Point of View in Writing
The students will be able to explain the difference between first and third person point of view.
Grade(s):
- 3
- 4
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
-Computer
-Smart Board
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
-Paper
-Pencil
-Slips of paper with setences
-Two stories of teachers choosing (one in first person, and one in third person point of view)
-Art supplies for art piece (markers, crayons, construction paper, glue, paint, etc.) **Give students a variety of materials to choose from**
Lesson Progression
- T: Good morning class! This week we will be discussing how we can recognize the difference between first and third person point of view when reading a story.
- The teacher will go over the definition of first and third person point of view and give clues on how to distinguish between the two. The teacher will create a Venn diagram with the class on the different point of views.
- Once the teacher has created the Venn diagram with the class, the students will break into groups and receive slips of paper with sentences on them. The students will read the sentences and determine whether the sentences would be considered first-person point of view, or third person point of view and discuss why in their groups. (allow 15-20 minutes for activity)
Book: First person POV
Book: Third person POV
4. After the activity, the teacher will review the sentences that were given out and discuss if they were first-person point of view or third person, and why.
5. Day 2: The teacher will read a story that is written in first person point of view, and stop and discuss throughout the story with the student’s clues that show us that it is first person. (refer to the Venn diagram that was made on the previous day).
6. Day 3: The teacher will read a story that is written in third person point of view, and stop and discuss throughout the story with the student’s clues that show us that it is third person. (refer to the Venn diagram that was made at the beginning of the week)
7. After the teacher has read examples of both point of views, the teacher will have the students write a paragraph or two explaining the differences between first and third person point of view. The students should include things that were noticed in both stories, and use the Venn diagram to help them. Once the students have completed that, they will then create an art piece that helps them distinguish the two. (the art piece could be a drawing, painting, collage, etc.) Allow students to be as creative as possible
8. The teacher should allow time for students to share.
Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their bountiful gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college in America, she found the village gardens dry, the people malnourished, and the trees gone. How could she alone bring back the trees and restore the gardens and the people?
View ResourcePlanting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai - read-aloud
If you are unable to find Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai here is a link to a read-aloud of the story.
View ResourceMy Name Is Yoon
Yoon's name means "shining wisdom," and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn't sure that she wants to be YOON. At her new school, she tries out different names―maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE!
View ResourceMy Name Is Yoon - read-aloud
If you are unable to find My Name Is Yoon here is a link to a read-aloud of the story.
View ResourceStandards
- Grade 2: Use a base word to determine the meaning of an unknown word with the same base.
- RL.LCS Language, Craft, and Structure
- Grade 2: Use a base word to determine the meaning of an unknown word with the same base.
- RL.LCS.11 Analyze and provide evidence of how the author’s choice of point of view, perspective, or purpose shapes content, meaning, and style.
Assessments
The students will be assessed on the explanation they write about on first and third person point of view, and the art pieces they create.