D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose and Voice

Point of View: First Person and Third Person

D2.4 D2.1 D2.5About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can tell whether a text is written in the first person or the third person.
I can choose a point of view that fits my text.
I can keep the same point of view all the way through.
I can retell a story from a different point of view.

Words to know

point of view
Who is telling the text.

first person
The writer or a character tells it as I or we: I, me, my, we, us, our.

third person
The narrator tells about others: he, she, they, names, it.

narrator
The voice telling the story.

pronoun
A word that takes the place of a noun: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

consistent
Staying the same all the way through.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you learned the clue words for first person (I, me, my, we) and third person (he, she, they). You noticed that personal narratives are usually in the first person. In Grade 3 you will check the point of view in your own writing, choose the best one, and keep it the same all the way through.

Who is telling?

Every text has a narrator: the voice that tells it. Point of view means who is telling.

First person: the narrator is in the story and says I or we. I slipped on the ice and landed on my snow pants.
Third person: the narrator is outside the story, telling about other people or things. Maya slipped on the ice and landed on her snow pants.

In first person, the narrator is a character saying I. In third person, the narrator watches from outside, like a camera, and uses names and he, she, they.

First person clue words	Third person clue words
I, me, my, mine	he, him, his
we, us, our, ours	she, her, hers
	they, them, their, it, its, and names (Maya, the dog)

Point-of-view clue words. Look at who the narrator is.

Model texts: one event, two points of view

First person (Ari tells it):

My hands were shaking as I stepped onto the stage. I could see my mom in the third row, waving like crazy. I took a deep breath and started to sing. By the second verse, I wasn't scared at all. When everyone clapped, I felt like I was floating.

Third person (a narrator tells about Ari):

Ari's hands were shaking as he stepped onto the stage. He could see his mom in the third row, waving like crazy. He took a deep breath and started to sing. By the second verse, he wasn't scared at all. When everyone clapped, Ari felt like he was floating.

The events are the same. Only the narrator changed. In first person, we are inside Ari's head. In third person, we watch Ari like a camera, and the narrator can still tell us what he feels.

Worked example

Let's choose a point of view

What point of view fits each text? (a) a journal entry about your weekend, (b) a report about orcas, (c) a made-up story about a brave mouse.

(a) A journal is about your own life, so use first person (I, we).
(b) A report gives facts about something else. Use third person (orcas, they, it). The writer usually doesn't say I in a report.
(c) A made-up story can be either! Third person (The mouse crept...) or first person, as if the mouse is talking (I crept...). Choose one and stick with it.

Journal = first person. Report = third person. Story = your choice, but stay consistent.

Worked example

Let's fix a point-of-view mix-up

Find the mistake: "I opened the back door. She saw a moose eating our apple tree! I grabbed the camera." (The writer is telling about herself.)

The writer is the narrator, so the text should be in first person.
She saw a moose switches to third person by mistake.
Change She to I.

"I opened the back door. I saw a moose eating our apple tree! I grabbed the camera." Now the point of view is consistent.

Fixing a point-of-view mix-up: the narrator is I in every sentence, so She is changed to I.

What about you?

How-to texts and posters often talk right to the reader: First, you mix the flour. or Come to our bake sale! That is a different point of view called second person. For now, focus on first and third person in your stories and reports.

Just for fun

If Baby Bear told the story in first person: "Someone ate my porridge, broke my chair, slept in my bed... and didn't even say thank you!"

Hands-on activity

Switch the storyteller

You need: a favourite picture book or fairy tale, paper and a pencil.

Choose a story you know well, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears (told in third person).
Pick one character, like Baby Bear.
Retell the story out loud in first person, as that character: "I came home from my walk and my porridge bowl was empty!"
Write the first 4 or 5 sentences of your new version.
Circle every I, me, my, we. Did you slip into he or she anywhere? Fix it.
Talk about it: How does the story feel different when the bear tells it?

Your turn

First or third person? We raked the maple leaves into a giant pile.

First or third person? The twins raked the leaves, and then they jumped in.

Change to first person: Sam ate his lunch under the tree.

Change to third person: I scored a goal, and my team cheered.

Which point of view usually fits an information report?

Find the mix-up: I put on my skates. He wobbled onto the ice. (The writer is telling about himself.)

Why is a personal narrative usually in first person?

More practice: warm-up

Is my a first-person or third-person word?

Is they a first-person or third-person word?

What is a narrator?

First or third? It swam to the bottom of the pond.

What does consistent mean?

More practice: on your own

Rewrite in third person: I packed my backpack and ran to catch the bus.

Mila is writing a report about wolves. She writes: I think wolves live in packs. How could she rewrite it in third person?

What point of view fits a thank-you letter to your aunt? Why?

Find and fix the mix-up: The fox crept up to the henhouse. I sniffed the air.

Write one sentence in first person about your favourite snack.

Challenge

Retell this in first person, as the fox: The fox saw the grapes hanging high. She jumped and jumped, but she couldn't reach them. Finally, she walked away.

A story about a lost dog could be told in first person by the dog or by the owner. Choose one and explain what the reader would learn that they wouldn't learn from the other.

Is this consistent? We set up the tent at the campground. Then they lit the campfire. We roasted marshmallows and sang songs. (The writer did all of these things with her family.) Explain and fix it.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which sentence is in the first person?

Which sentence is in the third person?

Which point of view fits a report about the planet Mars?

Which text has a point-of-view mix-up?

What does a narrator do?

A personal narrative about your birthday is usually written in...

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.4): Grade 3 writers identify the point of view, first person or third person, in their own texts. This lesson also asks them to choose a point of view that fits the form (D2.1) and to revise for consistency (D2.5).

How to help at home:

When reading together, ask: "Who is telling this story? How do you know?"
Retell family stories from someone else's point of view ("Tell it as if you were the dog!").
Have your child circle pronouns in their own writing to check for consistency.

Common difficulties:

Thinking any story with "I" in dialogue is first person. Look at the narrator's words, not what characters say inside quotation marks.
Switching from I to he/she mid-story. Read the draft aloud and listen for the switch.
Using "I think" in reports. Explain that reports state facts in the third person.