Spotting Textual Clues

This worksheet helps students in Grades 4 and 5 strengthen close reading, critical thinking, and author’s purpose skills by analyzing three contrasting passages: a persuasive headline, an informational article excerpt about the Amazon rainforest, and an engaging story scene. Learners identify specific textual clues-such as statistics, examples, descriptive language, and tone-and use that evidence to determine whether the author’s purpose is to inform, persuade, or entertain.

Learning Goals

• Identifying Textual Evidence for Purpose (Grades 4-5)
  Students cite concrete clues from the text that reveal an author’s intent.
• Comparing Purpose Across Genres
  Learners analyze how purpose shifts between persuasive, informational, and narrative writing.
• Analyzing Language & Text Features
  Students examine statistics, examples, and descriptive details to understand how authors achieve their goals.
• Interpreting Informational & Literary Texts
  The activity builds flexibility in reading different text types with purpose in mind.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with upper elementary ELA standards and comprehension goals.
• Evidence-First Analysis
  Requires students to identify clues before choosing a purpose, reinforcing sound reasoning.
• Multi-Genre Exposure
  Includes varied text types to support transfer of skills across reading contexts.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for reading lessons, literacy centers, independent practice, or assessment.

This printable worksheet helps students become more strategic readers by focusing on how authors signal purpose through specific textual clues. By analyzing evidence across multiple genres, learners strengthen close reading, interpretation, and confidence in identifying author intent. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Author’s Purpose Worksheets collection.