Point of View Unit

Teaching Point of View 1

Teaching Point of View

Written and developed by Steve Kinney and Kathleen Aghalarpour

This purpose of this unit is to teach students in 4

th

and 5

th

grade how to understandand identify different points of views taken by characters within fictional texts. It iscrucial for students to understand how every event, whether fictional or real, could beinterpreted through many different points of views. Students will therefore learn to seeany event as a multi-layered, complex incident that needs to be analyzed at a muchdeeper level. The ability to identify different points of views within fictional texts willenable students to understand the different points of views of events that they witness or partake in their own lives.This unit is primarily guided by Hunter College School of Education’s social justice conceptual framework sphere. Teachers within this unit are fully dedicated and bonded to the idea that students will be successful. Students will be asked to analyze howall events are complex since they involve many different perspectives from different people. Students will also be asked to observe their own neighborhoods and determinewhat components are needed to have a healthy and thriving neighborhood. In additionstudents will also be expected to read their revised children’s books to differentkindergarten classes in their school.Through out this unit students are expected to meet New York State EnglishLanguage Arts Standards.

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Standard 1

- Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information andunderstanding. Students will meet this standard by reading and listening toSeedfolks, The Whipping Boy, and

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.Students will be expected to understand and identify the different points of views presented in each text.

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Standard 2-

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response andexpression. Students will meet this standard by discussing the different points of views found in Seedfolks, The Whipping Boy, and

The True Story of the ThreeLittle Pigs, with their classmates. Students will also re-write a children’s book through a different point of view.

Kinney/Aghalarpour Teaching Point of View 2

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Standard 3-

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis andevaluation. Students will meet this standard by critically analyzing Seedfolks,The Whipping Boy, and

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by explaininghow a character’s identity influences his/her point of view of an event.

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Standard 4-

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.Students will meet this standard by having literature circles with their peers aboutThe Whipping Boy and Seedfolks.

Unit Objectives

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Students will learn and understand how all events have different points of viewsand perspectives

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Students will learn how to identify the perspectives of different characters indifferent stories

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Students identify first person and third person point of views

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Students will understand and identify how a character’s identity influences acharacter’s point of view.

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Students will re-write a favorite children’s book based on a different point of view.

Unit Overview

Lesson 1-

Students will understand how an event or story can be interpreted by different points of views and perspectives. Students will read Seedfolks and identify the different perspectives of that story.

Lesson 2

-. Students learn the differences between first person and third person point of view. Students read the Whipping Boy and identify the third person’s point of view.

Lesson 3

- Students will read Seedfolks and identify and discuss how each character’sidentity influences his/her point of view

Lesson 4

- Students will hear a read aloud of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs andwill then begin to re-write a new version of a favorite children’s book based on a new perspective

Kinney/Aghalarpour Teaching Point of View 3

Lesson 1

Teaching Point:

Students will understand how an event or story can be interpreted bydifferent points of views and perspectives. Students will read Seedfolks and identify thedifferent perspectives of the story.

Materials:

o

Copies of Seedfolks for each student

o

Copies of introductory activity handout for each student

o

Copies of literature circle directions for each student

o

Copies of assessment tool for each student

o

Reader’s notebooks

Introductory Activity:

Students will read three different perspectives of a fictional event created by the teacher about a two students who got into a little rumble after school the day before. Studentswill have to discuss and analyze why there are three different versions of one event.Teacher will then explain how for every event, whether fictional or real, there will bedifferent perspectives or points of views. Teacher will then define the term perspective(point of view) to the class. Perspective (Point of View): the distinct way one personviews and interprets an event or story. Students will record this definition into theglossary of their reader’s notebook.

Group Work Practice:

Students will be in literature circle groups of 3-4. Within each literature circle studentswill be expected to assign each member of the group with a particular group role. Thegroup roles are: facilitator (responsible for making sure that everyone gets an opportunityto answer questions and pose their opinions), researcher (responsible for finding evidencewithin the text), recorder (responsible for recording the groups responses to thediscussion questions in his/her reader’s notebook) and presenter (responsible for sharingthe group’s discussion with the rest of the class during share time). Students will read