Lesson 17: Explaining Point of View

the author is

• the speaker
• the person who wrote the story
• the person who told the story
• a flat character

The narrator is the

• person telling the story
• main character in the story
• enemy of the main character in the story
• person listening to the story

How does an author develop a specific point of view?

• By carefully choosing the right words and descriptions

• By quoting facts geared to persuade the reader

• By relying on third-person omniscient to create stronger plots

• By expressing multiple personal opinions and biases

As I grazed in the field, I realized that there were not any other animals around. I had a weird feeling that something was wrong. The other animals that are usually making noises are all silent. The rustling from my hooves are the only sound. I see a shadow up in a tree. I feel afraid and uneasy. I think that is is unsafe here, so I am going to run away.

From what/whose perspective is the passage written?

• A hunter

• An animal looking for friends

• An animal being hunted

I wonder who invented putting water into plastic bottles? Water bottles are disposable which means that they can be thrown away. Landfills are overflowing with garbage because people are too lazy to fill a reusable cup with water. Recycling has been set up, but many people do not recycle all of the water bottles that they use. The earth is being polluted with all the used water bottles.

What is the author's perspective?

• People should not drink out of water bottles beacuse they are disposable.

• People should drink out of water bottles becuase disposable things are good.

• People should never drink water.

"Spring Break is a fun time of year. We gather with our family and eat delicious food. It is usually warm and my cousins and I play tag and swim! I look forward to it every year!"

The author's point of view in this passage is ..

• positive feeling about spring break

• negative feeling about spring break

• has no opinion about spring break

• doesn't care about spring break

Landing at Ellis Island

August 24, 1912: I’m not speaking to my parents. This

afternoon we were standing at the railing on the ship’s deck,

mother and father cheering and pointing out at the island

approaching across the waves. They hugged me (I didn’t hug

back) and told me AGAIN how our wonderful new home in

America was going to be full of opportunities. I didn’t speak

English, I reminded them, only Russian, and I wouldn’t know

any of their customs. I miss my real home.

Q. At the beginning of the story, what is the narrator’s point of view about immigrating to America?

• Anya is angry and upset about having to leave Russia.

• Anya is anxious about having to learn English.

• Anya is excited to be making a home in a new country.

• Anya is grateful that there will be new opportunities for her.

Landing at Ellis Island

August 25, 1912: The Ellis Island Great Hall where we waited

for five hours to be processed thundered with strange voices

and terrifying faces. Finally, I wedged myself under my

mother’s arm to escape the distant cries of a child. At last, a

stern medical examiner inspected each of us. We were not

marked with chalk, thank goodness. That would have been a

sign that we were ill and had to be deported. Relieved, we

moved on to another line. Then we came to a table where the

impatient man who also spoke Russian asked us question after

question. He recorded the details in his ledger, and to my great

relief, we were done.

Q. How does Anya feel during her time at Ellis Island?

• Angry

• Curious

• Scared

• Happy

Landing at Ellis Island

August 25, 1912: The Ellis Island Great Hall where we waited

for five hours to be processed thundered with strange voices

and terrifying faces. Finally, I wedged myself under my

mother’s arm to escape the distant cries of a child. At last, a

stern medical examiner inspected each of us. We were not

marked with chalk, thank goodness. That would have been a

sign that we were ill and had to be deported. Relieved, we

moved on to another line. Then we came to a table where the

impatient man who also spoke Russian asked us question after

question. He recorded the details in his ledger, and to my great

relief, we were done.

Q. What text evidence supports the idea that Anya feels afraid during her day at Ellis Island?

• She and her family had to wait for five hours to be processed.

• She was not marked with the chalk that meant she was ill.

• She says that the Great Hall was filled with “terrifying faces."

• She describes the man who asks her questions as “impatient."

Landing at Ellis Island

September 9, 1912: The city is a bustling and amazing place!

We’ve rented rooms in a building with other Russian immigrants, and my new friend Katya has promised to help

me learn English. Father has secured work at a printer’s shop, and mother has made my favorite shashlyk and pirozhki dishes for our new neighbors—New York City might just become a home for me after all!

Q. What is Anya’s attitude toward America in the last paragraph?

• Angry

• Upset

• Strange

• Happy