Contrasting Points of View
Aligned to RL.7.6 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Authors give different characters distinct viewpoints and often set them against each other. Analyze how these contrasts reveal personality and shape the reader's understanding.
Worked examples
Example 1
One sister sees the move as an exciting adventure; the other sees it as losing her friends. The same event, two opposite views — the contrast shows their different values.
Example 2
The coach remembers the season as the year the team finally bought in; the benched player remembers it as the year nobody looked at him.
Example 3
Neither view has to be a lie for them to be incompatible. That is what makes contrasting points of view worth writing about.
Practice questions
- In a story, describe how two characters view the same event differently.
- Explain what each viewpoint reveals about that character's personality.
- Choose whose point of view the author seems to favor and support it with a detail.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Contrastar puntos de vista
Los autores dan a cada personaje una perspectiva distinta y a menudo las enfrentan. Analiza cómo esos contrastes revelan la personalidad y guían al lector.
Ejemplo 1: Un hermano ve la mudanza como una aventura; el otro, como perder a sus amigos. El mismo hecho, dos visiones opuestas — el contraste muestra sus valores distintos.
Ejemplo 2: El entrenador recuerda la temporada como el año en que el equipo por fin se comprometió; el jugador en la banca la recuerda como el año en que nadie lo volteó a ver.
Ejemplo 3: Ninguna versión tiene que ser mentira para que sean incompatibles. Eso es lo que hace que valga la pena escribir sobre puntos de vista contrastados.
More Reading: Literature lessons
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