We all work so hard to help our students to be critical thinkers who can analyze what they read, not just take it at face value. We know that, along with inferencing (check out my 5 Tips for teaching Inferencing), one of the most important reading skills we can teach them is how to determine an author’s perspective—what the writer believes, how they present their ideas, and what they want the reader to think.

I found that helping my kiddos to quickly recognize an author’s opinion, always sharpens their ability to read closely, think critically, and even strengthen their own writing. Because of this, there have been times in my teaching journey that I have really grappled with how to make this skill engaging and accessible for all my learners. Here are five suggestions of strategies that have been successful in my classroom. Also, don’t forget to grab your FREE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE TEACHING PASSAGES BELOW!

1. Look for Clues in Word Choice

An author’s perspective is often revealed through the words they choose. Teach students to pay attention to:

• Adjectives and adverbs (e.g., wonderful, ridiculous, tragically)
• Strong verbs (e.g., demand, argue, celebrate)
• Emotional or loaded language (e.g., outrageous decision vs. important rule)

I like to choose a short passage or mentor text to examine with the whole class.  Together, we highlight words that give away the author’s feelings. I have my kids replace them with neutral words and discuss how the tone changes.

2. Identify Facts vs. Opinions

Distinguishing between facts (statements that can be proven) and opinions (statements based on beliefs or emotions) is so important for kids to truly understand an author’s stance. One activity that I find successful every year is giving my students a relevant passage and having them underline facts in one color and opinions in another. Then, I challenge them to rewrite the passage using only facts—this helps them see just how much opinion is woven into writing! The kids are always shocked by the results!

3. Compare the Author’s Opinion to Your Own

Another great way to deepen your students’ understanding is to have them reflect on their own opinions after reading.

Give This a Try: After identifying an author’s opinion, have your students ask themselves:

• Do I agree or disagree?
• What reasons do I have for my own opinion?
• How would I write about this topic differently?

I have found that this process encourages higher-level thinking in my kids and also is such great preparation for opinion or argument writing.

4. Use Graphic Organizers to Break It Down

I LOVE graphic organizers.  I have used them to teach so many concepts across all content areas for years! Kids love them and they are such an amazing way to help them hold on to the information they are learning. Graphic organizers are powerful tools for visualizing author’s perspective. They help students organize their thoughts and compare different viewpoints. Here are three types of graphic organizers you may want to try.  Often, I will create these with the whole class on an anchor chart to display.  

• An Author’s Opinion vs. My Opinion chart is perfect for side-by-side comparisons.
• A T-chart can separate facts from opinions.
• An Author’s Claim and Supporting Evidence map helps students track how writers support their arguments.

Using organizers consistently will help your kiddos internalize the skill of determining author’s perspective and apply it to any text they read!

5. Discuss Author’s Perspective Across Different Texts

Of course the absolute best way to solidify this skill is through discussion and repeated exposure to different types of texts—articles, stories, speeches, even advertisements!

Here’s a Great Classroom Challenge:

• Read two passages on the same topic with different perspectives (e.g., an article supporting school uniforms and another against them).
• Have students compare the authors’ opinions, tone, and arguments.
• Ask: How do the two perspectives shape the way the reader sees the topic?

This activity encourages critical thinking and will help your students recognize bias and persuasion in writing. To help you do this, I have included TWO FREE PASSAGES for you on the use of school uniforms.  I hope you are able to use them to spark great discussions in your classroom as your students uncover the author’s perspective.

Make It Easy with This Ready-to-Use Resource!

Teaching author’s perspective can be a challenge at times.  But, it doesn’t have to be complicated or boring! If you want to grab some ready-to-go materials that make this skill engaging and accessible, feel free to snag my Author’s Perspective lesson pack. It is packed with short passages, organizers, and other tools to make discovering an author’s perspective simple. You will also be able to easily extend your lesson into opinion and argument writing! This no-prep resource makes it easy to help students develop this critical reading skill while keeping your lessons fun and interactive!

Save These Ideas for Later

If you have found any of these ideas helpful, be sure to save this post to one of your favorite Pinterest boards so that you will be able to easily refer to them when the time is right.  Wishing you the very best school year full of many fun times with your students.