Point of view is more than pronouns and numbers (me, we, they, 1st, 2nd, 3rd person). The true intent of our standards surrounding point of view and perspective is to consider how a narratorβs perspective impacts what a reader knows.
Perspective vs. Point of View
The Impact of a Narrator’s Perspective
Based on who is telling the story or relaying events, lots of things can change. A story’s perspective is crucial because it profoundly influences how we, readers, engage with and understand what is happening.
- Understanding: Perspective is like choosing your camera angle. The narrator can be part of the story (first person) or just watching from the sidelines (third person). This affects how connected we feel to the characters and what we know about their thoughts and feelings.
- What Things We Know/Donβt Know: Different narrators have different information which can lead to knowledge gaps. Perspective determines what information the reader receives. First-person narrators share only what they know or experience, which can create suspense. Third-person narrators may have access to more information, influencing the reader’s grasp of the broader story.
- How Reliable a Story Is: Narrators can add their own spin and opinions to a story. First-person narrators might not give us the whole truth, while third-person narrators might offer a more objective truth. Consider: is the narrator reliable or unreliable? What need is being met by the narrator sharing this story?
Guided Notes
Guided notes are structured outlines that support and scaffold student notetaking. They feature headings, key concepts, and blank spaces for students to fill in. Benefits include increased engagement, improved comprehension, organization, accessibility, and time efficiency. They are particularly useful for students with learning difficulties, aid in reviewing material, and can be customized for different lessons, making them a versatile educational tool. Answer Keys are included.
Anchor Charts
Ask, Ask, Swap
Ask, ask, swap is an interactive game that fosters constructive communication and engagement between students.
- Distribute individual question cards (36 provided) to each student. Start music.
- Once students have paired up, the teams engage in structured dialogue, taking turns to pose and respond to the questions. They offer compliments to their partners and express gratitude for their participation, after which they exchange cards.
- Following the card exchange, students find new partners.
- When the music stops, students return to their seats.
These question cards can also be used to facilitate Showdown. Showdown is a dynamic, low-preparation formative assessment that fosters active engagement AND students enjoy it. Leveraging the Whiteboard app on your devices or traditional whiteboards and markers, display a question beneath the ELMO (with the answer concealed by a sticky note). Students record their responses on their respective boards and hold them close to their chests to signify readiness to answer. On the cue of “1, 2, 3, Showdown,” students show their boards or iPads for the teacher to assess.
Point of View Sorts
Students work in cooperative pairs to sort three stories according to their narrator. Before they begin sorting the cards, they take turns reading the stories aloud to their partner, circling any pronoun clue words. After they sort all three stories, they check their answers and then glue the cards down. The answer key is printed on the back of the sorting sheet, allowing students to self-check. Once the partners finish the sorting, students work individually on the exit slip.
Questions We Can Ask about the Impact of a Narrator
Planned, intentional questions matter! Questions get students talking, considering the impact of the narrator, and noticing details in the text. Students should always provide evidence from the text to support their thinking.
- Is the narrator a reliable or an unreliable source of information?
- Do you trust the narrator and what they are sharing?
- Does the narrator have a bias or a particular stance on the events and characters in the story?
- How does the narrator perspective impact the pacing of the story?
- How does the choice of point of view affect our understanding of the characters and events?
- How does the narrator’s perspective influence the emotional connection between us and the characters?
- Does the story’s perspective lead to any plot twists or revelations?
- What information is revealed to the reader through the narrator’s viewpoint, and what is left hidden?
Writing From Different Perspectives
How does a narratorβs point of view influence how events are described? Using different picture prompts, students wrote about stories from different perspectives and then, partnered (who wrote about the same story from a different point of view) with a classmate to describe how a change in narrator’s influenced the story’s events.
Assessing Point of View
Here students analyzed stories told from 2 different perspectives and wrote a short-answer response as a group. How come everything is WAY more fun on chart paper???
Well, it was definitely a FULL two weeks of learning, but it was a great one. We used a ton of cooperative learning to keep students engaged and practiced point of view is SO many different ways. I can comfortably say all my learners were able to find their ‘just-right’ way of learning this week. π
I love this post, Catherine! And already have this in my cart. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and your enthusiasm…
Kim
Finding JOY in 6th Grade
Of course, Kim! I'm not so sure about the wisdom, but I do know that my 90 kids have a million different learning styles. It seems like I have to try a little of everything to make sure is learning in a way that 'works' for them! Thank you for your support, Kim. π
I love your pictures that you're using in your covers! Where are you getting them? They're so colorful!
What I Have Learned
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much. Actually, they are from my time living abroad. I was in Europe for 5 months, and fell in love with the world. I've need been happier or seen anything more beautiful. I do know though some bloggers are using PhotoStock (photos for commercial use, a year subscription with a coupon code is $99), as well as, Yahoo's picture gallery for Common Use. π
And it must have been Bronco day!!! Loved seeing all of the support! Great activities!! Thank you for reminding me of multiple possibilities for teaching this concept.
GOO PEYTON
Susan
LopezLandLearners
I’m starting this unit tomorrow and I’m so excited. I want one for every standard!
As a teacher for 23 years (mainly a middle school ELA teacher), I have wondered where my 8th graders picked up the notion that the use of first person in a story indicates that the story is told from a first-person POV. I always have to correct this assumption, showing students that “I,Me, Mine” pronouns are frequently used in dialogue, even in literature with a third-person narrator. After reading this lesson (and other similar lessons targeted at elementary teachers), I see the origins of misconception. I once sat in a teacher workshop where 3 other ELA teachers could not identify the POV of The Giver . They thought it was first person because they found dialogue containing first-person pronouns. Please, please stop teaching this concept!
Great activities for 4th graders! π (5th graders should be focusing on perspective, not so much identifying the POV).
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