Engaging Ways to Teach Third Person Point of View with “School’s First Day of School”: Aligning to the Alberta Grade 5 Curriculum

Teaching third person point of view might sound like a small detail, but it’s actually a huge step in helping students become thoughtful, independent readers. In Alberta’s new Grade 5 English Language Arts and Literature curriculum, students need to recognize when a story is told from a third person point of view — meaning the narrator isn’t a character in the story but talks about characters by name or uses pronouns like “he,” “she,” or “they.”

A fantastic way to start teaching third person point of view is with the charming picture book School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex — and even better, I’ve designed a ready-to-use Reading Comprehension Unit that aligns perfectly with Alberta’s new curriculum!

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Why Teach Third Person Point of View Early?

If you’re still getting familiar with the new Alberta curriculum, be sure to check out my breakdown of the New Alberta Grade 5 English Language Arts and Literature Curriculum. It’s a great resource to help you feel confident and prepared!

Understanding third person point of view helps students recognize the structure of narratives and how the narrator’s position outside of the story influences the way characters and events are described. When students can identify who is telling the story and how it shapes the narrative, they become more thoughtful readers and writers.

School’s First Day of School is an ideal launchpad because it’s narrated in third person point of view, describing the school’s experiences and feelings while referring to the school as “it” and the students and teachers by name and pronoun.

How the Unit Supports Curriculum Goals

The School’s First Day of School Reading Comprehension Unit includes everything you need to target Alberta’s new English Language Arts and Literature curriculum. Students will work on reading comprehension skills through engaging prompts, thinking questions, and graphic organizers. They’ll dive deep into understanding third person point of view, making connections between the text and their own experiences, and supporting their ideas with evidence from the story.

Bonus Activity Idea: “Point of View Detective” Task

If you’re looking to extend the learning even further, try this bonus activity! Invite students to hunt for pronouns and character names throughout School’s First Day of School, gathering evidence that confirms the story is written in third person point of view. This activity:

• Reinforces the concept through direct text analysis.
• Gives students hands-on practice identifying narrative techniques.
• Sparks discussions about how different narrators impact storytelling and how third person point of view influences readers’ understanding.

Reading Prompts to Use with Your Students:

• Page 7: Why do you think the school “creaked” children? Why did the narrator choose to describe the statement in that way?
• Page 8: Describe the school. What character trait can you use to describe School?
• Page 21: Have you ever laughed so hard that food came out of your nose? If yes, what food?

Quick Tip for your Classroom:

After identifying the third person narrator in School’s First Day of School, challenge students to rewrite a paragraph from the school’s first-person point of view. This side-by-side comparison deepens their understanding of narrative voice and helps solidify the concept of third person point of view.

Start the Year with Purposeful Literacy

Teaching third person point of view right from the start helps students anchor key literary concepts early. By using a relatable and unexpected story like School’s First Day of School, you not only capture their attention but also build essential reading skills aligned to the Alberta curriculum.

Ready to make your first week of literacy instruction seamless and effective? If you’re looking for even more curriculum-aligned resources and ideas, be sure to browse the blog for more back-to-school literacy tips and activities! Grab the School’s First Day of School Reading Comprehension Unit here and set your students up for a year of confident, critical reading!