1. Point of View
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2. What is Point of View?
Point of View is the way in which the author allows you to “see” and “hear” the text.
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3. Before We Begin…
Copy the following chart in your Reader’s Notebook. You will fill this in as we discuss point of view.
Point of View
What is it?
Clue Words
Advantage
Disadvantage
First-Person
Third-Person
Students should copy this organizer in their notebook and fill it in as you present the PowerPoint.
If the pink gorilla eats watermelon every night, how much watermelons does he eat?
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4. Why does it matter who is telling the story?
When a narrator, or outsider, tells the story, the reader gets the advantage of knowing what multiple character’s in the book are feeling and thinking. Also, the reader gets to experience parts of the story, even when the main character isn’t present.
Third-Person Point of View
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5. Here’s An Example
Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall are leaving baby Harry Potter with the Dursley’s after his parents are killed.
Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys’ house.
“Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?” asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.
“Shhh!” hissed Professor McGonagall, “you’ll wake the Muggles!”
“S – s – sorry,” sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. “But I c-c-can’t stand it – Lily and James dead – an’ poor little Harry off to live with Muggles –”
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6. Continued…
“Yes, yes, it’s all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we’ll be found,” Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry’s blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid’s shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to have gone out.
“Well,” said Dumbledore finally, “that’s that. We’ve no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.”
“Yeah,” said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, “I’ll be takin’ Sirius his bike back. G’night, Professor McGonagall – Professor Dumbledore, sir.”
Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.
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7. Think About It!
In this excerpt from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, which characters’ feelings were shown to the reader?
Do you think Harry Potter could have told us about this part of the story?
That’s Right!
This excerpt showed us how three different characters were dealing with leaving Harry Potter. Harry Potter was just a baby and could not have told this part of the story.
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8. What’s Another Point of View?
When a character tells the story, you get a unique perspective of the events taking place. The character’s own opinions and feelings effect how the story is told.
Perspective is the way you see something.
FYI:
Perspective is different for each person.
First-Person Point of View
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9. Here’s An Example
"Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story. I'm Alexander T. Wolf. You can call me Al. I don't know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it's all wrong. Maybe it's because of our diet. Hey, it's not my fault wolves eat cute little animals like bunnies and sheep and pigs. That's just the way we are. If cheeseburgers were cute, folks would probably think you were Big and Bad too. But like I was saying, the whole big bad wolf thing is all wrong. The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar. -The True Story of the Three Little Pigs By: Lane Smith
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10. Think About It!
Is this version of The Three Little Pigs going to be different from the version you heard growing up? Why?
Right!
This version is going to be different because we are hearing the story from the wolf’s perspective.
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11. What are the different Points of View?
Point of View
What is it?
Clue Words
Advantage
Disadvantage
First-Person
Third-Person
When a character tells the story.
You get to hear the thoughts of the character and see the story from their perspective.
You do not get to hear the thoughts of the other characters.
I, me, mine, my
You get to hear the thoughts of all characters in the story.
When a narrator, or outsider, tells the story.
he, she, they, them
You do not get to understand the main character as deeply.
If the pink gorilla eats watermelon every night, how much watermelons does he eat?
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12. Let’s Practice! What’s the Point-of-View
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13. Who is telling the story?
It should have been a perfect summer. My dad helped me build a tree house in our backyard. My sister was at camp for three whole weeks. And I was on the best baseball team in town. It should have been a perfect summer. But it wasn’t.
Enemy Pie
By: Derek Munson
Answer: The character is telling this story (First-Person POV).
Clue Words: My, me, our, I
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14. Who is telling the story?
Henry and his brothers and sisters worked in the big house where the master lived. Henry’s master had been good to Henry and his family. But Henry’s mother knew things could change. “Do you see those leaves blowing in the wind? They are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families.” -Henry’s Freedom Box By: Ellen Levine
Answer: A narrator is telling this story (Third-Person POV).
Clue Words: his, refer to main character by name.
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15. Who is telling the story?
They were both dressed up in suits that day; his father's suit was too small. And when he slapped Rob to make him stop crying, he ripped a hole underneath the arm of his jacket. "There ain't no point in crying," his father had said afterward. "Crying ain't going to bring her back." It had been six months since that day, six months since he and his father had moved from Jacksonville to Lister, and Rob had not cried since, not once. -The Tiger Rising By: Kate DiCampillo
Answer: A narrator is telling this story (Third-Person POV).
Clue Words: they, his, he, him, Refer to main character by name
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16. Who is telling the story?
I pulled open the refrigerator and got out the margarine. I unwrapped the sticks and dropped them into the bowl. I mixed and mashed and mixed and mashed until the ingredients disappeared into a paste. It was smooth and pale yellow and smelled like fresh cotton candy at the county fair. -Saturday’s and Teacakes By: Lester Laminack
Answer: A character is telling this story (First-Person POV).
Clue Words: I
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17. Deeper Thinking with Point of View
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18. It’s All About Perspective
That cloud looks like a bunny…
It looks like a dinosaur to me…
As we know…Perspective is the way
you see something.
Perspective is different for each person.
Imagine…there is a car accident where two drivers are involved. Of course there are lots of witnesses; four people on the sidewalk, a policeman, and the pilot of a helicopter that was flying overhead. In this scenario we have eight different points of view, or perspectives on the incident. More than likely, we will also have eight different descriptions of the accident.
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19. It’s All About Perspective
Think about each persons perspective on the given topic
Topic: A rainy day
Perspective -
A Farmer with dry soil
A 10 year old who has a championship soccer game.
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20. It’s All About Perspective
Think about each persons perspective on the given topic
Topic: Basketball player’s salary
Perspective -
Owner of a NBA Basketball Team
Player on a NBA Basketball Team
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21. It’s All About Perspective
Think about each persons perspective on the given topic
Topic: Civil War
Perspective -
The North
The South
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22. Perspective In A Story
Think about a book you’ve recently read. Now imagine the story being retold by a different character. Take a minute and think about how the story would change.
Would the “bad” character in the story suddenly become a “good” character?
Would the “good” character in the story suddenly become a “bad” character?
Would you better understand the actions of another character?
Would your opinions about characters or events in the book change?
Would you see new things you didn’t see before?
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23. Think about the story Snow White.
Perspective In A Story
Think about the story Snow White.
How might the story change if it was told from the Queen’s perspective?
What is her side of the story?
Before you complete this slide, read Snow White.
This activity can be done individually, or as a whole group.
In your Reader’s Notebook, write a new version of Snow White as told by the Queen.
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24. The End
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25. Extension Activities
Have students share their new version of Snow White with a partner.
Have them use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two versions.
In their Reading Notebooks, have them write a short response to the following question?
Explain what perspective is, and why it is so important to how a story is told?
Have students think about the perspective used in their own independent reading books. Have them determine how their book would be different if told by a different character. They can share their thinking
Use the book “Voices in the Park” by Anthony Browne, to show how perspective effects how a story is told.
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