Author’s Purpose & POV

Grade

6th Grade

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

25 students

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Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6 - Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 - Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; summarize the text.

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Define author’s purpose (to inform, entertain, persuade).
2. Identify the author’s purpose in short age-appropriate texts.
3. Define and differentiate between point of view (first person, third person limited, third person omniscient).
4. Identify the narrator’s point of view in given texts.
5. Explain how author’s purpose and point of view affect the meaning and impact of a text.

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Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed copies of short text excerpts (1-2 paragraphs) from age-appropriate books/stories (examples below)
• Author’s Purpose & Point of View Anchor Chart (created with students during the lesson)
• Index cards with scenarios/text snippets for group activity
• Student journals/notebooks
• Highlighters or colored pencils

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction & Objective Overview (10 minutes)

• Hook: Write three phrases on the board: “I want you to learn,” "This story is fun!," "You should try this!”
• Ask students what these sentences might mean about why someone wrote them. Introduce the terms inform, entertain, and persuade as the main author’s purposes.
• Briefly define author’s purpose and point of view.
• State the objectives: Today we will learn how to figure out why an author wrote something and who is telling the story.

2. Direct Instruction with Examples (15 minutes)

• Create an Anchor Chart with two columns:

  • Author’s Purpose: To Inform, To Entertain, To Persuade
  • Point of View: First Person, Third Person Limited, Third Person Omniscient

• For Author’s Purpose:

  • Inform: Share factual information (Example: a paragraph about the solar system)
  • Entertain: Tell a story or make readers enjoy (Example: excerpt from Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo)
  • Persuade: Try to convince the reader (Example: a short letter encouraging recycling)

• For Point of View:

  • First Person ("I", "we"): Excerpt from Wonder by R.J. Palacio (“I am different ...”)
  • Third Person Limited ("he", "she", limited to one character’s thoughts): small excerpt from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Third Person Omniscient (knows all characters’ thoughts): brief story snippet describing multiple characters’ feelings.

• Read the examples out loud, model thinking aloud to identify purpose and point of view.

3. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Group Work: Divide class into 5 groups of 5 students.
• Give each group 2-3 printed text excerpts on index cards (mix of informative, entertaining, persuasive texts and different points of view).
• Groups work together to:
  1. Identify Author’s Purpose for each text.
  2. Identify the Point of View.
  3. Highlight clues in the text that helped them decide.
• Circulate and check for understanding, giving hints or redirecting as needed.

4. Independent Practice (10 minutes)

• Provide students with a new short passage (example below).
• Students individually answer in their journals/notebooks:
  1. What is the author’s purpose? Why do you think that?
  2. What is the point of view? How can you tell?
  3. How does the point of view affect how you understand or enjoy this passage?

Example passage for independent practice:
"I looked out over the crowded school gym, feeling nervous but excited. This was my chance to shine." (First person, entertain)

5. Closing & Assessment (10 minutes)

• Exit Ticket: On a small piece of paper, students write one sentence identifying an author’s purpose and one sentence identifying point of view from a text they either read today or know.
• Select 3-4 exit tickets to read aloud and discuss briefly to reinforce the learning.
• Recap the lesson by reviewing the anchor chart briefly and answering any questions.

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Differentiation / Modifications

• Use graphic organizers for students who need visual support to separate purpose and point of view clues.
• Provide simplified texts or one-on-one support for ELL students.
• Challenge advanced learners to write their own brief paragraph with a clear author’s purpose and point of view and have classmates guess which ones.

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Reflection Notes for Teachers

• Monitor which author’s purpose or point of view students find most difficult and consider reteaching with alternate texts.
• Encourage students to notice author’s purpose and POV in daily reading activities beyond this lesson for mastery.
• Use student-written examples for peer teaching next class, promoting engagement and deeper understanding.

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Thank you for innovating your teaching with this engaging, standards-aligned lesson!