Hello and welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me.

My name's Mrs. Butterworth, and I'm your English teacher for today, and in this lesson, we will focus on using structural features effectively in our non-fiction texts because structure is just as important as language when we are constructing texts.

So we'll be thinking about how we open and close our writing and some structural features that we can use throughout to create a really interesting, cohesive text.

So let's get started.

So in this lesson, you will understand how a writer uses structural features for effect, and then use this understanding to consider your own use of structure in your writing.

Now, before we delve into the lesson, let's look at some keywords that will appear throughout.

So you may want to see if you can spot them as we go through the lesson.

These words are, impactful, declarative sentence, motif and mirroring.

Now, impactful is what we want our writing to be.

So this is to have a strong effect on someone.

So we always wanna think about is our writing impactful? Now, the next words are all specific things that we can be using.

So a declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement, expresses an opinion, or states of fact.

As we go through the lesson, we'll look at some examples.

And then a motif is an idea, image, or symbol that repeats throughout to develop a theme or argument.

So again, we're gonna look at this in the lesson and we're gonna think about how Charlie Brooker uses this in his article.

So just be thinking about that word motif as we move through.

And then finally, we're gonna be thinking about using mirroring, and this is where you repeat and develop an idea from the start of your writing at the end.

And as I've just said, we're going to look at this in more depth as the lesson goes on.

So just make sure you look out for that.

The outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by thinking about how we can create impactful openings and closings for our writing, and then we're going to move on to look specifically at creating effective motifs.

So let's start by thinking about those all important opening and closings.

So when exploring a piece of writing or even crafting our own writing, we need to consider structural features.

And this is an important part of the process.

Now, one way to think of structure is to think of it like this, so how the piece begins, how the middle develops and how it ends.

So that's how we can think of our overall structure, what's in the middle, what's in the beginning, what's in the middle, and what's at the end.

But we could also look out for and use specific structural features.

So examples of these include opening and closing sentences, so you can really look at how a writer has used those and also consider how to use 'em in your own writing for effect, those open and closing sentence and their structures, motif and mirroring.

So Izzy re-reads, the article "Bring Back Hanging?" by Charlie Brooker, written in 2011.

So this can be found in the additional material, so you may just want to quickly reread the article yourself, but if not, it's going to appear here.

So Izzy decides to focus on the opening and she wants to consider what makes it impactful.

So let's read the opening together.

"The death penalty debate refuses to die, a bit like 17-year-old Willie Francis, who in 1946 was strapped into a chair at Louisiana State Penitentiary and electrocuted, only to wind up screaming for mercy from within his leather hood, selfishly upsetting several onlookers in the process." So Izzy wants to consider what makes this impactful, and I'd also like you to consider this.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, what has Brooke done to engage his reader and introduce the article in his opening? Okay, so what has Brooke done to engage his reader and introduce the article in his opening? So pause the video so you've got time to discuss your answer to this question.

Or if you're working on your own, you may wish to think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas.

Pause video, and off you go.

Okay, great, I really liked how some of you're being very specific about the types of sentence structures that Brooker uses, the type of language that Brooker uses.

So that's really great to hear those comments.

So let's just feedback some of those ideas.

So some of you picked up that Brooker starts his article by using a declarative sentence.

So it really makes a statement and hooks the reader in.

So "The death penalty debate refuses to die." So if you remember, a declarative sentence will make a statement or present or a fact or opinion.

So it's like you're declaring something.

So it's a really impactful way to start a piece of writing, exactly like Brooker has done here.

And after that, he uses, "A bit like," okay, so "The death penalty refuses to die a bit like," and he uses a bit like to draw an anecdotal comparison and introduce the main ideas in the article.

So using like or a bit like is quite a good way to kind of develop that initial sentence and think about introducing the main ideas of the article.

And Brooker uses quite shocking language, doesn't he? But he also uses that shocking language to establish his sarcastic tone.

So we know from the outset that, yes, this is a serious topic, but he's going to be exploring it in a kind of sarcastic, ironic way.

Okay, so thinking about those declarative sentences, which opening A, B, or C uses a declarative sentence? So read through those and pick your answer now.

Okay, so the answer is, lots of you shouting out the right answer is, A, Fireworks are a multi coloured menace." Okay, so you can see how that declarative sentence, is making a statement, it's expressing an opinion.

So let's just look at the wrong answers and see why they are not declarative sentences.

So B, Take action now, is actually used as an imperative.

So it's an imperative sentence because we've got that imperative verb, take.

So it's giving a command or giving an instruction so it's not quite a declarative.

And then obviously, C, we've got a question there.

So this is an interrogative sentence rather than a declarative sentence.

So, How are we still debating the presence of pineapple on pizzas? So you can see there how they're slightly different.

So what we are looking for is that declarative sentence in A.

So Alex uses the language and style of Brooker to write his own opening about bringing back hanging.

So let's see how Alex has used the ideas of Brooker in his own writing.

"The debate around the death penalty refuses to die.

Like the victim of a badly maintained guillotine, the internet twitches with forums full of those dedicated to the return of this brutal punishment." So I'd like you to discuss, please, how has Alex made his opening impactful? So bit of a hint.

Think about what we just discussed when looking at Brooke's introduction and how he has made it impactful.

How has Alex used some of those ideas to also make his introduction impactful? So pause the video so you can discuss that question.

Sit quietly and think to yourself or even jot down some ideas.

Okay, pause the video now.

Okay, great, well done to those people that started to think back to that discussion we had about Brooker and apply it to Alex's work because you'll notice that Alex has done quite a few of the same things that Brooker has done, and this is a really good thing to do.

If we see an effective piece of writing, we can start to use the style and ideas from that writing in our own work.

So let's see.

So you may have said something like this.

So Alex, like Brooker, uses a declarative sentence which makes a statement and hooks the reader in.

"The debate around the death penalty refuses to die." He then, instead of using a bit like he just uses, like to draw an anecdotal comparison and introduce the main ideas in the article, "Like the victim of a badly maintained guillotine." So again, he's drawing on the same ideas of Brooker, but making it his own.

And again, like Brooker, Alex has used some really strong shocking language, but it establishes the sarcastic tone much like Brooker.

So "The internet twitches with forums full of those dedicated to the return of this brutal punishment." So that structure of that declarative sentence followed by like, or a bit like, that anecdotal comparison is a really good way to hook your reader in and create an impactful opening.

So Sofia begins to write her opening in response to the task, "The great pineapple pizza controversy, delicious creativity or taste bud terror." Okay, interesting task, I'm sure you have lots of opinions about whether pineapple belongs on a pizza or not, but let's just look at Sofia's opening to the task.

So Sofia says, "The debate over pineapple on pizza threatens to boil over.

." So now I'd like you to discuss how could Sofia complete this opening? So think about Brooker, his article and what he did, and also think about the example we looked at from Alex.

So we've got two examples there.

So how can we help Sofia complete this opening? So "The debate over pineapple on pizza threatens to boil over.

." Now you need to decide how could Sofia complete this opening? So pause the video to come up with your answer.

Off you go.

Okay, as I said, some very strong opinions there about pizzas and pineapple and some really great creative ways to complete Sofia's opening.

So let's just look at some examples now.

Now you may have come up with something different, which is totally fine, it may even be better than these suggestions, but this is quite a good time now just to compare what we've come up with.

So you may have said something like, "The debate over pineapple and pizza threatens to boil over, like melted cheese on a pizza stone, its presence is a sticking point." So you can see here this example's used that like melted cheese.

So that use of like to make that comparison.

Or this one, "Like burning the roof of your mouth, the sight of pineapple blisters my senses." So you can see how that comparison is really interesting and engaging for our readers.

So we've thought about our openings to how we can start our pieces of writing, and now I want to think and consider how to create impactful closings.

So I want you to discuss, first of all, why is the ending of your writing just as important as the beginning and the middle, okay? Why is the ending of your writing just as important as the beginning and the middle? Pause the video to come up with your answer to this question so you can discuss your answer, think quietly to yourself, or write some ideas down.

Okay, pause the video, off you go.

Okay, so let's just feed back some ideas.

Hopefully I didn't hear that it's not important because you are at the ending of your writing is very important and here is why.

Because it's the last thing your audience reads or your reader reads, okay? So it's a really important, it's kind of, yeah, the last thing they're going to be left with.

It's your opportunity to make your final point memorable.

So if it's the last thing your audience or your reader reads, you really want to make your last point memorable so that they remember it.

It's your last chance to convince your reader.

So if you haven't got your reader on side, now is the time to do it, and it's a chance to conclude your argument with impact.

So you don't want your argument to just fizzle out, you want to conclude it with impact so that it starts really strong and ends really strong and it leaves your reader thinking and maybe even wanting more.

So Andy now focuses on the closing sentences of Brooker's article and consider what makes them impactful.

So let's see what Brooker writes.

He writes, "Maximum agony, maximum publicity.

It's the only way, it's saw or nothing." Okay, so can you discuss please, how has Brooker structured his closing for effect? Okay, so really look at what Brooker has done here and discuss how has Brooker structured his closing for effect.

So as ever, you can discuss, think quietly to yourself or write down some ideas, but you'll need to pause the video to do that now.

Okay, thank you so much for your suggestions.

Let's just share some ideas.

Hopefully you have come up with something similar.

So you may have said, or you may have noticed, he uses repetition, doesn't he? So "Maximum agony, maximum publicity, and it's the only way.

It's saw or nothing." So this really emphasises that final statement.

It almost sounds quite punchy, doesn't it? "Maximum agony, maximum publicity." So that repetition is really effective at emphasising the final statement.

And again, those short, impactful sentences, "It's the only way.

It's saw or nothing." And you may have picked up that actually this closing mirrors ideas from the start of the article to reiterate his stance.

So I think that this is a really interesting use of mirroring how he picks up on ideas from the start of the article and put some on the end.

And it really helps to emphasise and exaggerate the point that Brooker is trying to make about capital punishment and the idea of bringing back hanging.

So I want us to focus on mirroring in a bit more depth.

So we noticed how Brooker had done this in his article, so how he had repeated some words and ideas from the beginning of his article at the end.

And I just want to spend some time really looking at what that means because it's such an effective way to end a piece of writing.

So let's look at an example.

So here I have Brooke's idea from the start.

So this was Brooke's opening paragraph, and what I've actually done is I've created my own ending to show you an example of mirroring.

So here we go.

"As the death penalty debate finally breeds its last breath and begins to die, those upset onlookers can heave a sigh of relief knowing that Willie Francis' selfish screams will never be repeated." So you can see here that these ideas at the start, "Refuses to die, this person Willie Francis, the screaming, the selfish onlookers," this has all been repeated at the end.

So I've not only used words and phrases, I've also used specific things like the person Willie Francis, the selfish screams, the idea of the debate.

So you can see here how mirroring is a really good way just to conclude your writing and kind of give it a sense of, yeah, give it a sense of ending if you like.

So it shows that this is coming to an end, this is the conclusion.

So what is mirroring? Mirroring is where, is it A, your last paragraph is exactly the same as your first one for cohesion, is it B, you repeat and develop an idea from the start of your writing at the end, is it C, you change your argument at the end and present an alternative viewpoint.

So mirroring is where, is it A, B, or C? Pick your answer now.

Well done to everyone that noticed that it was the answer B, mirroring is where you repeat and develop an idea from the start of your writing at the end.

So this may be in the form of a few words, it may be in an idea or a theme, there are lots of different ways that you can do mirroring, but it's all about referring back to the start and developing that at the end.

Okay, so now it's over to you.

So we have looked at lots of examples from Brooker and we've also had our O pupils share some of their examples, and I'd like you to write your own opening and closing for this task.

"The great pineapple pizza controversy, delicious creativity or taste bud terror." Okay, so your opening could include the following.

So you might want to use a declarative sentence followed by that, like, to draw a comparison.

So it's a bit like, or like a, like we looked at the examples, and your closing could include some of the following.

So short sentences, repetition or mirroring.

You may want to spend a few moments just thinking about your ideas and thinking about what it is you want to argue, and then you need to write your opening and closing.

You may also wish to go back and look at the examples just to remind yourself of a good way to structure those.

So when you've gathered everything that you need, pause the video, and get writing.

Off you go.

Thank you so much, that was really great to see, all such hard work and such creativity and some really interesting ways to debate that all important topic about pineapple on pizza.

So here is Lucas's opening and closing, let's have a look.

So his opening is this, "The pineapple pizza debate is rising.

Like a seamlessly endless string of mozzarella, the great pineapple war stretches on." And here's his closing.

"It's time to deflate this debate, let the mozzarella call to perfection and agree that the great pineapple pizza controversy has reached its last slice.

Pineapple is bold, pineapple is fearless, it's totally tropi-cool." Okay, so what I would like you to do, please, is have a little look again at Lucas's opening and closing and discuss what has Lucas included in his opening and closing, and have you included similar or different structural features? Pause video to discuss these questions or think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, well done everybody, keep up the good work.

We are now onto the second part of our lesson.

So now we're going to think about how we can create effective motifs.

Let's just revisit that word, motif.

So you may remember this from our key words at the very start of the lesson.

So a motif is where an idea, image or symbol is repeated throughout a piece of writing.

So revisit Brooker's article, and I want you to discuss or think to yourself if you can identify where Brooker uses a motif in his article.

So where can you spot moments in his article where he's repeating an idea, an image, or a theme.

So pause the video to revisit it and think about where you can see that motif.

Off you go.

Okay, so some of you have started to spot that motif.

Don't worry if you haven't spotted it yet, this will start to help you.

So here, I have plotted on this line, all the moments in this article where Brooker is using a motif.

So "In an audacious end of season finale," "All broadcast live on television in HD and even 3D where available," "Viewers at home control the gunsights by tweeting directions, a bit like ye oldie gameshow, 'The Golden Shot,' "A shot in the eye, incidentally, will win you 5,000 Nectar points and a congratulatory tweet from Patty McGuinness," and, "Each execution would be randomly spliced into other popular programmes, everything from 'Top Gear' to 'Rastamouse.

'" So you may have picked this up already, you may have not, but you may have noticed that these are all connected.

So these all have a similar theme, and this is TV.

So all of these reference come together to build up this motif of TV and popular culture and Brooker does this on purpose, because what this motif of TV and popular culture does is it creates humour and it exaggerates and emphasises his sarcastic tone.

So obviously he's dealing with a really controversial and quite shocking topic, but by comparing it to TV shows and popular culture, he sort of makes his point that this is quite a exaggerated and serious debate.

So Charlie Brooker effectively uses the motif of TV through his article.

This is where, so we're looking for the definition of motif.

This is where, A, a writer uses a repeated idea, reference or symbol to convey a message effectively, this is where, B, a writer repeats a word or phrase at the start of successive sentences, or is it C, a writer repeats a word or phrase three times.

So select your answer now.

Okay, who thinks they've got the right answer? Well done to everyone that said A.

So a motif is where a writer uses a repeated idea, reference or symbol to convey a message effectively.

So Jun has, our Oak pupil, very kindly offered to share his work, and Jun has written a paragraph in the style of Brooker.

So let's look at Jun's work.

"In the quest to address serious crimes, we find ourselves at a gripping end of season finale.

It's time to raise our voices and shift our focus towards nonviolent solutions promoting rehabilitation justice and societal betterment.

Roll on season 2.

Are we truly prepared to condone a society where violence and punishment reign supreme, like a contemporary 'Game of Thrones?' The alternatives beckon, maybe it's time for a spin-off." It's really fantastic work from Jun, isn't it? So I'd like you to discuss, please, can you identify where Jun has used a motif and what is the effect? So pause the video to come up with your answer.

Off you go.

Okay, so you may have noticed that like Brooker, Jun also uses this motif of TV, this "Gripping end of season finale, the roll on season 2," the reference to "'Game of Thrones'" and the idea of a spinoff.

So Jo has taken Brooker's idea and developed it for his own writing.

So the phrases are associated with TV and like Brooker, Jun has created a similar effect.

So he's obviously writing about punishment and violence and justice and all of that sort of thing, and he's used this motif to really exaggerate and emphasise the argument he is making.

So Jen's done a really good job of taking Brooker's ideas and developing them for his own writing, in this case, the motif of TV.

So we're now gonna look at Lucas's opening, closing for the task, Pineapple, the great pineapple pizza controversy, delicious creativity or taste bud terror.

So you may remember this from task A, so let's just read it again.

So he says, "The pineapple pizza debate is rising.

Like a seemingly endless string of mozzarella, the great pineapple war stretches on." And his closing went like this.

"It is time to deflate this debate, let the mozzarella call to perfection and agreed that the great pineapple pizza controversy has reached its last slice.

Pineapple is bold, pineapple is fearless, it's totally tropi-cool." Now the reason I wanted us to look at this opening and closing, because you may have noticed that actually, by creating this opening and closing, Lucas has already started to create a motif by referencing the language of pizza and food.

So just from this opening and closing, that motif is starting to happen.

So he's talked about the debate rising, so using that language of like dough rising and that endless string of mozzarella.

So we've got that food language happening.

And then at the end, you know, the idea that the dough is being deflated, "It's time to deflate this debate," again referencing mozzarella, so we've got that food there, and "The controversy has reached its last slice," We've got that pizza language there too.

So this is actually really clever because obviously the task and the piece of writing or about pizza.

So Lucas has kind of used that to create that motif of food and pizza throughout his writing in that opening and closing.

So I now want us to think about the middle of Lucas' writing, and I'd like you just to discuss a few ideas.

So how could this motif be developed in the middle of his writing? What other references could he make? So I'd like you to discuss that, please.

How could he develop this motif in the middle of his writing? So what other references could he make? So remember we're thinking about food, we're thinking about pizza.

So how could Lucas make references to those things in the middle of his writing? Pause video to discuss your ideas, think quietly to yourself or jot down some ideas, pause the video now.

We have reached our second and final practise task, so a little bit more work to do everyone, but we've got this, we can keep going.

So just a reminder of the title of today's task.

It is, "The great pineapple pizza controversy, delicious creativity or taste bud terror." And what I would like you to do is I would like you to use your opening and closing from task A and write a paragraph that develops the middle of the writing using a motif.

So think back to your discussions about Lucas' work.

Remember from his opening and closing, he'd already started to develop the motif.

So we can just think about the middle now.

So you may want to use these sentence starters to help you.

This debate is like we need to, it might be a challenge to consider, but.

Okay, so really think about how you can develop your opening and closing with that motif in the middle, okay? So gather everything you need to complete this task, pause the video and get writing.

Thank you everyone, some really excellent motifs happening there, and some really interesting ways to debate this very important topic about pizza and pineapple.

So let's just read Jacob's paragraph here and we'll see what he has done.

So let's read it through together first.

"This debate is like the forgotten lettuce at the back of the fridge, limp, cold and ready to be thrown out.

We need to acknowledge this and move forward.

The concept of a fruity pizza was introduced in the sixties along with flares, folk music, and lava lamps, all of which have been banished to the pits of history, well, mostly.

Pineapple two should be cremated and banished to the back of the oven.

It might be a challenge to consider, but perhaps pineapple just forever sits with its other fruit friends in the dessert section, and it is here, it should be left to mingle and marinate." Okay, so can you identify Jacob's use of motif and what is the effect? Okay, pause the video so you can discuss those questions.

Off you go.

Great, so you may have noticed that Jacob has also used that motif of food and the language of food throughout.

So you know, "The forgotten lettuce at the back of the fridge," you know, the idea of the fruity pizza, then he uses the words about being banished to the back of the oven and then linking it to fruit and dessert and being able to mingle and marinade.

So there's lots of references there to food to really develop that motif throughout, and it makes Jacob's writing really humorous, doesn't it? And really engaging and it creates those links throughout.

So a really cohesive piece of writing.

So I would like you now to consider your own work.

Have you used a motif effectively? So just take a moment to reflect on your own work, where you have used a motif and how effective it is.

Pause the video to give yourself time to reflect on this.

Off you go.

Well done everybody, and thank you for your creative input.

I've loved hearing some of these debates and as someone that absolutely loves pineapple on a pizza, even some of your arguments have started to make me think that maybe I'm wrong and I need to reconsider my stance on that debate.

So let's just remind ourselves of everything that we have learned.

We know that considering structural features is an important part of the writing process, We know that opening should be impactful and can include things like declarative sentences and similes by using like or a bit like, mirroring can be used to create an effective closing, and a motif can be used to develop ideas within that writing.

Again, thank you so much for your hard work and your opinions on pineapple on pizza, cannot wait to do it all again soon, so I will see you in another lesson soon.

Thanks, bye-Bye.