In this activity, students will decide what point of view the narrator is speaking in. Using a storyboard, students can show the textual evidence and also illustrate it. Poppleton in Winter is told in the third person point of view. Writing from the third person point of view uses the name of the character or pronouns like he, she, it, or they to describe the main character.
This example storyboard uses three quotes from the story. Depending on the level of your class, you may only want one example.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows the point of view of Poppleton in Winter.
Start your lesson by reading a short story aloud and pausing to ask students who is telling the story. Use different voices or props to highlight shifts in narration. This helps students actively listen for clues about point of view.
Display a text excerpt and underline pronouns or character names as a class. Discuss how these words reveal who is telling the story. This collaborative approach builds confidence and models analytical thinking.
Assign students to write a quick description of a familiar event from first person, then third person. Compare the results as a class to reinforce understanding and highlight differences in language and perspective.
Ask students to exchange their written paragraphs with a partner. Each partner identifies which point of view was used and gives feedback. This peer review activity boosts engagement and reinforces learning through collaboration.
Facilitate a short discussion where students share what was challenging or fun about changing points of view. Highlight key takeaways and encourage students to look for point of view clues in future readings.
Poppleton in Winter is told from a third person point of view. The narrator describes Poppleton using pronouns like "he" and refers to the character by name, rather than using "I" or "we".
Students can identify the narrator’s point of view by looking for clues in the text, such as whether the narrator uses "he," "she," or the character’s name (third person) versus "I" or "we" (first person).
A simple activity is to have students create a storyboard showing quotes that reveal the story’s point of view, then illustrate each quote. This helps reinforce the concept visually and textually.
Third person point of view allows readers to observe the main character’s actions and feelings from an outside perspective, which can help students understand storytelling and empathy.
Examples include lines like “But Poppleton didn’t listen to any of them. He loved icicles.” These sentences use the character’s name and "he" to show third person narration.