Write for a Purpose and an Audience

Plan quick writes and longer projects for different readers.

Purpose and audience

Good writers think about why they are writing and who will read it.

Match each writing task to its purpose.

Marcus is writing a story to read aloud to first graders. Which sentence is the best fit for this audience?

A. The enormous, iridescent creature traversed the labyrinth.B. Dragons are reptile-like beings found in many old legends.C. The big green dragon hopped over the log and said hello.D. In conclusion, dragons are an important topic to study.

Aisha wants to persuade her class to start a recycling bin. Which sentence is the best way to begin?

A. Our class should start a recycling bin because it cuts down on trash.B. Once upon a time, a magic bin lived in the corner of a classroom.C. A recycling bin is a container that holds paper, cans, and bottles.D. Yesterday I walked to the lunchroom with Priya and sat down.

Dani is writing a thank-you note to her grandfather for a book about whales. Circle the three sentences that belong in the note.

Short and long writing

Some writing takes only a few minutes. Other writing takes days or weeks of planning, drafting, and revising.

How much time does each writing task need? Sort the tasks.

Ken has two weeks to write a report about volcanoes. Which plan is best?

A. Read about volcanoes for twelve days, then write the whole report on the last night.B. Write the whole report on the first day and never read it again.C. Wait until the last night, then write the report without any notes.D. Do research first, then plan, draft, and revise a little each day.

This paragraph explains how to make a paper plane. Fill each blank with the best word from the word bank to show the order of the steps.

, fold the paper in half. , fold the top corners down to the middle. , fold the wings down, and your plane is ready to fly.

Your turn to write

Do some writing of your own. Write in complete sentences.

Quick write (about 5 minutes): Write 3 or 4 sentences for a classmate about the best part of your week.

Plan a longer piece, step 1: Write a topic you could write about over several days, such as a report, a story, or a set of letters.

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Step 2: Write why you are writing it (to inform, to persuade, to entertain, or to thank) and who will read it.

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Step 3: Write what you will do on each of four days, such as research, plan, draft, and revise.