Topic sentences

Point of View and Topic sentences

Goals for this lesson

To understand and analyse what the choice of Point of View can bring to the story. 

To understand the function of a topic sentence.

To create topic sentences for paragraphs in The Scarlet Ibis

 

What are the different Points of View? What can you remember?

Match the description to the POV

First person point of view

Third person point of view

Second person point of view

Uses the "I" pronoun

Told through the eyes of a character in the story.

Uses the pronouns "he", "she" or "they"

Told as though you are observing what is happening, maybe with complete or limited insight into characters' feelings 

Speaks directly to the reader

Uses the pronoun "you" 

Let's read ....

The Scarlet Ibis

What point of view is used in the story?

What did the point of view allows us to experience? Imagine it was written is he/she form, what would we have missed?

In pairs

Discuss where these parts of the plot are in the story and make notes

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Different pairs will be asked to answer where they think they happen

The Scarlet Ibis: the first paragraph 

Summer was dead, but autumn had not yet been born when the ibis came to the bleeding tree. It's strange that all this is so clear to me, now that time has had its way. But sometimes (like right now) I sit in the cool green parlor, and I remember Doodle.

• What is the main idea expressed in this paragraph? 
• What could a topic sentence be if we wanted to discuss this paragraph
• Discuss in pairs and get ready to post your answer, as a pair, on the next slide.

Remarks to help them if they are struggling: 

Is this person looking at the present or the past? 

Is emotion expressed?

How does the passage sound? 

Topic sentence could be:  The narrator expresses a reflective mood as the thinks about, his brother, Doodle.

Type up your topic sentence

Example to give then if none of the answers really work: 

In the opening paragraph of The Scarlet Ibis  the narrator expresses a reflective tone. 

Topic sentence for the second paragraph

Doodle was about the craziest brother a boy ever had. Doodle was born when I was seven and was, from the start, a disappointment. He seemed all head, with a tiny body that was red and shriveled like an old man's. Everybody thought he was going to die.

What is the main idea expressed?

Discuss in pairs and get ready to post your answer, as a pair, on the next slide.

Topic sentence could be: The narrator describes his brother as being a sickly child. 

Type your topic sentence

Suggestion: 

In the second paragraph of The Scarlet Ibis, Doodle is introduced as a sickly baby. 

Let's start looking at the story as a whole....

Write a topic sentence connected to one of the following areas

Character, foreshadowing, setting, conflict,