Understanding Story Elements Through Characters’ Perspectives
Understanding Story Elements Through Characters’ Perspectives Objective: Students will be able to identify how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences the description of events and characters in a story.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the narrator or speaker in a story.
- Describe how the narrator’s point of view affects the story.
- Explain how different perspectives change the description of events or characters.
Materials Needed
- A short story appropriate for 7-year-olds (about 1-2 pages)
- Paper and pencils
- Printed worksheet with guided questions about point of view and story elements
Key Vocabulary
- Narrator
- The person or character who tells the story.
- Point of View
- The perspective from which a story is told.
- Character
- A person or animal in a story.
Detailed Activities
Read and Discuss the Story
- Read the chosen short story aloud together or have the student read it independently.
- Ask simple questions to identify who is telling the story (narrator) and what point of view it is (first person, third person).
- Discuss how the narrator’s perspective might influence what is described or how events are shared.
Worksheet Completion
- Provide the student with a worksheet that asks specific questions about the narrator and perspective.
- Encourage the student to write or draw answers showing how the narrator’s point of view affects their understanding of the story.
- Review the worksheet together and clarify any misunderstandings.
Create a Different Perspective
- Ask the student to imagine the story told from another character’s point of view.
- Have the student write or narrate a few sentences describing events from this new perspective.
- Discuss how the story changes based on who is telling it.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on helping your child understand how stories can be told from different points of view and how that changes what they learn about the characters and events.
- You do not need to be an expert; follow the guided questions and encourage your child to think about who is telling the story and why that matters.
- Keep the discussion simple and use examples from everyday life to explain perspective, such as telling the same event from your viewpoint and your child’s viewpoint.
Assessment Questions
- Who is telling the story?
- What point of view is the story told from (first person, third person)?
- How does the narrator’s point of view change the way we learn about the characters or events?
- Can you tell the story from a different character’s point of view?
Extension Ideas
- Read a second story with a different narrator and compare how the stories feel different.
- Draw pictures showing what different characters might notice or feel about the same event.
- Create a short story together where you alternate sentences from different characters’ points of view.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try using real-life examples, like describing a family event from both your and your child’s perspective, to make the idea more concrete and relatable.
Look for simple children’s books or stories online or at your local library that clearly show a narrator’s perspective and include clear characters and events.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse the narrator with the author, thinking they are always the same person.
- Children might think that all stories are told from the same point of view.
- Some may assume that the narrator always knows everything about the story.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use oral discussion rather than writing to explain point of view.
- Use picture books with clear first-person narration.
- Provide sentence starters for writing activities.
For Advanced Students:
- Introduce the concept of unreliable narrators or multiple narrators.
- Have students compare two stories with different points of view about the same event.
- Encourage creative writing from multiple characters’ perspectives.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend extra time on discussion and examples if the concept is new to your child.
- Break the lesson into two shorter sessions if needed: one for reading and discussion, another for worksheet and creative writing.
- Allow flexibility for your child’s interest and attention span.
Standards
- 7.RL.6 — Identify how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences the description of events, characters, and settings in a text.
Printable Worksheet
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