Author’s Purpose Activities – The 7 Easiest Ways to Get Started

author_s-purpose-activity-question — *Student wonders about 4^th grade author’s purpose*

Author’s purpose is one of the most challenging reading concepts to teach. Admittedly, author’s purpose activities were a bit easier to handle when it was just PIE. But now that we have PIE’ED, it’s helpful to highlight the easiest ways to get started on this challenging topic.

Author’s Purpose Lesson, Activity # 1

Ask Students Why They Write

Bring the concept of “author’s purpose” home to students by asking them why they write. Record their reasons on flip chart paper.

Students write for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of their own author’s purposes.

A list of author’s purposes for student authors:

To inform the teacher about what I know on a test
To wish a friend happy birthday and persuade them that I care
To inform parents know something i.e., where I’ve gone, that I love them, etc.
To apologize to someone and convince them I am sorry
To entertain myself by play games i.e., tic tac toe, dots and boxes
To explain to someone how to do something i.e., make lemonade
To describe my experience and my feelings i.e., in a journal or diary

Student authors – Types of writing

Notes to friends, teachers, relatives i.e., inform, persuade, entertain
Answers on a worksheet, homework, or test i.e., inform
Birthday and holiday notes to family and friends i.e., persuade, entertain
Graffiti i.e., entertain
Artwork i.e., entertain
Notes when studying i.e., inform, explain
Directions to your house so a friend can visit i.e., explain
Apology notes i.e., persuade, describe

Teacher sharing definitions during 4th grade author’s purpose lesson. — *Teacher sharing definitions during 4^th grade author’s purpose lesson.*

At the end of the lesson, be sure to list the five reasons author’s write. Because students have seen the similarity between their own reasons for writing and the five reasons that “real” author’s write, they’ll be able to recall and apply author’s purpose when they encounter passages on their own.

To Persuade
To Inform
To Entertain
To Explain
To Describe

Author’s Purpose Lesson Activity # 2

Make a Clue Sheet

Brainstorming with students about the places author’s publish their writing will help them categorize author’s purposes when asked to independently identify an author’s purpose.

Our friends at ReadWorks.Org have a great clue sheet that students can use to help identify author’s purpose.

If you teach author’s purpose using PIE’ED, pick up a copy of my teacher notes and clue sheet activity.

Author’s purpose activities include explicit teaching notes and student worksheet.

I created an author’s purpose concentration game to give students a little extra practice in understanding why author’s write.

Author’s purpose activities can include a concentration game.

Author’s Purpose Lesson Activity # 3

Sort it Out

As a quick check, I like to break students into pairs and have them do this as a sort after I’ve done some explicit teaching on “where an author publishes”.

Jen at Peaceful Parenting does a great job explaining Maria Montessori’s philosophy on the importance of sorting activities to help students make sense of their world. Since I’m such a huge fan of Maria Montessori, I’m always make sure my students have time to do in two or three different contexts on the same topic.

Author’s purpose activities can include a fun sort to help students organize the reasons authors write.

Author’s purpose activities can include a book sort.

Author’s Purpose Lesson Activity # 4

Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Taking a field trip to the library is a great way to explore author’s purpose. Put students in pairs and send them to the library to find one book for each reason author’s write. Of, course they’ll need to cite evidence (in the bottom box below) to justify their thinking.

Fun author’s purpose activities can include a scavenger hunt.

Author’s Purpose Lesson Activity # 5

Play 5 Spaces

Write each author’s purpose on a single sheet of paper. Post each paper in a different place in the room. Read from texts with different author’s purposes. Ask student to go to the area of the room that represents that purpose.

Author’s Purpose Activity that encourages movement around the classroom

Discuss students thinking as a whole-class activity after each book passage reading.

Author’s Purpose Lesson Activity # 6

Take a Guided Walk

As you can see, there are a lot of hands-on ways to help students start to organize the reasons that author’s write. But, out of all the fun things, this is my 2nd favorite author’s purpose activity!

It’s my 2nd favorite activity because I love the “ah-ha!” look on students’ faces when they see how author’s purpose is used in daily life.

From comic strips in the staff lounge, to hygiene posters in the kitchen, to charts and directions in the facilities offices . . . students get to see parts of the school they’ve never seen before, and I get to see the joy on their faces as they truly discover author’s purpose.

Author’s purpose activities can include a simple recording sheet.

This recording sheet can be used for virtual and in-person learners.

The only thing better than a guided walk is a 360 digital escape room.

Author’s Purpose Activity # 7

Play a Digital Escape Room

Students should have the opportunity to practice their new skills!

I recommend students practice identifying author’s purpose on a few short passages before putting them in groups and letting them Escape from an Author’s Purpose Digital Escape Room.

My escape rooms are a 360-degree digital experience so they are totally, visually immersive.

Personally, I always save the digital escape rooms until the end of a unit.

You can pick up some author’s purpose activities that are bundled with an escape room in my store.

I especially love to have students use an escape room for author’s purpose because, it is one of the most challenging concepts for students to grasp.

The digital escape rooms allow — and require — students to work together.

It’s such a joy to see them learn from each other, after we’ve done so much together as a class on author’s purpose.

In sum, here is the quick list of 7 author’s purpose activities you can use to teach author’s purpose like a Rock Star.

Brainstorm with students the reasons that they write
Make a clue sheet that aligns the reasons author’s write with different types of text
Include several sorting activities to begin priming students’ minds with different author’s purposes.
Have a scavenger hunt
Take a guided walk
Play 5 Spaces
Let them play a Digital Escape Room