Studying point of view can get tedious for many middle-school students. Some students may also have difficulty identifying the point of view; especially when it is alternated in some fiction texts. You need to teach a variety of engaging activities to get students invested.
Below are 20 point of view activities for middle school students. Many of them have a literature focus, but other are fun activities used to really hone in on understanding the different types of points of view.
1. Point of View with Pictures
An easy way for students to practice is by using photos. Have different photos for students to look at with a range of characters. Students then need to look at the different possible points of view (POV) and perspectives.
Learn more: Teaching with a Mountain View
2. Point of View with Slogans
A cute mini-lesson, this activity has students looking at popular slogans and determining what POV each is. You can also have them discuss how they decided on the POV for each.
Learn more: Book Units Teachers
3. Agree or Disagree
This activity has students look at both nonfiction and fiction texts. Rather than just determine a POV, they will also do comparisons - comparing different authors' POVs and the author's POV from a character's POV.
Learn more: Teaching Made Practical
4. Alternative Point of View
Writing is also an important part of point of view. Students should learn to write using different ones. For this activity, students will write an alternative point of view from a story. They should choose a different character and not only use the appropriate pronouns but also add in the internal feelings of the character.
Learn more: Eva Deverell
5. Peek-a-boo Book Scene
Get crafty with students and have them do a "keyhole scene". After they have read a specific part of a text, have them create a representation of what one of the characters would "see" from their pov.
Learn more: The Room Mom
6. Tweet Sheets
Use these "Tweet Sheets" after reading a novel. Students will choose specific events from the novel and then create tweets by the character from their point of view of the event.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
7. POV Graphic Organizer
Use this graphic organizer to help students find the point of view of a text. They will first identify the narrator, then determine the pov. They must provide evidence as to why they think it is that pov.
Learn more: Jennifer Findley
8. What's the Tea?
In this lesson, students will compare and contrast perspectives and points of view by reviewing two different excerpts.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
9. Character Postcards
Students practice using points of view in writing. They will write postcards as if they were a certain character - writing from that POV and perspective.
Learn more: The Literary Maven
10. TED ed Video
This is a simple activity idea to review point of view concepts. The video looks at familiar stories but from other points of view. It also helps students with perspective-taking skills because it shows examples of characters seeing it in a different way.
Learn more: TED-Ed
11. Scavenger Hunt
A fun activity idea is to do a point of view scavenger hunt. Students will explore different texts and have to determine which pov by providing evidence.
Learn more: Hey Natayle
12. Interactive Notebook
Defining the point of view is important for students. In this mini-lesson activity, students will use an Instagram lens to understand what they should "see" for first-person narration, second-person, and both 3rd person and 3rd person omniscient.
Learn more: Kayse Morris
13. Fractured Fairy Tale
In this activity, students will create a story map for a fairy tale character - specifically from the point of view of a dislikable character. This will help students better understand POV and differing perspectives.
Learn more: Homeschool Giveaways
14. Lyric POV and Author's Purpose
Students get to look at song lyrics to learn about points of view. Lyrics, like stories, use specific POVs. You can also use the activity template and have students choose their favorite songs.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
15. Reading Comprehension with POV
Working on this comprehension activity, students will be given different examples of points of view. They then have to choose the correct POV. You can extend the activity and use excerpts from favorite fiction and nonfiction texts.
Learn more: Live Worksheets
16. Pronoun Sort
This is a digital activity that has students working on defining the first-person pronouns and third-person pronouns They sort using pronouns list and definitions.
Learn more: Wordwall
17. Narration vs. Dialogue
Give students exposure to narration using this narrative essay activity. It uses examples from mentor texts to help students understand narration and dialogue. The familiar texts are helpful for students to learn how to write solid narrative essays.
Learn more: The Hungry Teacher Blog
18. Cootie Catcher
The cootie catcher is an easy and fun way for students to review the differing points of view. All you need is a printout of the worksheet and some folding skills.
Learn more: Tes.com
19. Escape Room
Make a practicing point of view a fun skill by using an escape room game! Students will pass levels by finding the POV and seeing if they can make it out!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
20. Choice Board
Using a choice board gives students a way to decide how they will show their mastery of the skill. Students will be given 8 different activity choices they can choose from to show their POV knowledge!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
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