The Author's Point and Yours
A 40-minute Grade 3 lesson on distinguishing your own point of view from that of the author of a text.
The Author's Point and Yours is a free 40-minute Grade 3 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.3.6 — separate what you think from what the author thinks. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- RI.3.6
Grade 3 · Reading: Informational Text
RI.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
Objective
Students will be able to state an author's point of view, prove it with a word the author chose, and state their own view separately.
Students are successful when they can
- States the author's view in a sentence ("The author thinks…").
- Names at least one word the author chose that shows that view, and says what it shows.
- Writes their own view in a separate sentence ("I think…").
- Says whether they agree or disagree with the author, and on what point.
What you need
- "The New Playground" (five sentences, below), displayed and one copy per pair
- Four word-pair cards: cheap/inexpensive, stubborn/determined, crowd/mob, skinny/slim
- A two-column organizer headed "The author thinks" and "I think"
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — loaded words
5 min- Show the four word-pair cards. Ask: "What does each pair have in common?" Take: they mean nearly the same thing.
- Ask: "Which word would you rather someone used about you?" "Determined" or "stubborn"? "Slim" or "skinny"? Students feel the difference straight away.
- Write on the board: "Words that mean the same thing can show different feelings. Writers choose."
Teach — the view is in the word choice
13 min- Read the text: "Last spring, Elm Street Park was a dull, crumbling patch of cracked asphalt. Children had nowhere to play. Then the town built a brilliant new playground with a climbing wall, a zip line and soft, bright flooring. Now the park is crammed with happy families every afternoon. A few neighbors grumble about the noise, but the laughter is worth it."
- Ask: "Does the author ever say I think?" No. Ask: "So what does the author think about the playground?" Take: "It is great — much better than before."
- Ask: "How do you know?" Underline the words that told you: "dull," "crumbling" (old park), "brilliant," "happy" (new park), "grumble" and "worth it" (the neighbors).
- Swap one word for a neutral one and reread: "A few neighbors SAY something about the noise." Ask what changed. With "grumble," the neighbors sound like moaners; with "say," their worry sounds fair. One word moved the reader.
- Fill the "The author thinks" column: "The author thinks the new playground is a big improvement. The word 'brilliant' shows this."
- Now fill "I think" — model a different view: "I think the noise could be a real problem for people living next door." Point out that this column needs no quotation, because it is your view, not the text's.
“The author never says "I think." They chose "brilliant" instead of "new," and "grumble" instead of "say" — and that is the same thing. Your view goes in a different column, and it is allowed to be different.”
Guided practice — find three words
12 min- Give pairs a second text: "Every Saturday, a noisy swarm of tourists invades our quiet village. They block the narrow lanes with their huge coaches and leave litter on the green. The village was peaceful once."
- Pairs underline three loaded words and write what each shows. Expected: "swarm" (like insects, a nuisance), "invades" (like an attack), "peaceful once" (things were better before).
- Pairs write the author's view: "The author thinks the tourists are spoiling the village." Then each student writes their own view in the "I think" column.
- Ask two students who disagree with the author to say why — for example, that tourists spend money in the village store. Point out that disagreeing does not change what the author thinks.
“Your partner might agree with the author and you might not. Both of you should still write the same thing in "The author thinks" — because that column comes from the words on the page.”
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the printable practice sheet: a passage, a "which word shows the author's view" question, and space for their own view.
- Circulate and ask: "Which word told you that?" for every author's-view answer.
Close — one loaded word
2 min- Take one loaded word from either text and what it showed. Then ask one student to say a neutral word that could replace it ("swarm" → "group").
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Writes "The author has no view, it is just facts about a park."
Why: Information texts are taught as facts, and facts feel neutral. The student is looking for a stated opinion and, finding no "I think," concludes there is none.
Fix: Do the swap test: replace "brilliant" with "new" and "grumble" with "say" and reread. Ask what feeling disappeared. The view lived in the word choices all along.
Writes their own view, "The noise is annoying," in the author's column.
Why: When a reader agrees or strongly disagrees, their own feeling arrives first and the two views blur. Nothing has forced them to check against the text.
Fix: Require a quoted word in "The author thinks" and none in "I think." Ask: "Which word in the text says the noise is annoying?" The author used "worth it," so the noise view is the student's own.
Underlines only "nowhere to play" and says the view is not shown anywhere else.
Why: The student is looking for a whole sentence that sounds like an opinion, rather than single describing words and verbs that carry feeling.
Fix: Point at adjectives and verbs one at a time: "dull," "crumbling," "brilliant," "grumble." For each ask: "Is this a kind word or an unkind word?" Most views are carried in small words like these.
If they are not there yet
- Give the author's view ("The author thinks the playground is great") and ask the student to find two words that prove it.
- Use only the four warm-up pairs and the first three sentences of the playground text.
- Provide sentence starters: "The author thinks ___. The word ___ shows this. I think ___."
If they finish early
- Rewrite the playground text with the opposite view, changing only five words (e.g. "brilliant" → "noisy," "grumble" → "complain fairly").
- Write a neutral version of the tourists text that gives the same facts without showing a view, then say which words were hardest to make neutral.
- Write the same Saturday from a café owner's point of view, using three loaded words of your own, and underline them.
Exit ticket
Read: "The old library was a gloomy, dusty building. The shiny new library opened last week, and readers are flocking to it." What does the author think of the new library? Which word shows it? What do you think?
What to look for: The author likes it, shown by "shiny," "flocking" or "gloomy" for the old one, plus a separate "I think." No word named: loaded words not yet seen as evidence. Own view as the author's: columns blurred.
Printable practice for RI.3.6
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- The Author's View and MineRead the text, then answer the questions.
Questions about The Author's Point and Yours
How long does the The Author's Point and Yours lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does The Author's Point and Yours teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.6 — RI.3.6, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 3: “Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.” In plain terms, separate what you think from what the author thinks.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
"The New Playground" (five sentences, below), displayed and one copy per pair, four word-pair cards: cheap/inexpensive, stubborn/determined, crowd/mob, skinny/slim, a two-column organizer headed "The author thinks" and "I think" and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: writes "The author has no view, it is just facts about a park."; writes their own view, "The noise is annoying," in the author's column and underlines only "nowhere to play" and says the view is not shown anywhere else. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Read: "The old library was a gloomy, dusty building. The shiny new library opened last week, and readers are flocking to it." What does the author think of the new library? Which word shows it? What do you think?.” The author likes it, shown by "shiny," "flocking" or "gloomy" for the old one, plus a separate "I think." No word named: loaded words not yet seen as evidence. Own view as the author's: columns blurred. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with The Author's Point and Yours?
Yes — 1 printable RI.3.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is The Author's Point and Yours free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.3.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.