Reading stories and poems: word meaning, structure, and point of view (grade 4) · lesson

Point of view

💡 First person uses I, and third person tells about he, she, and they from outside.

In first person, the narrator is a character in the story. The narrator says I, me, and my.

In third person, the narrator is outside the story. The narrator calls every character he, she, or they.

Check the parts that are not inside quotation marks. A character can say I when talking in any story.

🧠 Let's work it out

Read: Sam grabbed his bag. I'm late! he yelled.

Ask: outside of the talking, what does the narrator call Sam?
He and his.
So this is third person.
The I is only in what Sam says out loud.

What do you think comes next?

first person: told by a character who says I
third person: told by someone outside the story
narrator: the one who tells the story

🔗 Craft and structure (grade 4) · Khan Academy ↗

Similes, metaphors, and more

💡 Figurative language compares things or stretches the truth to paint a picture.

A simile compares two things using like or as. The moon was like a lamp.

A metaphor compares without like or as. It says one thing is another. The moon was a lamp.

Some phrases stretch the truth. I waited a million years means you waited a long time. Ask what the two things have in common, or what feeling the phrase shows.

🧠 Let's work it out

Read: The pond was a sheet of glass.

Ask: is the pond really glass? No.
How are a calm pond and glass alike?
Both are flat, smooth, and shiny.
There is no like or as, so it is a metaphor.
It means the pond was very still.

What do you think comes next?

figurative language: words that mean more than what they say
simile: a comparison using like or as
metaphor: a comparison that says one thing is another

Details that show feelings

💡 Authors often show a feeling through the body instead of naming it.

Writers do not always say a character is nervous or ashamed. They show it. Shaky hands, a racing heart, or red cheeks are all clues.

Look at what just happened. If a character did something wrong, red cheeks may show shame. If a test is next, a racing heart may show worry.

These details help you feel what the character feels.

🧠 Let's work it out

Read: When the teacher called his name, Ben's knees shook.

Ask: what is about to happen? He has to go in front of the class.
Shaking knees often mean fear.
So the detail shows Ben is nervous.

What do you think comes next?

detail: a small piece of the text

Poems, plays, and stories

💡 Poems use lines and stanzas, plays use scenes and stage directions, and stories use paragraphs.

A story is written in sentences and paragraphs. A narrator tells what happens and what characters think.

A poem is written in lines grouped into stanzas. It often has rhythm or rhyme.

A play is written to be acted. It is split into scenes. Each line starts with a character's name. Stage directions, often in brackets, tell actors what to do. They are not said out loud.

🧠 Let's work it out

Look at: ROSA: [opens the box] It's empty!

Ask: what is ROSA? The character who speaks.
What is in the brackets? An action, not words to say.
So this is a play.
Names in capital letters and actions in brackets are clues that you are reading a play.

What do you think comes next?

stanza: a group of lines in a poem
scene: one part of a play
stage directions: notes that tell actors what to do