Teaching point-of-view

Students will learn point of view by comparing and contrasting the views of slaves and a doctor in The People Could Fly retold by Virginia Hamilton and The Passing Cloud -- The Southern Negro by David Morrill. I strongly suggest the teacher previews The Passing Cloud -- The Southern Negro by David Morrill. The entire text is not needed in order for students to form an opinion or to learn point of view. Some students and parents may find the language offensive. I found the text interesting because it allows students to actually read the historical views of some people who lived in the area during the 1800's and early 1900's.

A lesson plan for grade 7 English Language Arts

By Angela Strother

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Related pages

• Comparing and contrasting Little Red Riding Hood stories: This lesson will introduce the Venn diagram to students. They will read two versions of the story "Little Red Riding Hood" and list details from each in separate diagrams.
• Three Billy Goats Gruff: Students will examine language in three different versions of the traditional "Gruff" tale. These will be compared and contrasted through Venn diagrams. Each text will be introduced, examined, and contrasted in a different lesson.
• The Frog Prince: Compare and contrast: This lesson can be used with numerous pieces of literature, videos or cassette material to develop viewing and listening skills and the students ability to compare and contrast. One of the richest sources is in the area of fairy tales and folktales. This an especially good source if you can find a modernized version in video or cassette form to contrast with the more traditional written form. I have used the "Frog Prince" because of this factor and because it was part of the 4th grade language arts reading unit.

Related topics

• Learn more about compare and contrast, folktales, journaling, language arts, literature, point-of-view, and slavery.

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Learning outcomes

Students will learn how to interpret point of view from a folktale and from a historical account of a doctor.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 days

Materials/resources

• The People Could Fly retold by Virginia Hamilton (also available in the Prentice Hall Literature book Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes [Bronze Level, 2000])
• A copy of The Southern Negro from North Carolina History and Fiction Digital Library http://150.216.68.29/digital/tei/document/mop/
• Venn diagram

Technology resources

Computer with internet connection

Pre-activities

A discussion about the views of people in the South should preclude this activity. Students should be aware of the dialect of the people during the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The views of the author of The Southern Negro should not be viewed as the view of all people during that period. A discussion about stereotyping would also be helpful.

Activities

1. Students will read The People Could Fly and have a discussion on the meaning of the story and the views of the slaves of their plantation owners. While reading, students should be made aware of dialect and vocabulary and how it affects a story.
2. Students will generate in their reading/writing logs their views of the story The People Could Fly and how it makes them feel.
3. Students will be read aloud excerpts from The Southern Negro a discussion on the views of the doctor will follow. The teacher should stop at certain points and make the students aware of the difference in dialect and vocabulary from that period and present day.
4. As a whole group, discussion will be held on how viewpoints affect literature.
5. Students will generate in their reading/writing logs their opinion of the different views of the story The People Could Fly and The Southern Negro.

Assessment

• Students will create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the different views of The People Could Fly and The Southern Negro.
• Reading/writing logs will be shared by groups with students discussing their different views.