• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Point of view and narrator). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. I don't think my sister likes me. She slammed the door again today, but maybe she just had a bad day at school. Why might this narrator be unreliable? (The narrator knows everything. / The narrator is a talking animal. / We only see events through the narrator's guesses and feelings. / The story uses 'you'.) → We only see events through the narrator's guesses and feelings.Prompt: Who is telling the story? Look at the pronouns (I, we, he, she).
2. I grabbed my bag and sprinted for the bus. My heart was pounding. Would I make it? What point of view is used? (third person / no narrator / second person / first person) → first personPrompt: Who is telling the story? Look at the pronouns (I, we, he, she).
3. Maria opened the letter slowly. She didn't know that her brother had already read it. What point of view is used? (first person / third person / no narrator / second person) → third personPrompt: Who is telling the story? Look at the pronouns (I, we, he, she).

• Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
• Share the objective: First, second or third person narrators. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: What point of view is this extract written in? We had never seen snow before, so we pressed our noses to the window.
• Step 1: First person uses I/we; second person uses you; third person limited follows one character's thoughts; third person omniscient knows everyone's.
• Step 2: 'We' and 'our' are first person plural.
• Step 3: So the answer is: first person
• Answer: first person
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. What point of view is this extract written in? You step into the dark hallway. You hear a creak behind you. (first person / second person / third person limited / third person omniscient) → second personPrompt: Look at the pronouns: I/we (first), you (second), he/she/they (third).
2. Read the question and choose. A writer wants readers to share one character's confusion about what is going on. Which narrator fits best? (third person limited (or first person) / a narrator who explains everything / third person omniscient / none; use a list of facts) → third person limited (or first person)Prompt: Think about how much each type of narrator knows.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Read the question and choose. Why might a writer choose a first-person narrator for a mystery? (it lets the reader know every character's secrets / it makes the story less personal / the reader learns clues only as the narrator does, which builds suspense / it means there can be no dialogue) → the reader learns clues only as the narrator does, which builds suspensePrompt: Think about how much each type of narrator knows.
2. What point of view is this extract written in? Marcus wasn't sure he could finish the race. His legs burned, and he told himself to keep going. (first person / second person / third person limited / third person omniscient) → third person limitedPrompt: Look at the pronouns: I/we (first), you (second), he/she/they (third).

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.