Point of View Lesson: Day One Reflection

Well, well, well... I never cease to amaze myself. So far, this lesson is actually working. Because of the constant shuffle from one activity to another, the kids have remained engaged. 

Here is some of what I have noticed and heard:

• There has been some very interesting discussion about what the story is really about. 
• One of my most airheaded male students said, "I think that the driver caused the accident purposely. He is lonely and wants attention." Say what! 
• A female student referred to the driver of the car as she. That was the first time it was mentioned all day, and it led to some very spontaneous and interesting discussion. 
• The kids actually know quite a bit about point of view. I was impressed to hear the word omniscient being thrown around in group discussions. I am glad I chose to have them write down what they know first, rather than simply throwing a full lesson at them of things they already know. Now I know what I can skim over. 
• "I knew there was a second point of view!"
• I had a student ask why this would not have been presented to them when they were younger. 
• In two classes I have heard, "Class is already over? That went too fast!"

I love when my own lessons surprise me. I expected much more moaning and groaning. We haven't gotten to any of the rewriting yet, so maybe that is coming tomorrow. 

Point of View (with everything else I could possibly cram into this lesson)

Got another book. Shocking, I know. But I heard great things, so...

My point of view lesson stems from a lesson in this book. As always, I take what is presented and modify for the needs of my classroom. And I have jammed this thing full from top to bottom. 

From past experience, I know my students struggle with point of view. First person is easy, and we talked about it a great deal with "The Tell-Tale Heart." I have still included it this lesson, though, because I want them to be able to rewrite the passages with each point of view. 

The biggest struggle will be the third person points of view. Usually, the kids understand the overall meaning, but they do not want to take the time to break apart limited versus omniscient. For this part of the lesson, I created a writing template to guide them in the rewrite. I use writing templates in class, but I do not normally create my own. I am not sure how effective this one will be, and I may make revisions to it before I get to this part of the lesson. 

I am also having them complete their final writing piece in Edmodo. I love Edmodo and would use it more if I did not pack up my netbooks a few weeks ago in anticipation of the Chromebooks I thought I would already have delivered. 

Rubric