Lesson Plan

55 Minutes
Allyson Crooks
Aimee Sharif
October 22, 2014
Understanding Point of View Through Pronouns
English Language Arts/ Grade 7
Objective:
The student will analyze the authors use of point of view by differentiating
between characters or narrators in a text.
Common Core Standard: ELA-L-7-6
English Language Arts, Literature, Grade 7, Standard 6
1. Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of
different characters or narrators in a text.
*Anticipatory Set (used also as Bell Ringer Activity):
The students will pick up a plastic egg from a table by the door, sit down at their
seats, and start on the bell ringer question, which will be projected on the board.
The bell ringer question will be: Think back to our grammar lesson on pronouns.
On a half sheet of paper, write down as many pronouns as you can remember.
We will then use Ask-Pause-Call to see what pronouns they remember.
*Segue: Today we are going to learn how pronouns can help us determine what
type of point of view is being used in a text.
Information:
After the bell ringer, the instructors will give a short PowerPoint presentation,
using the projector. The PowerPoint will provide students with information on
frst-person, second-person, and third-person points of view. The instructor will
go over the information and offer students a way to remember the different
points of view by having students actually point with their fngers to different
people associated with frst-person, second-person, and third-person views.

Descript
ion

First-Person

Second-Person

Third-Person

narrator refers to
himself/herself either
alone (singular) or

narrator refers to the

reader

narrator refers
to characters in
the story

together with others

(plural)
Pronoun
Usage

singular: I, me, my/mine

plural: we, us, our/ours

you, your, yours

masculine: he,
him, his
feminine: she,
her, hers
neutral: it, its

Purpose

generally used for

autobiographical writing

used to specifcally
generally used
address the audience for fctional
writing

Example

I used a coupon when I

went to the store to buy
milk.

When you go to the

store to buy milk,
make sure you
remember to use
your coupon.

He used a
coupon when he
went to the
store to buy
milk.

*Activity:
The instructor will project 4 short excerpts on the board (these will also be on
the handout provided). Students will be placed with their pronoun partner (eggs
will be used to determine pronoun partners). We will use a variety of excerpts
which illustrate each type of point of view in different contexts. The students will
be asked to determine what point of view is used in each excerpt, and to
highlight the pronouns which indicate the specifc point of view. This is a version

of a Think, Pair, Share activity because students will think about the
information they just learned, pair up to discuss point of view in the text, and
will share their answers when we use Ask-Pause-Call. This activity should take
approximately 10 minutes (4 minutes to read the excerpts, 4 minutes to
determine which point of view is being used, and 2 minutes for Ask-PauseCall).
Except 1: Sometimes, you read a book and it flls you with this weird
evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will
never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the
book. And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can't
tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising
your affection feels like betrayal. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Excerpt 2: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Except 3: "For the frst time, he heard something that he knew to be
music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of
space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music
too. But perhaps, it was only an echo." The Giver by Lois Lowry
Excerpt 4: "I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls
always imagined things, thats why other people hated them so, and if I
started behaving like one I could just go off and fnd some to play with."
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
*How I Will Assign Groups:
As students enter the room, they will select a plastic egg out of a bowl by the
front door. When given the instruction to do so, students will open the eggs and
read what the paper inside says. If the student has a slip with the pronoun you
on it, they will fnd the person whose slip says you. If the student has a slip
with the pronoun I on it, they will fnd the person whose slip says I etc.
Students will then be given 30 seconds to fnd their pronoun partner. Once they
fnd their partner, students will sit with their partner and quietly wait for the
auditory signal Clap Once, Clap Twice.
Ask:
(Questions to check for understanding)
How will you fnd your partner?
What are you supposed to be looking for in the excerpts?
How much time do you have to do this?
Does anyone have any questions on this activity?
*Information:
The texts that we have looked at up until this point have only used one type of
pronoun. In many cases, you will encounter texts which use more than one type

of pronoun; however, these texts still only use one point of view. Instructors will
explain the reasons a combination of types of pronouns may be used (e.g.
dialogue, or description of an object/person/event), and will illustrate how to
locate the dominant pronoun (the pronoun which indicates point of view and not
those which are used in dialogue or description).
*Question:
Instructor will project the following excerpt on the board, and will ask the
students When a writer includes dialogue, what do you notice about the
pronoun usage?
Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as
there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents.
His face fell.
"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less
than last year."
"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under
this big one from Mommy and Daddy."
"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry,
who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfng down his
bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.
Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly,
"And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that,
popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"
J.K. Rowling
The instructor will use aligned response when the students answer the question,
and will guide the students to the appropriate answer if necessary. The desired
answer the instructor will listen for is that J.K. Rowling uses third-person
pronouns outside of the dialogue, and uses frst-person and second-person
pronouns inside of the dialogue, or more simply that the pronouns differ inside
and outside of dialogue.
*Question:
Instructor will project the following excerpt on the board, and will ask the
students When the narrator describes a person, what do you notice about the
pronoun usage?
Janis: Regina George... How do I begin to explain Regina George?
Emma Gerber: Regina George is flawless.
Mathlete Tim Pak: I hear her hair's insured for $10,000.
Amber D'Alessio: I hear she does car commercials... In Japan.
Kristen Hadley: Her favorite movie is Varsity Blues.

Short Girl: One time she met John Stamos on a plane...

Jessica Lopez: - And he told her she was pretty.
Bethany Byrd: One time she punched me in the face... It was awesome.
Mean Girls
The instructor will use aligned response when the students answer the question,
and will guide the students to the appropriate answer if necessary. The desired
answer the instructor will listen for is that some (but not all) of the people
describing Regina George use frst-person pronouns to talk about their
experiences with Regina George, and that all of them consistently uses thirdperson feminine pronouns (because Regina George is a girl).
*Question:
Instructor will project the following excerpt on the board, and will ask the
students When the narrator describes an event, what do you notice about the
pronoun usage?
A succulent hash arrived, and Mr. Wolfsheim, forgetting the more
sentimental atmosphere of the old Metropole, began to eat with ferocious
delicacy. His eyes, meanwhile, roved very slowly all around the roomhe
completed the arc by turning to inspect the people directly behind. I think
that, except for my presence, he would have taken one short glance
beneath our own table.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The instructor will use aligned response when the students answer the question,
and will guide the students to the appropriate answer if necessary. The desired
answer the instructor will listen for is that the pronouns used to describe an
event depend on who is there when the even happens. In this case, the event
(eating lunch at a restaurant) takes place with Mr. Wolfsheim; therefore, Nick
uses third-person masculine pronouns to describe what Mr. Wolfsheim does
during this event.
*Guided Practice:
For this activity, students will be instructed to stay with their pronoun partner
(determined by the plastic eggs). They will then take out a sheet of paper, and
write both of their names in the top right corner. When given the instruction,
students will take turns answering questions pertaining to todays lesson. This
strategy is known as Roundtable. Students will determine who begins this
activity by whose hair is longest, and will pass back and forth after each one.
Students will have about 1.5 minutes per question, 4 questions total. The
teacher will walk around and monitor students responses to the questions, and
will help students who are struggling.
Example Problem:
Read the following excerpt and answer 1) Is one type of pronoun used? Or are
there multiple types? Write down the type of pronoun(s) used. 2) If more than

one type is used, can you tell why? 3) What, if anything, is being described?
Hint: Is it a person, object, or event? 4) What point of view is ultimately used?
There was music from my neighbors house through the summer nights. In
his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the
whisperings and the champagne and stars. At high tide in the afternoon I
watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on
the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the
Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Before starting the activity the instructors will check for understanding:
Who is your partner?
Who is supposed to answer the frst question?
How much time do you have for each question?
Does anyone have any questions on this activity?
*Extended (Independent) Practice:
The following problems will be assigned for practice to be completed outside the
classroom and turned in at the beginning of the class tomorrow.
For homework tonight:

Write 5 sentences describing a person, object, or event without using

third-person pronouns.
Describe a scene using third-person point of view, but incorporate frstperson pronouns in the dialogue (minimum of 5 sentences).
Tomorrow, in class, you will share your independent practice with a
partner, who will analyze whether the use of pronouns in your text
matches the point of view specifed in the directions.

*Closure:
The instructor will use the Ticket to Leave as the closure for this lesson.
Students will be asked to defne what point of view means to them, and to
rewrite a quote (changing it from frst person to third person point of view). The
students will be given 2 minutes (1 minute per question) to write down the
answers to the question on a half sheet of paper. When the students are
fnished, they may pack up, and hand the teacher their half sheet with the
answers on their way out the door.
Materials and Resources:
Pen or pencil
Sheet of paper
Handout
Plastic eggs
Slips of paper
Projector
PowerPoint

*Assessment:
1. What type of point of view uses the pronouns I, me, and my?
Answer: First-person point of view
2. What type of point of view uses the pronouns you, your, and yours?
Answer: Second-person point of view
3. List the two different types of third-person point of view.
Answer: third-person limited and third-person omniscient.
4. True/False (If false, please explain why): There can only be one type of
pronoun used in a text. Example, there are no third person pronouns in a
frst person narrative EVER
Answer: False, both frst-person and third-person pronouns can be used
in one text when there is a description or dialogue.
5. True/False (If false, please explain why): I me and my are second
person pronouns.
Answer: False, those are frst-person pronouns. You and your are
second-person pronouns.
6. The following quote is an example of what type of point of view: This was
untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose.
Answer: First-person point of view
7. He is an example of what type of pronoun?
Answer: Third-person (third-person masculine, third-person limited, thirdperson objective, and third-person omniscient also accepted)
8. What point of view is this quote narrated in? He became my confdante,
someone with whom I could share thoughts I could never voice...In
exchange, he trusted me with his. -The Hunger Games by Suzanne
Collins
Answer: First person because of the I and me. The third person
pronouns he and his
are being used to describe a person,
therefore the narrator is still telling the story in frst -person.