One thing that my kiddos are constantly struggling with is author’s purpose. Despite the initial P.I.E. lesson that I know they all receive in middle school, coming up with a reason why an author writes the things that she/he does is difficult. So… we practice it a lot.
Also on the list of things they need to practice are short answer responses, or analysis paragraphs. After an entire term in which we discuss persuasion and how advertisement works, I show them the following video.
We then have a discussion about what the video is trying to achieve. Is it informing? Is it persuading? Is it trying to entertain? And how does it achieve that?
Then I have the kids write a short answer response answering the question: What is the purpose of “This is a Generic Brand Video.” It’s that simple. It takes an entire class period and usually garners great discussion about advertisements, brands, and how they use images to convey their messages.
If you’re interested in the FREE worksheet I use with this lesson, visit my TPT store here.