Unit Plan 26 (Grade 2 ELA): Author’s Purpose in Informational Text
Second graders become purpose detectives, learning to identify whether an author writes to explain, describe, or answer a question. They find the main topic, key details, and text clues, and connect purpose to ideas from short read-alouds and videos.

Focus: What the author wants to explain/describe; main purpose
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Informational • Speaking/Listening)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Informational authors always have a purpose. This week, students become purpose detectives—they’ll learn to tell what the author wants to explain, describe, or answer, identify the main topic and key details, and practice recounting key ideas from short teacher talks or videos.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Identify an informational author’s main purpose (to explain, describe, or answer a question) and say it in one clear sentence (RI.2.6).
- Name the main topic and key details that support it (RI.2.2).
- Recount key ideas from a text read aloud or short presentation/video and connect them to purpose (SL.2.2).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 2
- RI.2.6, RI.2.2, SL.2.2
Success Criteria — student language
- I can say: “The author wants to explain/describe/answer ___.”
- I can name the main topic and 2–3 key details that fit it.
- I can recount two important ideas from a read-aloud or video.
- I can use a because statement to prove the purpose with text clues.