Design for Learning

Instructor: Elizabeth Collier

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 3rd/Youngkin

Standards Connection:
6.) Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. [RL.3.6]
Learning Objective(s):
Students will explain a characters point of view in a particular story by writing a narrative describing that
characters thoughts and feelings, using at least 3 descriptive sentences.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:
Today boys and girls, we are going to be writing a descriptive paragraph as if we were a character in a
story that I am going to read to you; therefore understanding a certain characters point of view.
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
During the engagement of the lesson, the teacher will read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. At the
end of the lesson, the students will be given a writing a letter template titled If I were Flat Stanley
The students will be give the free choice in choosing an adventure to write about from Stanleys point of
view. Depending on where the student chooses to go in their adventure would set the tone of their
narrative. Maybe Flat Stanley is traveling a long, long journey and is tired of being enclosed in an
envelope. Students will be expected to write at least 3 sentences describing how Flat Stanley feels on the
adventure, what he is thinking, and potentially any problems/solutions that he encounters on the
adventure. The student can also discuss what they see! This will help the audience visualize the
adventure.
Engagement:
Okay boys and girls, today I am going to read the first two chapters in a chapter book called Flat
Stanley. This book is by Jeff Brown. Before beginning to read does anyone want to predict what this
book could be about just by looking at the front page? Teacher will show students the front cover of the
book and give time for students to think and answer the question. Those are all great predictions. Now
lets read the first two chapters to see if what we are thinking about the story comes true. Teacher will
read the first two chapters of Flat Stanley. The first two chapters do a great job of explaining how Stanley
became flat and then talk about his first adventure in the mail. During the reading, teacher will use both
convergent and divergent questioning to help students make their thinking more visible and clear. On
page 2 is when the reader first finds out that a bulletin board falls on Stanley and makes him flat. The
teacher will ask the simple question, If a bulletin board fell on you, dont you think it would hurt? On
page 7 the author discusses Stanleys doctor visit. The teacher will talk about the fact that Stanley is now
only 4 feet tall and one half an inch thick. What can you all think of that is only half an inch big? Students
will answer. None of those things are very wide, right? I cant imagine seeing a boy who is only half an
inch widecan you? On page 10, Stanleys mother dropped her ring down a shaft and Stanley has idea.
Teacher will ask students what he could be doing. Stanley has an ideahe tied together laces to make a

long lace. What could Stanley be doing? Students will infer that Stanley is going down into the shaft to
get his mothers ring. On page 14 the policeman call Stanleys mom a cuckoowhy do you think the
policeman called her a cuckoo? Yes, thats right. Because normally, a little boy would never fit in
between the holes in a drain on the side walk. Any normal sized human would be too big for that! On
page 18 Stanley goes into his envelope along with an egg-salad sandwich. Do you all think Stanley could
eat his egg salad sandwich while in his envelope? It seems difficult but maybe he could since he his only
half an inch wide. After finishing the first two chapters teacher will ask students opinion and if they
would like to be flat. So boys and girls, would you like to be flat like Stanley? You could go anywhere just
through the mail! Some say yes, some say nowell I wonder if Stanley liked being flat. Did we ever really
hear his perspective or thoughts on being flat? No not really. Only on page 21 does it say that Stanley
agrees with his dad on the fact that this is a great age to live in. So Stanley and his father both have the
same point of view on the world being a great place to live right now. Do you think everyone has the
same point of view on everything all the time? Lets find out. Teacher will now transition into teaching.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
Remember boys and girls that even though I am teaching instead of Ms. Youngkin, you still follow class
rules and procedures. Remember the journal prompt we had a few days ago about being a good audience.
You all said that a good audience is respectful, does not talk when others or the teacher is talking, and is
listening. I know you all will be a great audience today! Teacher will place a picture on the projector and
at hand out at every table a picture that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The picture is attached to the
end of the lesson plan. The picture is the famous drawing that people either see as an old witch or a young
woman. Okay class, I am going to project a picture at the front of the room. This is going to be a little
experiment to see if everyone sees the same thing when they look at a picture. I am going to give you a
few minutes to look at the picture. Before saying anything or talking to a friend, I want you to think in
your own brain what you see your friends might see something different than you do. After practicing
beneficial wait time & silent thinking the teacher will give students time to discuss at their tables. Now
that you all know what you believe this picture is, talk with your friends at your table about what you see.
Okay eyes on me 1, 2, 3 it seems as if some of you saw something different in the picture, right?
Students will respond yes! Well that is a great example of how people have different ways of looking at
things. We call that having different "points of view." Does anyone know why we have different points of
view? Teacher will listen to students answer. Yes, it happens because we have different bodies, different
kinds of families and different kinds of experiences. Each one of us in here, including Ms. Youngkin and
my professor, Dr. Bluiett, do not come from the same family, neighborhood so all of our point of views
will be slightly different. Often times, different points of view can come out of conflict. Let me give you an
example: Jessica is a 7-year-old girl who does not want to clean her room. Her mother has asked her
multiple times to tidy up but Jessica refuses because she does not want to and does not think that her
room is messy. Jessica and her mother do not have the same point of view. Will someone please raise
your hand and tell me what Jessicas moms point of view is? Students will respond. Yes, thats right!
(McREL positive recognition) Jessicas mom is not very happy. She is upset and frustrated with Jessica
because she will not clean her room. Now will someone tell me what Jessicas point of view is? Students
will raise hand and respond. Yes, thats right! Jessica does not think that her room needs to be cleaned at
all. Maybe if her mom explains to her that they are having guests over and that it would make her really
happy if she were to clean her room, her point of view could change. So as you can see there are many
different points of view. When a writer or author is composing a story, they chose what point of view to
use within that story and the point of view chosen will affect how the story is told. Lets think about our
first two chapters in Flat Stanleydo you know exactly what Stanley is thinking? If students respond yes,
teacher will read a sentence in the book using the pronoun he when talking about Stanley to show that
there is a narrator and that the story is in 3rd person. No. We do not know thought by thought of exactly
what Stanley is thinking. We could use our good inference skills to help us imagine how he feels but

Stanley personally doesnt tell us. So if the story is not told by Stanleywho is it told by? A narrator,
thats right! You guys! I am about to tell you something that is very specialso special that not all 3rd
graders will know this. But you will learn and see this again as you get into fourth and fifth grade. I need
everyones eyes on me. When a narrator is telling a story that is called 3rd person point of view! Everyone
say it with me, 3rd person point of view! Good. So 3rd person point of view is when a narrator is telling
the story. A lot of stories that we read in this class are told in third person. This can be very helpful to
give readers an unbiased (Teacher will stop and ask if students know what unbiased means if not
teacher will define) opinion of each character in the story and the events. Real quick, turn and talk to
your neighbor sitting beside you and create a third person point of view sentence. For example, She
went to the park yesterday to walk her dog, sandy. Teacher will give students a minute or two to think of
a sentence, and then teacher will call on a few students to share. Those were great sentences! 3rd person
point of view can be a great way to hear a story being told but a disadvantage of the 3rd person point of
view is that the reader cannot completely get inside any of the characters heads and we are not able to
fully experience the story form their point of view. For example, in our story, I wish I knew what Stanley
was thinking when he was flattened. Does anyone want to take a guess about what point of view that
would be, if the main character is telling the story from his or her point of view? No? Well that is called
1st person point of view. The person it happened to is telling the story that is being told. So like I said
earlier, what if our Flat Stanley book had been told in first person? We might have discovered more
details about Stanley becoming flat things such as if it hurt Stanley, how he feels about it now(etc.).
So in first person point of view the main character is telling the story. Everyone say it with me, first
person point of view! Good. Another quality that first person point of view has is that the reader might
not know whom they are reading about until the main character introduces himself/herself or until
another character in the book is speaking to him/her and references the character by name. This is
because the reader is always inside the main characters head and can tell what he or she is thinking and
feeling at all times. Just like we have privileges in this classroom, this is a privilege in a story, being able
to understand and know and experience the story fully with the main character. The only disadvantage of
1st person point of view would be that the reader might not be able to tell what other characters are
thinking. Although, I have read a book in which the author switched points of views between different
main characters in the story. This gave the reader a wonderful understanding of how every character in
the book was feeling and what motivated them to do the things they were doing. 1st person point of view is
a fun, engaging way for a story to be told! The last point of view an author could chose to write in is 2nd
person. Everyone say it with me, second person point of view! Thank you. There arent too many books
that I have read that use a 2nd person point of view. This point of view talks directly to the reader. The
author might say, Now, readerpay close attention to what is happening Often times the author can
switch from a 3rd person point of view, (which is what narrator, yes) to a 2nd person point of view to
grab the audiences attention. Speaking of an audience this is another time in which 2nd person point of
view is used. When there is a performance, such as literacy night on Tuesday, the speaker addressed the
audience as you or you all. When Ms. Youngkin or I talk to the entire class, we are addressing you
as a whole using 2nd person point of view. Okay class, will someone tell me one point of view an author
can write in? Teacher will ask until students have responded with first, second, and third person point of
view. Yes, great job! And all of these points of view are different, right? Yes! Now before we move onto
our practice worksheet, you can all see that the section keywords is missing from my anchor chart
(visual). These keywords are important words that the author uses when telling a story that help you
determine what point of view the story is written in. Does anyone want to take a guess about what some of
these words could be? Teacher will give time for students to think and guessif students do not get it,
then the teacher will explain that these keywords are pronouns! Well boys and girls, my missing keywords
are all pronouns. Can you all shout out some pronouns? Teacher will write these pronouns on the board
and then sort them into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person point of view. Okay we have a great list of pronouns.
Pronouns such as I, me, or we all go with what? First person point of view, thats right. What
about pronouns such as you, you, or you all? Yes, second person, great. And lastly what about

pronouns such as he, she, or they? Yes third person point of view, in which whom is telling the
story? A narratorgood job boys and girls! Teacher will now transition into practice time.
II. Opportunity for Practice:
Okay boys and girls, now we are going to practice what we have learned! First I want to help you all
have a better understanding of first, second, and third person point of view. Teacher will pass out the roll
the dice point of view worksheet, which is attached at the end of the lesson plan. This is a pronoun
practice worksheet that will help you sort the pronouns into the correct point of view. You all will roll a
dye and depending what it lands on is what you color in for the pronouns. For example if I roll a one I
will look for a pronoun that is in first person point of view. Its okay if you dont know every word that
matches the correct point of view. Remember, I am just helping you all prepare to hear this again later in
the future! But I want you to understand that there are many different points of view and that yours is
different from the author, different from your friends, different from mine. The pronouns include we, their,
he, she I, hers, me, they, us, him, us, our, them, his, and mine. Because first, second, and third person
point of view is not explicitly described as a skill in the standards that third graders need to know, it is
okay if students need extra help with this practice. Plus thats what practice is for to learn and grow with
support before being fully released to master a skill by ones self. Teacher will pass out the point of view
roll and color worksheet and give students time to complete this. After most students are done teacher will
then explain the compare/contrast worksheet (McREL identifying similarities and differences). Okay
boys and girls, it looks like you all are finishing up the pronoun worksheet. As I was walking around and
observing and helping you all out I can see that you are starting to really understand and remember what
each point of view is. Now we are going to look at Stanleys point of view in the story. I want you all to
think about how Stanley felt and what he liked or didnt like about being flat. You are also going to chose
another character from the first two chapters and compare Stanley and that characters pint of view.
Remember our point of views are different but can sometimes have a few similarities. I have made you all
a Venn diagram worksheet to fill out to help you compare and contrast your ideas about each characters
point of view. Teacher will hand out worksheet and allow time for students to complete. Okay, now that
you all are finishing lets discuss some of your similarities and differences and talk about what characters
you all chose. Teacher will lead class in a discussion and then transition into the assessment writing
activity.
III. Assessment:
Okay class now we are really going to pretend like we are flat Stanley! We only read chapter 1 and 2 of
the chapter book but in other chapters Stanley goes on other adventures through the mail. We are going
to act like we are flat Stanley on an adventure! This means that we will be writing in what point of view?
Does anyone recall? Yes, thats rightfirst person. If we are telling the story as if we are Stanley we will
be using pronouns such as I. You can recreate the name of your flat person to match your own name,
so mine would be flat Ms. Collier and yours Shavon would be flat Shavon! Students will be given a Flat
Stanley letter template. Students are writing a traveling letter just as Flat Stanley did. So we are going to
be writing a letter to a friend (any friend or family member you want) explaining about the adventure you
are currently on. Did you get there safely in the mail? Did you become crinkled or ripped while in the
mail? Are you enjoying being a flat person? Think about if you were in Stanleys shoes and all of the
things he could do because his size. Really get creative and inside of his head when writing your letter.
Think about where you are going on your journeywhat do you see, smell, taste, touch? I want you all to
use at least 3 descriptive sentences and if you can try to write 4! Students will be expected to write at
least 3 sentences describing how Flat Stanley feels on the adventure, what he is thinking, and potentially
any problems/solutions that he encounters on the adventure. The student can also discuss what they see!
This will help the audience visualize the adventure. Teacher will give students plenty of time to write and
after students are done writing they will follow the procedures of having free time in between lessons.
Teacher will hand out template. Okay boys and girls, you may begin writing. When you are done raise

your hand, Id love to read your story. Then you may draw a picture of flat you on the back of the letter,
read a book, or work on your scroll.
IV. Closure:
Wow you all did a great job writing your letters in a first person point of view. I loved the creativity and
the descriptive language used! Now would anyone like to share his or her letter? Teacher will provide
time for students to share and they will be able to place their letter on the projector for the class to see. If
no student wants to share teacher will quickly review what they learned today and then move onto the
next part of class. Thank you for sharing! I love everyones letters and points of view on how their own
adventure turned out! Thank you all for listening and being a great audience. Now we are going to move
onto centers.
Materials and Resources:
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Flat Stanley letter template
Flat Stanley comparison worksheet
Pronoun point of view game
Dice
Pencils
Markers
Point of View Anchor Chart
Projector
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
Data Analysis:

Reflection:

Samford University
Design for Learning

Nam e _____________________________________

Different Points of View

Similarities

Character 2s Point of View

If I were Flat Stanley

Dear ___________________________,
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From,
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