English 8

English – Grade 8
Quarter 1 – Module 6: Determining the Author’s Purpose
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education - Schools Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: Rodelo G. Magno

Editors/Reviewers: Francis Christian B. Alvez
Belinda P. Blanco
Cathy S. Seron
Coordinator: Rhoda M. Belarmino
Layout Artist: Marisol Aspuria Baguisi
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Aurelio G. Alfonso EdD
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Victor M. Javeña EdD
Chief, School Governance and Operations Division and
OIC-Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

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Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)

Liza A. Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP)
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Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
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Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by the Department of Education – Schools Division of Pasig City
 English 8
Quarter 1
Self-Learning Module 6
Determining the Author’ s Purpose
Introductory Message

For the Facilitator:

Welcome to the English 8 Self-Learning Module on Determining the

Author’s Purpose.

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed, and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and

independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims
to help learners acquire the needed 21st-century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them
to manage their learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
For the Learner:

Welcome to the English 8 Self-Learning Module on Determining the

Author’s Purpose.

The hand is one of the most symbolized parts of the human body. It is often
used to depict skill, action, and purpose. Through our hands, we may learn, create,
and accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an
active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the

lesson at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest - This measures how much you have learned from

the entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

This is your self-instructional learner module in English 8. All the

activities provided in this lesson will help you learn and understand:
Determining the Author’s Purpose.

PRETEST

Directions: Read the description of each text and identify the main purpose
of the author. Write the letter of the answer on the space provided before
each item.

_____ 1. A recipe to make an award-winning spicy chicken salad

a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain

_____ 2. A note from your friend asking you to be his science partner
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain

_____ 3. A map of the school showing all of the emergency exits

a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain

_____ 4. A poem about a chef who ruins every meal he cooks

a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain

_____ 5. A speech suggesting that the 8th-grade class should read The
Hunger Games
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
 RECAP

Did you know that everything you read has a purpose? When an
author writes something (book, magazine, newspaper, article, etc.), he
chooses his words that focus on what he hopes to achieve. A purpose that
refers to the „whys‟ behind his writings, and identifying the author’s
purpose accurately is essential for the student to effectively evaluate a piece
of writing.

LESSON

Identifying the Author’s Purpose is an important component of

reading comprehension. That is because knowing why an author wrote a
text is the key to knowing what to remember when you’ve read the last page.
It’s sort of like setting a purpose for comprehension.

In general, there are three (3) basic reasons for an author to write
something: to persuade, to inform, or to entertain their reader. These can
easily be remembered with the PIE acronym.

P - is for Persuade
I - is for Inform
E - is for Entertain
a) Author’s Purpose: Persuade

 If the author’s purpose is to persuade, the author will want you

to believe his position or point of view. This purpose can be
found in all kinds of writing.
 It can be in fiction writing that tends to include a message or a
life lesson. However, it is most commonly the motivation behind
essays, advertisements, and political writings such as speeches
and propagandas.
 To identify when the author’s purpose is to persuade, students
should ask themselves if they feel that the writer is trying to get
them to believe something or take a specific action.

For example:
Rules are very important. They help keep things running
smoothly. Rules let you know what you can and cannot do whether you
are playing a game or explaining how to act in class. You should follow
rules; they help people get along.”

In the example presented, we can clearly state that the purpose

of the author towards the reader is to convince them how following
rules will help people (the reader) to get along. Also, the clause “You
should follow rules” indicates that the author is persuading the
readers to do so.

b) Author’s Purpose: Inform

 When an author’s purpose is to inform, they usually wish to

enlighten their readers about a real-world topic. Often, he does
this by providing lots of facts. Informational texts are geared
toward imparting information to readers to educate them on a
given topic.
  Many types of school books are written with the express
purpose of informing the reader. Added to textbooks, we also
have encyclopedias, recipe books, and newspapers.
 In the process of informing the reader, the author makes use of
facts, a certain way to spot the author’s purpose to inform.
However, when the author’s purpose is persuasion he likewise
provides readers some facts in convincing them. The main
difference between the two is that, when the intention is to
inform, facts are presented only to teach the reader. And on the
other hand, when the author’s purpose is to persuade, common
facts are most likely accompanied by the author’s opinion.

For example:
“Rodrigo Duterte, also called Digong, (born March 28, 1945, in
Maasin, Philippines), Filipino politician who was elected president of the
Philippines in 2016.”

The information that has been introduced in the example are all
facts about the subject of the topic, which is Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th
president of the Philippines. These facts support that the purpose of the
author towards the reader is to inform, and also, facts presented to the
subject teach the reader to understand accurately what’s the subject all
about.

c) Author’s Purpose: Entertain

 If the author’s purpose is to entertain, one goal maybe is to tell

the story or to describe characters, places, or events (real or
imaginary).
 Examples of entertaining texts include scripts, poems, stories,
jokes, or even comic strips.
  When a writer is attempting to entertain readers, he uses a
variety of techniques to engage their attention. He may employ
humor into his story, or even have characters tell jokes.

For example:
“The boys were happy when they wake up to find that it was
windy outside. It would be a perfect day to fly a kite. They grabbed their
kites and went to the park. They spent the whole day there having kite
contests and races. The best part was that no one broke or lost his kite.”

The passage is an example of the Author’s Purpose: to entertain,

because the author amuses the reader by way of telling what’s the
character has been doing. Moreover, the author also describes clearly
the feelings and emotions that have been felt by the characters as they
do the flying of the kite that serves as the subject of the passage.

Guided Practice
Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow.

(https://www.google.com/search?q=scared+pic&tbm)

1) “His face appeared in the window. She knew he had been the cause of
her waking at 3 a.m. Was she seeing things? Was his face real? She
tried to lie and decide what to do. Just then, the window shattered. She
flew across the room to the hallway and straight into her mother‟s
room.”
 Question: What’s the author’s purpose in the passage?
A. Inform
B. Entertain
C. Persuade

The answer is B, to entertain, where the author is trying to capture a

suspenseful mood in the story, and simply telling what’s the character
of the story has been doing amidst that frightening thoughts and
feelings she has been experiencing.

2) “It is recommended that parents should read to their children every

day, starting as early as six months of age. When you read with your
children, you are starting them off in life as a life-long reader and
learner. It is never too late to pick up a book and read; people in their
eighties have learned how to read and discovered the pleasure of
reading. Turn off the television and read a book!”

https://www.netclipart.com/isee/iTRJwmo_step-family-reading-a-book-clipart/

Question: What’s the author’s purpose in the passage?

A. Inform
B. Entertain
C. Persuade
 The correct answer is C, to persuade. The author shares an emotional
appeal to do the right thing: READ! Also, the last sentence tells us to
do something: “Turn off the television.”

3) “Film writer and director M. Night Shyamalan gained international

recognition when he wrote and directed 1999‟s The Sixth Sense,
which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture,
Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. (That‟s the award for
scriptwriting!) His 2002 film Signs, in which he also acted, gained both
critical and financial success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Sense

Question: What’s the author’s purpose in the passage?

A. Inform
B. Entertain
C. Persuade

The answer is A, to inform the reader about M. Night Shyamalan’s

filmography.
 ACTIVITIES

I. Read the selection, and then encircle the letter of your answer to the
questions that follow.

People Who Need People

Everyone needs help sometimes. Humans depend on one another. That's why
communities everywhere have special people to lend a helping hand to anyone who
needs it. For example, what would our citizens do without a community fire
department? If a home catches on fire, as the Jackson place did last week, it might
be destroyed and the inhabitants hurt . . . or worse. We're so fortunate to have
trained firefighters to come to the rescue and put out the fire, safely. If the fire
department hadn't come so quickly, the Jacksons might have lost everything. And
what about our local police who protect our families, our homes, and our
belongings? The police have helped so many families this past year, especially
rescuing people and pets and protecting our property after the flood. Think about all
the other service workers we have in this community. We have sanitation workers
who collect trash and keep our community clean. We have road workers who put
up and repair traffic signs and fix potholes in the streets to protect not just us, but
the tires on our cars! And where would this community be without the teachers in
our school and the doctors, nurses, and technicians in our community clinics? Many
service workers are thinking of leaving and going to other communities where
they'll be paid a better wage, one that allows them to support their families. They
can't afford to live here anymore . . . and we can't afford to let them leave.

We need these people in the community. So join with us today as we petition

for changes to our tax system that will allow our community to keep more of the tax
dollars to invest in service workers who live right here in the community. Please
sign our petition now, and be sure to vote for Proposition 6X1 on Election Day!

Questions:
1. What is the author’s most important purpose for writing the
selection?
a. to entertain readers with an exciting story about a flood
b. to persuade readers to sign a petition about taxes
c. to teach readers how to use the new voting machines
d. to inform readers about what firefighters do
 2. Which question could best help someone figure out this author’s
purpose?
a. Did the author make me laugh?
b. Did the author teach me what to do in case of fire?
c. Did the author inform me about how to become a teacher?
d. Did the author want me to do something?
3. Why do you think the author believes readers will sign the petition?
a. because they like firefighters
b. because they are members of the community
c. because they have cars
d. because they need to stop signs
4. How does the first sentence give a clue about the author’s purpose?
a. It signals that the author may ask readers to do something to
help others.
b. It signals that the author is talking about math.
c. It signals that the author is not American.
d. It signals that the selection is fiction.
5. If the last paragraph had NOT been written, what do you think the
author’s purpose would have been?
a. to explain to citizens who the Jacksons are
b. to thank citizens for paying taxes
c. to remind citizens about the many services they have available
d. to inform readers about the dangers of potholes

II. Read the passage, and then answer the questions about the author’s
purpose.

In the summer, John decided to visit his grandmother at her cottage. Since
he was 16, his mom decided that she would let him bike the 20 minutes to her
cottage. On a nice, warm, day in June, John rode his bike to the lake where his
grandmother owned a cottage. He knocked on the door and waited for his
grandmother to open it. When she opened the door, John quickly hugged her and
told her that he had come to spend the day with her at her cottage. John’s
 grandmother was delighted and prepared some egg salad sandwiches for both of
them. After eating, John and his grandmother decided to go into the garden and do
some gardening. John decided that after gardening, he and his grandmother should
go out to the lake and have a picnic. To prepare for the picnic, John made some
lemonade, packed some chips and some of the leftover egg salad sandwiches, and
both John and his grandmother set out for the lake.

1. What is the author trying to teach for this passage?

2. Draw an important scene from the passage that is evidence of what
the author is trying to teach.

WRAP-UP

To wrap everything up that we have talked about in this lesson, let us

always remember that authors write for different purposes. They may write
to persuade, to inform, and/or to entertain. Always remember the acronym
PIE.
 P is for Persuade – the author shares their opinion with the reader or
tries to get you to do something, buy something, or believe something
 I is for Inform – the author presents facts to the reader or tells you
how to do something
 E is for Entertain – the author amuses the reader or simply the
passage is somewhat enjoyable to read, tells a personal story, or uses
a story to teach a lesson.
 VALUING

In our lives, we serve as authors on how are we going to navigate our

lives towards achievements and successes. And just like the entire idea in
this lesson, a great author should consider purposes on how he/she would
write his/her story to make it more meaningful; a purpose that would fuel
his/her passion to be more determined in reaching his/her dreams.

POSTTEST

Directions: Read the description of each text and identify the MAIN purpose
of the author. Write the letter of the answer on the space provided before
each item.

_____ 1. The instruction booklet to a video game called Mobile Legends: Bang
Bang.
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
_____ 2. A teen’s letter to the mayor asking skate park to help keep kids out
of trouble.
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
_____ 3. The lyrics to the song Story of My Life performed by One Direction.
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
_____ 4. A sticker on a frozen pizza with directions explaining how to cook
the pizza.
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
_____ 5. A card from a classmate asking you to go to a dance party because
you will have fun.
a. Persuade b. Inform c. Entertain
 KEY TO CORRECTION

5. a 5. c 5. a
4. b 4. a 4. c
3. c 3. b 3. b
2. a 2. d 2. a
1. b 1. b 1. b
Posttest Activity 1 Pretest

References
Websites
Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/

Florida Center for Reading Research, https://fcrr.org/

Google, www.google.com/search?q=author%27s+purpose+worksheets

Mackenzie, Amy “Your Reading Comprehension Toolkit: Identifying the

Author’s Purpose” | Bookpagez,
https://www.bookpagez.com/blog/readingcomprehension-toolkit-identifying-
athors-purpose/

Skill Check: Author's Purpose |Quizizz,

https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5d7dae9aea694f001cf64e80/skill-check-
authors-purpose
teAchnology, www.teach-nology.com/

Digital Images
Google, www.google.com/search?q=scared+pic

Step - Family Reading A Book Clipart | NetClipart

www.netclipart.com/isee/iTRJwmo_step-family-reading-a-book-clipart/

The Sixth Sense | Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Sense