Jane Singleton
Language Arts Unit Plan: Author’s Purpose
Subject: Author’s Purpose
Grade Level: 4
Time Frame: Six 30-45 minute lessons
Unit Designer: Jane Singleton
SOL Objectives: 4.4: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of
fiction; 4.5: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction.
Summary: The focus of the unit plan is for the student’s to understand what an
author’s purposes is, differentiate between the different types of author’s purpose
(persuade, entertain, and inform), as well as identify supporting details and
context clues in a passage that support the author’s purpose.
Key Vocabulary: Inform, persuade, entertain, explain, setting, describe, opinion
Key Concepts:
 Define author’s purpose
 Give text examples supporting author’s purpose
 Know types of author’s purpose (inform, persuade, and entertain)
 Differentiate between different types of author’s purpose
 Learn how to use details to determine author’s purpose
Desired Outcomes
Essential Unit Questions
 What is author’s purpose?
 What are three types of author’s purpose?
 What does persuade mean?
 What does inform mean?
 What does entertain mean?
 What part of the text helps you know what the author’s purpose is?
 How is a passage meant to entertain different from one that informs?
**Unit quiz will be a combination of multiple-choice questions regarding definitions, examples as
well as multiple short passages in which the learner needs to read and choose the author’s
purpose.
Differentiated Unit Goals
All Students will:
 Define author’s purpose
 Define persuasion
 Define to inform
 Define entertain
 Identify a detail supporting detail
Most Students Will:
 Compare and contrast passages that are persuasive vs. entertaining
 Identify persuasive reasoning in a text
 Infer what the author’s purpose is within a passage
 Differentiate between persuade, entertain and inform
Some students will:
 Apply persuasive and entertaining details in their writing
Evidence of Meeting Unit Outcomes
Assessments:
 PIE homework sheet
1. Student must provide environmental examples of material that is persuasive,
informative and entertaining
 In-class independent work sheets
1. Demonstrate knowledge of using text to find supporting details
2. Appropriately identify author’s purpose in a passage
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Persuasive list, bubble map, or paragraph: After introducing persuasion as the Author’s
purpose and reading “The True story of the three little Pigs” students based on current
skill level will use their knowledge of persuasion to list supporting details in a story, create
a bubble map or write a letter to the “judge” persuading him that the wolf is not guilty.
Author’s purpose quiz
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the 3 types of author’s purpose
2. Infer the author’s purpose through using the text
3. Identify examples of the 3 types of author’s purpose
Modifications: Students may have 3 choices instead of four on the multiple choice and lower
grade level passages. Writing assignment would be modified with choices listed above.
Other evidence: Oral assessments will be given during each lesson byt both calling on individual
students and using choral response when appropriate.
Outline of Unit
Lesson 1:
 Put students in groups and let them determine why the article they were given was
written
 Introduce concept of author’s purpose (reason for writing)
 Introduce the mnemonic PIE (Persuade Inform Entertain)
 Discuss with class examples of each
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Provide on basket for each type of author’s purpose at from of room and let groups
determine and place their article where they think it belongs.
Homework: Give PIE sheet to students and tell them to write an example under each.
Lesson 2:
 Reintroduce Persuasion
 Give examples of why people use persuasion
a. To get something (candy, free-time)
b. To change people’s opinion (politics, government)
c. To get people to take action (i.e. buy, sell)
 Read the “True Story of the Three Little Pigs”
 Discuss and brainstorm as a class how the wolf is persuasive
 Have students make a bubble map with either the wolf is guilty or not guilty and five
reasons why.
Lesson 3:
 Reintroduce concept of Inform
 Give examples of reasons people read things to be informed
o To learn how to do something
o To make decision (read about the weather to know if you need to bring umbrella)
 Read a historical article about Jamestown (have copy for the students)
 Prompt class to discuss what they learned from the article
 Discuss how it’s different from persuasion.
 Give students in-class worksheet with 4 different passages and decide which ones are to
persuade and which are to inform.
Lesson 4:
 With the help of students make a list on the board of things that are for entertainment (i.e.
movies, T.V. shows, stories, games)
 Explain how an author entertains
o Humor
o Action
o Mystery
o Fantasy
 Read a passage from Diary of a Wimpy Kid
 Have students orally share what words or sentences they found entertaining.
 Choice Center activity
Lesson 5:
 Do a review of each of the types of author’s purpose (PIE)
 Present/discuss skills students can use to help identify the author’s purpose in a passage
 Introduce and review the concepts within the mnemonic LISA and “choice of Language,
specific Information, Setting, and Audience”
 Give a handout with three PIE passages and as a class highlight the language and
specific information that supports the author’s purpose, define the audience and the
setting.
 Let students work independently on a worksheet where they match the short passage to
the author’s purpose and highlight “LISA” clues they find.
 Review the answers in class
Lesson 6:
 Do a quick review of examples of PIE
 Quiz on Author’s purpose
Pre-requisite Skills:
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Ability to write a complete sentence
Understanding the concept of a supporting detail
Comprehension skills
Vocabulary knowledge to describe author’s purpose
Ability to write with details
Accommodations: Option to write fewer reasons or sentences in their writing assignments.
Provide an electronic spell checker and assistance and option to orally convey ideas instead of
writing them. Add visuals to the quiz and let students choose from 3 multiple choices answers
instead of four. Give students with learning disabilities lower level passages to read and read all
assessments aloud to children. For a student with AD/HD incorporate kinesthetic activities into
the unit in order to allow them to use up their extra energy.