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Author’s Point of View
All stories have a narrator. Sometimes, the
narrator is an outside observer and tells the
story in the third-person, using pronouns, such
as
él
,
ella
,
se
,
ellos
,
and
ellas
. Sometimes,
the narrator is also a character in the story
and uses pronouns such as
yo
,
mi
,
me
,
and
mío
. When the narrator is an outside observer,
the author is using the third-person point of
view to tell the story. When the narrator is a
character, the author is using the first-person
point of view to tell the story. Guide students
to identify pronouns in the selection that show
the author’s point of view.
Author’s Purpose
Authors write stories for a reason. This
reason is called
author’s purpose
. The
four main reasons for writing a story are:
1) to
inform
, or tell about something; 2) to
explain
, or describe what something is like
or how something works; 3) to
entertain
, or
make the reading enjoyable or funny; and
4) to
persuade
, or convince the reader to
do something or to think the way the author
does. Sometimes, authors have more than one
purpose for writing a story. Ask students to
identify the author’s main purpose for writing
the selection. Help them to find and name the
details that the author uses to accomplish the
purpose.
Cause and Effect
A
cause
is why something happens. An
effect
is what happens as a result of that
cause. Sometimes, words and phrases such
as
porque
,
por eso
,
desde entonces
,
por lo
tanto
,
and others, give clues to indicate cause
and effect relationships in a story. However,
a story may not include these words and
Reading Comprehension Skills
and Strategies
still have cause and effect relationships.
Encourage students to find any signal
words that may be present in the story
and help them to identify cause and effect
relationships in the selection.
Comparing and Contrasting
When we tell how two or more things,
events, or characters are alike, we are
comparing
. When we tell how two or more
things, events, or characters are different, we
are
contrasting
. Comparing and contrasting
helps us to understand how people, events,
or things are alike or different in a story.
Have students look through the selection
and help them to identify instances in which
the author compares and contrasts events,
characters, or things.
Drawing Conclusions
We
draw conclusions
when we take
information about a character or event
in a story and then make a statement, or
conclusion, about that character or event
based on that information. Have students
look through the paragraphs they are
reading and model how to draw conclusions
about the characters and/or events.
Echo Reading
This reading strategy is ideal for modeling
correct pronunciation and intonation of text.
Start reading the selection and ask students to
repeat after you. Start with words and phrases,
and gradually increase to sentences. Be sure
to read with emotion and in a lively manner.
Avoid correcting students who mispronounce.
Instead, encourage them to continue reading,
following your lead, as you gradually release
more responsibility to them.
Program Overview