story elements narrator
TRANSCRIPT
STORY ELEMENTS
NARRATOR
POINT OF VIEW
A point-of-view is a
story told by a person
as they saw it.
A point of view can
change based on
where the person is
standing, and what
they think they see.
WHAT IS A NARRATOR?
A narrator is the voice which an author chooses to tell their story.
This “voice” can be one, or several different characters –who lives inside the story, or outside the story.
Let’s look at different narration choices.
OUTSIDE NARRATORS
An OUTSIDE narrator
is a voice that’s outside
of the main story,
looking in, and telling
what’s happening.
They may tell only what
they see, or they may
be able to look inside
and tell what the
characters are thinking
and feeling too.
GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE
BEARS Here’s one example of an
OUTSIDE narrator: “Goldilocks saw the bears, and jumped out of bed, and went out the window as fast as she could, and ran all the way home.”
Here’s another: When Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears, she was very frightened, and thought: “Oh, no! These bears are going to eat me up!”
How are these two examples different?
INSIDE NARRATORS
An INSIDE narrator is
a character within the
story, and tells the
story as they’ve
experienced it.
It can be the main
character, or a minor
character; the hero,
or the villain.
GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE
BEARS What if Goldilocks
was the narrator of her story? “When I saw those three bears staring at me angrily, I knew I had to run home to my momma!”
What if one of the bears was the narrator? “That little girl was in MY BED! I was so angry I growled my loudest growl! GRRRR!!!”
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Who the author chooses to be the voice in their story can greatly effect how the story will be told.
By changing the narrator, other parts of the story can change as well –sometimes in big ways!
THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Consider the story of “The Three Little Pigs”
Who are the characters in the story?
Could any of these characters be the “voice” of the story?
The third little pig could be the “voice” since he’s the hero of the story.
THE TRUE STORY?
In the next book we’re going to read, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, the author, Jon Scieszka, decided to make the narrator an INSIDE character – THE BIG BAD WOLF!
Let’s see how making the Wolf the narrator changes the story of The Three Little Pigs!