1. Dyamonde Daniel was a gem waiting to be discovered. Just ask her.
So what if she had wild-crazy hair and was skinnier than half a toothpick? On the inside, she was extraordinary. Plus super smart. As a matter of fact, she had more brains in her tiny little pinky than most kids had in their entire bodies.
HOOK!
Readers, sometimes I jump into a book and then after a few pages I realize I’m not sure who is telling the story!
Just like when I hear my friends talk in the lunchroom or at recess, I need to know who is telling me the story because it gives me an important perspective

2. Readers, in this lesson you will learn to find out who is telling a story by looking for clues on the very first page.

3. A narrator is the person who is telling you the story
First, let’s review: A narrator is the person who is telling you the story

4. The main character will tell you his or her story
1st Person:
The main character will tell you his or her story
3rd Person:
The story is told by an “outside narrator”, or someone who is not in the story
First, let’s review: 1st person means the main character will tell you his or her story
3rd person means the story is told by an outside narrator, or someone who is not in the story

5. The main character will use “I” or “me” to tell you his or her story
1st Person Language:
The main character will use “I” or “me” to tell you his or her story
When I arrived at school, I went straight down to the cafeteria to say hello to all of my friends. I knew they would be waiting to hear my story about what happened yesterday after school.
1st person means that the main character will use I or me to tell you his or her story. You will see these words in the story, these words will not be in quotation marks.

6. 3rd Person Language:
A narrator will tell the story using “he” or “she” to refer to the main character
Tom walked straight down to the cafeteria as soon as he got to school. He was excited to share with his friends how he scored the winning goal in the soccer game last night.
3rd person means the story is being told by an outside voice or narrator. You will see the character’s name being used or the words he or she to refer to the main character

7. Dyamonde Daniel was a gem waiting to be discovered. Just ask her.
So what if she had wild-crazy hair and was skinnier than half a toothpick? On the inside, she was extraordinary. Plus super smart. As a matter of fact, she had more brains in her tiny little pinky than most kids had in their entire bodies.
So, readers I have just finished reading the first page of Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel.
Here’s how I am going to look for clues.
First, I will pause after reading the first page.

8. Dyamonde Daniel was a gem waiting to be discovered. Just ask her.
So what if she had wild-crazy hair and was skinnier than half a toothpick? On the inside, she was extraordinary. Plus super smart. As a matter of fact, she had more brains in her tiny little pinky than most kids had in their entire bodies.
Next, pause and ask : How does the author introduce the characters?
I will look to see how he or she introduces the characters. Hmm. Here I see Dyamonde Daniel, the main character is introduced by her name- Dyamonde Daniel. I see the author refers to Dyamond using “she” several times as Dyamonde is described.

9. The author introduces the main character using her name and “she”
Dyamonde Daniel was a gem waiting to be discovered. Just ask her.
So what if she had wild-crazy hair and was skinnier than half a toothpick? On the inside, she was extraordinary. Plus super smart. As a matter of fact, she had more brains in her tiny little pinky than most kids had in their entire bodies.
The author introduces the main character using her name and “she”
Told in the 3rd person
I will look to see how he or she introduces the characters. Hmm. Here I see Dyamonde Daniel, the main character is introduced by her name- Dyamonde Daniel. I see the author refers to Dyamond using “she” several times as Dyamonde is described.
So, here I have discovered by paying attention to the clues on the first page, that the author introduces Dyamonde by using her first name and the word “she” These clues tell me that the story will be told in the third person. This means a narrator will be telling me the story.
This is important because I know the author will be telling me what happens in the story from a narrator’s voice, not from the voice of one of the characters.

10. Dyamonde Daniel was a gem waiting to be discovered. Just ask her.
So what if she had wild-crazy hair and was skinnier than half a toothpick? On the inside, she was extraordinary. Plus super smart. As a matter of fact, she had more brains in her tiny little pinky than most kids had in their entire bodies.
Now, finally I will jot down my idea about who is telling the story. This story is told by an outside narrator, or someone who is not a character in the story.

11. So, let’s review how we figured out who is telling a story.
First, we paused after reading the first page.
Next, we asked how does the author introduce the characters?
Remember here you are looking to see if the author using the words “I” to tell the characters voice, OR you are looking to see if the author uses “he” or “she” to tell the story.
Finally, the last step is to jot down your idea about who is telling the story.

12. Readers in this lesson, you have learned how to tell who is telling a story by paying attention to clues on the first page. Remember this strategy of paying attention to how the characters are introduced every time you start a new book!