Understanding Different Perspectives

Lesson Overview

Grade Level: Year 4 (Advanced Grade 3 Readers)
Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)
Duration: 35 minutes
Curriculum Focus: California Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
Guided Reading Text: A Gift for Aunty Ngā
Comprehension Skills: Point of View & Audience and Purpose of Texts

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Analyze A Gift for Aunty Ngā to determine the author's purpose.
• Identify the intended audience for the story.
• Explore different cultural perspectives within the text.
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to engage in deep comprehension.
• Apply Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to understand the character's experiences.

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Standards Alignment

California Common Core Standards (Grade 4)

• RL.4.6: Compare and contrast points of view from different narratives.
• RL.4.2: Determine a theme and summarize the text.
• RI.4.6: Identify the author’s purpose and intended audience.
• SL.4.1: Engage in collaborative discussions about the story.

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-Up Activity (5 minutes) — Think, Pair, Share

Question:
"What makes a gift meaningful? Have you ever given a gift that had a special meaning for the person receiving it?"

• Think – Students jot down ideas individually.
• Pair – Discuss thoughts with a partner.
• Share – Each pair shares one idea with the class.
• Purpose: Activates prior knowledge and introduces the theme of the book.

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2. Guided Reading (10 minutes) — First-Person vs. Third-Person Perspective

• Read a selected passage from A Gift for Aunty Ngā aloud.
• Discuss the story’s perspective.

Mini-Lesson: Identifying Point of View

• Who is telling the story?
• What emotions and thoughts are revealed?
• How would the story change if another character were telling it?

📌 Bloom’s Taxonomy: Understanding & Analyzing
Students identify the narrator and discuss how this influences the reader’s connection to the characters.

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3. Exploring Audience & Purpose (10 minutes) — Cultural Connections

• Discuss how the story reflects the author’s cultural perspective.
• Compare experiences in the story to students’ own backgrounds.
• Think Deeper: Why might the author have chosen to write this story?

📌 Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

• Microsystem: How does the main character’s relationship with Aunty Ngā shape the story?
• Macrosystem: What cultural values can we see reflected in the text?

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4. Creative Thinking Task (7 minutes) — Perspective Shift Writing

• Student Task: Rewrite a short scene from the book from a different character’s perspective.
• Encourage students to think about how the new narrator’s emotions and experiences change the story.
• Share rewritten passages in small groups.

📌 Bloom’s Taxonomy: Applying & Creating
Students engage in higher-order thinking by transforming the story from a different viewpoint.

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Assessment & Exit Ticket (3 minutes)

Verbal Reflection:

• "What did you learn about author’s purpose today?"
• "Who do you think this story was written for?"

Written Question (Exit Ticket):
"If you could ask the author one question about their perspective, what would it be?"

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Differentiation & Support

• For Struggling Readers: Provide a sentence starter for their rewritten scene.
• For Advanced Learners: Challenge them to analyze a second story with a different cultural background and compare the perspectives.
• ELL Support: Pair ELL students with a peer for discussion, providing cultural visuals for deeper understanding.

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Teacher Reflection & Notes

• Were students able to identify different perspectives?
• Did they make meaningful connections to their own experiences?
• How effectively did they apply new comprehension strategies?

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This lesson integrates critical thinking, cultural awareness, and multiple theoretical frameworks to deepen student engagement with A Gift for Aunty Ngā. It also aligns with Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bronfenbrenner’s model, allowing students to explore how stories reflect diverse human experiences and viewpoints.