CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.6

ELA4th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literature

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students identify who tells each story and decide whether the narration is first person or third person. They compare what each narrator knows, reveals, and leaves out.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students correctly label first-person and third-person narration using pronouns and narrator knowledge as evidence. They explain how each narrator shapes what readers know about events and characters.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the main character is always the narrator. They may also label any story using names as third person without checking what the narrator knows.
How to Assess It: Give students one first-person paragraph and one third-person paragraph. Ask them to label each, underline evidence, and explain one difference in what the narrators reveal.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs two short story excerpts to sort by narrator, then have them highlight pronouns and clues that support each choice.
Ask students to rewrite one event from first person to third person, then explain what information changed or stayed hidden.
Play Narrator Detective by reading short passages aloud while teams identify the narration type and cite one clue for each answer.
Compare a personal account of a school event with a newspaper-style report, noting how each narrator presents different details.

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