Students must understand perspective to grasp how stories are told and interpreted. While point of view identifies who narrates the story, perspective deals with the narrator’s interpretation of events and characters. This post shows practical ways to teach perspective using activities and resources.
Lesson Handout
This handout includes printables and instructions for all activities listed in this post.
Differences Between Point of View and Perspective
Understanding the differences between perspective and point of view helps students analyze how various perspectives shape a narrative and influence their interpretation.
Point of View
This term refers to the narrator’s position in the story.
- Is the narrator a character within the story (first-person) or an external observer (third-person)?
- Does the narrator know the inner thoughts and feelings of one character, multiple characters, or none?
Perspective
This term focuses on how the narrator presents the story.
- What are the narrator’s personal feelings and biases?
- How do these influence the depiction of events and other characters?
Common Core State Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6: Compare and contrast different narrators’ perspectives. Discuss how the story would change if told from a different perspective.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6: Describe how a narrator’s perspective influences event descriptions. Analyze how the narrator’s emotions and biases affect storytelling.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6: Explain how an author develops a narrator’s perspective. Explore how the author’s choices impact the reader’s understanding of the story.
Teaching Ideas and Printables
A True Story
The first thing that comes to mind when planning a lesson on perspective is an activity in a psychology class I took in college. It was an entry-level class with an auditorium packed with students. In the middle of the lecture, a guy ran down one aisle, across the front of the room, and up the other aisle before leaving. He shook his fist, yelled, jumped up and down, and made several other off-the-wall gestures. The event was fast – just a minute or two. The professor stopped his lecture and had the students write a description of the event. Next, students shared their descriptions in small groups. It was amazing how different the descriptions were.
After this, the “strange fellow” re-entered the auditorium. He had been a planned part of the lesson. Students compared the physical descriptions to the guy’s actual appearance. The point of the lesson was that when emotions are involved, people react and “see” the same situation differently.
The lesson has stayed with me. Although I haven’t recreated this in the classroom, I have wondered if there was a way to have a “less scary” version…a clown, a person dressed up in an animal suit, or something similar. This activity would make students stop and think – creating great discussions. It is also a great way to include a parent volunteer.
What Do You See Pictures?
Introduce perspective using illustrations that offer multiple interpretations. Provide students with “What do you see?” images that show different viewpoints. For example, a picture that can be seen as either a young woman or an old lady. Discuss how each viewpoint influences the description.
Fractured Fairy Tales
Stories like Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs present familiar tales from a new perspective. Use these to show how shifting the narrative viewpoint can change the story’s impact.
The Wolf Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood by Toby Forward (The story is told from the perspective of the wolf.)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka (The story is told from the perspective of the wolf.)
Josh Funk’s It’s Not a Fairy Tale Series
- It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk
- It’s Not Hansel and Gretel
- It’s Not Little Red Riding Hood
(The characters in Josh Funk’s books do not like the way the narrator tells the story. They interject details to “correct” the narrator making laugh-out-loud moments. Reading a book featuring this unique perspective makes for a great lesson. Also, be sure to check out Josh Funk’s website for coloring pages. Downsize the pages leaving writing space to the side for students to write reactions to or answer questions about the story.)
Books for Teaching Perspective
Picture Books
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Voices in the Park by Anthony Brown illustrate perspective through varied viewpoints. These books offer excellent examples of how different characters can interpret the same event differently.
Novels
Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea use multiple perspectives to enrich the narrative. Discuss how the alternating viewpoints provide a deeper understanding of the story.
Fables
Fables such as The Hare and the Tortoise and The Lion and the Mouse are ideal for rewriting from different character perspectives. Have students create their versions of these fables, showcasing how perspective changes the narrative.
Teaching perspective is essential to helping students become insightful readers and thinkers. By using a variety of engaging activities, from analyzing “What do you see?” pictures to rewriting fables from new perspectives, students gain a deeper understanding of how a narrator’s viewpoint can shape a story.
To support your lessons, download the free handout, which includes all the activities mentioned in this post. This resource will provide the tools to make your perspective lessons more interactive and meaningful for your students.
Get the handout here and start inspiring your students today!
See the product that inspired this post.
Our Story Elements Series offers engaging activities in both digital (Google Slides) and printable formats, easily convertible to PowerPoint for offline use. It includes a vocabulary list with definitions, a multiple-choice quiz, question stems by grade level, video lessons with organizers, and various activities. Check out the previews of each book in the bundle, covering Point of View, Characters and Settings, Plot Development, and Theme.
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