Author's Purpose Task Cards PIE'ED: Analyze 24 Passages 4th, 5th, 6th Grade

This resource contains 24 task cards that focus on identifying the author's purpose for writing a passage. This important reading skill often appears on standardized tests, and these author's purpose task cards are designed to help you prepare your students for these questions.

Each task card contains a short passage, followed by this question:

"The author's primary purpose for writing this passage most likely is..."

Four multiple-choice options follow the question stem.

I prefer teaching the five-option author's purpose format to my upper elementary students as I feel it better prepares my students for tests. Many multiple-choice tests add a fourth purpose as a choice, and when I only focused on the basic three, I wasn't adequately preparing my students for the tests.

With these task cards, I decided to dig deeper by asking students to determine WHAT the author is trying to inform, describe, explain, etc. For example, one of the task cards has a paragraph about pollution, and then the answer choices include:

A. to inform readers about pollution.

B. to inform readers about the Earth.

C. to persuade readers to change certain habits that will help the Earth.

D. to persuade readers not to pollute the Earth by reading.

Again, I noticed that many standardized test questions involving author's purpose are worded in this way. I feel like this helps my students be more equipped to identify the main idea of a paragraph, too!

In addition to the basic answer sheet format, there is also an optional worksheet/activity to help further engage students as they work through the task cards. Students record their answers on a worksheet that asks "Which pie is the favorite?" Once they have recorded all their answers, students tally their A, B, C, and D answers to reveal the favorite pie flavor!

Many teachers report posting the task cards around the room to give their students an opportunity to get up and walk around the room. Others say that they use these as a whole class formative activity where they place a task card under their doc cam, and then have students write their chosen answer on whiteboards. Both activities provide an engaging alternative to a traditional worksheet activity!

********This resource is available in three formats:

1. Traditional Printables- Print the PDF and distribute paper task cards and recording sheets.
2. Easel Activity- With this digital format, there is one task card per slide. Students read each passage and select the best answer that completes the statement. This has a multiple-choice format, and students push the button beside the correct answer. No checking is necessary! When your students turn it in, you will see their score and the number of attempts they made on each card.
3. Easel Assessment- Students complete this self-grading quiz on a device, as well. After reading each passage, students select the author's purpose from a list of four possible answer choices. With this option, the teacher chooses whether or not his or her students receive immediate feedback.

Here's what teachers like you have to say about these author's purpose task cards:

• Creativity is Cultivated said, "My students really need as much support as they can get with author's purpose... they are fine with the "easy" examples, but need more support with determining lots of different texts and their purposes. This was fantastic!"

• Learning Sparks Joy said, "I love how this author's purpose resource goes beyond the basic persuade/inform/entertain to by requiring students to explain WHAT the author is trying to inform, describe, or explain. I feel like this helps students with a variety of skills, including understanding the central idea of a text. Incredible resource!"

• Mrs. V. said, "Absolutely love! My students needed to get away from the usual PIE... the ED really had them thinking. I see those little brains at work with these...thanks so much!!"

***If you would like to have a Google Slides and/or Google Forms version of this activity, click on these links to access the digital version or the bundle.

Click on the links below to take a peek at some of my other PIE'ED products!

Author’s Purpose Powerpoint

Author's Purpose: Targeted Tri-folds

Author’s Purpose Craftivity

PIE’ED Concentration Game

Author’s Purpose Earth Day Craftivity (including five passages!)

Copyright by Deb Hanson

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www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Deb-Hanson

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