Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse
| | Purpose: | As a result of this activity, students will understand the implications of point of view in literature. | | Related Standard & Benchmarks: | | Language Arts | | | Standard 1. | Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process | | | | | Level III [Grade 6-8] | | | | | Benchmark 7. Writes narrative accounts, such as short stories (e.g., engages the reader by establishing a context and otherwise developing reader interest; establishes a situation, plot, persona, point of view, setting, conflict, and resolution; develops complex characters; creates an organizational structure that balances and unifies all narrative aspects of the story; uses a range of strategies and literary devices such as dialogue, tension, suspense, figurative language, and specific narrative action such as movement, gestures, and expressions; reveals a specific theme) |
| | Language Arts | | | Standard 6. | Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts | | | | | Level III [Grade 6-8] | | | | | Benchmark 8. Understands point of view in a literary text (e.g., first and third person, limited and omniscient, subjective and objective) |
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| | Student Product: | A five- to seven-page narrative account | | Material & Resources: | The traditional Grimm brothers’ "Hansel and Gretel" and "The Magic Circle" by Donna Jo Napoli | | Teacher's Note: | "The Magic Circle" is about 125 pages in paperback and is recommended for children 11 and older. If you wish, you can adapt this activity for older students. One possible alternative text for older children is Gregory Macguire’s "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" ("The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" told from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West). Any other fairy tale, fable, fantasy, or story that has been written from different points of view can be substituted in this activity. | | Activity | | First, have students read (or read together in class) the traditional "Hansel and Gretel"; students must also read Donna Jo Napoli’s "The Magic Circle," a "Hansel and Gretel" tale told from the witch’s point of view. After students have finished their reading, discuss with them what aspects of the story have changed as a result of the change in point of view (e.g., does the witch consider herself wicked? Are Hansel and Gretel the protagonists of the Napoli text, as they are in the traditional version of the story?). Then, ask students to consider how the story might change if it were told completely from the perspective of other characters (e.g., the stepmother, the father, the children’s dead mother). Remind students that if, for example, the story were told totally from the perspective of the stepmother, it could include only those things of which the stepmother has direct knowledge (e.g., she would only know what happened in the witch’s house if Hansel and Gretel were to tell her). Ask students to choose a character in the story (excluding the witch) and retell it, in a five- to seven-page story, completely from that character’s point of view. Hansel and Gretel are acceptable choices as long as students realize that the tale must be told exclusively from that character’s point of view. Stories should be written in the first person. Finally, use an established or class-developed rubric to evaluate the written narratives. The rubric should include, among other criteria, the ability to tell a story from a consistent point of view. Other possible criteria include [see Benchmark 7 above]:
- establishing setting, plot,, conflict, and resolution
- creating an organizational structure
- using sensory details
- developing complex characters
- using literary devices such as tension, suspense, dialogue
- using narrative action such as movement, gestures, expressions
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