Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Brown, and I'm your English teacher for today's lesson.

Today we're going to be reading and responding to another poem by Joseph Coelho.

The poem is called "If All the World Were Paper." Let's Get Started.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

The keywords we will use are theme and metaphor.

Let's say this together, my turn and then your turn.

Theme.

Metaphor.

Fabulous.

Let's look at the definitions.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.

A metaphor is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

We'll start today's lesson with an introduction to the poem and then move on to exploring the poem.

In today's lesson, we'll be reading and responding to Joseph Coelho's poem, "If All the World Were Paper." This poem is taken from Coelho's published collection of Poetry, "Werewolf Club Rules," which was his first published book of poems. So first of all, what does the title, "If All The World Were Paper," make you think of what words or images come to mind? Pause the video and have a discussion with your partner now.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at some examples.

So June says, "It makes me think the poem is going to be about imagining what the world would be like if everything were made of paper." And Sofia says, "I imagine the poem will be quite funny because if things like buildings and cars were made of paper, they would bend and fall apart when it rained." That's a really interesting and clever way of thinking about it, I hadn't have thought about that.

Are these positive or negative images then do we start to feel just from the title that this is going to be a positive poem or a negative poem? Okay, let's listen to the poem.

"If All the World Were Paper." Once you have listened to the poem, we will discuss our initial responses to the poem.

Okay, pause the video and listen to the poem now.

Welcome back.

Did you enjoy the poem? Another poem, you know, by Joseph Coelho.

How amazing is that? Okay, I'm going to give you my initial responses to the poem, and I've used the questions, what did you like about the poem and do you have any questions about it? Just to help scaffold my ideas.

So I liked how the poem explored the theme of family and capturing special moments.

I would like to know if Coelho wrote the poem about his own family.

Now it's your turn to give your initial response to the poem.

What did you like about the poem? And do you have any questions about it? Pause the video and have a discussion with your partner now.

welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look at the poem in a bit more detail.

So let's start with verse one.

The speaker says what they would do if the world was made of paper.

And the speaker shares a wish to fold a beloved grandmother so that she can be taken everywhere.

They want to laminate their young sibling to protect them.

In verse two, the speaker imagines restoring and preserving their grandfather and his stories.

They would cherish his younger memories while getting rid of the more painful ones.

Acts of kindness would become visible reminders stuck to the person performing them with post-its.

Friends would come on paper with detachable parts so you could keep their best bits close.

The speaker talks about elements of Christmas and birthdays accompanying them daily.

Dreams could be read using braille while we slept.

Nightmares could be easily forgotten, like a list of things to buy at the shops.

Arguments would be noticed quickly with a rustle and fixed before they got worse.

The speaker talks about families being kept together, sadness being erased, and homes being renewed and refreshed.

The speaker says that although the world isn't made of paper imagining it, it provides a hope for overcoming challenges and remaining strong.

Let's put the following events that occur in the poem in order.

Families could be clipped together and unhappy faces could be changed to smiles.

Christmas and birthdays would follow you each day.

That's B and C, the speaker says, they would fold their grandmother up so they could take her everywhere they go.

Put these events that occur in the poem in the correct order.

Pause the video and have a go at this task now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look at the answers.

So well done if you said one was the speaker says they would fold their grandmother.

Two, was the speaker said about Christmas and birthdays, they would follow you each day, which means number three is families could be clipped together and unhappy faces changed to smiles.

How did the poem make you feel? Izzy says, "This poem made me think about which people in my life I would like to fold up and carry around with me." And Andeep says, "The poem made me feel sad, because it made me wish I really could keep all the memories of my grandfather with me." How did the poem make you feel? And remember, our personal responses to the poem will be different because we are all unique.

Everybody has a different experience, different life experience.

This poem is particularly about family and even family members that are no longer with us.

So we'll be sensitive and have a discussion with our partner about how this poem made you feel.

Pause the video, have that discussion now.

Welcome back everyone.

Okay, let's have a go at the task, shall we? I'd like you to refer to the poem and discuss these questions with your partner.

Did the poem make you think about anyone special in your life? Can you think of any other things that people might want to turn into paper? You may want to use these talk scaffolds.

The poem made me think about my hmm.

Because, and then explain why or I think some people might want to turn Hmm into paper because and didn't tell us why.

Okay, it's over to you.

Pause the video and have we got this task now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look at Jen's answer.

He says, "The poem made me think about my grandmother because she lives in a different country and I don't see her very often.

If the world were paper, I would roll her up and put her in my pocket, so she was close to me." Thank you, Jen.

That's a lovely answer.

And then we have our answer from Laura.

Laura says, "I think some people might want to turn places they'd stayed on holiday into paper because they could take the happy memories from that holiday around with them." Really nice, very, very creative ideas.

Let's now look at exploring the poem.

Joseph Coelho's poems often explore personal experiences.

This means he's writing poetry using real events from his own life as inspiration.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.

Some themes in this poem include family, memory, love, imagination.

"If All The World Were Paper," inspired Coelho to write a picture book called "If All the World Were." The book explores one of the main themes in the poem, which is protecting those we love and preserving, which means keeping preserving their memory.

The poem is full of examples of imaginative and unique ways of preserving memories, which is something everyone can relate to.

The poem creates an emotional response in the reader.

Which of these themes are explored in the poem? Is it A, protecting those we love? B, the environment, or C, preserving memories? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Let's see if you managed to find the correct answers.

There are two correct answers.

If you've only got one, quickly pause the video and find the other one because we are going to reveal the answers now.

Well done If you said A and C.

Protecting those we love and preserving memories are themes within this poem.

I'd like you to now reread the poem, discuss the different family members mentioned in the poem and how the speaker wishes to protect them.

Here's an example answer from Izzy.

She says, "The speaker says they want to protect their little sister by laminating her.

Laminating a piece of paper covers it in a protective shield of plastic.

Often with younger children, we want to protect them as much as we can." Good answer Izzy.

Okay, it's over to you now.

Reread the poem and discuss the different family members mentioned in the poem, how the speaker wants to protect them.

Pause the video and have we got this task now.

Welcome back.

I wonder if you managed to spot many examples of family members being protected.

In the poem, Joseph Coelho explores an imaginative idea by using a poetic device called a metaphor.

A metaphor is a type of poetic device.

It is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

For example, the bedroom was a pigsty.

The entire poem is an extended metaphor where the world and its elements are compared to paper and paper products.

Metaphors help to build a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

Which of these is the definition of a metaphor? Let's check your understanding.

Is it a, a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else? Is it B, a way of comparing something by using like or as? Or is it C, a way of describing something using two adjectives.

Which of these is the definition of a metaphor? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Congratulations if you said a, a metaphor is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

Time for a task.

I'd like you to reread the whole poem out loud to a partner.

Read the poem clearly and with expression, try to vary your voice to emphasise the themes of protecting those we love and preserving their memory.

It's over to you now.

Reread the whole poem out loud to a partner.

Pause the video and have a go at this task now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look and reflect on how you read the poem.

Did you read the poem in a loud, clear voice? Did you use your voice to emphasise the themes? And did you read with expression? Now, Sam says, "I used my voice to speak more softly on the parts about protecting people.

This was to help create a feeling of love." Let's summarise the learning we've done today, Joseph Coelho's poem, "If All The World Were Paper," imaginatively explores what we might do if everything were made of paper.

The poem explores the theme of protecting those we love and preserving their memory.

Other themes in the poem include family, memory, love, and imagination.

A metaphor is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

Excellent work Today.

Another poem by Joseph Coelho that you now know, I will see you again very soon.