from an excerpt.
Compare a product advertisement with its review, then identify each writer’s goal, message, audience, and use of evidence.
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