Common Core Standards
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Concept: Narrative Point of View
Primary Subject Area: English
Secondary Subject Areas: N/A
Common Core Standards Addressed:
Reading Standards for Literature, 9-­‐12 Grades 9-­‐10 Grades 11-­‐12 Key Ideas and Details 3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g. those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g. how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). Language Standards, 9-­‐12 Grades 9-­‐10 Grades 11-­‐12 Vocabulary Acquisition and Use 6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-­‐specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. 6. 6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-­‐specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Common Core Standards
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Lesson Plan
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Overview:
Materials:
•
Copies of If You Come
Softly
Notebook/paper
Whiteboard/chalkboard
Jacqueline Woodson’s novel If You Come Softly is a story about first love,
youth, race, prejudice and the ignorance of contemporary society. It is also a
story told from two distinct points of view – Ellie’s and Jeremiah’s.
Complicating things, Ellie tells her story herself, using the first person point of
view. Jeremiah’s story, on the other hand, is told from a third person
perspective. This lesson will define the different sets of narrative point of view
and explore what impact narrative point of view has on Woodson’s novel.
Other Resources:
Objectives:
•
•
•
Supplementary Materials
Chart
Students will be able to:
• Define the various forms of narration including: first person POV,
second person POV, and third person POV, limited and omniscient.
• Identify the particular narrative POV used in any given passage.
• List the narrative strengths and weaknesses of any given POV.
• Discuss the possible impact(s) each narrative POV brings to the story it
tells.
• Provide explanations for why Jacqueline Woodson chose to structure
her narrative this way.
Warm-Up Activity:
To get the class talking, ask students to share their thoughts on If You
Come Softly so far? This discussion can be very general. Where does the
story take place? Who are the characters? What is the story about? Are
there any things to note about how the story is told? (5 minutes)
Once students are comfortable with the basic premise/plot of the story,
ask your students the following questions:
• Did you notice anything special about the way this story is told?
If so, please explain.
• How do Ellie’s chapters and Jeremiah’s chapters differ from one
another?
You can go to the white board and track you students answers, making a
column for Jeremiah’s story and one for Ellie’s story. Students will
probably notice that Ellie’s story is told in first person, and Jeremiah’s
story is told from a third person perspective. If this topic does not come
up, you can mention it.
Short Lecture & Partner Activities:
Part I: Point of View (POV) short lecture
After the warm up activity, give a short lecture on the different forms of
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Lesson Plan
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Lesson Plan
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
narrative point of view. For each narrative POV give a definition (some
are provided below), an example and then, finally, brainstorm with the
class about the possible strengths and weaknesses of the POV. It is
probably best if you stick to If You Come Softly, but feel free to draw on
other narrative sources to illustrate your points (for example, you will
have to draw on a different example to illustrate 2nd person POV):
Point of View:
The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the
narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted, and by the
narrator’s attitude toward the characters.
First person POV:
A point of view in which an “I” or “we” serves as the narrator. The
narrator may be a minor character, observing the action, or the main
protagonist of the story. A first-person narrator may be reliable or
unreliable.
Second person POV:
In second person point of view, the narrator tells the story to another
character using “you;” the story is being told through the addressee’s
point of view.
Third Person POV:
The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a
narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns
such as “he” or “she.” Third person point of view may be omniscient or
limited.
To transition, ask the class what category do Ellie’s chapters fall under?
What narrative POV is used in Jeremiah’s chapters?
Part 2: Partner Activity
Split your class into groups of two. Next, assign half of your students to
focus on Elle’s chapters. Assign the other half to focus on Jeremiah’s
chapters. You assign each group to focus on one chapter (I’d suggest
Chapter 3 – Ellie; Chapter 4 – Jeremiah) OR, ask students to consider the
chapters in their entirety.
On a piece of notebook paper, each group should respond to the
following questions:
• List a few things that you know about Ellie/Jeremiah.
• What POV is used?
• What are the strengths of that POV? How do those strengths
impact the chapter and/or character?
• Does the POV used in the chapter have any weaknesses? What
are they? What impact do they have on the story?
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Lesson Plan
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Lesson Plan
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
•
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Imagine if the chapter was told using a different POV. What
would be gained in switching? What would be lost?
Reconvene as a class to discuss your answers. You can respond to
individual responses as they come or, chart your students’ answers on
the board, making on column for Jeremiah and one column for Ellie. You
can also make a column for 1st person POV, and 3rd person POV – listing
the characteristics of each narrative perspective.
Discussion Wrap-Up: To wrap up, ask your students to, in their own words, define first person
POV and third person POV. If you are certain your class has a strong
handle on these terms, you can move on. However, feel free to pause for a
moment here to make sure that your students can 1) define the term, 2) list
the strengths and weaknesses associated with the narrative POV and 3)
identify examples in the text.
Next, ask the class the following questions:
• Why do you think Jacqueline Woodson decided to tell her novel If
You Come Softly in this way?
• Why not only use one narrator to tell this story?
• Why not let Jeremiah tell his own story? What could be some
possible reasons for Woodson’s choice?
You can also ask the following questions:
• Would the story be different if the roles were reversed—if Ellie’s
chapters were told in the 3rd person and Jeremiah told his own story
in the 1st person?
• In your opinion, could the same story be told?
Use these questions to spark greater interest in the novel. You may not be
able to pin down all of these questions in the time allotted, but the aim here
is to get students thinking about the book more broadly.
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Lesson Plan
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Lesson Plan
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Writing Activities/Evaluations: Analytical:
Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of when Ellie and Jeremiah first meet each other – providing readers
with the details, emotions, and circumstances of this fateful event. Woodson tells this story twice, once
using the first person POV from Ellie’s perspective, and another time using the third person POV, closely
following Jeremiah. Answer the following question: Which narrative POV do you feel captured that first
meeting more effectively (look at both Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 for reference)? In your argument you
should make sure to include 1) a definition of the narrative POV you select and 2) provide evidence from
the text supporting your arguments. Student responses should fall between 500-700 words.
Creative:
Jacqueline Woodson employs both a first person narrator and a third-person narrator in her novel If You
Come Softly. Write a short story / small scene using two different narrative perspectives (1st, 2nd, or 3rd
person). You can even use the 1st person POV twice, providing that the POV comes from two separate
characters.
You do not need to copy Ms. Woodson’s narrative form, per say. Instead, feel free to experiment with
both the content of your story and the narrative POV. Your story should be at least 500-1000 words.
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Lesson Plan
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Discussion & Comprehension Questions
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Questions for Discussion:
•
Define 1st person point of view. Give an example from the text.
•
Define 3rd person point of view. Give an example from the text.
•
What does 3rd person limited point of view mean?
•
What character do you feel you know better? Ellie or Jeremiah? Why?
•
What chapters do you think best captures the love story between Ellie and Jeremiah– Elle’s chapters
or Jeremiah’s chapters?
•
Why do you think Jacqueline Woodson gives Ellie’s story in first person (told by Ellie herself) and
tells Jeremiah’s story in third person?
•
How do their life stories differ? Can this difference explain the alternative POVs?
•
Who struggles more with the idea of an “interracial” relationship? – Jeremiah or Ellie?
•
What impact does the narrative POV have on what we know about each character?
•
Name 3 strengths of a first-person point of view narration.
•
List 3 potential weaknesses of the 3rd person POV.
•
If you were to tell the story of Ellie and Jeremiah, which POV would you use? Would you tell the
story between two POVs like Ms. Woodson does? Or would you tell the story using only one POV?
Would you choose a different narrator entirely? Explain your answers.
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Discussion & Comprehension Questions
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Key Vocabulary
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Word:
Definition:
Point of View
The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the
narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted and by the
attitude toward the characters.
Omniscient
Having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding;
perceiving all things.
Limited
A narration confined within limits; restricted or circumscribed.
First person POV
First person point of view is a point of view in which an “I” or “we”
serves as the narrator of a piece of fiction. The narrator may be a minor
character, observing the action, or the main protagonist of the story. A
first-person narrator may be reliable or unreliable.
Second person POV
In second person point of view, the narrator tells the story to another
character using “you;” the story is being told through the addressee’s
point of view.
Third person POV
The 3rd person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a narrator
relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as
“he” or “she.” Third person point of view may be omniscient or limited.
Fort Green, Brooklyn
A neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn, know for the vibrancy of its
artistic residents and diversity of it population.
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Key Vocabulary
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Text References
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in
Point of View
Book: If You Come Softly
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Grade Level: 9-12
Lesson Type: Point of View
Textual References:
•
“Jeremiah was black. He could feel it. The way the sun pressed down hard and hot on his
skin. Sometimes it felt like he sweated black beads of oil. He felt warm inside his skin,
protected. And in Fort Greene, Brooklyn—where everyone seemed to be some shade of
black—he felt good walking through the neighborhood.
But one step outside. Just one step and somehow the weight of his skin seemed to change. It
got heavier” (p. 5)
•
“I had been staring at my program card, trying to figure out where room 301 or something
was—looking from the program card to the numbers on the doors and I had run right into
him, my math and science textbooks crashing to the floor. Then he was apologizing and I
was apologizing and we were both being at the same time to retrieve them. And then—we
just stopped and burst out laughing” (p. 14)
•
“That’s when he said his name—Jeremiah—and that stupid song about the bullfrog popped
into my head so fast I just said it—‘Like the bullfrog?’” (p.14)
•
“’Jeremiah,’ I whispered to myself as I walked away from him. I could feel his name,
settling around me, as though I was walking in a mist of it, of him, of Jeremiah
I stopped then and looked back over my shoulder/ He was looking at me, a kind of puzzled
look. Jeremiah, I thought, smiling. Jeremiah smiled back, then sort of waved, and turned into
the classroom at the end of the hall.” (p. 15)
•
“He stared at the mirror, lost. That girl in the hall. “She’s white too,” he whispered, the
words sinking in. He could hear someone laughing. It sounded like the whole world—
pointing at him…and laughing.” (p.66)
•
“I’m going to kiss you soon, Jeremiah had found himself thinking. I don’t know when or where or
how, but soon I’m going to kiss you.” (p. 101)
Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Text References
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Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Class Handout
Name:
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Miah and Ellie – A Lesson in Point of View: Class Handout
Supplementary Materials Chart
Category of
Resource
Description of
Resource
Potential Educational
Uses of Resource
Link to Resource
Web Page
Point of View –
Reference
This website is a great
reference for students to
get a solid handle on POV.
Not only does the website
provide definitions – you
can download worksheets
to practice identifying
narrative POV.
http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/point-­‐of-­‐view/
Web Page
Point of View –
Reference
This website is a great
website for students to get
a different take on
narrative POV. Instead of
looking at POV from a
reader’s perspective, this
website details what POV
means for a writer.
http://www.thebeginningwriter.com/2012/03/point-­‐of-­‐view-­‐pov-­‐finding-­‐
best-­‐for-­‐your.html
Web Page
Background
Information
This background
information from
Jacqueline Woodson’s
own website will help
students get a broad sense
of what the book is about,
and answer some general
questions about why she
wrote the book, and what
the book means to her.
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/if-­‐you-­‐come-­‐softly/