Reading for Writer’s Purpose to Irritate, Please and Entertain for JSS 2

Class: JSS 2
Term: First Term
Week: 3
Age: 13 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Language Studies
Curriculum Theme: Reading Comprehension
Previous Lesson: Short Stories and Novelettes on Road Crashes
Topic: Reading for Writer’s Purpose
Subject Matter: Understanding the writer’s purpose in a passage e.g to irritate, annoy, please and entertain

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define writer’s purpose in reading.
• Identify different purposes a writer may have, such as to irritate, annoy, please, or entertain.
• Recognise expressions and keywords that indicate a writer’s purpose to please.
• Recognise expressions and keywords that indicate a writer’s purpose to entertain.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of understanding a writer’s purpose for better comprehension.
• Show interest in reading various texts to determine the writer’s intention.

Psychomotor Domain

• Read short passages and correctly infer the writer’s main purpose (to please or to entertain).
• Answer questions about the writer’s purpose in given texts.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable English Language textbook for JSS 2
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Selected short stories, poems, or excerpts from prose that demonstrate pleasing or entertaining purposes.
• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Markers or chalk
• Charts with examples of expressions indicating writer’s purpose

Rationale for the Lesson

Understanding a writer’s purpose is a fundamental skill in reading comprehension. It helps students to grasp the deeper meaning of a text and interpret messages more accurately. This lesson empowers students to become more critical readers by identifying the author’s intent, thereby enhancing their overall literacy skills.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students have basic reading comprehension skills and can identify main ideas in simple passages.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Reading for Writer’s Purpose

Understanding Writer’s Purpose

The writer’s purpose is the main reason why an author writes a particular piece of text. It is what the writer hopes to achieve with their writing. Common purposes include:

1. To inform (give information)
2. To persuade (convince the reader)
3. To instruct (tell the reader how to do something)
4. To describe (paint a picture with words)
5. To entertain (amuse the reader)
6. To please (make the reader feel good or satisfied)
7. To irritate or annoy (provoke a negative reaction)

For this lesson, we will focus on the purposes to please and to entertain.

Writer’s Purpose: To Please

A writer’s purpose is “to please” when the text aims to make the reader feel happy, comforted, satisfied, or appreciative. This often involves using language that evokes positive emotions or describes pleasant experiences.

Examples of texts written to please:

1. A poem praising the beauty of nature.
2. A letter of appreciation or thanks.
3. A story about overcoming challenges and achieving success.
4. A description of a delicious meal or a beautiful place.

Writer’s Purpose: To Entertain

A writer’s purpose is “to entertain” when the text aims to amuse, delight, or divert the reader. These texts are often written for enjoyment and may include elements of humour, suspense, adventure, or fantasy.

Examples of texts written to entertain:

1. Fairy tales, fables, and folk tales.
2. Humorous stories or jokes.
3. Adventure novels or thrillers.
4. Comics or cartoons.

Keywords and Expressions for Pleasing and Entertaining

Writers use specific words and phrases to achieve their purpose. Identifying these helps us understand their intention.

Expressions to indicate a purpose to please:

1. Words like “delightful,” “joyful,” “wonderful,” “beautiful,” “peaceful,” “satisfying.”
2. Descriptions of positive feelings, warmth, comfort, or success.
3. Phrases that express gratitude, admiration, or contentment.
4. Content that offers hope, inspiration, or a sense of well-being.

Keywords and expressions to indicate a purpose to entertain:

1. Humorous words, puns, jokes, or witty remarks.
2. Exaggeration or unexpected twists in a story.
3. Descriptions of exciting events, adventures, or mysteries.
4. Dialogue that is engaging, funny, or creates suspense.
5. Elements of fantasy, magic, or make-believe.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Reading Aloud, Question and Answer, Guided Practice, Group Work

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them why people read books, stories, or poems. The teacher then explains that writers also have reasons for writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Students respond to the questions, sharing their reasons for reading.

Learning Point: Reasons for reading

Step 2: Understanding Writer’s Purpose

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what “writer’s purpose” means, giving a general overview of different purposes (inform, persuade, entertain, please, irritate, annoy). The teacher then introduces the focus on “to please” and “to entertain” for this lesson.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen attentively and ask questions for clarification.

Learning Point: Writer’s purpose definition

Step 3: Writer’s Purpose: To Please

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Reading/Discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reads a short passage or poem clearly intended to please (e.g., a description of a beautiful scene or a thankful note). The teacher guides students to discuss how the text makes them feel and why the writer might have written it.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen to the passage, share their feelings, and contribute to the discussion on the writer’s intent.

Learning Point: Purpose to please

Step 4: Writer’s Purpose: To Entertain

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Reading/Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reads another short passage or story excerpt clearly intended to entertain (e.g., a humorous anecdote or an adventure snippet). The teacher guides students to identify elements that make the text enjoyable or amusing.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen, identify entertaining elements, and discuss how the text achieves its purpose.

Learning Point: Purpose to entertain

Step 5: Identifying Expressions for Pleasing

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Word Recognition

Teacher’s Activity: Using the previous “pleasing” passage and other examples, the teacher guides students to identify specific words and expressions that indicate the writer’s intention to please. The teacher lists these on the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Students actively participate by pointing out words and phrases from the texts.

Learning Point: Pleasing expressions identification

Step 6: Identifying Keywords for Entertaining

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Keyword Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: Similarly, the teacher guides students to identify keywords and phrases from the “entertaining” passages that highlight the writer’s purpose to entertain. The teacher adds these to the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Students identify and discuss keywords and phrases that contribute to entertainment.

Learning Point: Entertaining keywords identification

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is a writer’s purpose?
2. Mention two purposes a writer might have.
3. Read the following short sentence: “The delicious aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air, promising a wonderful morning.” What is the writer’s purpose?
4. Read the following short sentence: “The mischievous monkey snatched the tourist’s hat and quickly climbed up the tallest tree.” What is the writer’s purpose?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Writer’s purpose identification

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on writer’s purpose, especially on pleasing and entertaining, into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Board notes copying

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds students that understanding the writer’s purpose helps them to better understand and enjoy what they read. The teacher encourages them to always think about why a writer wrote a text.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen and reflect on the lesson.

Learning Point: Lesson consolidation

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Read the following short passages and state whether the writer’s purpose is to please or to entertain. Give one reason for your answer.

1. “The little puppy wagged its tail furiously, its soft fur a comfort against my cheek. A perfect companion for a quiet afternoon.”
2. “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a brave knight who embarked on a quest to defeat a fire-breathing dragon and rescue a princess.”
3. “The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and purple, a truly breathtaking sight that filled my heart with peace.”
4. “The clown tripped over his own oversized shoes, sending pies flying in every direction, much to the amusement of the laughing audience.”

Lesson Keywords

• Purpose – The reason for which something is done or created.
• Writer’s Purpose – The author’s main reason for writing a text.
• Please – To make someone feel happy or satisfied.
• Entertain – To provide amusement or enjoyment.
• Irritate – To annoy or make impatient.
• Annoy – To cause slight anger or irritation.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide simpler, shorter passages with very obvious clues for writer’s purpose. Work with them in small groups, guiding them to highlight keywords. Use visual aids like emojis (happy face for pleasing, laughing face for entertaining) to reinforce concepts.

For faster learners: Challenge them to identify passages where the writer might have a dual purpose (e.g., to inform and entertain). Ask them to write a short paragraph with a specific purpose (to please or to entertain) and identify the keywords they used.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding of writer’s purpose, search on YouTube for: writer’s purpose to please entertain JSS2

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, select and prepare several short, clear passages (poems, prose excerpts, short stories) that exemplify the purposes of pleasing and entertaining. Ensure they are age-appropriate for JSS 2 students. During the lesson, encourage active participation and discussion, allowing students to articulate their thoughts on why a writer might choose certain words or styles. Pay close attention to students’ ability to identify keywords and expressions. For Step 8, ensure students copy the Board Summary accurately. Provide support to those who struggle with identifying the purpose by guiding them to specific textual clues. For faster learners, encourage deeper analysis of texts.