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Autism and Perspective Taking

If you are a teacher who works with students with autism, then you know that these learners often face their most significant challenges in the social and emotional realm. It can be really hard for students with autism to regulate their emotions, to read social cues, and to form meaningful and reciprocal connections with others.

One aspect of developing better social skills, as well as developing critical thinking capacities, is learning about perspective taking. In other words, you students with autism can gradually learn how to look at the same situation from different points of view.

Of course, no two students with autism are exactly alike, and their capacity to understand perspective taking will depend somewhat on their overall level of function. However, the activities in this lesson appeal to a variety of modalities while teaching your students with autism about perspective taking.

Visual Activities

This section offers activities that make use of visual learning styles among your students.

Same Picture, Different Angle

Here, you will find a very concrete activity for thinking about perspective taking. Start by projecting a relatively simple image that you think your students will like. Ask them to stand on one side of the classroom and look at the image.

Have your students sketch the image from where they are sitting or, alternatively, write a brief description of the image. Then, ask them to move to a different side of the classroom and repeat the same exercise.

Finally, use their drawings and writing as a springboard into a discussion of the concept that the same thing can look different from different vantage points.

Perspective Bubbles

This activity provides a graphic organizer that students can use to think about perspective taking. You can work on this activity as a whole class, or have students work on it independently.

Start by giving your students descriptions of two or three different people, and photo cards or illustrations to go along with them. For instance, you might include an adult, a child, and a baby.

Have students draw thought bubbles over these people's heads. Then, read the children a scenario and ask them to make one sketch or write a few words in each bubble, portraying each person's unique perspective on the scenario.

For example, the scenario might say, 'It is supposed to snow a lot tonight'. The baby might not even know what snow is, the child might be excited about a snow day, and the adult might be grumpy about needing to shovel.

Tactile Activities

Many students with autism like sensory involvement in their learning. These activities will let them use their hands and bodies to work on perspective taking.

Perspective Role Plays

Have two students come up to the front of the class. Another student should tell a story of something that recently happened at lunch or recess. The students should use their bodies to act this scenario out.

Then, ask the students to try to act out the same scenario but how it looked and felt from someone else's point of view. They might use different body language, words, or facial expressions as they act this time.

Sculpting Perspective

This is another activity that offers a more concrete view of perspective taking. Bring your students outside, or bring a flower, plant, or another natural object into the classroom.

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perspective taking activities for students with autism | study.com

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Perspective Taking Activities for Students with Autism | Study.com

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If you are a teacher who works with students with autism, then you know that these learners often face their most significant challenges in the social and emotional realm. It can be really hard for students with autism to regulate their emotions, to read social cues, and to form meaningful and reciprocal connections with others.

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Viewpoint Pilot: Point of View Review Game

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Students blast their way across the Universe while answering HUNDREDS of questions about point of view. Collect cool power-ups, master narrative perspective, and save the world. Play free now on any device!

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Most state standards for English Language Arts require that students analyze the impact the point of view has on a text. Download a Point of View Overview Mini-Unit that will assist you in exploring each type of point of view in your classroom! In addition to my mini-unit, this article contains additional printable resources for teaching point of view.
Download the Point of View Overview Mini-Unit now!
Point Of View Overview Mini-Unit

This mini-unit that I am sharing with you is written as six lessons, but depending on the level and ability of your students you may want to spend several days working on each type of point of view. Below I've shared the first two point of view lessons in my mini-unit. You can download the complete unit here.

I DO:

Explain point of view is the manner in which a story is told. The point of view is the narrator's perspective. It directs how the story will unfold, and influences the tone of the book. The point of view of a story impacts the reader's depth of understanding of a book because the narrator can provide the reader with information or withhold information.

WE DO:
On the board, write the phrase: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Display photographs for students to look at and discuss (suggestion: use cute, but weird, animal photos). This should lead to a conversation that even though they were looking at the same photos there were different points of view in the class.

Explain that sometimes in picture books the illustrations are critical to understanding the point of view in which the story is being told.

Together read Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. In this picture book, the story is being told from the ants' point of view, but the illustrations show what is actually happening to the ants. Pause throughout the story to discuss how the two points of view are different yet the same.

YOU DO:

Show students a wordless picture book, such as Flotsam by David Weisner.

Have students write a story (as they see it) to explain what is happening in the pictures. After the students have finished their stories, have them share what they wrote in small groups.

As a group, discuss that even though the illustrations they were looking at were the same, their stories were different based on the point of view of the narrator.

Explain the importance of voice in a piece of literature. Voice is the author's style, and is what makes his or her writing unique. The author's voice expresses his or her point of view.

WE DO:

Together read The Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume.

Cite examples of voice coming through the text. Compare and contrast the two sections of the book by discussing the differing points of view the brother and sister have of the same events. Evaluate the author's craft.

YOU DO:

Have students practice writing with voice. Encourage them to write a story that explores two different perspectives (this tends to be an easier way to illuminate writing with voice).

Resources for Teaching Point of View

Download my Point of View Reference Guide* to assist you in reviewing or teaching point of view to students. You can make a copy for each of your students to keep or hang it up in your classroom as a resource for your students. I'm sure your students will find this guide very useful!

The Circle of Viewpoints routine encourages students to think about different perspectives. It helps them to understand that people may think or feel differently from them about the same topic or idea.

There are lots of different ways you can use this "thinking routine." It can be used at the beginning of a unit in order to help students imagine possible perspectives about a topic or theme. It can also be completed at the end of a lesson to encourage discussion about differing opinions.

As a literacy specialist, I like to use this routine at the end of a chapter or book so students can compare and contrast the different perspectives of various characters. I love this routine because it can be modified to be used across any subject area. I know many of my colleagues also use it during their debate units.

Download two literacy-inspired Circle of Viewpoints Graphic Organizers. I like to use them alongside books that have multiple perspectives woven throughout the story.

*Note: I've created two versions of my Point of View Reference Guide. One version has just the three types of Point of View, and the other version includes the three specific types of the Third Person Point of View.

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Teaching Point of View; An Overview for Grades 3-5

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Teaching Point of View Lessons for grades 3-5 >> FREE PRINTABLE >> Most state standards for English Language Arts require that students analyze the impact the point of view has on a text. The mini-unit is written as six lessons and will assist teachers in reviewing or teaching point of view!

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Point of View Worksheet 1 | Reading Activity

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Here’s a fun, free, and awesome online activity about point of view. Read the examples, answer the questions, and share your results! Did I mention it’s free?

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We have been busy working on point of view, and most specifically, on how an author's point of view impacts how a story is written or told. I loved some of the activities we did, and I'm excited to share them with you!

We started the unit by creating an anchor chart together. (Are you shocked!?)

My students had an idea of what point of view was, but they needed to solidify their understanding of the types of third person point of view and well as second person point of view. We have referenced this chart (and the foldable they made) SO.MUCH. during this unit.

Then, we did one of my favorite activities of the unit! I grabbed pictures off of the internet (I can't share them here because they weren't public domain. I typed in things like "learning to ride a bike" and "scored a soccer goal.") and glued them each to a piece of large construction paper. I separated the page into five different sections. Perspectives, First Person Point of View, and then the three types of Third Person point of view.

We talked about how similar perspective and point of view are, but that they are still a little bit different. The students got into pairs and were assigned one of the pictures. The first round, they wrote all the different perspectives that were possible in the picture. Then, they rotated to a new picture, and they all wrote a brief narrative of what was happening in the picture in first person point of view using one of the perspectives they had identified. We rotated around until they all had practice writing in each of the points of view. The students truly enjoyed this point of view activity, and it was a good way to help them see the difference between perspective and point of view.

Update: After many requests, I have created a FREE printable version of this activity! You can download it for free at my TpT store by clicking HERE. The pictures aren't the same, but they should still elicit some great discussion! There are two differentiated versions as well as Google access. Enjoy!

I recently created a new resource to use after they had worked through this collaborative activity! I have had such great success with teaching reading skills with pictures that I created a resource that incorporates pictures with reading skills! For our point of view unit, here are the two that we did together. There are three more in the packet that they worked on individually and during reading rotations.

You can see more about these point of view activities HERE.

Then, I did some work with small groups. We used a short (53 second) clip from Toy Story (You can see it on YouTube HERE). We watched it several times, and we discussed the different perspectives that each of the main characters in the clip had. Then, we did some more writing, and we rewrote the scene in first and third person. For kids who were still struggling, instead of generating the words, I quickly wrote paragraphs for them to identify the correct point of view and perspective. It was an easy way to differentiate, and it helped drive home some ideas about how different points of view and different perspectives can have an effect on how a story is told.

You can download the differentiated pages for free HERE. You will need to watch the clip with your class in order the use them.

We had a 20 minute block of time to use some task cards, so I pulled out my Point of View Task Cards, and we got busy! We actually used them with board games, and the kids had a blast. You can read about how I used board games with task cards over at my Task Card Blog, but here is a look at the task cards. They are differentiated, and you can use them for different proficiency levels, or for scaffolding. One set includes simple sentences, another includes paragraphs, and the last set includes types of writing, and students must identify the point of view from which it is most likely written. Each group turned in a recording sheet, so it was an easy way to assess where they stood. These cards generated some great discussion in class!

You can purchase the Differentiated Point of View Task Cards at my TpT Store HERE.

**This year, I added in a new activity during small groups that was just amazing for getting students to see how different perspectives can influence a writer! I purchased a few copies of the short picture book Voices in the Park (click the affiliate link to see it on Amazon!). This book is just absolutely phenomenal. It follows four different individuals during their day at the park. There is the grouchy lady, the shy and lonely young boy, the happy girl, and the sad man. They each share their perspective of their time at the park-- all of which, of course, are very different. It is a quick read, but so rich in detail. We read it all together, and then the students completed a super brief graphic organizer that helped them to see the different perspectives and how they were all woven together.

You can purchase the book HERE.
You can download the accompanying sheet for free HERE.

* NEW! If you're teaching point of view and perspective to 4th-6th graders, I would HIGHLY recommend incorporating paired passages into your teaching of these concepts. I created these in some super fun formats to make it extra engaging for your students. There are point of view and perspective task cards, brochures, and flip books! Click any of the images below to learn more.

Finally, we are still working on an assessment. The students each selected a "meaty"picture book. They read it, and now they are doing some analysis of the narrator, the point of view that the narrator wrote from, and how the book would be different from a different character's point of view.

Update: We finished our assessment! The students loved it. Here is how they completed the assessment.

Here is the board with all of the information I gave them to complete their fun flip-flap book. This really got them thinking!

Here are a few of the finished products. I also turned my rather ugly board into a printable assignment sheet. There are two options... one is just for reference and one has enough room for students to do some brainstorming on it! For the final products, though, the students used a large piece of construction paper.

If you'd like to grab these free printables (the ones picture in green and pink above), just enter your email address to subscribe to my newsletter. They'll show up in your inbox immediately!

**Updated March 2017. Affiliate links to book added.

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We have been busy working on point of view, and most specifically, on how an author's point of view impacts how a story is written or told. I loved some of the activities we did, and I'm excited to share them with you! We started the unit by creating an anchor chart together.

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eSpark Learning: Author's Point of View (1RI8)

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These Exploring ELA blog posts take Common Core ELA standards and explore them in-depth. They offer lesson plan ideas, reading ideas, and other solutions that will help you teach each standard! Today's blog post is all about point of view teaching activities and ideas. Point of view is covered in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade in the Literature domain. Then, it is introduced as an informational standard in 3rd grade. I'll discuss how CCSS builds this standard from grade level to grade level, plus I'll provide some fun and engaging activities for students to complete to help them learn all about point of view.

Standards

Here are the standards that cover point of view within Common Core's domains:

RL1.6-Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

RL2.6- Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading the dialogue aloud.

RL3.6- Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

RI3.6- Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

RL4.6- Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

The five key topics that we're going to focus on today are anchor charts, book suggestions, Literature focus, and Informational focus.

Pronoun Anchor Chart

This Anchor Chart helps show that Point of View is whose eyes you see the story through. Using pronouns to help students identify point of view will be the key to success, such as I, you, he/she, they. An anchor chart can help first and second graders when they're focusing on simply identifying who is talking.

Point of View Anchor Chart

This Chart-Style anchor allows the students to get interactive! As a class, you can keep track of books that you are reading and identify the points of view!

Here are some my suggested read alouds for Literature and Informational standards as part of point of view teaching activities and ideas. They are all Common Core aligned and each comes with an Amazon affiliate link for you.

Point of View Book Recommendations

Key skills to hit- character's opinion, how a character feels about something, compare to own
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
The Day the Crayons Quit by Draw Daywalt
My Big Dog by Janet Stevens
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Caralyn Buehner
Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester Laminack

Supporting Point of View Book Recommendations

Although this image says author's purpose, these book topics can cover point of view, too. These are for third and fourth grade, which is where point of view starts to get taught in informational lessons (see links below for more information on point of view teaching activities and ideas).

Key skills to hit- find the author's point of view, compare the author's point of view to their own
Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs by Houghton Mifflin
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors by Tanya Lee Stone
Turtle Tide: The Way of Sea Turtles by Stephen R. Swinburne
If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith
You Wouldn't Want to be an American Pioneer by Jacqueline Morely
George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy

Narration

In first grade and second grade, we want students to be able to identify WHO is telling the story in fiction texts. This is students' first exposure to narration, which is essential to understanding point of view. First, introduce the different types of point of view, such as first person and third person. You can choose to teach second person, however, they're going to focus more on first and third person narrative. Common core also wants them to be able to identify who is telling the story at different points of the story.

Practice, Practice, Practice

(Resource shown: RL1.6)

Practice with a lot of read alouds. When choosing your read-alouds, be sure to vary the narration. A good sampling of first and third person narrations should be represented in your read alouds. See the strong books suggested above for point of view teaching activities and ideas! As you read, stop (often) and ask: WHO is telling the story? *5-10 times per read-aloud* This repeated questioning strategy will help students become accustomed to thinking about WHO is telling the story, throughout the entire story. Once you've exposed your students to this on several occasions, go back to those books. Reread them and this time, when asking WHO is telling the story, you can start to discuss narration and point of view.

Point of View Identification

(Resource: Activity pulled from RL1.6 mini-lessons)

Then, move on to practice activities. Students will need to practice both the act of identifying who is talking and which type of point of view is being used. The picture above shows an activity from my ELA unit that helps student practice identifying which type of point of view is being used.

Utilize Recognizable Texts

(Activity available in both RL1.6 and RL2.6)

Then, pull in many familiar texts that students can retell easily. This example is an activity from my 1st and 2nd grade POV unit. The students are using quotes that Mama, Papa, Baby, and the narrator say in Goldilocks. Students should be fairly comfortable with this story from repeated readings. So, being able to identify random quotes from the story will help strengthen the act of identifying who is talking at a given point in a text.

Incorporating Fractured Fairy Tales and Voices

(Printable on left from RL1.6) (Mini lesson activity from RL2.6)

Fractured fairy tales are absolutely perfect for students to be able to identify the difference of point of view that a narrator holds in a text. Being able to hear a fractured opinion about a fairy tale character that the students are used to hearing is great for students' schema!

In CCSS, the goal is for students to be able to discuss how the narrator (or characters) feel about other characters and about events in the plot. By 2nd Grade, students should already be able to tell you WHO is telling the story, so, our next step is to start the discussion of narration vs. dialogue. WHO is telling the story isn't always WHO is talking.

And here comes one of my favorite thing about Read Alouds: VOICES!

An essential part of read alouds is the impact it has on student reading and fluency. For point of view, it is highly beneficial for students to hear (and speak in) different voices when different characters are speaking. This practice enables them to switch their mindset to different characters and different points of view! So, as you are reading aloud ( using different voices), stop and talk: discuss how each character feels, what they are thinking, etc. Students will begin to use voices in their reading, and, more importantly, think about those different characters' feelings!

Nonfiction High-Interest Topics

(Nonfiction mini-lesson activities pulled from RI3.6)

So, we know WHO is telling the story and HOW they are feeling. In 3rd grade, we will introduce point of view in nonfiction texts, as well. Students will be able to discuss who is "narrating" or giving the information. It is important to discuss that in nonfiction the narrator, whose perspective we are observing, is a real person. Then, you can allow for discussions on that person's feelings about the topic. Here, it will help to choose topics that the students care about, like: Athletes, Video Games, Current Events, Acts of Service, Homework Requirements, Animals, etc. High-Interest Topics make students think about THEIR OWN point of view.

Another goal for CCSS in 3rd grade is comparison. It is time to start comparing points of view in both FICTION and NONFICTION texts. Not only will students be able to compare different character's points of view, but they will also start to compare these to THEIR OWN point of view. This is a great opportunity to start working with Venn Diagrams, Side-by-Side charts or other graphic organizers to help students compare points of view!

Need Point of View Teaching Activities and Ideas?

Check out these 1st-4th grade POV resources.

First Grade RL1.6 Second Grade RL2.6 Third Grade RL3.6 Third Grade RI3.6 Fourth Grade RL4.6
Regardless of the grade level, point of view is such a fun skill to teach!
The things to remember are: -a variety of STRONG BOOKS -Repeated QUESTIONS strategy -THINK Alouds -USE THOSE VOICES! -HIGH-INTEREST Topics -FOCUS on PRONOUNS -Anchor Charts
For more activity and lesson plan ideas for ELA, check out my Exploring ELA blog series!

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Point of View Teaching Activities and Ideas: Exploring ELA - Elementary Nest

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These Exploring ELA blog posts take Common Core ELA standards and explore them in-depth. They offer lesson plan ideas, reading ideas, and other solutions that will help you teach each standard! Today's blog post is all about point of view teaching activities and ideas.