Point of View Lesson
Personal Pronouns & POV
Recognize Changes in a Story’s Narrator
Point of View Extensions
Extensions
Point of View PDF Downloads
Personal Pronouns and Point of View
Who is the Narrator?
Complete Point of View Unit |
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4 Point of View
Episode: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Lesson Overview
The purpose of the lessons in this unit is to help Ohio students in grades 3-7 learn the characteristics of the literary text POINT OF VIEW indicators that they must master for their respective Ohio achievement tests. Special care has been taken to dovetail the lessons with the indicators and the types of questions commonly asked on Ohio tests. The lessons are divided into two sections: Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-7.
Ohio Academic Content Indicators Ohio Academic Content Indicators
2001.EL.S05.GKG-03.L03.---
No Indicator
2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BD.L04.I04
Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first- and third-person narration.
Ohio Achievement/Proficiency Tests Point of View Question Types
- Given a list of characters from a selection, choose the one who is telling the story.
- Read a sentence from a selection where the speaker is referenced by a pronoun. Who is the speaker?
- Who is the speaker for the entire selection?
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Episode Overview
This episode is about the famous 19th century author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived in Ohio for 18 years before the Civil War. In the tall tale portion of the episode, Harriet’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin grows arms and legs and comes to life when it is faced with being revised. Abraham Lincoln helps to capture and subdue the unruly book.
Access this episode's Before Viewing and After Viewing discussion guides by downloading the complete unit guide.
Point of View Lesson
Personal Pronouns and Point of View
Materials:
Procedure:
- Check to see that your students know that pronouns are often used to take the place of nouns and make written/spoken language flow more smoothly. Share one or more sentences with and without pronouns. Example:
I want to take my bike and ride it over to Jim’s house so that we can go exploring.
Mercy wants to take Mercy’s bike and ride Mercy’s bike over to Jim’s house so that Mercy and Jim can go exploring.
- Explain that we use some pronouns when we talk about ourselves, other pronouns when we give directions to others, and still other pronouns when we talk about others. Examples: speaking about ourselves – I, me; giving directions – you, your; and speaking about others – he, her, they, them.
- Explain that these groups of pronouns have names:
- 1st person is the name of the group of pronouns we use when we talk about ourselves. Example: I sharpened my pencil this morning.
- 2nd person is the name of the group of pronouns we often use when we give directions to others. Example: Please, take out your pencils and lay them on your desk.
- 3rd person is the name of the group of pronouns we use when we are talking about others. Example: She gave her pencil to Sam.
- Give the handout “Personal Pronouns and Point of View” to the students.
- Review the concept of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person with the students.
- Write one or more example sentences on the blackboard/overhead/computer so that the students can see the type(s) of sentences you want them to write.
- Have the students complete the worksheet.
Recognize Changes in a Story’s Narrator
Materials:
- Student Handout “Who is the Narrator”
- Read It, Write It, Tell It episode “Harriet Beecher Stowe”
- A well-know short story. Click here for ideas and suggestions.
Procedure:
- Check to see that your students can define the literary term narrator. A narrator is the person or character who is telling readers/listeners/viewers the story. An author decides who the narrator will be in the stories s/he writes.
- Tell the students that in the Read It, Write It, Tell It episode “Harriet Beecher Stowe” the storyteller, J. D. Williamson, is the narrator. He is telling the story as an outsider looking into the thoughts, words, and actions of Hattie Stowe, Abraham Lincoln, and Hattie’s run away book.
- Remind students to ignore quotations when they examine a selection to determine the selection’s narrator.
- View the “Harriet Beecher Stowe” episode.
- Ask: If you were Hattie’s book what would you say to Abraham Lincoln? Answers will vary. Accept reasonable responses.
- Ask: If you were Abraham Lincoln what would you say to Hattie’s book? Answers will vary. Accept reasonable responses.
- Explain to the students that when they switch from one character telling the story to a different character telling the story, they are changing the story’s point of view.
- Give the students the “Who is the Narrator” handout and have them complete it. See the Teacher Handout “Who is the Narrator – Answer Key.”
- Choose a well known selection with which your students are familiar.
- The Three Little Pigs
- The Three Bears
- Little Red Riding Hood
- A current popular G-rated movie, cartoon, or popular television show.
- Have the students identify the selection’s current narrator.
- Have the students retell (or rewrite) a portion of the selection from the point of view of someone other than the author’s choice of main speaker.
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