Author's Purpose & POV

Overview

This 60-minute interactive lesson is designed for Year 9 students (age 13-14) to develop a clear understanding of author’s purpose (PIE: Persuade, Inform, Entertain) and author’s point of view (subjective vs objective). The lesson aligns closely with the National Curriculum for England (English programmes of study: Years 9, Reading Comprehension and Writing – KS3). It integrates critical literacy skills, encourages inference, bias identification, and objective/subjective tone awareness, with a focus on real-world applications.

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National Curriculum Links

• Reading:
  • Understand and evaluate how writers use linguistic and structural devices to influence readers’ responses (NC Ref: 3a).
  • Analyse how different texts reflect different perspectives and viewpoints (NC Ref: 3b).
• Writing:
  • Plan, draft and write for a range of audiences and purposes (NC Ref: 4a).
  • Use language that is appropriate for the purpose, including objective and subjective tone (NC Ref: 4c).
• Spoken Language:
  • Participate in discussions, adapting talk to context and purpose (NC Ref: 1a).

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, all students will be able to:

1. Define key terminology: infographic, inference, bias, objective/subjective tone, and author’s purpose.
2. Identify and differentiate between the three main types of author’s purpose (PIE: Persuade, Inform, Entertain).
3. Recognise the author’s point of view and distinguish between subjective and objective writing styles.
4. Make inferences about why an author wrote a text and how their purpose shapes the content.
5. Analyse example texts to identify purpose and point of view, supporting with textual evidence.

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Resources

• Printed infographic examples (dyslexia-friendly font, large print, clear visuals)
• Text extracts (varied genres: persuasive article, informative extract, fiction excerpt)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Author's Purpose and POV worksheet (dyslexia-friendly layout)
• Laptops/tablets or paper for group work
• Sticky notes

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Lesson Breakdown

0-10 minutes | Hook & Key Concepts Introduction

• Activity:
  • Start with a visual infographic projected or printed — e.g., a simple infographic about ‘Why People Read Different Types of Texts’.
  • Ask students to work in pairs to infer what the infographic shows and write down their smart guesses on sticky notes.
  • Gather responses and clarify definitions: infographic, inference, bias, objective/subjective tone, purpose.
• Teacher Notes:
  • Use clear, accessible language suitable for mixed ability learners.
  • Check comprehension by asking students to explain each term in their own words.

10-20 minutes | Interactive Mini-Lecture: PIE & Author’s POV

• Content:
  • Explain the acronym PIE (Persuade, Inform, Entertain) with clear, relatable examples (advertisement, textbook excerpt, and novel excerpt).
  • Discuss why knowing the purpose matters when reading critically.
  • Introduce subjective vs objective tones with short examples. Provide sentence pairs demonstrating each tone (use dyslexia-friendly font handouts).
• Engagement:
  • Use Think-Pair-Share: students quickly discuss which purpose fits each example and identify the tone, citing clues.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide audio versions of examples to support dyslexic learners.
  • Advanced learners: challenge them to think of texts with more than one purpose.

20-35 minutes | Group Analysis – Identifying Purpose & POV

• Activity:
  • Split class into 3 groups, each assigned 1 short text extract (persuasive, informative, entertaining).
  • Using worksheets, groups identify: author’s primary purpose, examples of bias or objectivity, point of view, and tone.
  • Groups record evidence directly from the text (e.g., emotive language, facts, humour, or instructions).
• Teacher Role:
  • Circulate to scaffold discussions, prompting with open questions ("What clues make you think this author is trying to persuade?")
• Differentiation:
  • Provide text versions with simplified vocabulary or annotations for learners who need support.
  • Encourage advanced learners to discuss the potential secondary purposes or hidden agendas.

35-45 minutes | Class Gallery Walk & Discussion

• Activity:
  • Each group displays their poster/worksheet on the wall.
  • Students walk around, reading and adding sticky-note feedback or additional clues they find.
  • Reconvene to facilitate a whole-class discussion comparing findings and justifying interpretations.
• Assessment:
  • Formative assessment through questioning and observation of participation and understanding.

45-55 minutes | Individual Reflection & Writing Task

• Task:
  • Students write a short paragraph responding to a prompt such as:
    "Choose a recent text you read at school or home. What do you think was the author’s main purpose? How does the author’s point of view influence the way the text is written? Use examples to explain your answer."
• Support:
  • Provide sentence starters and writing frames for those who need it. Use dyslexia-friendly paper and fonts.
• Extension:
  • Advanced students can include comments on bias and explain how readers might respond differently based on their own viewpoints.

55-60 minutes | Plenary & Exit Ticket

• Quick quiz game (e.g. Kahoot or verbal) on key terms and concepts (PIE, objective/subjective, POV).
• Exit ticket: on a sticky note students write one new thing they learned about author’s purpose or POV and one question they still have.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For SEN and Dyslexic Students:
  • Use dyslexia-friendly fonts (e.g., Arial, Comic Sans) with clear spacing.
  • Provide audio and visual supports for text.
  • Use chunking and clear labelling in worksheets.
  • Allow additional time for written tasks.
• For Advanced Learners:
  • Encourage exploration of more complex authorial intent (hidden agendas, mixed purposes).
  • Suggest comparing multiple texts’ purposes and tone in homework or extension readings.
  • Promote peer-to-peer teaching by explaining concepts to classmates.

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Assessment of Learning

• Formative through observation, group work feedback, and class discussions.
• Written paragraph assessed for: clarity in identifying author’s purpose; use of textual evidence; understanding of point of view and tone.

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Notes for Teachers

• Encourage students to bring in examples of texts from home or other subjects to analyse author’s purpose and point of view independently.
• Use real-world texts (news articles, adverts, fiction extracts) to maintain engagement and relevance.
• Promote metacognition by regularly asking “Why does the author want me to think or feel this way?”

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This lesson plan supports Building Critical Literacy — empowering Year 9 students to become discerning readers and writers who engage actively with texts, understanding not just what is said, but why it is said and how.