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Reading: Literature4th Grade

RL.4.6

Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including first- and third-person.

For parents
Ask 'Is the character telling the story (first person) or is someone else describing it (third person)?'
Free sample questions
  1. Question 1
    The sentence "I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the door" is narrated from the character's own point of view. If this same event was instead told by a narrator who is *not* a character in the story, what would most likely change for the reader?
    • The reader would know exactly what every character was thinking and feeling.
    • The reader would have to guess more about the character's inner thoughts based on their actions.
    • The reader would still know exactly what the character was thinking and feeling directly.
    • The reader would only know what the character did, not how they felt.
  2. Question 2
    Read these two passages: Passage A: 'I pressed my face against the cold window, watching the first snowflakes fall. A shiver went down my spine, not from the cold, but from excitement! I couldn't wait to build a snowman.' Passage B: 'Leo pressed his face against the cold window, watching the first snowflakes fall. A shiver went down his spine, not from the cold, but from excitement! He couldn't wait to build a snowman.' How does the way each passage is told affect how you understand the main character's feelings?
    • Both passages make you feel exactly the same way about the character's feelings.
    • Passage B gives more facts about the snow, and Passage A gives more facts about the window.
    • Passage A makes you feel like you are the character, while Passage B lets you watch the character from the outside.
    • Passage A describes more about the cold, and Passage B describes more about the excitement.
  3. Question 3
    Listen to the story: In Sam's story, the narrator says, 'I was so nervous I could barely breathe, but I had no idea what my sister Kate was thinking as she stared out the window.' Because Sam wrote using the word I, readers only learn what the narrator himself sees and feels. We never find out Kate's private thoughts, only what the narrator can observe from the outside. How does first-person narration affect a story compared to third-person?
    • There's no difference
    • First person limits you to one character's perspective and feelings
    • Third person is always more honest
    • First person gives you access to every character's thoughts

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