Grade 6 English Language Arts | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.6.R.1.3
Explain the influence of narrator(s), including unreliable narrator(s), and/or shifts in point of view in a literary text.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
| Term | Definition | Student-Friendly Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Point of View (POV) | The perspective from which a story is told | Whose "eyes" we see the story through; who is telling us what happened |
| Narrator | The voice telling the story | The person or voice that tells us the story (NOT the same as the author) |
| First Person | Narrated by a character using "I" or "we" | The narrator is IN the story and uses "I" - we only know what they know |
| Third Person Limited | Narrated using "he/she" but limited to one character's thoughts | Uses "he/she/they" but stays in ONE character's head |
| Third Person Omniscient | An all-knowing narrator who can access any character's thoughts | The narrator knows EVERYTHING - can tell us what anyone thinks or feels |
| Unreliable Narrator | A narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted | A narrator who might be lying, confused, or only seeing part of the truth |
| POV Type | Pronouns | Access to Thoughts | Effect on Reader |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Person | I, me, we, us | Only the narrator's thoughts | Intimate, personal; reader sees bias |
| Third Person Limited | He, she, they | One character's thoughts only | Close to one character; limited knowledge |
| Third Person Omniscient | He, she, they | All characters' thoughts | Complete picture; dramatic irony possible |
| Day | Focus | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narrator vs. Author | Distinguish between author and narrator; introduce POV types. Use Student Concept Worksheet. |
| 2 | First Person POV | Identify characteristics and effects of first person narration; analyze examples. |
| 3 | Third Person POV | Compare limited vs. omniscient; practice identifying each type. |
| 4 | Effects of POV | Analyze how POV affects reader understanding. Complete Practice Worksheet. |
| 5 | Assessment | Administer FAST Format Quiz. Review and reteach as needed. |
Compare POV to a camera filming a movie:
First Person: The camera is strapped to ONE character's head - we only see what they see
Third Person Limited: The camera follows ONE character closely, sometimes peeking into their thoughts
Third Person Omniscient: The camera can fly anywhere and read anyone's mind
This visual helps students understand what information is available in each POV.
Rewrite a short scene from different perspectives. Example: A student gets caught passing notes.
- First person (the student): "I couldn't believe Mr. Harris saw the note..."
- First person (the teacher): "I spotted Maya passing something under her desk..."
- Third person omniscient: "Maya thought she was being sneaky, but Mr. Harris had seen everything..."
This shows how POV changes what readers know and feel.
After reading a passage, ask students: "What DOESN'T the narrator tell us?" In first person and third person limited, there's always information hidden from readers. This helps students understand POV's limitations and effects on suspense/mystery.
Teach students to watch for signs of unreliable narration:
- The narrator admits to forgetting or being confused
- Other characters react differently than expected
- The narrator has a reason to lie or distort (jealousy, guilt)
- Events seem inconsistent or implausible
Practice with short excerpts where the narrator's reliability is questionable.
Correction: The narrator is a voice the author creates. Even in first person, the "I" is a character, not the author. The author of "The Hunger Games" is Suzanne Collins, but the narrator is Katniss Everdeen.
Correction: Using "he/she/they" doesn't automatically mean omniscient. Third person LIMITED stays in one character's perspective. The key question: Can we access MULTIPLE characters' thoughts, or just one?
Correction: First person can actually be LESS reliable because we only get one biased perspective. The narrator might be lying, mistaken, or seeing events through their own prejudices.
Correction: Pronouns help identify POV, but the real analysis is about ACCESS. What does the narrator know? What can they tell us? How does this shape our understanding?
On the FAST assessment, point of view questions typically ask students to:
Key Strategy: Teach students to go beyond identifying POV type - they must explain the EFFECT of that choice on readers' understanding.