Hello and welcome.

My name's Mrs. Butterworth, and I am here to take you through today's English lesson.

Now, today's lesson, we are focusing on comparing texts about a similar topic.

In this case, we'll be looking at the topic of drug misuse, so quite a controversial topic, but I'm sure you will handle it very sensitively.

And we'll be looking at a text from 1821 and another text from 2014.

Okay, are we good to go? Fantastic.

Let's get started.

So in this lesson you will read two texts about the same topic, so drug misuse, and begin to compare the perspectives of the writer who wrote them.

But before we delve into the main part of the lesson, let's look at those all-important keywords.

Now, these words will be in the lesson and in the text that we read.

So these words are opium, perspective, open letter, defensive, and passionate.

Now, opium, you may notice that one of our texts is called the "Confessions of an Opium-Eater," and opium is an addictive drug.

Now, opium was something that we tended to find more in the kind of 18th, 19th centuries.

And then we have perspective now.

Perspective is the way that someone thinks or feels about a particular thing, so a person's point of view, or in this case, we'll be looking at a writer's point of view, a writer's perspective.

We'll also be looking at an open letter in this lesson, which is a letter written to a particular person or group, so it is addressed to a particular personal group.

However, an open letter is published in a newspaper or journal so the public can read it.

So it's almost got two audiences.

It's the reader, two readers, the reader that it is addressed to, and the general public who see it published.

Defensive.

If you're being defensive, you are anxious to avoid criticism.

And then passionate means you show strong or intense feelings.

So the outline of the lesson looks like this.

We're going to be reading De Quincey's "Confessions of an Opium-Eater" from 1821, and then we're going to move on to look at comparing writers' perspectives.

So let's get started.

So as I said, you will read an extract today from Thomas De Quincey's book entitled "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater," which was published in 1821.

Now, a little bit of information about this.

It is an autobiography.

It's a non-fiction text and it's autobiographical.

It focuses on drug misuse and it's divided into two parts.

Now, the first part focuses on De Quincey's childhood and adolescence and his first experiences with drugs, whereas the second part focuses on the pleasure and pain of taking opium, or more specifically, his experiences of taking opium.

So read an extract from Part 1, okay, the part about De Quincey's childhood and adolescence.

And what I would like you to do first is using that information I would like you to discuss, please, what predictions can you make about the text? So you'll need to consider its title, its contexts, and its structure, okay? Pause the video so you can start making those predictions.

Off you go.

Thank you, everybody.

We are really honing those skills of prediction, aren't we? And I always find it really interesting the amount that we can predict and anticipate about a text just from that limited information.

So lots of you picked up on this idea of it being confessions, so this idea that it's gonna be a very personal text.

Perhaps De Quincey's going to share some secrets or some controversial ideas.

A confession is almost like he's admitting something.

The fact that it's autobiographical as well, we can assume that it's written from a first-person perspective, De Quincey's perspective.

Perhaps that will affect the structure as well.

So how he chooses to structure his writing may reflect that perspective.

And also the fact that it's 1821.

So we can start to anticipate maybe there'll be some archaic language use, so old-fashioned language if you like, that maybe some of the ideas will be different to a contemporary piece of writing.

So we can start to anticipate and make these predictions about the text that we are going to be reading.

So there is a copy of the extract from De Quincey's "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater" in the additional material.

So you'll need to make sure you have access to that because we're going to read the extract and consider what we learn about De Quincey's perspective on his drug misuse.

But before we read the extract, what I would like you to do is we're going to watch one of our Oak pupils, Sam, reading the first section of the extract.

And what Sam does here is Sam is really good at taking you through their thought process.

So how they go about reading the text, how they grapple with some of the more complicated language.

And you'll also see Sam making notes around the text about key ideas, anything that links to perspective, anything that links to the idea of drug misuse.

So this is a really good thing to watch in terms of your own reading processes and your own annotation and note-taking processes.

So in a moment, I'm gonna press play and we can watch the video, okay? So I'm pressing play now.

<v Sam>Okay, so I'm gonna get ready to read</v> "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater" by Thomas de Quincey, and to start off, the title to me is interesting, "Confessions," because it suggests that he is admitting something and there's an admission of guilt there, because I usually connect the word confession to confessing a crime or in a religious sense confessing a sin, "of an English Opium-Eater." So we know that the writer's English and we know that he takes drugs.

By Thomas de Quincey in 1821.

I'm just gonna circle 1821.

I don't know loads about that specific date, but at least I know that we are in the 19th century.

I'm gonna read this italics, this little subheading, because it might give me an insight into what's going to come.

"Thomas de Quincey explains how and why his addiction to opium began." So this was really helpful because I know how and why, that's what I'm gonna be told his addiction to opium began.

So this is quite an important moment in Thomas de Quincey's life because it's the first time that he took drugs.

So, "I have often been asked," so often, happens a lot, "how I first came to be a regular opium-eater." So he's often asked, but we also know that he regularly takes drugs, "and have suffered very unjustly, in the opinion of my acquaintance from being reputed to have brought upon myself all the sufferings which I shall have to record, by a long course of indulgence in this practise purely for the sake of creating an artificial state of pleasurable excitement." Oh, that was a long sentence.

I'm glad I've read the whole thing, but I'm gonna go back.

So he's often been asked how he came to be a regular opium-eater.

He's suffered, so strong language here, he's suffered very unjustly.

So he suffered something and he feels that suffering is unfair "in the opinion of my acquaintance from being reputed to have brought upon myself all the sufferings I shall have to record." So he's using that word sufferings again, so we're obviously gonna see some bad things happening or experiences of Thomas de Quincey, "which I shall have to record." And people say he brought it upon himself, and he's saying this is unjust, I think, so, "brought upon myself all the sufferings which I shall have to record by a long course of indulgence in this practise." What's this practise? "By a long course of, in this practise." Ah, it must be him taking drugs.

This is him eating opium.

"Purely for the sake of creating an artificial state of pleasurable excitement." Ah, I see.

So he's being accused of taking opium, of this practise, to create an artificial state of pleasurable excitement.

So people think he takes drugs for fun.

"This, however, is a misrepresentation of my case." Ah, we've got this really short sentence now.

So Thomas de Quincey is really saying, "No, I don't take them for the pleasurable excitement.

True it is that for nearly 10 years I did occasionally take opium for the sake of the exquisite pleasure it gave me." This is interesting.

So, he took it for 10 years, that's a long time, and he calls it exquisite pleasure.

That is a very positive description of taking opium.

But, ah, but, so a but signals a change.

"So long as I took it with this view." Now, what is this view? Let me go back.

"I did occasionally take opium for the sake of the exquisite pleasure it gave me, but so long as I took it with this view." Ah, that this view is the pleasurable excitement.

So long as he took it for the exquisite pleasure, "I was effectually protected from all material bad consequences by the necessity of interposing long intervals between the several acts of indulgence, in order to renew the pleasurable sensations." Again, a very long sentence.

So, "but so long as I took it with this view," so long as I took it to create pleasure, "I was effectually protected from all material bad consequences by the necessity." So he had to, had to "interposing long intervals." So that must mean leaving long intervals between the several acts of indulgence.

And he's always talking about opium very positively.

So the acts of indulgence is opium, the exquisite pleasure is opium, and he also talked about, ah yes, pleasurable excitement.

So he had to leave long intervals between the several acts of indulgence in order to renew the pleasurable sensations.

So this word is obviously quite important to the text, this idea of pleasure.

But he is saying in order to feel that pleasure, he had to leave long intervals between taking opium.

So this is an interesting opening.

I have learned quite a lot so far, the accusations against Thomas de Quincey, and he says that he is not taking, not taking opium just for pleasure, though he does admit here that he did take it for pleasure.

So he's sort of defensive, but he also does admit here that he did occasionally take it for pleasure.

So some interesting emotions happening at the beginning of this extract.

<v ->So a big thank you to Sam, our Oak pupil,</v> for sharing her process of reading and approaching an extract.

So I'd just like to reflect briefly on what we have just watched, and I'd like you to discuss, please, what reading strategies does Sam use to help her understand the extract? So you may wish to discuss this, think quietly to yourself, or you may even find it helpful to jot down some key ideas.

Okay, so pause the video.

So you've got plenty of time to answer that question.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

Thank you so much for your reflection.

Lots of you thinking about Sam's approach to difficult words and decided that we don't need to know every single word to understand a text.

Lots of you picking out the sorts of things that Sam annotated, so key ideas, methods, and where we see perspective.

So there's lots there that we can think about.

So I'd like you to consider this question.

What are some helpful strategies to aid comprehension when reading a text for the first time? So you need to pick A, B, C, D.

Which of these are helpful strategies to aid comprehension when reading a text for the first time? Pick your answers now.

Okay, so should we see who got the right answer? So what did we learn from that lovely video of the modelling? Yep, that's right.

So, first underlining words or phrases that interest you is a really good way to read a text for the first time, and writing short notes or symbols can really help with your understanding of a text.

Well done, everyone.

Let's keep going.

So first practise task, Task A.

So what I would like you to do, please, is I would like you to read the rest of the extract from De Quincey's "Confessions." As I said, this is available in the additional material.

Now as you read, I want you to do exactly what Sam did in her video, and I'd like you to make short notes on the extract to aid your understanding.

So as you read, you are making those annotations.

When you have read that extract, I would then like you to discuss how would you summarise the extract, and I'd like you to use the discourse markers to structure that summary and to structure that discussion.

So first, dot dot dot, then next and finally, so really drawing out those key points of summary, and then what are some of the feelings that Quincey expresses through his writing? Okay? So make sure you've got everything you need to complete this task.

So you'll need the extract to read, you'll need something to be able to make notes on that extract, and then you'll need to be able to discuss or think quietly to yourself about those questions.

Okay? Get ready to pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, great.

Did you enjoy that extract? I love that piece of writing.

I think it's so descriptive and so interesting.

So hopefully you found that too, and it's a little bit different to maybe some of the other 19th century texts that you've explored with some of the ideas.

Okay, so here is Sam's summary of the extract.

So she's written, "First, De Quincey defends herself.

." Start again.

"First, De Quincey defends himself against the idea that he began taking opium purely for fun.

He says this is a 'misrepresentation of my case.

' Then, De Quincey says that he took opium to relieve his stomach pain which attacked him.

Only opium relieved the pain." So excellent use of discourse markers there from Sam.

"Next, De Quincey recalls that he first took opium after spending a night waking up in terrible pain after sleeping with wet hair." Finally, so Sam hasn't done the finally, so what I would like you to discuss, please, and you may want to refer to your own discussions, is, how could Sam summarise the end of the extract? Okay, pause the video so you can discuss your answer.

Off you go.

Great, some excellent suggestions there, and clearly lots of you really understanding this extract.

So you may have considered something like this.

Finally, De Quincey explains how a friend suggested he take opium to relieve his pain and that he got the celestial drug, lovely description, from the chemist.

Okay, and then Sam explains one of the feelings that she thinks De Quincey expresses in this extract, so this is that second discussion question, and she says, "I think he feels quite defensive about his drug misuse.

That's why he spends time explaining that he initially took opium because he was in pain." Interesting thought there, Sam.

And Andeep agrees, but he adds to this by saying, "De Quincey also seems to feel very passionate at various points in the extract." Very perceptive.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, what evidence might Andeep have used to justify his idea? So you'll need to look at the text to find the evidence, okay? So pause the video.

So you consider what Andeep's opinion is and then look back in the text to find evidence to justify that.

Okay, pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, fantastic work and great engagement with that extract.

So very well done, but we still need to keep going.

So let's move on to the second part of the lesson, which is all about comparing writers' perspectives.

Okay, so Sam rereads another non-fiction text about drug misuse.

So Sam explores this one, "A Letter to My Son, Who is a Drug Addict," and this is published in 2014 by the "Guardian." So you may have looked at this text already.

And Sam argues that the anonymous mother in the open letter has a different perspective on drug misuse to De Quincey.

Hmm.

So what I would like you to do now is I would like you to reread "A Letter to My Son, Who is a Drug Addict," and this can be found in the additional materials.

If you haven't read this already, that's fine.

Now is your opportunity to read that text, and once you have read that, I would then like you to discuss, please, what might have led Sam to this argument.

So what might have led Sam to this argument? So you'll need to pause the video to give yourself time to discuss that question, or you may wish to think quietly to yourself or even write down a few ideas.

Okay, pause the video.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

Let's keep going with the lesson.

Some really interesting engagement with those comparisons there.

So what we're going to look at now is we're going to look at an example which compares De Quincey's perspective on drug misuse to the mother's perspective.

Okay? So we're thinking about those two perspectives.

So let's look at that example.

So here's one, from De Quincey's perspective, taking drugs has some benefits.

He feels it helped him cope with pain and feels defensive at some points in the extract, whereas the mother feels pain, sadness, and guilt at her son's drug taking.

From her perspective, drugs threaten to ruin her son's life.

So let's just break down what we've done here.

So you can see in this first section that's been highlighted, we're exploring the perspective of De Quincey, so exactly what it is he thinks and feels about the drug taking.

And then we use this word here, whereas.

Now, this introduces the idea of comparison.

So whereas, and you can see that we're about to introduce a comparison.

And then finally, you can see here highlighted, we explore the perspective of the mother.

So we look at De Quincey first, we add that comparative phrase in, and then we begin to explore the other perspective, in this case, that of the mother.

And there is also throughout this a clear focus on specific feelings, okay? So this idea of feeling defensive, the idea of coping, and then we've got pain, sadness, and guilt.

And that idea of feelings really links to the idea of perspective.

If we think about that word, perspective, it means a point of view or how someone feels about something.

Now let's look at another example.

Let's read it through together first.

De Quincey is writing about his own experience of taking drugs, and seems to feel more in control of his habits and life.

By contrast, the mother is looking on at her son's drug misuse and feels powerless to help him.

Her perspective is impacted by the love she feels for her son, and the damage she feels he is inflicting on himself.

So let's break that down again.

So again, you can see we start exploring the perspective of De Quincey.

So that first part is all focused on De Quincey's perspective, or his thoughts and feelings about that.

Then we introduce the idea of comparison.

So this is slightly different now.

We say by contrast, but we've still got that comparative phrase there.

Then we move on to focus on the perspective of the mother.

So we've used our comparative phrase.

Now we're gonna focus on the perspective of the mother.

And again, you can see that clear focus on specific feelings, more in control, powerless, damage, and love as well.

So again, that idea of feelings being linked to perspective and viewpoint, okay? And that structure is very similar to the first example we looked at.

Look at the first perspective, in this case De Quincey.

Introduce the idea of comparison.

Look at the second perspective, in this case the mother.

And also that clear focus on specific feelings throughout.

Okay, so I'd like you to discuss now, how would you complete this mini paragraph which compares De Quincey's perspective to the mother's? So let's have a look at this first part of the paragraph together.

So it says, at points in the extract, De Quincey feels very passionate about taking drugs.

He vividly remembers his first experience with opium and still feels excited by it.

By contrast, the mother, and now it's over to you to consider how you would complete this mini paragraph which compares De Quincey's perspective to the mother's.

Okay, pause the video so you've got time to consider and discuss your answer to that question.

Off you go.

Okay, fantastic.

Let's just share some ideas there.

So you may have come up with something different, that's fine, but this is about, you can use this moment to compare your own ideas.

So you may have said something like, by contrast, the mother feels only negative about the destructive power of drugs.

By contrast, the mother vividly remembers her son's birth.

From her perspective, this, not the drugs, was the magical experience.

And finally, by contrast, the mother feels her son leads a difficult and unstable life because of drug misuse.

So you can see there are many ways that you could have completed this paragraph, but hopefully you too focused on the mother's perspective and also carried on that focus on specific feelings.

Okay, so bringing this all together now, we are on our second practise task.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to use the sentence stems to support a discussion in which you compare the perspectives on drug misuse in these two texts.

Okay, so remember we're looking at the "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater" and the open letter, "A Letter to My Son, Who is a Drug Addict." And you can see here we've got these really clear sentence stems to help you structure your discussion in the style of a comparison.

So we've got first starting with De Quincey's perspective, things like from De Quincey's perspective, at points, De Quincey feels.

Then we've got those comparative phrases, by contrast, but, and then we've got words to explore the mother's perspective.

From the mother's perspective, the mother feels, at points, the mother feels, okay? And remember to keep a really tight focus on specific feelings in order to explore those different perspectives.

So we know how to do this, we've been practising this for the whole lesson.

So, pause the video.

Give yourself time to discuss those comparisons.

You may wish to just jot some ideas down, but now it's time to pause the video.

Off you go.

Oh, well done, everyone.

Some really rich and lively discussions.

I really loved how you were using those sentence stems to structure your discussions and articulate your comparisons.

Really good job, everyone.

So let's look at an example of Sam's comparisons.

Let's read it through together.

De Quincey doesn't seem to feel any guilt about taking drugs.

From his perspective, he started taking them to relieve intense pain.

The mother in the open letter feels guilty.

She feels that the difficult relationship between her and her husband led to her son's drug taking.

So, I just want you to look at this, and I'd like you to consider, please, what aspect of comparison has Sam missed out? Okay? So you may wish to pause the video so you can reread that paragraph again and decide what aspect of comparison she has missed out.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

Lots of you noticed that the part that Sam has missed out was she missed out that word or phrase which clearly shows that she's comparing the writer's perspective.

So you can see here it's been rewritten to put but in there, so let's just look what it was before.

So previously it was the mother in the open letter, but now it has been changed, but the mother in the open letter, so there's that clear phrase now that shows that she is comparing the writer's perspectives.

So this might be a nice opportunity to reflect on your own discussions and think about whether you too included those comparative phrases or whether that's something that you need to improve on in the future.

So, very well done, everyone.

You have read through a very difficult text today and made some excellent comparisons, so well done.

Let's just run through everything that we have learned.

We know that using predictive reading skills before you read a text can help you understand more complex texts.

A really key point that when reading a text for the first time, you won't necessarily understand every word and idea, and this is particularly true for those archaic, old-fashioned texts.

Making short annotations as you read can help you develop an understanding of a text, and we saw that demonstrated brilliantly in that model of Sam's.

Summarising a text after reading it for the first time can help you feel secure in your understanding of its main ideas.

And then finally, comparing writers' perspectives involves exploring their point of view and feelings as expressed in the text.

So again, thank you for your hard work today.

It's been a really great lesson and I've really enjoyed sharing those texts with you.

So I'll see you again soon for another English lesson.

Until then, goodbye.