Point of View

What is point of
view?
Learning Target

● I can define the different types of point of view.

● I can describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point
of view impacts how events are described.

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Warm Up

How do you think that the story

“The Three Little Pigs” would
change if it was told by the wolf
instead of focusing on the Pigs
side of the story?

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Point of View

Point of view is the perspective from which

a story is told. The same information or story
can be shared in different ways.

Point of view is the “pair of eyes” from

which a story is told!

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4 Types of Point of View

There are 4 different types of point of view, let’s learn the

difference between them!

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Figuring out the Point of View

● Read the text carefully.

● Circle or highlight keywords from your keyword list.

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1st Person POV
Example:

● Told by a person or My dog and I were playing with

character in the story a ball in the living room, when
suddenly, it bounced off of the
Keywords television. We watched it slam
into the ground, making a loud
-I -me crash. My mom ran into the
-We -us room yelling. “Why did this
happen to me?” I groaned.
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2nd Person POV
Example:

● A narrator directly You’re about to catch the bus to

addresses the reader school and you think to
yourself, “I’m forgetting
Keywords something. My project!” So you
-You -your run back into your house to get
-you’re -yours it. By the time you get back to
-Yourself the busstop you see the bus
pulling away. Mondays are the
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worst.
3rd Person Limited POV
Example:

● The narrator knows the “You ready for the basketball

thoughts and feelings of finals?” Coach asked Omar. Omar
ONE character. was feeling nervous, but he
couldn’t let his coach know that.
“Of course not, Coach! I’m feeling
Keywords
good about them!” Omar knew the
-He -she
only thing that could keep his team
-Him -her from winning was him. His nerves.
-it His doubts.
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3rd Person Omniscient POV
● The narrator knows the
thoughts and feelings of
ALL characters.
Keywords
-They -them
-Characters names
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Example:
The rollercoaster slowly clicked up
the hill. Mom was terrified, her
eyes shut tight. Dad was excited,
already screaming and Alex had no
idea what was to come. None of
them really did. Alex was happy
that both his parents agreed to
accompany him on Rockabilly
Park’s newest and fastest coaster.
Let’s Practice!

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One Story: Different Points of
View
We are going to read a story that has 3 different points of
view. Use your keyword list to help you figure out the
different points of view in this story.
● Highlight or circle key words in each passage that help
you figure out the point of view.
● Then, write the correct point of view in the space
provided.

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The Cat and the Mouse Version #1

That ugly old cat has been after me for years. He’s never caught me before. His
Humans started feeding him diet cat food, so I’m a little afraid now that he can
actually run. But I can’t help myself. I love to tease him. I like to duck out of my
crack in the wall and taunt him. I rustle around in a box of cereal so that he can
hear me, begin to chase me, only to watch me escape into one of my many hiding
places. You’d think that after all of these years he would give up! Who knows,
maybe he’s having as much fun as I am.

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The Cat and the Mouse Version #2

Rupert the cat had enough. That annoying mouse had to go. Rupert decided that
he would stop eating cheese pizza and have a try of that cardboard diet food his
Humans bought for him. He started training every day to catch that mouse.
Rupert ran up and down the stairs, jumped in the air trying to catch bugs, and
even stooped so low as chasing his own tail in circles. He would be ready. He
would never be woken up by the sound of the mouse in his favorite Humans
cereal box ever again. Rupert had even mapped out almost all of the mouse’s
hiding spots. His plan was nearly ready.

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The Cat and the Mouse Version #3
They both lived in the same house since they were babies, Rupert the cat and Dan
the mouse. For no reason at all, they hated one another. Dan teased Rupert
without mercy. Rupert stalked Dan, trying to catch him whenever he could. That
was until the day Rupert finally caught Dan. Dan was shocked that ugly old
Rupert had finally pounced on him. “I supposed you’re going to eat me,” Dan
asked nervously. “Ugh, no! I much prefer cheese pizza.” Rupert continued, “But
maybe you could stop being so annoying? I mean, I’ll even share my pizza with
you,” Dan squinted his beady black eyes and said seriously, “Fine. You’ve got a
deal.” From then on, they shared a midnight snack of cheese pizza.
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POV Impact Statement

As we have seen firsthand, depending on the point of view, the

readers understanding of the story and the characters in it can
change.

We are going to write about how different perspective impact

our understanding of the story.

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POV Impact Statement
When the story is told from Rupert’s point of view, the reader feels
________________________________________________________________
about Dan.

One reason from the story is,

________________________________________________________________

But when the story is told from Dan’s perspective, the reader feels
________________________________________________________________
about Rupert.

One reason from the story is,

________________________________________________________________

The difference in point of view allows the reader to understand

________________________________________________________________
about the characters in the story.
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Exit Ticket

How can I tell the difference

between 3rd Person Limited and
3rd Person Omniscient point of
view?

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