What's the point?: A lesson on point of view

After reading Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day students will write the story from a chosen character's point of view. This lesson can be used with other wordless picture books.

A lesson plan for grade 4 English Language Arts and English Language Development

By Eileen Carter and Tracey Casto

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• differentiate between first and third person point of view.
• write an imaginative narrative.
• use word processing skills to publish their narrative.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

5 hours

Materials/resources

• Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day (big book version, if available)
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Individual copy of point of view writing rubric

Technology resources

Access to Word Processing Program

Pre-activities

Teacher will review the genre of imaginative narratives. Teacher will review necessary word processing skills to type their narratives.

Activities

Day 1

1. The teacher will lead the class in a discussion about the differences between points of view.
2. Target students will be asked to physically demonstrate those differences within a play-acting experience of a family setting the table together.
   • For example, a student who will demonstrate first person point of view can narrate how their family set a table from a daughter/son’s point of view. A “guest”, who was observing this experience would then describe what they observed to indicate third person point of view.

   The Attachments section of this plan includes the visual graphic organizer that shows the first and third person point of view that the teacher can draw on the board/overhead or copy for the ELL student under the title “ELL graphic organizer.”

   Note to Teacher: The son/daughter narrator should be using target vocabulary such as “I,” “we,” “my” etc. as compared to the vocabulary of the guest narrator who would use: “he,” “she,” “they” or the names of the various “actors.”

3. The teacher can share excerpts from texts to further illustrate how word choices reflect point of view.
4. The teacher will lead the class through the rich illustrations of the story, Good Dog, Carl in order to elicit student responses for each character’s point of view. For example, on one page the teacher could ask a student to “become” the character of the baby and describe the action on a particular page. Using that same page, the teacher could ask another student to describe the action on the page from the dog’s point of view. Finally, another student could act as the third person by becoming “a fly on the wall” in the illustration and depicting the scene.

Days 2 and 3

Students will review their copy of the book and will choose which point of view they want to portray in their narrative: first person-Carl, the dog, first person-the baby, or third person-”the fly on the wall.” Students will plan their imaginative narrative on a graphic organizer and then write a rough draft. Students will edit and revise their story according to a writing checklist which is included in the Attachments section at the end of this lesson under the title, “checklist point of view.”

Day 4

Students will type their rough draft onto a word processing program. Once it’s published (printed), the students can cut-out the text to match/(glue)it to the corresponding illustrations on their individual copy of the book.

Day 5

Students will share their version of the book with either the class or in small groups.

Assessment

See Attachments section under the title, “Writing Rubric” and the Point of View Checklist.

Supplemental information

Other wordless texts such as:

• Window by Jeannie Baker
• The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang
• Tuba Lessons by T.C. Bartlett
• Clown by Quentin Blake

Modifications

Teacher will draw a visual graphic organizer to illustrate the differences between first and third person point of view.

ELL students can dictate their imaginative narrative to a scribe (someone who will write their story for them).

Alternative assessments

ELL students will use a Modified Checklist. Teachers can modify the writing scoring rubric by considering the level 2 high - 3 as proficient.

Critical vocabulary

point of view, first person point of view, third person point of view, character, imaginative narrative

Comments

This lesson plan was developed during the English Language Development Standard Course of Study lesson planning institutes hosted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and LEARN NC, June and July, 2004. It includes specific strategies, instructional modifications, and alternative assessments which make this lesson accessible to limited English proficient students. Please note that this lesson has been aligned with the goals and objectives of the N.C. English Language Development standards.