Everything You Need to Teach Point of View

Each year, my students struggle with point of view.  They seem to understand the difference between first person and third person, but the concept of limited and omniscient points of view is challenging.  They also have difficulty understanding the impact that the point of view has on the story.  Therefore, I created several resources that help students master this difficult standard.  I pulled some free resources from my Point of View Mega-pack to share with you.

1.    I assess what my students know before I begin the unit with this Point of View Pretest.

2.   Then we move on to direct instruction.  I like to create engaging, narrated PowerPoints, which can easily be converted into videos.  Students sit at the computer with a pair of headphones and watch/listen to the lesson  Students complete a note-taking page as they go through the PowerPoint so that I can ensure they are paying attention.  
Double Bonus: I don't have to repeat myself each class period, AND my students told me that when they listen to my voice over the computer, it is easier for them to pay attention to the instruction  SCORE!

3.   After teaching the unit, I give them this Post-test.  It truly helps me gauge what the students learned.

My entire Point of View Unit is available here.  In addition to the aforementioned items, it also includes the following:  (Each item can be purchased individually.)

Point of view Poster Pack in English and Spanish

Point of View Bellringers and Exit Slips –Includes links to these videos, as teachers act out a scene from different points of view.

Comparing Points of view-Students read the same story from different points of view.  They tell me that this assignment really helps them see the difference between the points of view.  This will lead to them being able to discuss how the point of view of the story affects the plot.  Read the version of the story from the first person point of view in this blog post. 

Point of view game-Students use the computers to play the point of view game.  This is great practice for helping them recognize the different viewpoints.  Read more about the game in this blog post. 

Point of View Analysis: All Mixed Up-The author of the story got several different points of view mixed up! Students will enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out the story and correcting it.  This is the assignment that I give at the evaluative level.

By the end of this unit, my students have a good grasp of point of view and are better able to analyze the impact of the point of view on a story.

Teacher Spotlight Winner

Retired educator and counselor, Patricia Keefe

This week's teacher spotlight winner is Patricia Keefe. Here are Pat's own words:

I retired June 1, 2015 after 43 years in teaching.  I am currently writing grants for a foundation and enjoying retirement.  I was a guidance counselor for two decades and taught English in grades 6 through 12 during different periods of time.  I was also a High Ability enrichment teacher in K-8, a Title I Coordinator, Drug Free Schools Coordinator, High Ability Coordinator, and Corporation Test Coordinator. I coached Academic Teams, advised yearbooks and newspapers, sponsored a school-wide writing contest, coached problem solving teams, and managed an after-school program.

My passion is writing, and I am a teacher consultant for Indiana University Southwest in the National Writing Project group there.  I used that passion to teach writing in my classroom.  I integrated writing and technology in a flipped classroom environment.  I started Writer's Corner in March and plan to continue adding lessons about writing that I loved teaching and that engaged my students. My goals were to encourage them to write with voice and passion and to become lifelong readers. Someday I may pull all my lessons together in a digital book format, but for now, I am organizing them in TPT to save current writing teachers a great deal of time.

I have written poetry for many decades and someday may compile a poetry book. I also enjoy writing short stories, historical fiction, and am working on a young adult book describing the aftermath of a fictional school shooting. I have written a children's book column for my local hometown weekly newspaper for twenty-five years. I learned much about my students through their writing and they told me things about themselves they would have never disclosed in a class discussion.

I love getting "in the zone" when I am writing and creating characters. Sometimes it is hard to bring the story to an end because I have become so attached to the characters that I don't want to end my relationship with them yet. Writing is hard work and involves a lot of revision, sometimes cutting out parts of something that I have written which I love, because it is not working with the entire piece. I am blessed to be part of an online writing group that shares writing once a month with each other and to have a dear friend who is a great peer editor. We help each other and we work very well together. We each help make each other's writing more awesome.

YOU can enter to be featured on my blog as well!  If selected, you will win a $5 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers.  Simply fill out this form. That's it! No gimmicks or tricks.  I believe very strongly in highlighting and honoring the achievements of others.  Winners will be notified via e-mail before the post goes live.  

And in case you missed it, here are last month's freebies from several teacher-authors.  Have a great weekend! 

An InLinkz Link-up