"Waiting for Stormy": Analyze Third Person Narrative Point of View

1. “Waiting for Stormy”: Analyze
Third Person Point of View
GRADE 4, UNIT 4, WEEK 3, MINI-LESSON 10 (15-20 minutes)

2. “Waiting for Stormy”: Analyze Third Person
Narrative Point of View
I will be able to:
Identify third person point of view.
Explain the effect of third person point of view on a narrative.
Use examples from the text to support my conclusions.
Collaborate with others.

3. Engage Thinking
Who can tell me exactly what is happening in Mrs.
Conant’s class right now?
At this moment, what does the sky over London look like?
Can anybody tell me the number I am thinking of?

4. Engage Thinking
First Person Point of View:
Limited to what the narrator is experiencing.
Third Person Point of View:
Describes multiple character’s experience.

5. Model
Let’s think about how third person narration influences a story.
Remember, a third person narrator is a spectator rather than a participant
in the events. A third person narrator can describe the actions, thoughts,
and feelings of various characters in various times and places. A third
person narrator can also reveal things about a character that the character
himself or herself may not even realize.
Let’s turn to page 6 of “Waiting for Stormy” and identify features that
establish third person narrative.
(TE page 120 Sample Modeling)

6. Guided Practice
You will now read the rest of “Waiting for Stormy.” We
will use a yellow highlighter to identify details that reveal
the story’s third person point of view. We will take notes
as needed.

7. Guided Practice
Let’s keep the following questions in our minds as we reread:
If Maureen were narrating the story would it have the scene in Paul’s
classroom?
On page 7, would Paul’s distraction be as obvious if he were narrating
the story?
Where does the story shift on page 9? Would the scene be possible if
either Maureen or Paul were narrating? Why or why not?

8. Reflect on the Strategy
(TE page 121)

9. Apply Understaning
Let’s take out our writing journals to rewrite the scene
on pages 7-8 from Paul’s first person point of view.
Before we start writing, let’s think about how the story
might change, and what might stay the same if the story
was limited to Paul’s observations and experiences.

10. Challenge Activity
Rewrite the scene in Paul’s classroom on pages 7-8 from
Mrs. Ogle’s first person point of view.