Point of View

Point of View

noun | "the way in which an author reveals a viewpoint or perspective. This can be done through characters, ideas, events and narration." (ELA Glossary, page 82)

Point of View and Perspective are often used interchangeably but are two different distinct elements of writing. Perspective is how the characters view and process what’s happening within the story while the point of view characterizes the type of narration of the story (first, second, third person). Point of View deals with narration and perspective deals with how characters feel about certain experiences and other characters. See more at NY Book Editors: What’s the Difference Between Perspective and Point of View?

Literacy Progression
Standard 3	Progression
objectives in chronological order with shifts bolded	how the objectives develop & change through the grade levels
PK.3.R.2 Students will describe characters in a story with guidance and support.	Although the literary device of point of view is not explicitly stated in the early grades of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, young students will need to begin to understand and have dialogue about character traits and their voice throughout the text. As students begin to understand characters and their role in story development, they move to the ability to identify the who is telling the story in the literature they are sharing.
K.3.R.2 Students will describe characters and setting in a story with guidance and support.
1.3.R.2 Students will describe who is telling the story (i.e., point of view).
2.3.R.2 Students will infer whether a story is narrated in first or third person point of view in grade-level literary and/or informational text.	In literature, authors seldom explicitly state the point of view for the audience. Students will need to practice the technique of identifying the point of view of the text during shared and teacher modeled reading in large group settings before the expectation of securing this insight as an independent reader. Using the guidance from skilled readers, students will use inferencing during reading to determine the text's point of view. In informational text, point of view is often referred to as the perspective and purpose the author takes. When reading informational text, students can answer two questions about the author's point of view: What is the main idea the author is trying to convince the readers to agree with? What does the author want to accomplish in the text? [source: McGraw Hill's Literacy eHandbook] During this time, students are not only inferring the point of view, but also making a correct decision of the point of view. In literature, they will need not only to decide first, second or third person, but to also have opportunities to compare how character's point of views differ at various points in text. This could be comparing multiple characters or how specific characters' points of view evolve during a text. When reading informational text, students can answer four questions about the author's point of view: What is the main idea the author is trying to convince the readers to agree with? How does the author’s choice of words influence how readers think about the topic? How doe the author’s choice of facts or examples influence how readers think about the topics? What does the author want to accomplish in the text? [source: McGraw Hill's Literacy eHandbook]
3.3.R.2 Students will infer whether a story is narrated in first or third person point of view in grade-level literary and/or informational text.
4.3.R.2 Students will infer whether a story is narrated in first or third person point of view in grade-level literary and/or informational text.
5.3.R.2 Students will determine the point of view and describe how it affects grade-level literary and/or informational text.
6.3.R.2 Students will evaluate how the point of view and perspective affect grade-level literary and/or informational text.	NY Book Editors describe point of view as the type of narrator telling the story (first, second, third) and perspective as how the narrator perceives what’s going on in the story. As students enter the secondary level of education, they will need to have the ability to analyze how the narrator's point of view, and those of various characters, influence the storyline, including plot and conflict/resolution in literary text. In informational text, point of view or perspective of the author is often represented through facts, examples, and text that is flattering to the concept or cause. As students move through the first years of their secondary academic career, they will need these skills to explain the effects of these literary elements on the text.
7.3.R.2 Students will evaluate how the point of view and perspective affect grade-level literary and/or informational text
8.3.R.2 Students will evaluate points of view and perspectives and describe how this affects grade-level literary and/or informational text.
9.3.R.2 Students will evaluate points of view and perspectives in more than one grade-level literary and/or informational text and explain how multiple points of view contribute to the meaning of a work.	As students develop the skills needed in distinguishing and describing the point of view/perspective, they will need to go deeper by examining multiple points of view and describing how they contribute to the meaning or purpose of the text.
10.3.R.2 Students will evaluate points of view and perspectives in more than one grade-level literary and/or informational text and explain how multiple points of view contribute to the meaning of a work.
11.3.R.2 Students will evaluate points of view and perspectives in more than one grade-level literary and/or informational text and explain how multiple points of view contribute to the meaning of a work.
12.3.R.2 Students will evaluate points of view and perspectives in more than one grade-level literary and/or informational text and explain how multiple points of view contribute to the meaning of a work.

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