Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Miss Watson and I'm really looking forward to teaching you today.

The goal of today's lesson is planning a fairytale about a social issue.

And I really love fairytales and I really love writing that takes a stand, so this combines my two favourite types of writing.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Let's get started.

So the outcome of today's lesson is that you will be able to use the conventions of fairytales to plan a story about a social issue.

As ever, we will begin with the keywords.

They are adapt, clergyman, noble, and transform.

Let's take some time to look at them in a little bit more detail.

If you adapt something, you change or you alter it so that it suits different conditions and you are going to be adapting conventions of fairytales.

A clergyman is a man ordained into the church of England.

You might say a priest or a vicar would be other words for this.

If you are noble, it has two meanings.

It can mean socially superior, but it can also mean honest, brave, and kind.

And if you transform something, you completely change the appearance or character of something.

Now, if you'd like a little bit more time to familiarise yourself with these words, please take the opportunity to do so.

Pause the video and return when you are ready.

So let's look at today's lesson.

You are going to be planning a fairytale, and we are going to start by reading and learning about a fairy tale called "The Water Babies." We're not gonna read all of it.

We're gonna read some of it.

And then you are going to plan your own fairytale about a social issue.

So let's start with "The Water Babies." Before we start reading, I'd like us to just to have a think about what do we associate with fairytales? Well, this is what the Oak pupils said.

Alex said they tend to be written in simple language, but that's because their target audience is children.

He talked about the morality of it.

In a fairytale, the wicked people get punished and the good get rewarded.

Very true.

And they tend to have magical creatures like fairies, and there's always a happy ending.

In fact, it's a convention of a fairytale that it ends with the words, and they all lived happily ever after.

There's quite often a handsome prince.

And Izzy picked that up and said there's usually a beautiful princess as well who marries the handsome prince.

And she also said that there are transformations, characters turn into other things, sometimes into bad things as a result of a curse put on them by the wicked person like the wicked witch or the wicked wizard, or sometimes something that will give them magic power.

There's usually, in the middle, some kind of challenge the main character has to face.

They have to go on a quest and do three things.

They have to solve three puzzles.

But there's always some kind of challenge in the story.

There is a marriage at the end.

And quite often you have a hero who goes from rags to riches.

He starts off poor and he ends up marrying the princess and ruling the kingdom.

Is there anything you can add to the list? Now, you can pause the video while you add to our understanding of the conventions of fairytales.

When you're ready, just start the video again.

Now, "The Water Babies" is an unusual fairy tale.

What we're gonna do is read a summary of it and then an extract from it.

The novel is "The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley.

And it was published in 1863, and it's called "A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby." Now, a little bit about Charles Kingsley.

He was a clergyman, so he was a member of the Church of England, and he wanted to take a stand about the treatment of child chimney sweeps.

And the book was originally written for his son, but it went on to have a significant influence on social reformers who were concerned with issues of child labour.

And although it is called a fairytale, you'll see that in many ways, it adapts the conventions of the fairytale genre.

It uses them, but it does different things with them for its own purpose.

So here is the first paragraph of "The Water Babies." Once upon a time, there was a little chimney-sweep, and his name was Tom.

That is a short name and you have heard it before, so you will not have much trouble in remembering it.

He lived in a great town in the North country, where there were plenty of chimneys to sweep and plenty of money for Tom to earn and his master to spend.

Now, I'd like you to have a discussion about this.

In what ways is the opening to the novel typical and not typical of a fairytale? You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

Off you go.

So welcome back.

What a great discussion you had there.

And you said things like this, that the introduction, these first paragraph begins with the words once upon a time, which is absolutely typical of a fairytale.

And Tom has some of the qualities of a typical ragged hero who is going to win a princess and a fortune.

So that is typical of a fairytale.

But Tom lives in a city and the setting is clearly Kingsley's time period, the Victorian era, and fairytales are usually set in the past.

Also, there is a reference to Tom's master exploiting him, which seems untypical of a fairytale and more like a text about social issues.

Really good thinking there, really good discussion.

Let's move on and find out what happens to Tom.

Tom cried when he had to climb the dark flues, rubbing his poor knees and elbows raw; and when the soot got into his eyes, which it did every day in the week; and when his master beat him, which he did every day in the week; and when he had not enough to eat, which happened every day in the week likewise.

And he laughed the other half of the day when he was tossing half pennies with the other boys, or playing leap-frog over the posts, or bowling stones at the horses' legs as they trotted by, which last was excellent fun, when there was a wall at hand behind which to hide.

So another discussion.

Does Tom seem like a typical fairytale hero? You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

Off you go.

So welcome back.

Once again, a great discussion.

And I heard you saying things like this, that he's poor and that's typical of a fairytale hero, but he doesn't sound like a very moral character because he hurts animals for fun.

Fairytale heroes are usually inherently noble and moral.

They may not start off as high status, but inside they are noble and moral.

Okay, good thinking, good discussion.

Now, let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? "The Water Babies" is true to the conventions of a fairy tale.

Is that true or false? You are right if you said false, but I want you to tell me why it's false.

Is it A, that Charles Kingsley adapts the fairytale genre by presenting Tom as a hero who will go on a rags to riches journey? Or is it B, Charles Kingsley adapts the fairytale genre by weaving in social issues and showing how Tom is ill treated? Have a think and then tell me what you choose.

Did you say B? 'Cause if you did, you are 100% correct.

Well done.

Let's move on and find out what's happens to Tom.

We are not gonna read from the novel.

Next, what we're gonna do is read a summary of Tom's adventures.

So one day, Tom gets lost in the complicated chimneys of a large country house and he stumbles into a bedroom.

And there he's taken for a thief.

And he runs away and chased across the countryside by his master and by the people from the great house.

And he tumbles, exhausted, into the river.

And this is where the magic starts.

There he becomes a water baby and he embarks on a new underwater life.

He makes friends with lobsters, salmon, and trout and other water babies like him, including a girl called Ellie.

And including Ellie and these fishy friends, he also meets up with his old master, Mr. Grimes.

And there are also fairies such as Doasyouwouldbedoneby and Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid.

I always find them hard to say.

And they act as moral guides teaching him about kindness, empathy, and personal responsibility.

So there's Tom, the land baby becoming a water baby.

And finally, this is what happens.

The novel ends by telling us that Tom became a great man of science and can plan railroads, and steam engines, and electric telegraphs, and rifled guns.

He doesn't marry Ellie because as the narrator of the novel tells us, no one ever marries in a fairytale under the rank of a prince or princess.

So here's the discussion question about the ending.

To what extent does "The Water Babies" have a conventional fairy tale ending? You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

Off you go.

Well, there is a happy ending and Tom has improved in status.

So that's quite fairytale.

But we are still firmly in the 19th century world and in the world of the Industrial Revolution.

And there is no wedding.

You can't have a fairytale ending without a wedding.

And there's probably no wedding because Kingsley is actually more interested in the social issues of child labour.

Really good thinking.

Let's move on.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which two things happen to Tom? Is it A, Tom is transformed by his adventures underwater? B, Tom becomes successful? C, Tom learns to fly and swim? D, the social issues of child labour are solved? Have a think and then I will reveal the answer.

Okay, the correct answers are A and B.

He is transformed first into a water baby and then back to a human being.

And he does become successful in life.

So he doesn't learn to fly, but he does learn to swim.

And the social issues of child labour, they're not solved in the novel.

They had to be solved in real life.

Now, we're gonna have another discussion.

You've had some great discussions today.

You're gonna do this one really well too.

How does Kingsley use and adapt? How does he change and make them work for his purpose? How does he change, sorry, use and adapt the fairytale genre to take a stand on the issue of child's chimney sweeps? And I'd like you to use the following ideas: The industrial revolution, the cruel treatment of chimney sweeps, fairytale conventions like heroes and magic and happy endings, transformation.

You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

Off you go.

So welcome back.

Now, listen to what the Oak pupils said in response to that discussion.

Alex said that the key convention used is transformation.

So Tom changes from ill treated chimney sweep to water baby to scientist.

And what's kind of left is, is he going to transform into a better employer than Mr. Grimes? And is he thought you were definitely meant to think so? Because in the water world, Tom has learned values that he then brings back to the real world.

And Kingsley.

This is a great point, Izzy.

Kingsley may be saying that social change starts with the individual.

And Alex added to that, that the popularity of this book created awareness of the cruelties inflicted by the Industrial Revolution.

Laws were brought in to protect child labourers.

And Izzy summed it up.

She says, "It sounds as if we are saying that, overall, Kingsley adapted the fairytale genre successfully.

He took an important social issue and told a fantasy story that reflected on real life." Great discussion.

Compare your discussion with theirs.

You can pause the video while you take any ideas from this story, sorry, from their discussion and add it to yours.

<v ->So we have looked at the conventions of a fairytale,</v> and now we're gonna have the exciting creative part when you are gonna plan your own fairytale about a social issue.

It's all over to you now.

Now, the creative task is for you to take a stand through telling a fairytale.

First, you need to think of a social issue.

So pause the video and take some time to think of something that you really care about.

Well done.

You've got some great ideas there.

Now, I'm gonna put up a checklist which relates to the fairytale.

And you've got to think about how you could use the checklist, the fairytale conventions to talk about your social issue.

So there has to be a morality.

You have to have good and bad people in your story.

You need a hero or a heroine.

You need villains.

There has to be some kind of transformation.

And there does need to be a happy ending.

Now, you need to take some time to think about how do you intend to adapt these conventions.

So pause the video while you think about that.

Now, we're gonna look about how you structure your fairytale.

Now, many stories can be plotted on what we call Freytag's pyramid.

It's a really, really useful narrative structure.

And it breaks the story into five distinct sections.

And we're gonna look at how they work.

You start with the exposition.

And now this introduces the characters, the background and the setting.

And then you have the rising action.

And in this part of the story, the tension grows and it builds and leads towards a conflict.

And then you have the climax of the story, the point where tension is highest and the hero or the heroine faces a decision.

And then you have the falling action.

The story shifts to action that happens as a result of the climax.

And then you have resolution.

Whatever the conflict is, is all resolved and the loose ends are tied up.

Really, really useful narrative structure.

You're gonna meet it again and again and again as you carry on reading.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which section is missing? Have a think.

Did you say rising action? Well done if you did.

That's the section that's missing.

Let's move on.

Now, if we plotted "The Water Babies" on Freytag's pyramid, it would look like this.

In the exposition, we meet the main characters, Tom and his master.

And the rising action is Tom getting into trouble, running away and falling into the river.

And then under water, we have a climax where he realises that he has to take life seriously.

And then the falling action is when he returns to the land and becomes human again.

And resolution is when we're back on dry land and Tom's life improves.

And the magic starts here with the rising action.

And the magic ends here with the falling action.

Let's have another check for understanding.

When Tom is chased across the countryside and falls into the river, this is arguably the A, the climax, B, the rising action, or C, the exposition.

Have a think and then I'll reveal the answer.

Did you say rising action? 'Cause that's 100% the right answer.

Well done.

Let's move on.

So now it's over to you to use a Freytag's pyramid to plan your fairytale on a social issue.

Here it is, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

You'll need to pause the video while you do that.

Off you go.

Welcome back.

What great plans.

Now, this is your chance to have a final check of that plan.

And I would like you to use the following coaching questions to help you check your plan.

Does your exposition start in a recognisable world? Fairytales tend to begin in the every day and then the magic starts.

Is the social issue clear? Do you have a hero or a heroine? And what is the magical world that your character will enter? How will they be transformed over the course of your story? And which fairytale conventions will you borrow and which will you adapt? You don't have to use all of them, and you don't have to keep them exactly as expected in a fairytale.

The fun is in the adaptation.

And how does your story end? There has to be a happy ending.

And what is your message about the social issue? Then remember that, remember you are adapting a fairytale to talk about a social issue.

Now, just take some time to check over your plan.

You can pause the video while you do that, and then rejoin when you are ready.

Now, before we say goodbye, I'd like to have a summary of what you have been learning today.

Fairytales have specific conventions including noble heroes and heroines, magical transformations and happy endings.

Charles Kingsley was a Victorian clergyman who took a stand against the use of children as chimney sweeps.

Kingsley's novel, "The Water Babies," adapted the fairytale genre to protest against the use of children as chimney sweeps.

His novel was influential in raising awareness of the cruelty of child labour.

And Freytag's narrative structure can be adapted by any writer.

So thank you for coming today to the lesson.

I'm really impressed by how well you've worked and how hard you've worked.

I look forward to seeing you again in another lesson on taking a stand.

Bye for now.