Day 50: Understanding Narrative Point of View in Book Clubs
Today’s lesson sits right at the intersection of reading comprehension and critical thinking. When students understand who is telling the story — and how much that narrator knows — their interpretations become sharper, more skeptical, and far more interesting.
In book clubs especially, narrative point of view matters. Two students can read the same chapter and walk away with completely different beliefs about a character, simply because they’re responding to the narrator’s perspective. Today, we slow things down and make that invisible influence visible.
By the end of the class, students will be able to identify the narrative point of view in their novel and explain how it shapes what the reader believes — or thinks they believe.
Silent Reading – Book Club Novels (20 minutes)
Students read independently from their book club novels.
Encourage them to read with one guiding question quietly in mind (no writing yet):
“Who is telling this story — and how close are we to their thoughts?”
This primes students for the analysis task later without interrupting reading flow.
Predicate Adjectives Mini-Lesson
Before shifting fully into literature, take a few minutes to introduce predicate adjectives.
Keep this light and conceptual:
Explain that predicate adjectives describe the subject after a linking verb.
Connect it to reading by pointing out that authors often use predicate adjectives to reveal mood, judgment, or bias.
Click here for the full lesson on predicate adjectives.
Quick Review: Narrative Point of View
This short review sets everyone on common ground.
Briefly revisit:
First-person – told by a character using “I”
Third-person limited – focused on one character’s thoughts and experiences
Third-person omniscient – access to multiple characters’ thoughts
Emphasize this key idea:
Narrative point of view controls what we know, what we don’t know, and what we are encouraged to believe.
Individual Task: Narrative Point of View Analysis (20–30 minutes)
Student Task
Students work independently using their book club novel.
They respond in writing to the following prompts:
Identify the narrative point of view used in your novel.
Be specific — name the type, not just “first” or “third.”Provide one quotation from today’s reading that clearly shows this point of view.
Explain how this perspective influences the reader’s beliefs.
Consider:Do we trust the narrator? Why or why not?
What information are we missing because of this POV?
How might the story feel different if told another way?
Reflection Question
What does the narrator want us to believe about a character or situation — and how can you tell?
This task is designed to slow thinking, not rush answers. Encourage thoughtful explanations over length.
Optional Discussion Prompt (if time allows)
Invite a few students to share insights:
How does point of view shape sympathy?
When have you trusted a narrator who later turned out to be unreliable?
Can point of view ever be manipulative?
Even a five-minute discussion here can deepen understanding dramatically.
Conclusion
Understanding narrative point of view is one of those skills that quietly transforms students into stronger readers. Once they realize that every story is filtered through a perspective, they start questioning, noticing bias, and reading with intention.
In book clubs, this awareness fuels richer conversations. Students stop arguing about what happened and start discussing why they believe it happened that way. That shift — from passive reading to active interpretation — is exactly what we’re aiming for.
