| Point
of View |
| Lesson Abstract |
| Summary: |
Students will use the book A River Ran Wild, by Lynne
Cherry, to develop skills in reading and identifying characters and their point of view. |
| GLE: |
See Social studies and Communication Arts GLE on the
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (D.E.S.E.)
Website: http://www.dese.mo.gov |
| Subject Areas: |
Communication Arts and Social Studies |
| Show-Me |
Goals – 1.5, 1.9, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 4.3,
4.7 |
| Standards: |
Strands – CA 1, 7; SS 5, 6; SC 4, 5, 8 |
| Skills: |
Reasoning, evaluating, establishing criteria, analyzing |
| Duration: |
1 class period (50 minutes) |
| Setting: |
Classroom |
| Key Vocabulary: |
Aesthetic, economic, ecological, environmental, egocentric, educational,
cultural, agricultural, recreational, healthful, and political |
Rationale:
- Critical reading and thinking are important skills
in today’s society.
Student Relevance:
- Students can benefit from analyzing historical events.
- Students can benefit from identifying different points
of view from which people speak and act.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, students will be able to . . .
- Identify different points of view.
- Identify points of view in actions taken in the book
A River Ran Wild.
- Identify the people having points of view in A
River Ran Wild.
Students Need to Know:
- How to identify characters.
- How to read critically.
- How to analyze readings
- How history is responsible for many actions in the
present.
- Historical perspective of watershed management.
- Cultural variables affecting attitudes toward natural
resources.
Teachers Need to Know:
- Points of view and their definitions (see handout
in Governor’s Solution lesson).
Resources:
Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild. San Diego:
Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1992
Hungerford, H. R. and R. A. Litherland, R. B. Peyton,
J. M. Ramsey, T. L. Volk.
Investigating and Evaluation Environmental Issues and Actions: Skill
Development Program. Champaign, IL: Stipes, 1996.
Materials Needed for Lesson:
A River Ran Wild
Points of View handout – copy provided in Governor’s Solution
lesson
Characters and Their Actions handout
Pencils
Procedure:
- Review the Points of View handout with students
- Read A River Ran Wild aloud and let students
pick out characters.
- Reread A River Ran Wild and let the students
assign points of view to the characters.
Evaluation Strategies:
- Collect papers and check to see if correct points
of view were assigned to the characters. Some could be controversial
so use your judgment. This is not a finite science. Opinion plays a
big part.
Extension Activities:
- Find articles from local papers and magazines. Use
the same exercise to identify characters and points of view for these
articles.
- Establish a collection of newspaper articles about
water usage in your area or state and identify the points of view.
- Develop and conduct a survey to determine the points
of view regarding a local stream.
- Construct a concept map and/or web site which
makes a visual presentation of various points of view.
Characters and Their Actions
and
the Attached Point of View from
A River Ran Wild
By Lynne Cherry
| People |
Actions |
Point of View |
| Native People |
drank clear water |
health |
| |
built dwellings |
cultural |
| |
planted corn |
agricultural |
| |
hunted |
health |
| |
traveled on river |
economic |
| Native People |
maintained rhythm with river, land and forest |
ecological |
| Trader |
traveled, traded |
economic |
| Settlers |
trapped |
economic |
| Settlers |
operated sawmills |
economic |
| |
cleared more forest |
agricultural |
| Settlers |
drove Indians from land |
economic/cultural |
| Factories |
produced chemicals/paper |
economic/environmental |
| Citizens along river |
pulp clogged river |
aesthetic |
| |
bad smells |
health/aesthetic |
| |
absence of birds, fish, and
animals |
ecological/health |
| Marion/Oweana |
decided something must be done |
environmental/political |
| Citizens |
protested to politicians |
political |
| Factories |
stopped polluting |
legal |
| Citizens |
cleaned river/animals returned |
environmental/aesthetic |
Suggested Scoring Guide:
Reading - Analyzing Information : Point of View
Teacher Name: ________________________________________
Student Name: ________________________________________
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Identifies opinions |
Student accurately locates at least 5 opinions in the
article and gives a clear explanation of why these are opinions, rather
than facts. |
Student accurately locates at least 4 opinions in the
article and gives a reasonable explanation of why these are opinions,
rather than facts. |
Student accurately locates at least 4 opinions in the article. Explanation
is weak. |
Student has difficulty locating opinions in an article.
|
| Identifies details |
Student recalls several details for each main point
without referring to the article. |
Student recalls several details for each main point,
but needs to refer to the article occasionally. |
Student is able to locate most of the details when looking
at the article. |
Student cannot locate details with accuracy. |
| Identifies facts |
Student accurately locates at least 5 facts in the article
and gives a clear explanation of why these are facts, rather than
opinions. |
Student accurately locates 4 facts in the article and
gives a reasonable explanation of why they are facts, rather than
opinions. |
Student accurately locates 4 facts in the article. Explanation
is weak. |
Student has difficulty locating facts in an article.
|
| Identifies important information |
Student lists all the main points of the article without
having the article in front of him/her. |
The student lists all the main points, but uses the
article for reference. |
The student lists all but one of the main points, using
the article for reference. S/he does not highlight any unimportant
points. |
The student cannot identify important information with
accuracy. |
| Summarization |
Student uses only 1-3 sentences to describe clearly
what the article is about. |
Student uses several sentences to accurately describe
what the article is about. |
Student summarizes most of the article accurately,
but has some slight misunderstanding. |
Student has great difficulty summarizing the article.
|
Rubric Made Using: RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org)
|