Identify The Author's Purpose

Explicit ELA: Reading — Day 1: Identify the Author’s Purpose

Help students move beyond simply memorizing P.I.E. with a clear, scaffolded introduction to Author’s Purpose.

This Day 1: Identify the Purpose lesson teaches students to determine why an author wrote a text by distinguishing between Persuade, Inform, Entertain, Explain, and Describe. Students work through a gradual-release structure that moves from teacher modeling to guided practice and independent application.

The lesson includes short, accessible texts that allow students to focus on the skill without being overwhelmed by passage length. Students identify the author’s purpose, discuss the clues that helped them decide, and finish with an end-of-lesson quick check that mixes the purposes so students must truly apply their understanding rather than rely on a predictable pattern.

Included in this resource

• Day 1 Author’s Purpose lesson
• I Do → We Do → You Do progression
• Five Author’s Purpose categories: Persuade, Inform, Entertain, Explain, Describe
• Multiple short texts representing different purposes
• Teacher think-aloud and discussion prompts
• Independent practice
• Mixed Author’s Purpose quick check
• Student-friendly, full-color design
• Print-ready 8.5 × 11 pages

This resource works well for whole-group instruction, small groups, intervention, review, or test preparation.

Skill Focus: Identify Author’s Purpose

Grade Level: Designed for Grade 3, but easily adaptable for upper elementary

Series: Explicit ELA: Reading

Students don’t just choose a purpose—they learn to read the clues, think about the author’s goal, and explain why the text was written.