Reading Focus: Point of View and Theme

Reading Focus: Point of View and Theme

by Aaron Bodey

Why might who tells a story help the reader understand the author's message?

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​Essential Question

Learning Targets

​SWBAT analyze how the characters and events in a story develop its theme? (7A)

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​SWBAT analyze how the narrator's point of view helps the reader understand the story's message. (9E)

But first...​

​...a little on point of view.

​Video Task: Using Cornell notes, record what you learn about point of view (POV) from the presenter.

​Point of View

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​First Person

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​Second Person

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​Third Person

• Definitions

• ​Examples from lesson or your own

• ​Quotes

• ​Pictures

• ​Your thoughts about the topics

What questions do you still have about point of view?​

​Time to Chat

​What was the point of view of "The Wife's Story?" Cite your evidence.

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​Stems:

• ​The point of view of this story was...

• ​I know this because...

​Time to Chat

Why did the author have the wife, our narrator, withhold information from us?

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​Stems:

• The author used the wife to create...​because...

• ​The author didn't want the wife to tell us everything because...

And now...​

​...a little on theme.

​Video Task: Using Cornell notes, record what you learn about theme from the presenter.

What is a theme?

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How is theme different from main idea and summary?

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Theme Checklist

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• Definitions

• ​Examples from lesson or your own

• ​Quotes

• ​Pictures

• ​Your thoughts about the topics

What questions do you still have about theme?

​Time to Chat

​The theme of the example story was?

​A. Anyone can have a good idea...because...

​B. There is a little wisdom inside all of us...because

​C. I like those but I think the theme was...because...

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Pro Tip:

Themes should be able to apply to anyone's life, not just the story.​

​Time to Chat

Using the theme checklist handout what do you think he theme of "The Wife's Story" is--

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Stems:​

• ​I think the them of the story is...because...

• A theme from the story might be...because...​

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​Bringing it all together

​POV and Theme

​Time to Chat

​How might a change in POV affected "The Wife's Story?" Explain your answer using the text.

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Stems:​

• ​A different point of view would have changed how...because...

• If the point of view were different then the reader...because...​

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​Time to Chat

​How does the POV of "The Wife's Story" help the reader understand the theme of the story?

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Stems:​

• ​Because the story is told from the wife's point of view, the message is shown through her...

• The theme is clear because the author uses the wife to show...which helps us understand that...​

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