Understanding Characters’ Points of View in Stories
Understanding Characters’ Points of View in Stories Objective: Students will be able to identify different characters’ points of view in a story and explain how these perspectives influence the story’s events and outcomes.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize and describe the point of view of different characters in a story.
- Explain how a character’s point of view affects what happens in the story.
- Use drawings and words to show understanding of characters’ perspectives.
Materials Needed
- A short story appropriate for 6-year-olds (print or digital)
- Paper and crayons or colored pencils
- Worksheet with questions about characters’ points of view
- Pencil and eraser
Key Vocabulary
- Point of View
- The way a character thinks or feels about what is happening in a story.
- Character
- A person or animal in a story.
- Perspective
- How someone sees or understands something, like a story or event.
Detailed Activities
Read and Explore Characters’ Points of View
- Read the selected short story aloud with your child, or have them follow along if they can read independently.
- Pause after reading to talk about the main characters and ask your child how they think each character feels or thinks about what happened.
- Discuss how these feelings or thoughts might change what happens next in the story.
- Complete the worksheet together that asks questions about each character’s point of view.
- Have your child draw a picture showing one character’s perspective and describe it in simple sentences.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- Encourage your child to express their ideas freely; there are no wrong answers when sharing thoughts about characters.
- Use simple language when discussing points of view, and relate it to real-life situations (e.g., ‘How would you feel if you were that character?’).
- Keep the session light and fun, allowing breaks if your child loses focus.
Assessment Questions
- Who are the main characters in the story?
- How do you think this character feels about what happened?
- Can you tell me why this character might see things differently than another character?
- What happened in the story because of how a character felt or thought?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child write a short story or draw a comic strip showing a familiar event from two different characters’ points of view.
- Watch a short children’s movie and discuss how different characters see the same event differently.
- Role-play a scene from the story, taking turns acting as different characters to explore their feelings and thoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try using real-life examples your child can relate to, like how two friends might feel differently about a game. Using drawings and role-play can also help make the idea clearer.
You can read the story aloud to your child and ask simple questions about the characters’ feelings. Listening and discussing together is very helpful, even if you don’t feel like a reading expert.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Children may confuse the narrator’s point of view with a character’s point of view.
- Students might think all characters feel the same way about the events in the story.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use picture books with clear character emotions to help identify points of view.
- Provide sentence starters to guide their answers, like ‘I think the character feels… because…’.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage comparing the points of view of multiple characters and how they affect story outcomes.
- Have them write a short paragraph from the perspective of a lesser-known character.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend extra time reading and discussing the story if needed, moving at a comfortable pace.
- Keep activities short and varied to maintain engagement within the 45-minute lesson.
Standards
- 6.RL.7 — Analyze how different elements of a story, including the point of view of characters, contribute to the plot and overall meaning.
Printable Worksheet
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