Teaching Point of View and Narrator in the Classroom

Point of View is the perspective from which the story is told. The narrator is the person telling the story. Use these tips and tricks for teaching point of view and narrator to enhance your reading lessons in your reading classroom.

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Point of View Reading Standards

Look at how the Point of View/Narrator Common Core standards change over the grade levels. It is interesting to see how this standard grows and changes over the years.

1st Grade- RL 1.6 Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

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2nd Grade- RL 2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

3rd Grade- RL 3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

4th Grade- RL 4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

5th Grade- RL5.6 Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

6th Grade- RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

7th Grade- RL 7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

8th Grade- RL 8.6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

In this standard-

Students should be able to identify different types of points of view (first-person, third- person, limited, third-person omniscient) and speakers (reliable, unreliable) within a text or passage
Students should be able to show how the point of view within a text affects the reader and contributes to the mood, tone, and overall understanding of the text.
Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of how the speaker can shape a text (is the speaker reliable or unreliable) and how the reader views the characters and/or events of the plot.
Finally at the 8th grade level, students need to understand things like dramatic irony to know how being in on a secret that the main character doesn’t know adds to the suspense or humor of a story.

First Person and Third Person Point of View

There are two main types of Point of View, First Person and Third Person. First person is when the main character is the narrator. Third person is when the text is narrated by an outside observer. I have shared a few different movie clips I like to use as examples for each type of narrator.

First Person Point of View

First Person is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns “I” and “we.”

I like to use this Diary of a Wimpy kid example for the first person narrator. In this clip Greg is explaining his thoughts on having a diary . . . I mean journal.

This oldie of Clarissa Explains it All is another example of first person (at the 1:30 time stamp). Clarissa addresses the audience to explain her thoughts on concert tickets.

Third Person Limited Point of View

Third Person Limited Point of View is the narrator is an outside observer that focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

The prologue to the 1991 version of Beauty and the Beast is a great example of the limited point of view. It only focuses on how the beast became the beast.

Third Person Omniscient Point of View

Third Person Omniscient Point of View is the narrator is an outside observer who can tell us the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a story.

This Benjamin Button clip of all the events that lead to an unfortunate incident involving Daisy is a good example of an outside observer narrating multiple events at the same time.

Third Person Objective Point of View

Third Person Objective Point of View is the narrator reports the facts of a narrator as a seemingly neutral and impersonal outside observer.

March of the Penguins is a great example of the narrator reporting facts as an outside observer. If I had to pick a narrator for my life, Morgan Freeman would be in my top choices. I love his voice!

For all of the YouTube links, please preview them before sharing them with your class. You know your students best!

Second Person Point of View

Second Person Point of View is rare in literature as it breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader, through addressing ‘you.’ This implies that the reader is either the protagonist in the story or a character experiencing the story.

Second person is more often found in advertisements, video games and some types of nonfiction self-help books. The most popular book example would be When You Give A Mouse a Cookie series of books. They are all told through second person.

Can your narrator be trusted? Reliable and Unreliable Narrators

Reliable narrators are what we usually read in text, but unreliable narrators sometimes show up in stories and make for an interesting read.

A reliable narrator is trustworthy. They share the details of the story as it happened or as they experienced it. Third-person omniscient narrators are usually reliable, like a fact- teller, and many first-person narrators can be as well. Reliable narrators sound like they know what they are talking about and show a deep understanding of the characters and events as the story happens. They offer unbiased descriptions of characters and events.

The unreliable narrator is one we are not sure to believe. They display characteristics or tendencies that show a lack of credibility or understanding of the story. Maybe because of their age, if they are crazy (like Edgar Allen Poe’s narrators) or some other reason, an unreliable narrator gives the reader either an incomplete picture or inaccurate information.

Example of an unreliable narrator in The Tell Tale Heart (the story of the narrator, a crazy, who decides to kill the old man that he lives with):

“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees- very gradually- I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.”

As you read, you learn this man has decided to kill the old man because his eye is driving him crazy. We learn from this paragraph that we might need to question, as a reader, this man’s perspective and thoughts.

I have my students add these in their notes for reliable and unreliable narrators. It’s really important to emphasize that just because someone is telling them something in a book, they shouldn’t necessarily trust it because it was written in a book.

Reliable Narrator- This narrator is trustworthy. They do not share their opinion when telling the descriptions of the characters and events of the story. This is the most common type of narrator in a story.

Unreliable Narrator- This narrator is one we are not sure to believe. For some reason, they give readers false information or don’t share the whole story.

As we grow in our ability as readers we start to learn who is trustworthy, who is not and people that we should question.

Favorite Teacher’s Pay Teachers Resources for Teaching Point of View

Practice & Assess Reading Literature– This was created by Lovin Lit. This product has more than point of view and narrator, it covers pretty much any reading topic you will teach in the upper elementary and middle school classrooms. It’s a bit of an investment, but it is a great product that I often use throughout the year.
Reading Interactive Notebook– Another product created by Lovin Lit. There are so many helpful resources in here. Even if you are not a fan of using an interactive notebook, you will find her notes and resources for teaching a variety of topics worth it.
Point of View PowerPoint Lessons– Created by Deb Hanson, this one is great for introducing point of view. I also love the practice pages.
Point of View Task Cards- Rachel Lynette created this product. Task cards are always a nice way to change things up and get the kids up and moving while reviewing narrator.
Reading Vocabulary Word Search– I created this product as a way to introduce and review key reading vocabulary throughout the year. Word searches in this product include elements of plot, narrator & point of view, types of characters and literary genres to name a few. You can also check out my Reading Vocabulary Crack the Code as well.