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    Author’s Point of View

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    Subject: ELA (English Language Arts)

    Lesson Length: 1 - 2 hours

    Topic: Reading: Informational Text

    Grade Level: 5, 6, 7, 8

    Standards / Framework:

    • CC.5.R.I.6
    • CC.6.R.I.6
    • CC.7.R.I.6
    • CC.8.R.I.6

    Brief Description: Students will be able to write from a first-person point of view.

    Know Before You Start: Students should be familiar with elements of a story such as character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme.

    Hook:

    • Ask students:
      • “What is a first-person point of view in writing?” 
      • “How does a story change when it is told from different character’s points of view?”

    Activity:

    • Read a story to the class that showcases multiple perspectives. (See the Resources section below for suggested texts to use for this lesson.) As students listen, have them complete a graphic organizer that has each character on one side of the chart. On the other side of the chart, have students answer the question “How does ______ view what is happening in the story?”
      • Provide intentional stopping points in the story for students to record and discuss answers.
      • Students should provide evidence from the story to support their thinking.
    • Have students form trios to work in small groups. The trio of students should collaborate to create an original story idea. Have one student take on the role of recorder and complete a graphic organizer, with the other students’ help to map out the basic storyline. Remind students to include at least three characters in the story.
    • Have each student take one character to tell the same story from their perspective in a first-person point of view. 
    • Have students create a comic that includes their group’s characters, setting, plot, conflict, and theme but told from a specific character’s first-person point of view.

    Closure:

    • Have students share their comics in pairs or small groups.
    • Consider displaying the comics on a bulletin board for everyone to read and see the same story told from different points of view.
    • Share with students that today they made comics that told a story in a first-person point of view. A story that is told from a different point of view can completely affect the storyline because each character has their own perspective and experiences.

    Differentiation:

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
    • Consider having students provide peer feedback or conference with a teacher for feedback after the planning or drafting phases of the writing process. 
    • Provide a graphic organizer to students when planning their comics.

    Resources:

    Suggested Content Packs:

    Suggested Story Starters:

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    Related Ideas

    Author’s Analogies

    Students will explore and understand the importance of sequencing in a story as well as how the inclusion of analogies helps paint a clear picture for readers in narrative writing.

    Pictures Tell a Story

    Students will be able to present a comic to their peers to explain the relationship between the illustrations in their comic and how they add to the meaning of the story.