Point of View  What do you already know about Point of View?

Narrator The narrator is the person who is telling the story.

What is point of view?  Point of view refers to the perspective from which a piece of writing is told.  It is the position from which a narrator sees and understands what is happening.  Always ignore dialogue to determine point of view.  Brain Pop Video Brain Pop Video

Point of View Tree Point of View First PersonThird Person LimitedOmniscient

First Person  When the narrator, usually the main character, is telling the story from his/her own perspective.  The pronouns “I” and “we” are used frequently.

What pronoun is used in first person?

Third Person  A third person narrator is not a character in the story.  The story is told from a “watching” perspective.  The pronouns “he,” “she,” and “they” are used frequently.

First Person or Third Person?  Can you tell the difference? Can you tell the difference?

Third Person Limited  The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one of the characters.  The reader only knows as much as one character.

Third Person Limited Example  As the boy carried heavy rocks, the orange robot sat in the tree wondering if anyone saw him.

Third Person Omniscient  The narrator is all knowing, which means it can enter the minds of many characters.  The reader can know the thoughts and feelings of many characters.

Third Person Omniscient Example  While Tim was eager to get his point across, Moby couldn’t help thinking about running away and digging holes in the yard.

What’s the difference? Third Person LimitedThird Person Omniscient

Flocabulary! 

White Boards!  Grab the white board and marker from inside your desk.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  George, anxiously hoping that no one was watching him, placed a carefully wrapped package on an empty park bench. When he looked around, he saw Molly watching him from across the street.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  George, anxiously hoping that no one was watching him, placed a carefully wrapped package on an empty park bench. Molly, who was walking home, saw him and couldn't help thinking that he was acting strangely.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  As I placed the carefully wrapped package on the park bench, I looked up and saw Molly walking across the street. I hoped that she hadn't seen me.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  The genie wished for freedom. He wanted nothing else.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  When I walked into the room, I saw him standing there. He was staring into a mirror and talking to himself.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  Her inner voice was telling her to slow down the car, but she felt like she needed to get there as soon as possible to stop Dominic from his evil act.

Which point of view is it? First Person Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient  Thomas and Lydia felt happiness upon finding out the news. They were moving home.

Think about It  How are the terms related? Draw a Point of View Tree to show how they are connected.

Practice  Complete the practice exercises.