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Author's Purpose: Easy as PIE

Lesson Plan
Grade 2
English

Author's Purpose: Easy as PIE

Lesson Plan: Author's Purpose (PIE)

Grade Level: 2 Duration: 40 minutes Standard: CCSS RI.2.6 - Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.


Learning Objective

Students will be able to identify if an author’s purpose is to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain (PIE) by analyzing short texts.

Materials Needed

  • PIE Anchor Chart (see visual below)
  • Short texts about dogs (for the hook)
  • Sorting cards (for the We-do)
  • Embedded worksheet (for the You-do)
  • Exit tickets


Hook (10 Minutes)

Present three short texts about dogs to the class. Read them aloud and ask: "Why did each author write this?"
  1. Text A (Poster): "Adopt a Dog Today! Dogs are the best friends you can have. They will protect you and keep you happy. Visit our shelter this Saturday and find your new best friend!"
  1. Text B (Fact Box): "Dogs are mammals. Most dogs have four legs and a tail. They use their noses to smell things and their ears to hear sounds from far away."
  1. Text C (Silly Story): "Barnaby the Beagle loved to wear purple polka-dot socks. One day, he tried to run in them and slipped across the kitchen floor like he was on ice! 'Woof!' he barked, wagging his tail."
Discussion: Guide students to see that Text A wants us to do something, Text B gives us facts, and Text C makes us laugh.

The PIE Framework

Reveal the PIE Anchor Chart. Explain that authors usually have one of three main goals:
fig 1: A colorful PIE anchor chart helping Grade 2 students understand the author's purpose: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain.
fig 1: A colorful PIE anchor chart helping Grade 2 students understand the author's purpose: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain.

  • Persuade: The author wants to convince you to do or believe something.
  • Inform: The author wants to give you facts and information.
  • Entertain: The author wants to tell a story or make you enjoy yourself.


I-Do: Teacher Modeling (5 Minutes)

Model how to sort a new text using the sentence frame: "The author wants to ___, so the purpose is ___."
  • Example Text: "You should eat apples every day. They are crunchy and keep your teeth strong!"
  • Modeling: "The author wants to convince me to eat apples, so the purpose is Persuade."


We-Do: Guided Practice (10 Minutes)

Sort 6 mini-texts as a class. Students will give a thumbs up for P, I, or E as you read them.
  1. Text 1: Bats are the only mammals that can fly. (Inform)
  1. Text 2: Come to the Bake Sale! We have the tastiest cookies in town. (Persuade)
  1. Text 3: Once upon a time, a dragon lived in a cave made of marshmallows. (Entertain)
  1. Text 4: Penguins live in cold places like Antarctica. (Inform)
  1. Text 5: You must see the new superhero movie! It is the most exciting film ever. (Persuade)
  1. Text 6: The cat tried to play the piano, but he only played 'Plink-Plank-Plunk!' (Entertain)


You-Do: Independent Practice (10 Minutes)

Worksheet: PIE Practice

Instructions: Read each text below. Label it P (Persuade), I (Inform), or E (Entertain). Then, write one sentence explaining how you know.
  1. Text: "Buy the Super-Fast Sneakers! You will run faster than the wind and jump higher than a house!"
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________
  1. Text: "Honeybees live in hives. They work together to make honey and take care of the queen bee."
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________
  1. Text: "The little frog put on his tiny raincoat. He didn't want his spots to get wet in the storm!"
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________
  1. Text: "Visit Sunny Beach! It is the best place for a family vacation. The sand is soft and the water is warm."
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________
  1. Text: "Trees need water, sunlight, and soil to grow. They turn sunlight into food through their leaves."
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________
  1. Text: "Max the Monkey found a giant banana. He tried to peel it, but he accidentally peeled himself out of his pajamas!"
  • Purpose: _______
  • How do you know? ____________________________________


Differentiation & EL Support

Differentiation

  • Beginning Learners: Instead of writing "How do you know?", students will match the 6 texts to picture icons (a shopping cart for Persuade, a lightbulb for Inform, and a book for Entertain).
  • Intermediate Learners: Complete the worksheet as written.
  • Advanced Learners: After the worksheet, write one original sentence for each purpose: one to persuade someone to buy a toy, one to inform someone about a favorite animal, and one to entertain with a funny line.

EL Support

  • Visual PIE: Use the pie chart with dual-language labels.
  • Cognates: Point out the similarities between English and Spanish terms:
  • Persuade → Persuadir
  • Inform → Informar
  • Entertain → Entretener


Exit Ticket (5 Minutes)

Read this text: "The moon goes around the Earth every 27 days. It does not have its own light, but it reflects the sun."
  1. Label (P, I, or E): _______
  1. Reason: ____________________________________