Exploring Point of View

Overview

This 55-minute lesson is designed for Year 4 students (ages 8-9) and focuses on recognising and using the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person in writing and speech. It aligns closely with the English National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4), particularly the programme of study for Writing and Spoken Language.

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National Curriculum References

• Spoken Language: Pupils should participate in discussions, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging viewpoints courteously.
• Writing - Transcription and Composition: Pupils should develop their use of pronouns and understand grammatical structures for effective communication.
• English Programme of Study (Year 3 & 4):
  • "Pupils should be taught to use pronouns correctly to indicate who is speaking, being spoken to, or being spoken about."
  • "Draft and write by organising paragraphs around a theme, using varied sentence structures."

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, all pupils will be able to:

• Identify 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person pronouns in a range of example sentences.
• Justify why a sentence is written in a particular person.
• Create their own sentences using 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person appropriately.
• Use person consistently within their sentences and short paragraphs.

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Success Criteria

• Correctly identify person in sentences with 90% accuracy during group activity.
• Confidently explain why a pronoun matches 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.
• Write three sentences, each in a different person, showing clear understanding.

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Resources

• Large printed sentences on cards (examples of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person)
• Whiteboards and eco-friendly whiteboard pens
• Personal mini whiteboards or scrap paper for pupils
• “Point of View” badge stickers (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)
• Visual person reference poster (with colourful pronouns and examples)
• Timer
• Exit ticket worksheet: three sentences - pupils circle which person is used

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Connection (10 minutes)

• Starter: “Who am I?” Game
  The teacher stands in the middle of a circle. Pupils have cards with pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they) stuck to their backs but cannot see them. Pupils ask each other yes/no questions to work out which pronoun they have.
• Teacher Guidance: Brief recap on what 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person mean (link to pronouns). Refer to the person reference poster.
• Link this to speaking (“If I say ‘I am happy’, it’s 1st person because I am talking about myself.”)

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2. Main Activity Part 1: Identifying the Person (15 minutes)

• Group Sentence Sorting
  Split class into 3 groups (about 5-6 pupils each). Each group receives a set of colour-coded sentence cards. Red for 1st person, blue for 2nd, green for 3rd.
• Pupils read sentences aloud and decide which person each belongs to, justifying choices to their group. Examples include:
  • “I love to play football.” (1st person)
  • “You must finish your homework.” (2nd person)
  • “She is reading a book.” (3rd person)
• Groups place sentences on a large Venn diagram mat labelled 1st, 2nd, 3rd person.
• Teacher Circulates: Supports justification - “What clue tells you this is 2nd person?”

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3. Main Activity Part 2: Applying Person (15 minutes)

• Mini Whiteboard Challenge
  Each pupil writes one sentence in each person on their mini whiteboard. For example:
  • 1st person: “I am excited to learn.”
  • 2nd person: “You should try this game.”
  • 3rd person: “He enjoys painting.”
• When finished, pupils exchange whiteboards with a partner and check if the sentences correctly match the person. Partners explain why or why not.
• Volunteers share examples; teacher highlights effective use or corrects kindly.

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4. Plenary and Reflection (10 minutes)

• “Person Detective” Quickfire Round
  Read aloud sentences and invite pupils to stand up and wear a badge corresponding to the person used.
• Reflect on why understanding person helps us write clearly for different purposes (stories, instructions, telling someone something).
• Exit Ticket: Pupils complete a worksheet with three sentences, circling 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person for each. This informs teacher of individual understanding.

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Differentiation

• Support: Sentence cards with visual pronoun cues; sentence starters on mini whiteboards.
• Challenge: Pupils write a short paragraph switching between different persons appropriately (e.g., diary entry written in 1st person and instructions in 2nd person).

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation during group sorting and whiteboard activities.
• Peer assessment during sentence exchange.
• Summative assessment via exit ticket responses.

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Reflection and Next Steps

• Next lesson could explore direct speech and pronoun use in dialogue.
• Cross-curricular links: Writing instructions in DT, storytelling in History or RE focusing on narrator perspective.

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This lesson fully integrates spoken and written English skills, engaging pupils interactively while embedding national curriculum requirements for grammatical understanding and composition development.