This module is for English students in grades 9-12. They will need access to a computer with word processing software and internet access.
By the end of this module, students will produce (in writing) a narrative paragraph of at least 100 words to convey a clear description of a setting from a chosen point of view, using at least three sensory details.
Florida State Standard LAFS.910.W.1.3 and LAFS.1112.W.1.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
D. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
English and language arts students learn to identify and discuss setting and character as story elements in narrative writing throughout their academic careers. But how do writers engage readers in the settings they create? This module examines the use of point of view and sensory details as tools to enhance narrative writing. It can be completed by students independently or as a teacher-guided lesson.
Setting and character are two important elements of storytelling. Narrative writing relies only on words and description. Still, novels and short stories have the power to create incredibly vivid, engaging settings—settings so powerful that they’re translated into film and various art forms. In English classes you have learned to identify setting and character as story elements, but how do writers engage readers in these settings?
In narrative writing, setting doesn’t exist in isolation. The description of where and when the action happens—the setting—always comes through the filter of a particular point of view. The point of view may come from the perspective of the main character or actor, or it may come though the perspective of someone else—either another character or a narrator who exists outside of the story. To determine the point of view, we can ask three questions:
Click through the slides below to review using person and tense to identify a story’s point of view.
Why are we looking at the voice and tense of a point of view when this lesson is about setting? Why would a writer choose one method over another? Let’s look at the Harry Potter series as an example.
J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in third person, past tense, possibly because she wanted to tell the reader things that Harry doesn’t always know at the time. But Harry is the still the main character, the point of view character.
For Harry, going to Hogwarts was an escape from an abusive home. He loved it—for the first time in his life, a place felt like home, and many readers felt that same emotion for Harry’s world. Can you imagine how the same story might have been different from Ron Weasley’s perspective? He grew up in the magical world, a middle child—for Ron, Hogwarts might have just been–school.
Let’s take a look at an example of description of a graveyard that uses third person past tense. Watch the video below to see a setting description from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Was the description what you expected for a graveyard? How does Bod’s perspective influence the description? How do you think Bod feels about this place?
For Bod Owens, a graveyard isn’t a scary or sad place—it’s his home. He lives there, and Silas is one of the adults who looks after him.
Let’s look specifically at the point of view Gaiman uses.
This is in third person, past tense. We see this because it doesn’t use I, and we see the verbs gave and finished, indicating that it happened in the past. Two characters are mentioned, but Bod is the point of view character. We know because he continues acting in the sentences that follow. The words finished it proudly and every day start to show us that Bod’s reaction to the setting was a positive one.
Neil Gaiman read The Graveyard Book aloud and posted the videos online chapter by chapter. Click here to start with Chapter 1. The Graveyard Book may be available through your local library for free and can be ordered from independent bookstores by clicking here.
