Language Arts · Grade 5

Active learning ideas

Author's Purpose in Non-Fiction

Active learning works for this topic because students need to physically handle texts, compare examples side-by-side, and justify their thinking aloud. Moving through stations and pair work keeps energy high while building concrete evidence for abstract concepts like purpose and word choice.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Four Corners
• 35 min · Small Groups

Sorting Stations: Purpose Cards

Prepare 20-30 excerpt cards from non-fiction texts labeled only by source. Small groups sort cards into inform, persuade, or entertain categories, citing evidence like fact lists or opinion phrases. Groups rotate stations and present one example to the class.

Evaluate how an author's purpose influences their word choice.

Facilitation Tip

During Sorting Stations: Purpose Cards, circulate with guiding questions like, 'What clues in the text suggest this purpose?' to push thinking beyond surface-level answers.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, non-fiction excerpt. Ask them to write: 1. The author's primary purpose (inform, persuade, or entertain). 2. Two specific examples of word choice or details that support their answer.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Four Corners
• 40 min · Pairs

Pairs Compare: Topic Twins

Provide pairs with two texts on the same topic, such as recycling, one informative and one persuasive. Partners chart differences in word choice, structure, and evidence use on a Venn diagram. Pairs share findings in a whole-class gallery walk.

Compare and contrast texts written for different purposes on the same topic.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Compare: Topic Twins, assign roles such as 'Reader A highlights facts' and 'Reader B notes opinions' to ensure both texts are analyzed equally.

What to look for

Present two short texts on the same topic, one aiming to inform and the other to persuade. Ask students: 'How does the author's purpose change the way information is presented? What specific words or phrases make you think one is trying to inform and the other to persuade?'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Four Corners
• 30 min · Small Groups

Evidence Relay: Text Detectives

In small groups, students read a mystery non-fiction text and pass an annotated copy, adding one piece of evidence for the author's purpose. Groups vote on primary purpose and justify with their chain of notes during debrief.

Justify your determination of an author's primary purpose with textual evidence.

Facilitation Tip

During Evidence Relay: Text Detectives, set a 3-minute timer per station to keep the pace brisk and maintain focus on textual evidence.

What to look for

Give students a list of sentences or short phrases. Ask them to quickly categorize each as most likely used to inform, persuade, or entertain. Review answers as a class, discussing the reasoning behind each choice.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Four Corners
• 25 min · Small Groups

Rewrite Challenge: Purpose Shift

Small groups select a short informative paragraph and rewrite it to persuade or entertain, tracking changes in words and structure. They read originals and rewrites aloud, class votes on effectiveness.

Evaluate how an author's purpose influences their word choice.

Facilitation Tip

During Rewrite Challenge: Purpose Shift, provide a word bank of strong verbs and emotional language to scaffold the task without giving away the answer.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, non-fiction excerpt. Ask them to write: 1. The author's primary purpose (inform, persuade, or entertain). 2. Two specific examples of word choice or details that support their answer.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by modeling how to annotate for purpose using think-alouds, then gradually releasing responsibility to students. Avoid assuming students will automatically see subtle differences in tone or word choice, so scaffold comparisons with sentence stems and anchor charts. Research shows that repeated exposure to paired texts builds fluency in distinguishing between informational, persuasive, and entertaining styles.

Successful learning looks like students accurately identifying an author’s purpose and supporting their claim with specific text evidence. They should also explain how purpose changes structure, tone, and word choice across different texts about the same topic.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Stations: Purpose Cards, watch for students who assume every non-fiction text only informs.

  Hand these students a card with a clear opinion or narrative element, like 'Recycling is the easiest way to save the planet.' Ask them to consider how the sentence tries to persuade while still including facts.

• During Pairs Compare: Topic Twins, watch for students who believe persuasive texts rely on false facts.

  Direct them to compare fact boxes or statistics in both texts, then ask, 'How are the same facts used differently to support arguments?' This highlights ethical persuasion using selected evidence.

• During Evidence Relay: Text Detectives, watch for students who assume author purpose is always stated directly in the text.

  Give them a text without an explicit purpose statement and ask, 'What words or phrases hint at the author’s goal?' Students should circle evidence like 'must act now' or 'here’s what you need to know.'

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Methods used in this brief

• Four Corners