15 Anchor Charts To Teach Kids About Identifying the Author’s Purpose

Easy as PIE and a whole lot more.

Collage of Author's Purpose Anchor Charts

Understanding author’s purpose gives students a deeper connection and helps expand their reading comprehension. Many teachers use the classic “easy as PIE” method: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain. Others choose to add more details, or approach the topic from another angle. Either way, these author’s purpose anchor charts provide plenty of assistance for young readers. Choose a few to try with your students soon!

1. Why writers write

Anchor chart detailing why writers write

Start the discussion by asking kids to think about why writers write in the first place. Then narrow down the reasons to basics, such as to entertain, persuade, inform, teach, and so on.

Source: @dancinsinwithlittles/Instagram

2. Why did the author write the book?

Author's Purpose anchor chart with pieces of pie

The fundamental question students need to be able to answer is “Why did the author write the book?” This chart introduces the PIE method and provides some examples.

Source: @luckylittlelearners/Instagram

3. Easy as PIE

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Author's purpose anchor chart with pin tins attached

Really want to get your students’ attention? Add a 3-D element! This is one of those author’s purpose anchor charts that’s sure to make an impression.

Source: Natalie M. Street/Pinterest

4. Easy as PIE with examples

Author's purpose anchor chart with easy as pie, persuade, inform, and entertain and examples

Here’s an engaging version of the Easy as PIE author’s purpose anchor charts to try. We love the color coding for the “pie” fillings and examples.

Source: Brittany McThenia Stein/Pinterest

5. Slice of pie

Easy as PIE anchor chart with pictures of pie on paper plates

Serve them a slice of PIE by adding paper plates to your chart. Informative and fun!

Source: ELA in the Middle

6. Look for…

Easy as PIE author's purpose anchor chart with key words to look for

This PIE chart gives kids cues to look for while they read to help them identify the author’s purpose. Bonus tip: Can’t draw a pie? Print one out and paste it to the chart!

Source: Teaching With Simplicity

7. Think about it

Anchor chart for Author's Purpose with questions to think about to determine purpose

The questions on this handy chart help kids think hard about the author’s purpose in writing.

Source: Mrs. Lagrana’s Grade 2 Class

8. One topic, three purposes

Author's purpose chart showing three different purposes for one topic

Some students may confuse topic with purpose. This chart helps remind them to look past the main idea to determine why the author is writing.

Source: Upper Elementary Snapshots

9. Printable author’s purpose

Printable author's purpose anchor chart

Want a clear chart with illustrations? You can print this one for free at the link!

Source: Mrs. Wyatt’s Wise Owl Teacher Creations/Teacher’s Dojo

10. PIE details

Three author's purpose anchor charts, one each for persuade, inform, and entertain

If you’ve got room, consider making three separate author’s purpose anchor charts. This gives you room to add more details about each type.

Source: Life in First Grade

11. PIE and T

Author's purpose anchor chart for persuade, inform, entertain, and teach

Ready to expand on the basic PIE chart? This one adds a side of T: Teach a lesson. Clever and easy to remember.

Source: Hippo Hurray for Second Grade

12. Get PIE’ED

Anchor chart about author's purpose: Persuade, Inform, Entertain, Explain, Describe

Add a few more letters to your PIE chart. The second E stands for Explain, and the D is for Describe.

Source: Crafting Connections

13. Drink LemonADE

LemonADE anchor chart for author's purpose: Answer, Describe, Explain

Tired of the traditional PIE author’s purpose anchor charts? Try the lemonADE method instead. It stands for Answer, Describe, and Explain.

Source: Holly Acton

14. Multiple purposes

Anchor chart listed multiple types of author's purpose

When it comes down to it, authors have a lot of reasons for writing. This chart provides students with plenty of options to choose from.

Source: Book Units Teacher

15. Reader’s job

Anchor chart linking author's purpose with the reader's job

Your students might wonder why they even need to determine an author’s purpose. This chart links those purposes with the way a reader approaches a text.

Source: Mrs. Braun’s 2nd Grade Class

Looking for more ideas? Check out the 40 best anchor charts for reading comprehension.

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15 Anchor Charts To Teach Kids About Identifying the Author's Purpose