If you are looking for some high-interest activities to enhance your perspective lessons, try using animated shorts to teach the reading skill perspective. This post contains the animated short “Oktapodi” found on YouTube and inserted in this post.
Using Oktapodi to Teach Perspective [2:25]
An octopus tells the story. A fish market owner sells his love. Through a series of comical events, the octopus tries to reunite with his love.
The Handout
In this animated short, students will evaluate the perspective of the main characters.
What people are saying about the full unit…
Alayna
This is a thoroughly organized collection of wonderful shorts that connect to standards. I have used this resource as an engage, as well as a review, and the students have such a great emotional reaction to the films– especially the octopus ;). Thank you.
The handout includes the following information:
Who is telling the story?
an octopus
The camera remains on the octopus except for one small scene which shows the man driving downstairs and tumbling into the sea.
How does the narrator’s point of view change how the events are being described?
The story follows the octopus.
The viewer sees through the octopus’s eyes that the man is a butcher. He envisions his love being chopped up for a meal.
The viewer does not know what happened to the man after he crashes his delivery truck.
Why do you think the narrator described the events the way he did?
The viewer can emphasize with the octopus.
The viewer feels the man is the villain. He is hurting the octopus by taking his love away.
The viewer is pulling (cheering) for the octopus. The viewer wants the octopus to be successful.
How would the story change if a different character was the narrator?
If the story were told from the man’s viewpoint, the viewer would have a better understanding of his feelings.
The viewer would want the man to get back his possession.
More Samples from the Teaching Reading with Animated Shorts Series
- Inference
- Summarizing
- Main Idea and Details
- Point of View and Perspective
- Theme
- Characters and Setting
- Cause and Effect
- Compare and Contrast
- Problems and Solution
- Christmas Shorts
- Mood and Tone with Christmas Shorts
Check out all six products in the Reading and Writing Series. Units are also available as bundles.
Reading Series
