Aligned with 8.RL.5: This lesson helps students meet 8.RL.5 in ELA by focusing on understanding characters’ points of view in stories.
Understanding Characters’ Points of View in Stories
Understanding Characters’ Points of View in Stories Objective: Students will learn to describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described in a story, meeting the requirements of standard 8.RL.5.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the narrator’s point of view in a story.
- Explain how the narrator’s point of view can influence the way events are described.
- Use examples from the text to support understanding of point of view.
Materials Needed
- Short story appropriate for 8-year-old (printable or digital)
- Worksheet for identifying point of view and its influence
- Pencils or pens
- Notebook or paper
Key Vocabulary
- Point of View
- The perspective from which a story is told, like first person (I, we) or third person (he, she, they).
- Narrator
- The person telling the story.
- Perspective
- A particular attitude or way of considering something.
Detailed Activities
Read and Discuss a Short Story
- Choose a short story appropriate for an 8-year-old student.
- Read the story aloud together, or have the student read it aloud.
- Pause to ask who is telling the story and what words show the point of view.
- Discuss how the story might feel different if told by another character.
Worksheet on Point of View
- Provide the student with a worksheet that asks them to identify the point of view in the story.
- Ask the student to describe how the narrator’s point of view influences the way events are described.
- Review answers together and discuss any areas of confusion.
Create Your Own Point of View
- Ask the student to think of a simple event, like a trip to the park.
- Have them tell the event from their own point of view, then imagine telling it from a friend’s point of view.
- Discuss how the story changes depending on who tells it.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- You don’t need to be an expert to help your child with this lesson. Just read and discuss the story together.
- Encourage your child to use examples from the text to explain their answers.
- Keep the discussion simple and fun; the goal is to help your child understand that stories can be told from different points of view.
Assessment Questions
- Who is telling the story in the short story you read?
- What words helped you know the narrator’s point of view?
- How would the story be different if it was told by another character?
- Can you give an example of how the narrator’s point of view influenced the way events were described?
Extension Ideas
- Read another story with a different narrator and compare the points of view.
- Write a short story from two different points of view and discuss how the story changes.
- Watch a short movie or animation and talk about who is telling the story or showing the events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try using simple examples from their own life, like telling a story from their perspective and then from a friend’s. This helps make the idea more relatable.
Focus on reading together and asking open-ended questions like ‘Who is telling this story?’ and ‘How do you think they feel?’ It’s okay to learn alongside your child.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse point of view with the main idea of the story.
- Some students might think the narrator is always a character in the story.
- Students might believe point of view does not affect how events are described.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use very short and simple stories to practice identifying the narrator.
- Use drawings or role-play to explore different points of view.
- Provide sentence starters to help answer questions about point of view.
For Advanced Students:
- Have students compare first-person and third-person narrators in two different stories.
- Encourage writing a short story from multiple points of view.
- Discuss how an unreliable narrator can affect the story’s meaning.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 15 minutes reading and discussing the story together.
- Allow 15 minutes for completing and reviewing the worksheet.
- Use the last 15 minutes for the creative activity to reinforce understanding.
Standards
- 8.RL.5 — Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Downloadable Lesson Plan
Plan Your Own Lesson
Looking for a custom lesson plan? Try our Lesson Planning Generator — create standards-based plans for any topic, instantly!
Common Core Aligned Lesson Plans
Looking for another common core lesson? See all of the lesson plans here.
More Free Lesson Plans
We’re adding more every week! Check back soon or explore all our lesson plans here.