I had one of those teacher moments recently where I realized my usual lesson wasn’t going to cut it.

I gave my advanced class a pretest on narrative point of view, expecting to find a few areas to reinforce.

Instead? Most of my students had already mastered the basics!

I knew the usual mini lesson I was using with my regular classes would be too easy and repetitive—I needed something that would push them to think deeper and apply their knowledge in a creative way.

So, I went for a walk to spark some creativity and came up with a fun, engaging activity called Voices in the Woods.

In this lesson, students read "Little Red Cap" (aka Little Red Riding Hood) and rewrite key scenes from different points of view, bringing fresh perspectives to the classic tale.

I think this activity works perfectly as a small group project, but it can also be completed independently for students who prefer working on their own!

Sound interesting?

Here’s how you can do it, too:

Step 1: Read and Annotate

Start by having students read "Little Red Cap". While reading, they annotate key elements. Annotations help students focus on their understanding of the story.

• Little Red’s innocence

• The wolf’s cunning motivations

• The huntsman’s heroics

• Conflicts, cause/effect, and the story’s big idea

Step 2: Demonstrate Understanding of Narrative Point of View

After annotating, students can demonstrate understanding of the POV with these questions:

• Who’s telling the story?

• Do we know the thoughts and feelings of one character or multiple characters?

• How does this perspective shape our understanding of the wolf, Little Red, and the huntsman?

Step 3: Rewrite a Scene

Now for the fun part—students choose one of the following scenea:

• Little Red meeting the wolf in the woods

• The wolf entering Grandmother’s house

• The huntsman rescuing Little Red and Grandmother

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Then, they select a new point of view:

• First-person: From Little Red, the wolf, Grandmother, or the huntsman

• Second-person: Addressing the reader as if they’re part of the story

• Third-person limited: Focused on one character’s thoughts and feelings

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Encourage them to add dialogue, inner thoughts, and sensory details to bring their rewrites to life.

Step 4: Reflect

Wrap up with short answer reflection questions to make sure students grasp the purpose of narrative POV:

• How does the new POV change the story?

• Which POV feels most engaging and why?

• How does POV affect our emotional connection to the characters?

And just like that, you’ve got a lesson that’s creative, engaging, and pushes your students to think critically!

💡 FREEBIE ALERT!

Want to give this a try?

I’m sharing my annotation table and POV analysis questions for free! These will help you get started and save time preparing.​

🌟 Fill out the form for access to the Google Drive!

If you’d prefer to skip the prep entirely...

I’ve turned this into a ready-to-go resource called Voices from the Woods—available now for immediate download on ELA Unlimited.

It includes everything from detailed instructions, to a grading sheet, to the answer key, so all you need to do is print and teach.

Click here or the image to access!