Lesson video

Hello, everyone! My name is Mr. Brown.

And I am your teacher for today's English lesson, as we are going to be reading and responding to a poem by Joseph Coelho, and that poem is called "There are Things that Lurk in the Library." It is a fantastic poem that is really interesting and talks about a library in a way that I am sure you will have never encountered before.

So I'm really excited.

Let's get started, shall we? 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 personification and figurative language.

Let's say this together.

My turn and then your turn.

Personification.

Figurative language.

Fabulous.

Let's look at the definitions.

Personification is a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

And figurative language is the use of metaphors, similes, and personification itself to create imaginative and symbolic meaning.

Today's lesson, we'll start with an introduction to the poem and then explore the poem.

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.

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

In 2022, he was appointed Children's Laureate.

Let me check your understanding of Joseph Coelho.

Which of these statements about Joseph Coelho is true? Is it A, he grew up in a tower block in Reading? B, he wrote his first poem in year eight.

C, he wrote scripts for movies.

Which of these statements about Joseph Coelho is true? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Let's see if you found the correct answer.

Well done if you said B.

He did write his first poem in year eight, and he continued writing poetry from there.

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.

In today's lesson, we'll be reading and responding to a poem taken from Joseph Coelho's second published collection of poems, and that's called "Overheard in a Tower Block." Now this book was released in 2017 and contains poems that are very powerful and moving.

Each poem offers the reader glimpses into the life of the main character as he grows over the course of the collection, from a young boy, through adolescence, which is usually your teenage years, and to adulthood.

Before we read the poem, what does the title "There are Things that Lurk in the Library" make you think of and expect from the poem? What words or images come to mind? And remember now, lurk is a verb and it means to creep around, hide and wait to attack.

So pause the video and have a discussion with the person next to you, with your partner, what does the title "There are Things that Lurk in the Library" make you think of and expect from the poem? Do you have some words and some images that come to mind? Pause the video and have this discussion now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Let's have a look at an answer from Jun.

He says, it makes me think the poem is going to be about monsters that live in a library.

Good idea.

Things that lurk.

We know lurk means to creep around, hide and wait to attack.

That sounds like something a monster might do.

I think you could be right, Jun.

Let's have a look.

Sofia says, I have the feeling that this poem could be about a time Coelho was bullied in his local library.

Yeah, that's interesting.

So perhaps the things that lurk in the library are bullies and we know he writes from his own personal experience.

Maybe this was a time when Joseph Coelho was younger and was bullied in a library.

Now are these positive or negative images? Hmm, seems to me that we are starting to have some negative images, that perhaps this poem could create some negative feelings inside us.

Now it's time to read the poem, "There are Things that Lurk in the Library." Read it out loud with a partner, reading one verse each, then swapping.

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

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

Pause the video and read "There are Things that Lurk in the Library" now.

And welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading that fabulous poem and it's another poem that you now know and that you've experienced.

So I'm really, really happy that you took the time to read Joseph Coelho's poem "There are Things that Lurk in the Library." I'm now going to give you my initial response to the poem and I'll use the questions, "What did you like about the poem?" and "Do you have any questions about it?" to help scaffold my ideas.

I liked how he described a library in such an imaginative way.

I'll never think about a library in the same way again.

I would like to know if Joseph Coelho had a particular library in mind when writing the poem.

Was this libraries in general? Or is there one in mind that he was using as inspiration to write this poem? 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.

I am very interested to find out what you thought, but let's explore the poem a little bit closer first of all.

In the first verse of the poem, Coelho describes mysterious and magical presence of things hiding and waiting in the library that engage with the books.

Now the poet suggests that books contain worlds and that characters within these books seem to listen to the reader.

He also describes the shivers of excitement experienced while reading, and that's something that I'm sure we could all relate to.

When you are so hooked on continuing a book and finding out what happens next, that it is like shivers of excitement as you turn each page.

In verse two, the poet invites the reader to physically interact with the books, feeling their spines and bones.

The words within the books are described as coming alive with movement.

And the reader feels an irresistible force to stay and lose themselves in these worlds.

In verse three, well, this verse highlights the huge variety of stories contained in the library.

The poet describes how the library holds clever thoughts, dramatic tales, and hidden stories that await discovery.

And the sounds of parables are compared to the rustling of leaves.

In verse four, the poet tells the reader that there are stories inside themselves.

Coelho compares a person's life to a book, with fears and experiences inside its pages.

The wrinkles on a person's body are described as holding a personal library of stories waiting to be explored.

In verse five, here, the poet describes how our actions and experiences leave behind stories wherever we go.

Each sigh or embrace is shown as having its own narrative.

The choices we make form our life story and our morals make us who we are.

In verse six, the poet advises the reader to craft their personal story carefully for future generations.

Advice is given to keep a strong moral spine, ensuring that your story remains clear and spotless.

The closing lines of the poem.

In the final lines of the poem, the poet concludes that each person is like a book, containing many stories.

Each individual is compared to a library, holding a rich collection of experiences and narratives to tell.

Okay, let's put the following events that occur in the poem in order.

We have A, the poet describes the mysterious and magical presence of things hiding and waiting in the library.

B, the poet advises the reader to craft their personal story carefully for future generations.

Or C, the poet tells the reader that there are stories inside them.

Your job is to put the following events that occur in the poem in order.

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

Welcome back.

Let's see if you managed to complete this task correctly.

Well, first, we had the poet describing the mysterious and magical presence of things hiding and waiting in the library.

Then the poet tells the reader that there are stories inside them.

And the third was the poet advising the reader to craft their personal story carefully for future generations.

Well done if you managed to get that order correct.

How did the poem make you feel? Izzy says, the poem made me think about what wonderful and magical places libraries are! I liked the idea of my own life being written as a book.

And Andeep says, the poem made me feel excited about the idea of all the books coming to life in my school library.

How did the poem make you feel then? Let's have a discussion, shall we? Remember, our personal experiences, and our personal responses, everything is different because we are all unique.

And so every poem will make each person feel very slightly different.

So when you are having that discussion with your partner, just remember that.

How did the poem make you feel? Discuss with your partner.

Pause the video and have that discussion now.

Welcome back.

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

How do you think the poet feels about libraries? How does the poet make the library and books within it feel alive? The poet talks about the reader's life being a book.

What kind of book would your life be and why? And you can use these talk scaffolds to help you.

I think the poet loves libraries because.

Or the poet makes the library and books feel alive by.

Okay, pause the video and complete this task with your partner now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed your discussion.

Let's have a look at what Alex thinks.

So he says, I think the poet loves libraries because he describes them in such a magical and exciting way.

Alex, I completely agree with you.

Really good answer.

I definitely feel that there is, and this is interesting because we all felt from the title that this might be quite a negative poem, but actually, he is talking about libraries in such a positive way.

And the things that lurk in a library are magical and amazing things.

Jun says, the poet makes the library and books feel alive by describing the books as having bones, as if they had skeletons like humans or animals.

He does.

He brings a library and the books within it to life.

And it really makes you look at libraries in a completely different way.

And then Laura says, my life would be an adventure book because I have lived in different countries.

That's a really interesting answer, Laura.

So living in different countries makes you feel like your life has been an adventure.

So your book, if your life was a book, would be an adventure book, absolutely.

Let's move on to exploring the poem.

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

Joseph Coelho's poems often explore the theme of imagination.

He uses this theme to emphasise the magical power of books to transport the reader into different worlds and take them on amazing adventures.

Coelho describes the objects in the poem using figurative language.

This includes the use of poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and personification.

Coelho uses some of these devices to create vivid imagery and emphasise the magical power of books and libraries.

Personification is a powerful tool for a poet to use to create imaginative poetry.

Personification is a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

For example, clouds gently tiptoed across the sky.

Of course, clouds can't tiptoe anywhere.

That's something that a human would do.

But using personification, you can describe them as tiptoeing.

Trees danced in the breeze.

Books called out to be read.

Let's have a quick check on your understanding of personification with this task.

Which of these is an example of personification? Is it A, the sun shone down? B, the sun lit up the street.

Or C, the sun smiled warmly.

Which one is an example of personification? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look and see if you found the right answer.

Now we know personification is when you are describing something that is not alive, not living, in a human way.

You're describing it as if it is alive.

So the sun shone down.

Oh, there's nothing there that only a human could do.

The sun lit up the street.

No, the sun does light up the street.

The sun smiled warmly.

Absolutely.

That is the correct answer.

The sun doesn't smile.

But when it's hot and warm and sunny, it feels like the sun is smiling and that is why we use personification.

In the poem "Things that Lurk in the Library," Joseph Coelho uses personification to bring different non-living things to life.

The title uses personification by saying "Things that 'Lurk' in the Library" because lurking is only something that a living thing can do.

The other things Coelho brings to life in the poem are the library itself.

The books inside the library.

The words inside the books.

Using personification for these non-living things creates vivid imagery and a sense of the mystery and magic of libraries.

Time for a check.

Find two examples of personification in the poem "Things that Lurk in the Library." Re-read the poem to find examples and discuss why you think they are examples of personification and what impact the poet is trying to have on the reader by using them.

So it's over to you.

Pause the video and complete this task by finding two examples of personification in the poem.

Pause the video and do this now.

And welcome back.

Let's have a look at Izzy's answer.

Now Izzy says, Coelho uses the word flex to describe the words in a book.

This is something a human can do with their muscles.

It has the effect of making the words seem strong and therefore being powerful.

Really, really good answer, Izzy.

You've spotted an example of personification and you've explained exactly how I think Joseph Coelho is trying to use it, trying to make words seem powerful and strong by using that word flex.

Well done.

Time for a practise task.

I'd like you to re-read the whole poem out loud to a partner.

Use your voice to emphasise the personification Coelho uses throughout the poem.

Read the poem clearly and with expression.

Enjoy reading this fabulous poem out loud to your partner.

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

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at how we might reflect on how you read the poem to your partner.

Did you read the poem in a loud, clear voice? Did you emphasise the personification in the poem? And did you read with expression? Take a moment to think.

Let's have a look at an example answer.

Sofia says, I whispered the word whisperings in the first verse to create a sense of the words being alive and talking.

Lovely.

Really good example.

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

The poem "Things that Lurk in the Library" is taken from Joseph Coelho's second published collection of poems, called "Overheard in a Tower Block." Joseph Coelho often writes poems with imaginative themes.

The poem "Things that Lurk in the Library" is about the magic and wonder of libraries, books, and reading.

The poet uses personification to describe the library, the books, and the words to create vivid imagery and a sense of the mystery and magic of libraries.

Well done today.

That is another fabulous poem that you now know.

"There are Things that Lurk in the Library" by Joseph Coelho.

Well done.

I will see you again very soon.