Week 2 Assignment 2

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose 1

EDU 612 Unit 2

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose

Student Name

Belhaven University, Jackson, MS

September 9, 2027

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose 2

EDU 612 – Curriculum, Planning and Organization Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose

SUBJECT: Reading COURSE AND GRADE:4th grade reading UNIT TITLE: Says Who?- Point of View CENTRAL or BIG IDEA: Students understand the role of a narrator and how their perspective and point of view shapes and changes a text. TIME FRAME: Total instructional time: 810 minutes Number of days/instructional periods: 9 Length of each instructional period: 90 minutes STANDARDS: RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards for English-Language Arts DESCRIPTION: In this unit, we will focus on reading various texts that are written from different points

of view. Students will need to first understand what a narrator is and does and how a text is

written from their perspective. Students will need to have a solid understand of the word

“perspective”. The teacher will present the students with texts and explain that the narrator is

the person telling the story, and their perspective is how they see and tell the story. Then, the

students will need to understand the difference in third and first person point of view or

narration. Students will need to see and analyze many examples of texts written from both

points of view. Students will engage in conversations about how the point of view can shape

the text and how we see and understand it. Not only will students read texts to determine

which point of view it is written from, students will create their own stories using either first or

third person narration. These stories will be used in class as a discussion tool to compare and

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose 3

contrast first and third person point of view. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of

the narrator’s perspective, the difference between first and third person point of view, and how

point of view affects a story.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Introduction For this unit of study on point of view, I will begin by teaching my students what a

narrator is and does. If they do not understand this, the rest of the unit will not be successful. It

should not take long for students to understand what a narrator is, so next I will move on to

perspective. The word perspective is not in my standard, but I think it is important to teach

students that our perspective is how we see a situation, and when we read stories, we see it

from the narrator’s perspective. Then, I will move on to teaching the difference between first

and third person point of view. I am organizing the unit in this order because students need to

understand that point of view is how we see something. By teaching them what perspective is,

they will have an easier time understanding how point of view works. By having my students

compare and contrast texts written from different points of view, they will have a more solid

understanding of the text which is the ultimate goal. Also, by studying point of view, students

are able to relate to the narrator more, which helps them be more connected with the text. For

example, when reading The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, students will hopefully be able to

sympathize with Wolf more because they are getting to hear his side of the story. If a student

asked me why they needed to learn this, I would say, “Learning about point of view will help

you see and understand the text in a different way. By analyzing texts written from different

points of view, you will be able to see how point of view changes and shapes a text. You might

also be able to identify with the narrator or the ‘villain’ in the story better by thinking about

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose 4

their point of view. You have to learn this to become a better read that can connect with the

narrator and understand what they are saying. It is important to understand how differing

points of view can change the way a reader interprets and understands a text.”

In short, I am teaching this unit because:

(1) An author may choose to write from a specific view point so their reader will believe certain

things about the characters and their situations. A good reader needs to be able to understand

this and realize that the author may be trying to convey a specific message by writing from a

particular point of view.

(2) It is important to be able to understand and recognize different points of view because it

can help the reader make a connection with the narrator, who is often the main character. By

realizing that the story is being told through their eyes, the reader can agree, disagree, or even

sympathize with the narrator. As readers, we want to see and feel what the characters see and

feel, and the point of view the author chooses helps us do that. This helps build deeper

understanding of the text. Dr. Rozlyn Linder, a literacy specialist, wrote a great blog post about

teaching point of view and the importance of discussing the way the characters in a story see

the situation. She said, “What is important is that students discuss the perspective that this

character brings to the table. Analysis and thinking about other views and what influences

those views is the goal.” Dr. Linder suggests that we focus on what the characters’ experiences,

attitudes, beliefs, and values.

(3) It is important for a good reader to realize how point of view affects a story. By studying

various texts written from different points of view, you will understand how the chosen view

Unit Overview and Statement of Purpose 5

point shaped the story. It is also important to realize that if that point of view is changed, the

story will change in major ways. Jennifer Brozak wrote an interesting article about how point of

view changes a story. When talking about first person point of view she stated, “One of the

major benefits of using a subjective first-person point of view is that it creates immediate

intimacy.” When talking about third person point of view .on the other hand, she says, “This

point of view still limits the narration to a single character, but allows for a degree of distance

between the writer and the reader.” She makes a great point. First person point of view allows

the reader to get close to the characters, while third person point of view forces us to keep our

distance. It is important for students to recognize this.

References

Brozak, J. (2013, April 15). How does a subjective point of view affect the story? Retrieved from

http://penandthepad.com/subjective-point-affect-story-23477.html

Linder, R. (2012, October 10). Common core and point of view. Retrieved from

http://ontheweb.rozlinder.com/common-core-and-point-of-view/