3rd grade author's purpose worksheets

Third graders learn the three main reasons authors write, remembered as PIE: to persuade, to inform, or to entertain. They read a short passage and decide which one fits, using clues like signal words and whether it states facts.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RI.3.6.

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3rd Grade author's purpose worksheet: Read the passage, then circle the letter of the best answer. Each question asks why the author wrote it and how you can tell, with answer key — Tap to see another sample sheet.

The kind of passages you'll get

Read the passage, then circle the letter of the best answer. Each question asks why the author wrote it and how you can tell.

What Really Happens When You Hiccup

A hiccup feels like it comes out of nowhere. One second you are fine, and the next your body makes a sudden squeak you cannot control. To understand it, you have to know about a muscle you probably never think about. Under your lungs sits…

Why did the author most likely write this passage? to explain what causes a hiccup · to convince readers to eat slowly · to tell a funny story about hiccups · to argue that hiccups are dangerous
Answer: to explain what causes a hiccup
What does the author most want readers to understand? how a hiccup happens in the body · which hiccup cure is the best · why fizzy drinks taste good · how to hold their breath longer

Every print pulls a fresh set of passages at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Reading passage. Read the passage, then circle the letter of the best answer. Each question asks why the author wrote it and how you can tell. One fresh passage per sheet, with its own question set.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Teach PIE out loud and keep it concrete: persuade means the author wants you to agree or do something, inform means they want you to learn a fact, entertain means they want you to enjoy a story. After each passage ask the one question that unlocks it: "what does the author want you to do when you finish reading?"

Watch for: A passage can be interesting and still be meant to inform, not entertain. Look for facts versus a made-up story. Persuading is not the same as informing. A persuasive writer wants you to agree or act, and usually says 'should' or 'we must'. The purpose is why the author wrote it, not what the passage is about. Two passages on the same topic can have different purposes.

Common questions about author's purpose

What does PIE stand for?: The three main reasons an author writes: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain. Persuade means the writer wants to change your mind. Inform means they want to teach you facts. Entertain means they want you to enjoy a story. Deciding which one fits is the whole skill.
How can my child tell inform from entertain?: Ask whether the passage is mostly true facts or a made-up, fun story. An informational piece explains how something really works. An entertaining one has characters, jokes, or events invented to make you smile, even if it sounds a little true.

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Aligned to Common Core RI.3.6. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.

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