Lessons & Units :: Point of View 3rd Grade Unit

Lesson 2: Third Person Point of View

Lesson Plan

Where the Wild Things Are | 740L

Where the Wild Things Are
Learning Goal
Identify and describe the third person point of view.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Example Chart for Direct Teaching, Example Chart for Direct Teaching and Guided Practice (Clues for Determining Point of View), Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will review what we have learned about first person point of view in lesson 1. I will introduce the third person point of view by explaining that the narrator is telling the story from someone else’s viewpoint and the narrator is not a character in the story. I will read the sentences written on chart paper and model how to identify the sentences written in the third person. (See Teaching Teacher Example Chart provided below in Teacher and Student Materials.) I will discuss how the sentences are written as if the narrator is watching what is happening to someone else.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I identify which sentence was written in third person point of view? Students should respond that you read the sentence and thought about whether the narrator was telling the story about someone else and not a character in the story.

  • Guided Practice

    will read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and identify the point of view of the book (third person). We will discuss and chart (example provided) what we notice about this point of view. (See Direct Teaching and Guided Practice Example Chart provided below.)

  • Independent Practice

    will read three paragraphs and identify which is written in the third person. You will explain how you determined the point of view of the text. (Student Independent Practice is provided below.)

Build Student Vocabulary mischief

Tier 2 Word: mischief
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story When Max wore his wolf suit, he made mischief of one kind or another. He hammered a nail into the wall, and he chased the dog.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Mischief is something done for fun that may annoy or harm other people. Max was doing things that annoyed his mother.
Students repeat the word Say the word mischief with me: mischief.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts When I babysit for my brother, I have to be sure that he doesn’t get into mischief. My dog gets into mischief when he gets excited. He knocks things over and makes a big mess. On Halloween, some kids are mischief makers; they play pranks on other people.
Students provide examples What is something that someone might do to cause mischief? Start by saying, “Someone might cause mischief by_____________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? mischief
Additional Vocabulary Words tamed, private

Build Student Background Knowledge

After reading the book Where the Wild Things Are, explain that there is also a film version of the book. In fact, many of our most loved stories have been turned into movies. This is called a "film adaptation." When something adapts, it changes to a new environment. When someone adapts book to a film, they change the story we read into a script of dialogue and directions for actors. Also, the adaptors and directors of the film might add characters or plot lines to enhance the story. Ask your students if they can think of another book that was adapted for film. (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, James and the Giant Peach, Harry Potter, etc.)

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

Super helpful materials, especially for clarifying literary terms and how to identify them correctly in varied texts! Thank you! I analyze student work, and your sources help me fill in the holes so well! I'm so glad I joined!

Submitted by lclark-lambert_1833091 on 4/20/16

This is helpful for the varied levels of readers I have in my special ed.classroom.

Submitted by smellace_1222543 on 2/5/15

These lessons are very helpful! Thanks (:

Submitted by pw195009 on 10/21/14