Authors Purpose

1. T: This week we are going to begin reading Stirring Up Memories by Pam Munoz Ryan. Today we are going to go over our new vocabulary words and begin talking about the author’s purpose by generating questions and drawing conclusions. At the end, you will partner read Stirring Up Memories to explore the author’s purpose.
2. T: I am going to give each table a vocabulary word. You are going to talk at your table about what you think each word means. I am going to call on one person, a surprise person, so everyone should know what they are going to say. Everyone at the table has to talk about the words and be prepared to share out. You are going to define the word, give an example of the word, draw a picture of the word, and then share out loud.
3. The teacher will hand out index cards with the vocabulary words creating, familiar, glamorous, and imagination written on them to the four tables.
4. The teacher will take observational notes.
5. The teacher will call on one person from each table to share their vocabulary word. The teacher will correctly define each vocabulary word and give an example of their vocabulary word in a sentence after the students share theirs. The teacher will engage the students in practical thinking by asking them questions about the vocabulary words and having them turn and share with their tables. The teacher will pull sticks with student names to share their answers.
6. T: Great job! This week we are going to talk about the author’s purpose. The author’s purpose is their reason for writing the story. Often, people write stories to express their ideas or feelings about something. Stories can teach readers about the past, give information on topics, or teach readers about other places and people. Can you think of stories we have read that teach us about the past or give us new information about different topics? Thumbs up if you have a story.
7. The teacher will call on one or two students to share their connections.
8. T: Great! Now, in order to understand the author’s purpose for writing the stories we read, we had to ask ourselves questions while we were reading. We may have asked ourselves about the characters and events in the stories or about other information in it. These are our why, what if, or how questions. After we asked questions, we looked for the answers as we continued reading.  
9. T: Once we found the answers, we then put the information we learned about together to help us reach a new understanding, or draw conclusions, from the stories. This helped us understand the author’s purpose for them.
10. Can you all remember the author’s purpose in any stories we have read recently?
11. The teacher will call on students to share the author’s purpose. The teacher will guide the students to the author’s purpose by asking them questions and providing clues from the stories. The teacher will write the answers on the SmartBoard.
12. T: Great job! This week we will be reading Stirring Up Memories by Pam Munoz Ryan. She uses writing, pictures, and drawings to share about her life. I want you to examine the pictures quietly. Ask yourself questions as you think about what you see in the photographs, what they look like, how the people in them might be feeling. I want you to contemplate, or think, about where, why, or when these pictures may have been taken.
13. T: Hold onto those thoughts as you begin reading.
14. T: This story is a nonfiction autobiography. An autobiography is a retelling of someone’s life told by that person. We have been reading biographies, which are a detailed description of a person’s life [for black history month - this last part is applicable if used in the month Februray]. As we read the story this week, I want you to think about how the author uses her own life to write stories.
15. T: I am going to put you in pairs and you will be allowed to move around the room to begin reading Stirring Up Memories. I want you to look for two things. The first thing you are going to look for is the new vocabulary words. Every time you see a vocabulary word I want you to make a connection with your partner. The second task you are going to focus on is thinking about how the author uses her own life to write stories. Remember to ask yourself questions throughout reading and use your answers to help you understand the author’s purpose.
16. The teacher will dismiss pairs of students to begin reading Stirring Up Memories.
17. T: At the end, I will ask you and your partner to share what you think the author’s purpose for Stirring Up Memories is as I dismiss you to your next activity. I will give you a note card to write down your thoughts. You have 30 minutes.
18. The teacher will take observations as she walks around from group to group.
19. The teacher will slowly dismiss students to the next activity, writing down what each group thinks the author’s purpose was for writing Stirring Up Memories. 

Remediation-Write titles of books recently read in class on index cards. Challenge students to sort them according to the author's purpose: inform, persuade, entertain.

Extension-Students who have. mastered the concept can create a presentation that highlights common picture books that fall under each category: persuade, inform, and entertain.

• Formative: Observations from the vocabulary routine, the author’s purpose discussion, and shared partner reading. The teacher will have a clipboard keeping track of students’ answers.
• Formative: In pairs, students will share out loud and write on a note card what they think the author’s purpose is as they are dismissed to the next activity.  
• Formative: In groups, students will write down the definition of their vocabulary word, an example, and draw a picture.