Skip to content
LessonPrint

What the Author Wanted to Do

A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on identifying the main purpose of a text — what the author wants to answer, explain or describe.

What the Author Wanted to Do is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.2.6 — say why the author wrote it and what they wanted to explain. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.2.6

Grade 2 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.2.6

Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Objective

Students will be able to say whether an information text mainly answers a question, explains how or why something happens, or describes something.

Students are successful when they can

  • Uses the title as a clue: "How a Camel Survives" explains; "What Is in a Fire Engine?" describes.
  • Names the question the author wanted to answer.
  • Gives evidence from the text for the purpose they chose.

What you need

  • Three short texts on chart paper: "Why Do Leaves Fall?", "How Paper Is Recycled," "Inside a Fire Engine" (in the Teach section)
  • Three cards: Answer, Explain, Describe
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — why did they write it?

5 min
  1. Hold up a recipe card, a joke book and a book about sharks. Ask: "Why did someone write each one?"
  2. Fish for: to tell us how to make something, to make us laugh, to teach us about sharks.
  3. Say that every author has a reason for writing. Today we are detectives finding the reason.

Teach — answer, explain, describe

13 min
  1. Read text 1: "Why Do Leaves Fall? In the fall, the days get shorter and colder. Trees stop making food in their leaves. The leaves dry out and fall off. This helps the tree save water in winter." Ask: "What question did the author want to answer?" (Why do leaves fall?) Card: Answer.
  2. Read text 2: "How Paper Is Recycled. First, paper is collected and sorted. Next, it is mixed with water to make pulp. Then it is pressed and dried into new paper." Ask: "What is the author doing?" Fish for "telling us the steps." Card: Explain — how something happens.
  3. Read text 3: "Inside a Fire Engine. A fire engine is red and very long. It has ladders on the roof. Inside, there are hoses, helmets and tools for cutting." Ask: "Does it tell us steps or reasons?" (No.) "What does it do?" (Tells us what is there.) Card: Describe.
  4. Point to the titles as clues: "Why..." and "How..." often mean answer or explain; "Inside..." or "All About..." often mean describe.
  5. Model the full answer: "The author wanted to explain how paper is recycled. I know because the text gives the steps in order: first, next, then."
“Ask: is the author answering a question, explaining how or why something happens, or describing what something is like? Then prove it.”

Guided practice — which card?

12 min
  1. Read three new short texts; pairs hold up a card for each and give one piece of evidence.
  2. Text A: "What Do Camels Eat? Camels eat grass, leaves and thorny plants." (Answer: the title is a question.)
  3. Text B: "How a Lifeboat Launches. The crew climb aboard. The boat slides down the slipway into the sea." (Explain: steps.)
  4. Text C: "The Polar Bear. A polar bear has white fur, a black nose and huge paws." (Describe: what it looks like.)
  5. Discuss disagreements. Accept a different card if the evidence supports it — the reason matters more than the label.
“Show me the words that told you.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the printable. One sheet asks them to circle the main purpose of a text from its description or title; the other gives a text and asks which job it is doing: answering, explaining or describing.
  2. Remind them to look at the title first and then check the text for steps, reasons or descriptions.

Close

2 min
  1. Say the title "Why Tall Buildings Sway." Ask: "Answer, explain or describe? Why?"

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Says the purpose is the topic: "The author wanted to write about paper."

Why: Topic is the easiest thing to name and they have been asked "What is it about?" many times.

Fix: Accept the topic, then ask the next question: "What did they want to DO with paper — tell us steps, reasons, or what it is like?"

Says every information text is "to tell us facts."

Why: That is true of all of them, so it feels like a safe answer; they have not been asked to tell texts apart.

Fix: Put two texts side by side and ask: "They both give facts. How are they different?" Steps versus a description makes the purpose visible.

Chooses "describe" for a text full of steps because it "describes how."

Why: The word "describe" is used loosely in everyday talk to mean "tell about."

Fix: Give each card a signal: explain = steps or reasons (first, then, because); describe = what it looks or is like (color, size, parts).

If they are not there yet

  • Use two cards only (explain and describe) before adding answer.
  • Give titles alone to sort before full texts.
  • Highlight the signal words (first, then, because, is, has) in the text before deciding.

If they finish early

  • Write a short text about camels three times, once to answer, once to explain and once to describe.
  • Find a text with two purposes and say which is the main one and why.
  • Write a new title for each of the three teaching texts that shows its purpose more clearly.

Exit ticket

Read: "How Does a Seed Grow? First, the seed gets water. Then a root grows down. Next, a shoot grows up." What did the author want to do?

What to look for: Explain how a seed grows, with evidence: steps (first, then, next). "Answer a question" with the title as evidence is also acceptable. "Write about seeds": they are naming the topic, not the purpose. "Describe": revisit the signal words for each card.

Printable practice for RI.2.6

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about What the Author Wanted to Do

How long does the What the Author Wanted to Do lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does What the Author Wanted to Do teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6 — RI.2.6, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 2: “Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.” In plain terms, say why the author wrote it and what they wanted to explain.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Three short texts on chart paper: "Why Do Leaves Fall?", "How Paper Is Recycled," "Inside a Fire Engine" (in the Teach section), three cards: Answer, Explain, Describe and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says the purpose is the topic: "The author wanted to write about paper."; says every information text is "to tell us facts." and chooses "describe" for a text full of steps because it "describes how.". The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Read: "How Does a Seed Grow? First, the seed gets water. Then a root grows down. Next, a shoot grows up." What did the author want to do?.” Explain how a seed grows, with evidence: steps (first, then, next). "Answer a question" with the title as evidence is also acceptable. "Write about seeds": they are naming the topic, not the purpose. "Describe": revisit the signal words for each card. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with What the Author Wanted to Do?

Yes — 1 printable RI.2.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is What the Author Wanted to Do free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.2.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.