Bear's Nose

Learning intention:  

I am learning to identify the point of view in a text so that I can examine the same text from an alternative point of view. 

 

Success criteria:  

• I can identify the point of view of a text. 
• I can explain how another character in the text might feel. 
• I can demonstrate my understanding of alternative points of view using illustration. 

 

Essential knowledge:  

• Information about point of view can be found in the English Textual Concepts video Point of View. 

 

As a class, read Bear’s Nose or listen to the audio recording. Ask students to identify which character the poem is following (the bear) and which words give the reader clues as to how the bear is feeling (the words poor, worst and stings suggest the bear is sad and in pain). 

 

If you have a digital subscription, complete the interactive activity Find the Point of View. 

 

Invite students to examine the illustration accompanying the text Bear’s Nose. Have students create a table or chart and use the LIE strategy, found on the Victorian Education’s webpage on Visual Literacy, which is the close reading of an image using three levels of comprehension. Guide students towards the answers for each section. Specifically, have them examine the bear’s body language and facial expression and compare it to what they can see of the bees, then infer what this might mean. A sample table is below.

Literal	Inferential	Evaluative
There is a bear in a puffy jacket, striped shirt and denim shorts. Its eyes are closed and there is a smile on its face. Its arms are out, and one leg is in the air as if it’s dancing. There is a coloured line in the air that touches the bear’s nose. The other end of the line is coming from a beehive, where there are small bees with no facial expressions.	From the poem, I know the bear is following its nose to the beehive. It’s cute as a cartoon and with its human clothes on. It looks happy because it is going to eat honey. I think the coloured line in the air is the smell of the honey leading the bear towards the beehive. The bear’s body language is showing how it’s drifting behind its nose. I know this illustration is about the bear because it is the only character with a facial expression.	I think the bear will go to the honey, but the bees will attack it. I know this because I know bees protect their hive. The poem also mentions that the nose gets the worst of the stings, which tells me that the bear will get stung.

 

Once students have examined the illustration, explain that they will be creating an illustration from the bee’s point of view. Do a think, pair, share, where the students discuss how they think the bees in the beehive feel. Sample answers may include that the bees are upset or angry that someone’s trying to steal their honey and that the bees worked hard to make their honey and want to protect their home. 

 

Explain that students will be designing an illustration to go with the bee’s point of view. Encourage them to look at their LIE chart to consider how they will compose their illustration. Use the following questions as prompts: 

• What character(s) will be the focus of the illustration? 

• How are the characters feeling? 
• What will their body language look like? 
• What will their facial expression look like? 
• Do you think the bear looks cute to the bees? 
• How would the bear look if it’s considered a danger to the bees’ home 

Assessment as/of learning:  

Once students have finished, complete a gallery walk to give them a chance to see how others have interpreted the task. Discuss drawings as a class.