Author’s Purpose Introduction

The MAIN PURPOSE of this ad is to persuade the reader to try and/or buy the medicine, Advair.

This six weeks, we are exploring the question, “What Makes a Hero?”

To some people, medicine might be considered a hero because it can save a person’s life or make their life easier.

However, in order to persuade people to buy the product, advertisers often include information that they hope will convince the reader to try/buy their product.

TALK WITH A PARTNER: What information do you see in this ad that might help a person decide to try Advair?

When companies advertise medicine products, they are also required to include a section like this.

Read this section of the ad, and then discuss with a partner: •What do you think is the main purpose of this section of the advertisement? •What “signal words” help you determine that purpose?•Why do you think drug companies are required to include this section in their ads?

This section of the ad is most likely included to:

A persuade readers to buy Advair to help with their asthma symptoms

B describe the correct amount of Advair to use each day

C warn readers about the limitations and possible risks when taking Advair

D compare Advair to other common asthma medicines

HINT: When considering your answer to this type of question, pay attention to the verbs in each answer (e.g., persuade, describe) BUT ALSO be sure to read the rest of the answer choice entirely to confirm your thinking.

This section of the ad is most likely included to:

A persuade readers to buy Advair to help with their asthma symptoms

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: •Why would “A” NOT be the main purpose of this entire section?•If “A” were the correct answer, what would the section have sounded like?

This section of the ad is most likely included to:

B describe the correct amount of Advair to use each day

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: •Why would “B” NOT be the main purpose of this entire section?•If “B” were the correct answer, what would the section have sounded like?

This section of the ad is most likely included to:

C warn readers about the limitations and possible risks when taking Advair

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: •Why would “C” be the main purpose of this entire section?

This section of the ad is most likely included to:

D compare Advair to other common asthma medicines

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: •Why would “D” NOT be the main purpose of this entire section?•If “D” were the correct answer, what would the section have sounded like?

Authors usually write for one of four main purposes.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Why is it important to consider an author’s purpose whenever we read something?

Time for a Topic Flood!

• Your teacher is going to give you several different texts that are related to the topic of HEROES.

• Work with a partner/small group to determine the main purpose for which each text was written.

• Then record a purpose statement (a complete sentence) for each text. HINT: You can use the sentence stems on the back of the author’s purpose response cards to get you started.

• When finished, compare your ideas/statements with another group.