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Point of View: Who Is Telling the Story?

Students learn to spot who is narrating a story — a character telling their own tale (first person) or an outside voice describing the characters (third person) — by the pronouns the author uses.

Grade 4Literature45 minutes1 class periodReading WorkshopExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain what point of view means.
  • ✓Identify first-person narration (I, we).
  • ✓Identify third-person narration (he, she, they).
  • ✓Explain how point of view shapes a story.
Essential Question

“I ran home” and “She ran home” tell the same event — but from different narrators. How can you tell who is telling a story?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Whose Story? · Interactive

Whose Story Is It?

Project each excerpt and read it aloud. Have students look at the pronouns and decide the point of view — the tool explains the clue.

🗣️ Read the excerpt — first or third person?Try it
Look at the pronouns. What is the point of view?
The Lesson · Reading Workshop (Mini-Lesson · Practice · Share)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Connect — Same Story, Two Voices

5 min

“I won!” vs. “She won!” — what changed?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell one event two ways (I vs. she).
  • Ask what’s different about the teller.
  • Set the goal: point of view.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Hear both versions.
  • Notice the pronoun change.
  • Predict what POV means.
2

Teach — First & Third Person

10 min

Teacher teaches POV.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Define point of view (who tells it).
  • First person = I/we (in the story).
  • Third person = he/she/they (outside).

🎒 Student Actions

  • Learn first vs. third.
  • Spot the pronouns.
  • Name the narrator.
3

Active Engagement — Whose Story

12 min

Class uses the tool.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Work through the excerpts.
  • Have students find the pronoun clue.
  • Confirm first or third person.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find the pronouns.
  • Choose the POV.
  • Explain the clue.
4

Independent Practice — Your Turn

13 min

Students identify + rewrite POV.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give excerpts to label.
  • Have students rewrite one in a new POV.
  • Discuss how it changes the story.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Label each POV.
  • Rewrite in a new POV.
  • Explain the change.
5

Share — Share

5 min

Students share a rewrite.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Invite a first-to-third rewrite.
  • Compare how it feels.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share a rewrite.
  • Name the POV.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

CCSS
RL.4.6

Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including first- and third-person.

CCSS
RL.4.1

Refer to details and examples when explaining what a text says.

CCSS
RL.4.3

Describe a character, setting, or event, drawing on specific details.

CCSS
SL.4.1

Engage effectively in collaborative discussions.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Pronoun cards (I/we vs. he/she/they).
  • Sentence frame: “This is ___ person because it uses ___.”
  • Color-code the pronouns.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on “I = first person” as the key clue.
  • Give two choices instead of three.
  • Highlight the pronouns for them.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Rewrite a paragraph from first to third person.
  • Compare POV in two books.
  • Explain how POV changes what we know.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Reading notebooks
  • 💻Whose Story Is It?
  • 📚Story excerpts
  • 🖍️Highlighters
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

point of viewwho is telling the storynarratorthe voice telling the storyfirst persona narrator in the story (I, we)third persona narrator outside the story (he, she, they)pronouna word like I, she, or theyperspectivethe way someone sees thingscharactera person in the storynarrateto tell a story
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “point of view” mean?
Who is telling the story — the narrator’s position.
QUESTION 2
Which pronouns tell you a story is in first person?
“I” and “we” (and my, our).
QUESTION 3
“Jordan grabbed his bat and smiled at the crowd.” What point of view is this?
Third person (it uses “Jordan” and “his,” telling the story from outside).

Going deeper? Flip the POV.

Have students take a short first-person passage and rewrite it in third person (or the reverse), then discuss how the story feels different. A printable POV-flip sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Point of ViewFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Point of ViewQuiz
Score: 0
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Point of ViewPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: character, first person, narrate, narrator, perspective, point of view, pronoun, third person
  1. a person in the story
  2. a narrator in the story (I, we)
  3. to tell a story
  4. who is telling the story
  5. a narrator outside the story (he, she, they)
  6. the voice telling the story
  7. a word like I, she, or they
  8. the way someone sees things

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “point of view” mean?
  2. Which pronouns tell you a story is in first person?
  3. “Jordan grabbed his bat and smiled at the crowd.” What point of view is this?
Answer key — Part A: 1) character · 2) first person · 3) narrate · 4) point of view · 5) third person · 6) narrator · 7) pronoun · 8) perspective
Part B: 1) Who is telling the story — the narrator’s position. 2) “I” and “we” (and my, our). 3) Third person (it uses “Jordan” and “his,” telling the story from outside).