Lesson video

Hi, everybody, it's Miss Gardner.

Welcome to your next lesson from our unit, "The Happy Prince" reading and narrative writing.

I'm really looking forward to today's learning because we are going to get started with some planning.

So thank you for joining, and let's get going.

In today's lesson from our unit, "The Happy Prince" reading and narrative writing, we are going to be planning the first part of our writing.

So your learning outcome is, I can plan the opening of "The Happy Prince." Let's start by looking at the key words.

We'll do my turn, your turn.

Plan.

Notes.

Ambitious vocabulary.

Figurative language.

Dialogue.

Let's have a look at what these mean.

A plan is a framework that writers create before they write a section or a whole text.

Notes are written out of full sentences.

Ambitious vocabulary is high-level language in writing that meets the text purpose.

Figurative language is the use of metaphor, simile, and personification to paint vivid pictures for the reader.

And dialogue is the written conversation between two characters or more within a narrative.

So there are two sections of our lesson today.

In the first we'll be preparing to plan, and in the second we'll be writing the plan.

So let's start with preparing to plan.

So "The Happy Prince" can be structured like this.

You start with an opening, then a build-up, then the climax, and then finally, the resolution.

In today's lesson, we are planning the opening.

The purpose of the opening, why do we write an opening, is to do all of these.

Engage the reader, introduce the characters, and introduce the setting.

So in this opening of "The Happy Prince" we are introduced to all of these, the setting, the city, which we don't know the name of, but it's a city, and the main characters, which is the statue of the prince and the bird.

So checking for understanding, the purpose of the opening is A, to solve a problem, B, to introduce the characters, C, to build up tension, or D, to introduce the setting.

Pause the video now.

The purpose of the opening is to introduce the characters and to introduce the setting.

Great job.

Well done.

So, a descriptive opening should enable the reader to picture the setting and the characters in their mind.

And we can achieve this through really precise descriptions and by using ambitious vocabulary to paint this vivid picture.

Our descriptive opening should also hook the reader in and make them want to carry on reading.

So first, let's review the key moments of the opening.

Firstly, a statue was overlooking the city.

One night, a bird was flying alone looking for somewhere to rest.

Then the bird perched on the statue's feet and he noticed he was crying.

So, the statue explained his sorrows and he asked the bird to help him.

So these are the four key moments in their most basic form.

These are what we are going to be writing about, but we're going to use really ambitious vocabulary and precise verbs and adjectives and adverbs to describe these moments in a lot more detail in order to create that really vivid picture in the reader's mind.

But first, let's check for understanding of the order of those key moments.

So you have your four key moments now here, and you need to number them one, two, three, and four.

Pause the video now and off you go.

Okay, so number one was a statue of a prince was overlooking the city.

Number two, one night a bird was flying alone looking for somewhere to rest.

Number three, the bird perched on the statue's feet and noticed he was crying.

And number four, the statue explained his sorrows and asked the bird to help him.

As we are only planning the opening today, we do not need to worry about any other moment that happens in "The Happy Prince." These are just the moments we are going to be describing in the opening.

Well done.

So throughout our descriptive opening, we will use a range of descriptive language.

Descriptive language includes all of these: precise verbs, figurative language, descriptive adjectives and adverbs, fronted adverbials of time, place, and manner.

Show-not-tell language, so language which shows the character's emotions, doesn't just tell it.

And expanded noun phrases.

Descriptive language helps to create this vivid image in the reader's mind of the characters and setting.

So it's really important we plan for it before we start writing our opening.

So let's start by generating some descriptive adjectives we could use to describe this moment.

A statue of a prince was overlooking the city.

That's a simple sentence.

It doesn't contain any adjectives.

So really the reader has no image in their mind of this moment.

So we need to generate some more ambitious vocabulary.

So pause the video now and have a think about any adjectives you could use to describe the statue, the sky, the city.

Off you go.

Okay, so I'm going to show you some of my ideas.

I'm sure you also have lots of brilliant ideas, but these were just some of the ones that I've come up with.

The serene, velvet sky.

So an expanded noun phrase there to describe the sky.

Serene means really calm.

Velvet kind of means silky and smooth.

The vast, tranquil city.

Again, another expanded noun phrase.

Tranquil means really calm and peaceful.

Vast means huge.

The dazzling jewels that covered the statue, the silvery moonlight because it's at nighttime, but it's a nice kind of glimmering silvery moon, the inky-black night sky, describing just how dark the night was, and the luminous moon.

So luminous means bright.

So that means the moon is lighting up that dark sky.

Okay, well done.

So just checking for understanding, which of the following are precise adjectives we could use to describe the sky in the opening of "The Happy Prince"? A, cloudless, B, inky-blank, C, dreamy, or D, starry.

Pause the video now.

Okay, so adjectives to describe the sky, inky-black, so really, really dark, and also starry because it was covered in stars.

Well done.

So throughout our descriptive opening, we want to use a range of figurative language.

Literary devices that create figurative language include all of these: metaphors, personification, and similes.

And we can also use literary devices such as alliteration.

So when the first letter of two words in a row are the same, fiery furnace, for example, and repetitions are repeating words or phrases again and again to create atmosphere in our writing.

Let's now focus on personification and how we can use this in our writing to create vivid and engaging descriptions.

Personification is a type of figurative language and it involves giving human qualities to non-human objects.

Personification is most commonly achieved by using a verb that a human would do to describe the movement of a non-human object.

So checking for understanding.

What is the definition of personification? A, a description of what a person is doing, B, the description of what an object looks like, or C, giving a non-human thing human characteristics or behaviour.

Pause the video now.

That's right, that is C.

Personification is giving a non-human object a human quality.

Well done.

So, let's generate personification clauses that we can use in our opening of "The Happy Prince." So to describe the statue in this night sky, we could say the inky-black sky held a luminous moon.

The sky can't hold something, so that's personification.

The statue guarded the city vigilantly.

A statue is made of stone or metal.

It cannot actually guard anything.

That's what humans do, so that's personification.

And the statue stood proudly.

Standing is something humans do, so another example of personification, but all of these just help to create that vivid image in the mind of the reader.

So we also want to include fronted adverbials in our plan, and fronted adverbials of manner tell the reader how an action is taking place.

They add extra detail to the verb doing the action and they give, again, the reader a more vivid image in their mind of what is happening.

So for example, we could just say the bird looked up at the crying prince, but if we add a fronted adverbial of manner, it adds extra detail to how the bird looks up and it makes the reader understand more what's happening.

So you could say, gently, the bird looked up at the crying prince, or, with concern, the bird looked up at the crying prince.

Those fronted adverbials of manner give extra detail about how the character is feeling or acting.

Now, fronted adverbials of time and place are also useful.

They tell the reader where and when an action is taking place.

So for example, above the vast city, a golden statue stood proudly.

That's a fronted adverbial of place.

Or, one night, a lonesome bird flew through quiet streets.

All of a sudden, the bird heard a single teardrop.

One night and all of a sudden are fronted adverbials of time which add extra information about when an action took place.

So that's really useful for the reader to have an image in their mind.

So checking for understanding, which types of fronted adverbials could be used in a narrative? A, fronted adverbials of time, place, and manner, B, formal fronted adverbials, C, viewpoint fronted adverbials, or D, a fronted adverbial, of course.

Pause the video now.

That is A.

B, C, and D are all examples of formal fronted adverbials that you'd find in nonfiction writing.

Well done.

So now let's generate precise verbs and fronted adverbial that we could use to subscribe this moment.

The bird perched on the statue's feet and noticed he was crying.

So pause the video now and have a go at generating some verbs and fronted adverbials to describe this moment.

Off you go.

Okay, here are some ideas that I've come up with.

With concern.

That's my fronted adverbial of manner.

Gently, another fronted adverbial of manner.

Carefully perched.

So a really precise verb choice there of how the bird arrived on the statue.

The teardrop plummeted, describing in more detail the statue's emotions.

His eyes were brimming with tears, some show-not-tell language, and also, all of a sudden, a fronted adverbial of time.

Okay, well done.

Which of the following are precise adverb choices to describe how the bird spoke to the prince? A, angrily B, gently, C, loudly, or D, with concern? Pause the video now.

Oka, so B, gently, and D, with concern are fronted adverbials of manner that you could use to describe how the bird was speaking.

He wasn't angry or really loud.

He was really worried about why the prince was crying.

Well done.

So there is also some important dialogue that we need to include in our plan.

Dialogue is really important because it helps to move the story forward.

So, the statue explained his sorrows and he asked the bird to help him.

What can you remember? What did the bird and the prince say to each other in the opening? If you need to, you can have a look at the text in your additional materials to help you with this question.

Pause the video now.

So the bird asked, "Why are you crying?" The prince responded, "I used to be carefree, but now all I see is suffering." And then the prince asked, "Will you help me?" So we need to make sure we include these lines of dialogue in our plan so that we remember to use it in our writing.

So just checking for understanding, which of the following is not a piece of dialogue found in the opening? A, "Will he help me to look after those in need?" B, "Goodbye, dear prince," C, "Why are you crying?" or D, "I used to be happy, but now all I see is sadness." Pause the video now.

That's right, B is not in the opening.

It comes much later in "The Happy Prince." Well done.

So it is time for task A.

You need to fill in the blanks with precise and ambitious vocabulary.

Here are your sentences and then you have the words in the word bank at the bottom.

The inky-blank, serene sky held a blank moon.

Above the quiet city, a golden statue covered in blank jewels guarded the city vigilantly.

One night, a frail bird flew through the quiet city and carefully blank on the statue's feet.

The bird looked up and saw the statue's blank eyes brimming with tears.

Blank, the concerned bird asked, "Why are you crying?" Using the words in the word bank below, you can complete these sentences.

Pause the video now and off you go.

Okay, welcome back.

Let's go through these.

As I say the word, I want to be able to hear you saying it as well.

The inky-black sky, inky-black, serene sky held a luminous moon.

Above the quiet city, golden statue covered in dazzling jewels guarded the city vigilantly.

One night, a frail bird flew through the quiet city and carefully perched on the statue's feet.

The bird looked up and saw the statue's bright-blue eyes brimming with tears.

And finally, gently, the concerned bird asked, "Why are you crying?" Well done, everybody.

Great job.

It's time for the second section of our lesson where we are going to be writing the plan.

When we write a plan, we use notes.

Notes are concise, so short, and capture the key vocabulary and information or moments.

The purpose of notes is to help the writer to organise information easily for the future use, so when it comes to writing.

We use bullet points when note-taking and they look like this.

So we will have a plan made up of bullet point notes.

So checking for understanding.

What will you need to include in your plan? A, full sentences with capital letters and full stops, B, bullet points for notes, C, precise and ambitious vocabulary, or D, unnecessary information.

Pause the video now.

So on our plan, we need B, bullet points for notes and C, precise and ambitious vocabulary.

We do not need full sentences with capital letters, full stops, or any unnecessary information.

Well done.

So it's time for task B.

You need to fill in the plan for the first key moment.

So the first key moment was a statue of a prince was overlooking the city.

Can you think of any fronted adverbials, precise verbs, adjectives and adverbs, or figurative language to include in your plan? Remember, you are using just bullet point notes.

You don't need full sentences, and try to include some of the vocabulary and figurative language that we were generating in the first part of this lesson.

Pause the video now, and off you go.

Okay, well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

I'm going to go through my plan.

If you like any of these ideas, you can pause the video and add them to your plan so that you'll be able to use them when it comes to writing.

So some fronted adverbials, above the vast city, in the middle of the quiet city, or proudly, describing how the statue was standing.

I remember to include a comma after my fronted adverbials, even though it's a plan, just so I remember to use it in my writing.

And then precise verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Inky-black, serene sky, an expanded noun phrase there.

The golden statue, adorned with dazzling jewels.

So adorned kind of means covered with dazzling jewels.

And then figurative language.

The sky held a luminous moon.

The statue vigilantly guarded or stood proudly.

Well done, everybody.

It's now time to fill in the second key moment of the opening.

This was when a bird flew through the city looking for somewhere to rest.

So thinking now about fronted adverbials and any precise verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Once again, think back to the first section of the lesson where we generated vocabulary and think if you can include any of these or any of your own ideas on this plan.

Pause the video now and off you go.

Okay, well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Let's go through my ideas.

And again, just like last time, if you need to, you can pause the video and add these to your plan.

So front adverbials, through the quiet streets, that's a front adverbial of place.

One night, fronted adverbial of time, and quietly, fronted adverbial of manner, how the bird flew.

Then the precise vocabulary, a meek, tired bird soared silently, so just a synonym for flew, I use soared, and then carefully perched.

Okay, well done, everybody.

It's time to now plan the final third key moment of the opening.

So the key moment was the statue started crying and asked the bird to help him.

So thinking of any fronted adverbials, precise verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and also the dialogue that we need to include from this moment.

So pause the video now and off you go.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

I'm going to go through my ideas.

If you want to, you can add them to your plan too.

So fronted adverbials, all of a sudden, fronted adverbial of a time, with concern, of manner, the way to describe how the bird asked if the statue was okay, and gently, another fronted adverbial of manner.

And then the precise verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

The teardrop plummeted, his eyes were brimming with tears, and then the glistening bright-blue eyes, an adjective to describe his eyes.

And finally, the dialogue.

"Why are you crying?" "I used to be happy, but now all I see is suffering," and, "Will you help me?" Well done, everybody.

Great job.

Make sure you keep these plans safe because they're going to be essential and really, really useful in the next lesson when it comes to writing the opening.

Here is a summary of everything we've learned.

The purpose of the opening is to engage the reader and introduce the setting and characters.

When we plan, we log precise and ambitious vocabulary to help paint vivid pictures for our reader.

Dialogue is the written conversation between two characters or more within a narrative, and fronted adverbials of time, place, and manner are included in a plan to add extra detail about the action.

Finally, figurative language is used in narrative writing to create vivid pictures for the reader.

Great job today, everybody.

Well done.