D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Every Text Has a Topic, Purpose and Audience

D1.1 A2.5About 30 minutes

Learning goals

I can name the topic of a text I plan to write.
I can tell the purpose of a text: why I am writing it.
I can name the audience: who will read, hear or see my text.
I can choose a kind of text (form) that fits my purpose and audience.

Words to know

text
Anything that shares a message with words, pictures or sounds. A story, a letter, a poster and a video are all texts.

topic
What the text is about.

purpose
Why you are making the text: to tell, to teach, to inform, to convince or to share feelings.

audience
The people who will read, hear or see your text.

form
The kind of text, like a story, a letter, a how-to, a report, a poem or a poster.

Remember from Grade 1

In Grade 1 you learned that writers think about what they will write about and who will read it. In Grade 2 you will write many more kinds of texts, so these questions matter even more!

Before a writer starts, they ask three big questions.

Three questions to ask before you write: What? Why? Who?

Topic: What is it about?

The topic is what your text is about. Snowy owls, my new baby cousin and how to build a snow fort are all topics.

Purpose: Why am I writing?

The purpose is the reason for your text. Here are some purposes:

to tell about something that happened
to teach someone how to do something
to inform (give true facts)
to persuade (convince someone to agree or to do something)
to share feelings or paint a picture with words

Audience: Who will read it?

The audience is the people who will read, hear or see your text. It could be your teacher, your class, your family, little kids, or people walking past a poster in the hallway.

Form (kind of text)	Usual purpose	Example
Personal narrative	to tell about something that happened to me	The Day I Lost My Tooth
Letter	to send a message to one person or group	Dear Grandpa, thank you for the sled...
How-to (procedure)	to teach how to do something	How to Make a Paper Snowflake
Information report	to inform with true facts	All About Monarch Butterflies
Persuasive text	to convince	We Should Have a Class Pet
Poem	to share feelings and pictures in words	Spring Rain
Media text (like a poster)	to share a message quickly with words and pictures	a poster for a bake sale

Seven kinds of texts you will write in Grade 2. The form you choose depends on your purpose.

Worked example

Let's find the topic, purpose and audience

Maya's school is having a winter coat drive. Maya wants to make something to hang in the hallway so that families will bring warm coats they don't need anymore.

Topic (what?): the winter coat drive.
Purpose (why?): to persuade families to bring coats. She wants people to do something.
Audience (who?): families and students who walk by in the hallway.
Best form: people walk by quickly, so a poster with big words and a picture works well.

Topic: the coat drive. Purpose: to persuade. Audience: families walking by. Form: a poster.

The audience changes how you write

The same topic can be written in different ways for different audiences. Look at how Leo writes about his hockey game for two audiences.

Worked example

Let's change the audience

Leo scored his first goal. He wants to tell (1) his best friend Sam and (2) his teacher, Ms. Tremblay.

For his friend, Leo can be silly and use words friends use: "Sam! I scored a goal! It was AWESOME! The puck flew in like a rocket!"
For his teacher, Leo writes in full sentences and is more careful and polite: "On Saturday, I scored my first goal in hockey. I felt very proud."
The topic is the same. The audience changed the words Leo chose.

Writers choose their words to fit the audience.

Same topic, two audiences. Leo picks different words for his friend than for his teacher.

Ask before you write

Before every piece of writing, say out loud:

"My topic is ..."
"I am writing to ... (tell, teach, inform, persuade, share feelings)"
"My audience is ..."

If you can finish all three sentences, you are ready to plan!

Just for fun

Leo's note to his friend could wear pyjamas: "AWESOME! Like a ROCKET!" His note to his teacher wears a bow tie: "I felt very proud." Same news, different audience, different outfit!

Hands-on activity

Texts hunt at home

You need: a grown-up, paper and a pencil.

Walk around your home and find 3 different texts. Look at a cereal box, a recipe, a birthday card, a storybook, a flyer, a sign or a calendar.
For each one, make a quick chart: Topic, Purpose, Audience.
Talk about it: Who was this made for? How can you tell?

Example: a cereal box. Topic: the cereal. Purpose: to persuade people to buy it. Audience: kids and the grown-ups who shop.

Your turn

What is the topic of a text called How to Make a Snow Angel?

What is the purpose of a text called How to Make a Snow Angel?

You write a card for your aunt's birthday. Who is the audience?

Which form fits best if you want to give true facts about polar bears: a poem, an information report or a poster for a bake sale?

Lily writes, "Everyone should come to the spring fair because there will be games and a bouncy castle!" What is her purpose?

Name the three big questions a writer asks before writing.

You want to tell your class about the day you got your new puppy. What form could you use?

More practice: warm-up

What does audience mean?

What does topic mean?

Is a recipe for pancakes written to teach or to share feelings?

Is a poster a kind of text?

A text called My Trip to the Sugar Bush is about ...

More practice: on your own

Ben makes a sign for his bedroom door: "Please knock first!" What is the purpose, and who is the audience?

Match the purpose to a form: to share how I feel about the first snowfall.

Why would you write a story differently for a kindergarten buddy than for your teacher?

Amir wants to thank the firefighters who visited his class. What form should he use, and who is the audience?

Topic: recycling. Write one purpose you could have for writing about it.

Challenge

One topic, two purposes: write a title for an information text about maple trees and a title for a persuasive text about maple trees.

A poster for a library book sale has tiny writing and no pictures. Why might it not work well for its audience?

Nadia's text says: "First, put on your skates. Next, step onto the ice. Then, push with one foot." Name the topic, purpose and form.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the purpose of a text?

You make a birthday card for your grandma. Who is the audience?

Which text's purpose is to teach how to do something?

Which form is best for giving true facts about bees?

"Please come to our class play! It will be fun!" What is the purpose?

Why does the audience matter when you write?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.1): Grade 2 writers identify the topic, purpose and audience before they write. This guides every choice that follows: the form, the words and the length.

How to help at home:

Before your child writes anything (a list, a card, a story), ask the three questions: What? Why? Who?
Point out real texts in daily life (flyers, menus, signs, emails) and wonder aloud: "Who was this made for? Why?"
Show how you change your own writing for different audiences, such as a text to a friend versus an email to the school.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up topic and purpose. Topic is the what; purpose is the why. Use the three circles picture.
Saying the audience is "me" or "the teacher" every time. Help your child picture a real reader: a cousin, a younger buddy, the class.
Not knowing the word "persuade". Use "convince" or "get someone to agree or do something".