Lesson video

Hello there.

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

Today we are going to be reading and responding to the poem "Miss Flotsam" by the fabulous British poet, Joseph Coelho.

So 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'll use are theme and alliteration.

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

Theme.

Alliteration.

Perfect.

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

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

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

In this unit and today's lesson, we'll be exploring the poetry of Joseph Coelho.

Here's a summary of what we already know about Joseph Coelho.

He grew up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mother and sister.

He wrote his first poem in year eight and kept writing from then on.

He studied archaeology at university and spent two years in Peru.

He attended a poetry course and shared some of his poems on stage.

He spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays.

In 2014, his first poetry book, "Werewolf Club Rules" was published.

And finally, in 2022, he was appointed Children's Laureate.

Let me check your understanding of Joseph Coelho.

Which of these statements about Joseph Coelho are true? Is it A, he grew up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mother and sister? B, he worked as a teacher before becoming a poet or C, he spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays? Pause the video and decide which of these statements about Joseph Coelho are true.

Pause the video now.

And welcome back.

I wonder how you got on.

Did you correctly say that A and C were the statements that were true? I am so pleased if you did.

He did grow up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mother and sister, and he spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays.

He did not become a teacher before he became a poet.

So it's not B.

Well done if you said A and C.

Joseph Coelho's poems for children are easy to read and engaging with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.

He often explores themes of the following: identity, family, friendship, imagination, the power of storytelling.

These are all the themes that he explores, and in today's lesson, we'll be reading and responding to a poem taken from his first published collection of poems, and that's called "Werewolf Club Rules," and you can see the front cover on your screen.

In his collection, Coelho includes poems written about school and family life, and he demonstrates a delight in language and an ambitious use of words.

The book was received extremely well, and even won the prestigious CLiPPA Award, which means the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award, and that was in 2015.

Now, before we read the poem, what does the title "Miss Flotsam" make you think of? What words or images come to mind? Pause the video and have a discussion with your partner about what the title makes you think of now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's look at an example answer.

So June says, "It made me think the poem is going to be about a school teacher called Miss Flotsam.

Interesting.

Yes.

And we have Sofia and she says, "I imagine the poem will be about Joseph Coelho's favourite teacher from his time at school." Ah, perhaps Miss Flotsam was his favourite teacher.

"I think she is going to be kind and inspiring." Okay, now, are these positive or negative images? Just from the title, we're starting to create, it seems to me quite a positive feeling about this poem.

But now it's time to read the poem "Miss Flotsam." Read it aloud with a partner reading one verse each and then swapping over.

Now, once you've read the poem, we will discuss our initial responses to the poem.

Initial means first so we'll be discussing our first responses.

Now you might talk about whether or not you liked the poem and why, and if it made you think about anything in particular.

Okay, it's over to you now.

Pause the video and read the poem "Miss Flotsam" now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed "Miss Flotsam" by Joseph Coelho.

I'm now going to give you my initial responses to the poem.

I'm going to use 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 the poem "Miss Flotsam," and I liked how the poem described Miss FLotsam in such a positive way.

She seemed like an amazing teacher, a truly amazing person, and that was special to read about so I really enjoyed that.

Now, I would like to know if Miss Flotsam did actually let him sleep through lessons.

I found that bit quite interesting, and I'd like to ask Joseph Coelho about that.

But now it's time for you to give your initial response to the poem and you can use the same questions to scaffold those ideas.

So again, with your partner, discuss, give your initial thoughts.

Did you like it? Did you not like it? Were there particular parts you liked? What did you like about the poem? And do you have any questions about it? Okay, pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed your discussion.

Let's explore now what happens in the poem starting with Verse 1.

Now the poem begins by introducing Miss Flotsam, the speaker's reception teacher.

She is described as having a well-traveled background and a diverse wardrobe.

In Verse 2, the second verse recounts an emotional moment at the school gates when the speaker's mother cried, and Miss Flotsam comforted her using items from her travels all over the world.

In Verse 3, the verse continues and this time to describe Miss Flotsam's extensive travels.

We know that she likes to travel, but now we're describing them, including flying in jumbo jets and sailing the seven seas.

Her kindness is also emphasised as she soothed other people's hearts.

So we're starting to build a picture of what type of person she is.

In Verse 4, the speaker now tells us about a time when they were being bullied at school and somebody hit them because of the colour of their skin.

Now the speaker says how Miss Flotsam stepped in and gave the bully a stern glare, which means a very serious disapproving look.

This shows her protective and supportive nature.

In Verse 5, this is when the speaker's mother was late to pick them up.

Miss Flotsam remained caring and read stories to the speaker and comforted them.

The speaker recalls how when they were tired in school, Miss Flotsam allowed them to rest.

This demonstrates her understanding and patience.

Now, Verse 7, the speaker now describes how if they misbehaved, Miss Flotsam would address the issue.

The verse goes on to say how Miss Flotsam would ask about different situations in the speaker's home life and care for them, even if they lied about it.

The final verse of the poem highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

This reflects her adaptability and inclusive approach to teaching.

So it's time for you to complete a task.

I'd like you to put the following events that occur in the poem in order.

We have A, the speaker highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

B, the speaker recalls an emotional moment at the school gates when Miss FLotsam comforted their mother.

C, the speaker tells us about a time when they were being bullied at school and Miss Flotsam stepped in to support them.

Your job is to order these events, put them in the same order that they occurred in the poem.

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

Welcome back.

Okay, let's see if you managed to order these correctly.

So first we had the speaker recalls an emotional moment at the school gates where Miss Flotsam comforted their mother.

Then the speaker tells us about a time when they were being bullied at school and Miss Flotsam stepped in to support them.

And finally, the speaker highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

How did this poem make you feel? Let's use an example from Izzy.

She says, "This poem made me think about what a wonderful teacher Miss Flotsam was.

She sounds really kind and understanding." And Adeep says, "The poem made me feel proud to have my own great teacher who is like Miss Flotsam in lots of ways." And I'm sure you have lots of very special teachers too that are a bit like Miss Flotsam.

So it's over to you now.

I'd like you to have a discussion about how the poem made you feel.

Talk to your partner and remember, our personal responses to the poem will be different because we are all unique.

So the way that you feel may not be the way that your partner feels.

Okay, pause the video and have a discussion with your partner now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look at a practise task.

I would like you to refer to the poem, and discuss these questions with your partner.

Did the poem remind you of any teachers that you have been taught by before? Describe how? What things described in the poem made Miss Flotsam so special? And has there been anything that a teacher has done for you before that you would include if you were writing a poem about them? You might want to use these talk scaffolds.

"The poem reminded me of, hmm, because.

." And then you'd explain why or "Miss Flotsam sounded so special because.

." And then give us some explanation.

Okay.

Over to you.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner referring to the premise as much as you can using these questions to support.

Pause the video and discuss now.

And welcome back.

Okay.

Let's have a look at some example answers.

Now Alex says, "The poem reminded me of my teacher because he also loves to travel the world and shows us interesting things he brings back." June says, "Miss Flotsam sounded so special because she went above and beyond for the speaker.

For example, she read him stories when his mom was late to pick him up." And another example this time from Laura, she says, "In my own poem about my teacher, I would include the time that they comforted me when I fell over during a race on sports day." So you can see that moment has really stayed with Laura, and she would include that if she was writing a poem about her teacher.

Let's move on to exploring the poem.

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

Joseph Coelho's poems often explore personal experiences.

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

Some themes in the poem include kindness, diversity, and relationships.

Coelho uses the themes within the poem to make the reader think and feel a certain way.

Joseph Coelho is often asked about where he gets his ideas from for his poetry.

Being a children's writer, he often thinks back to his own childhood and uses those experiences to inspire his poetry.

The poem, "Miss Flotsam" is inspired by the fantastic teachers he had growing up, and also the teachers that he has met while working in schools as an adult.

Let's check your understanding.

Who inspired Joseph Coelho to write the poem "Miss Flotsam?" Was it A, his teachers growing up? B, his mother or C, teachers he has met when working in schools as an adult? And there may be more than one correct answer.

Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's see if you found the correct answers.

Well done if you said A and C.

It was his teachers growing up and teachers he has met when working in schools.

Of course, he probably was inspired by his mother, but not to write this particular poem.

How do you think Joseph Coelho feels about the teachers that he had growing up? Reread the poem and discuss what evidence from the text you can use to form your opinion.

Pause the video and have this discussion now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed your discussion.

Let's have a look at an example answer from Izzy.

Izzy says, "I think he admires and respects the teachers he had growing up because the teacher in his poem "Miss Flotsam," is such a compassionate and diverse person.

I know this as in the poem, she makes the effort to support the speaker's mother when she's upset." Absolutely.

That shows how compassionate she is.

A poetic technique that is used by Joseph Coelho in his poem "Miss Flotsam" is alliteration.

Now alliteration is repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

Joseph Coelho uses alliteration in the first verse of the poem by including lots of words, which starts with the same sound.

Those words are clothes, colours, countless, continents, and they all start with a /c/ sound.

Alliteration can be used by poets to create a rhythmic or musical quality in a poem.

It could also be used to emphasise key themes and draw the reader's attention to important parts of the poem.

Coelho uses alliteration in the first verse to emphasise how important travelling is to Miss Flotsam.

He wants the reader's attention so they understand that this is a key part of her personality.

What is the name for the poetic technique in which a writer selects words that have the same sound at the start? Is it A, repetition, B, personification, or C, alliteration? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Let's see if you found the correct answer.

Well done if you said, C, alliteration.

Time for a practise task.

Reread the whole poem out loud to a partner.

Use your voice to emphasise the alliteration Coelho includes in the first verse.

This will ensure your partner does not miss that a love for travel is a key part of Miss Flotsam's personality.

Read the poem clearly and with expression.

Pause the video and reread the whole poem now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed re-reading the poem, "Miss Flotsam" by Joseph Coelho.

Let's have a reflection on that moment you were reading.

Reflect on how you read the poem with your partner.

Did you read the poem in a loud, clear voice? Did you use alliteration in the poem to emphasise important parts? And did you read with expression? Take a moment to have a think about those things.

Let's have a look at an example.

Sofia says, "I emphasised the /c/ sound at the start of lots of words at the end of the first verse.

Now, this drew my partner's attention to this important part." Absolutely.

This is where we are trying to communicate how much Miss Flotsam loves to travel.

And so using that to alliteration to pull the audience's attention to that part is essential.

So well done.

Let's summarise the learning that we have done today.

"Joseph Coelho's poems are for children and they are easy to read and engaging, with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.

Joseph Coelho often writes poems about his personal experiences.

The poem "Miss Flotsam" is inspired by the teachers Coelho had when growing up, and those he has met as an adult.

The poem depicts "Miss Flotsam" as a kind, understanding, and caring teacher, who has an inclusive approach to teaching.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together." Brilliant work today.

"Miss Flotsam" by Joseph Coelho, another poem that you now know.

I will see you again very soon.