Students learn the three big reasons authors write — to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain (PIE) — and how to spot the author’s goal from the way a text sounds.
Students will be able to…
Every author writes for a reason. Are they trying to convince you, teach you, or just make you smile? How can you tell?
Project each short text and read it aloud. Have students listen for the author’s goal — persuade, inform, or entertain — then choose; the tool explains the clue.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Why do authors write? Meet PIE.
Teacher spots the purpose from clues.
Class uses Why Did They Write It?
Students judge new texts.
Students share and defend.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
Describe the logical connection between sentences and paragraphs in a text.
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support points in a text.
Ask and answer questions, referring explicitly to the text.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students pick one topic (like dogs) and write three sentences about it — one to persuade, one to inform, one to entertain. A printable PIE writing sheet is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.