Point of View Pronouns

Building academic language

Word

• Hand out the Vocabulary Instruction Chart to each student and tell them that they will be learning some key terms that will help them during the lesson.
• Introduce the vocabulary words one at a time, starting with mythological creature. First display the vocabulary card and read the word and definition out loud. Then, label the word with its part of speech and provide example(s) for the word (i.e., vampires and unicorns are examples of mythological creatures).
• Instruct your students to fill out a row on their chart using the information you provided.
• For the first term, "mythological creature," model how you would write your own sentence. For example, "A dragon is my favorite mythological creature to read about."
• Continue introducing words and have students fill in a row on their vocabulary chart for each one.

Sentence

• Tell students that authors use pronouns to tell who the speaker is in a story. We can look for pronouns to determine who is telling the story, a character or a narrator. When we look for pronouns in a story, it helps us understand the perspective of the speaker.
• Write an example sentence on the board like, "The vampire didn't eat his dinner." Circle the pronoun "his" and explain that in this sentence, the pronoun "his" tells us that the speaker is a narrator, not the vampire himself. Label the sentence "third person."
• Repeat with a second example like, "I don't like to eat broccoli for dinner." Circle the pronoun "I" and label the sentence "first person."
• Hand out the worksheet Pronouns & Point of View and review the word bank at the top of the page. Reference your example sentences while you go over the pronouns in each box.
• Read the directions for section one and instruct students to work with a partner to complete it. Then, review the answers with the class.
• Read the instructions aloud for section two and model the exercise by completing the two sentences for the character Zenon. Instruct students to complete the remaining sentences independently. Then, have students compare their answers with a partner. Call on volunteers to share their answers.

Discourse

• Explain to students that one story can be told from different points of view. Tell students that they will be reading a story called "The Birthday Surprise," which is written from two points of view. Remind students to pay attention to pronouns as they read.
• Hand out the worksheet Practicing Point of View. Read the first story aloud and tell students to work with their partner to answer the questions that follow. Then, have students read the second story with their partner and answer the questions together.
• Discuss the differences between the two versions of the story with your students as you review the answers to the questions.
• Read the directions aloud for the bottom section of the worksheet labeled "Think about it." Instruct your students to complete the story frame independently. Then have students compare their responses with their partner.
• Ask students to think about what point of view the mom's story is written in (first person) then call on a volunteer to share their insight. Provide a sentence frame for students to use during the discussion (i.e., "I can tell that the mom's story is told in a ____ point of view because I saw the pronouns ____ and ____.").