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, whether it states facts, and whether it tries to make them laugh or agree.
Free printable PDF, aligned to Common Core RI.3.6. One skill per page, answer key on the last page.
Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.
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.
Our Corner Needs a Crossing Guard
The corner of Maple Street and Third is the busiest spot near our school, and right now nobody is there to help kids cross it safely. Cars come around the bend fast, and drivers cannot always see children at the curb. Our town should put…
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Why did the author most likely write this passage?
to convince the town to add a crossing guard · to explain how traffic lights work · to tell a story about walking to school · to describe the corner of Maple and Third
Answer: to convince the town to add a crossing guard
- Which sentence best shows the author is trying to persuade you? Our town should put a crossing guard on that corner. · The corner is near our school. · Cars come around a bend. · The street is called Maple Street.
Every print draws a fresh mix of passages at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different 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.
Related worksheets
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One page, answer key included. A fresh version every time you click.
Aligned to Common Core RI.3.6. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.