Hello, everyone.

Ms. Kelly here.

I'm so glad you could join me for today's lesson.

In this session, we'll be reading and understanding the poem, "Mother, any Distance" by Simon Armitage.

For this lesson, you'll need a copy of your AQA "Love and Relationships" poetry anthology.

Okay, so by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to explain how Armitage presents the distance that emerges within the parental relationship over time.

So let's have a look at today's key words.

We have ephemeral, subordinate clause, embedded, temporal, and sonnet.

So what do these words mean? Well, ephemeral is when something is short-lived, fleeting, or it lasts for a brief time.

A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that adds detail but cannot stand alone.

Embedded means that something is enclosed successfully within another structure.

So we'll be thinking about the word embedded as in within a sentence, embedded into a sentence.

Temporal relates to the passing of time.

And finally, sonnet is a traditional form of love poetry, famous for its strict rhythmic rules.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, in order to understand "Mother, any Distance", we are going to start by exploring the poem and then we're going to explore the wider context.

So let's start by thinking about the title, "Mother, any Distance." I'd like to begin with a discussion.

So what kinds of distance could exist between a mother and her child? So pause the video here while you discuss this with the people around you or if you are working on your own, that's okay, just make a few notes in your exercise book or on your paper.

But thinking really carefully about these different types of distance that could exist.

So pause the video where you have a think and click play when you're ready to feed back your responses.

Okay, some really fantastic discussions taking place there and I was really impressed by the different ways that people are starting to interpret that word distance, because we know that distance can refer to things other than physical distance.

And that does lead me to the first one then.

So physical distance, this is our most obvious interpretation.

They actually physically live quite far apart.

There's a lot of space or distance between them.

We could have thought about emotional distance.

So perhaps a mother and son aren't as close as they used to be and there's this emotional distance between them.

It could also be generational distance.

So perhaps the difference in age between the mother and the child divide their beliefs and opinions.

And we might be able to see this in our own family relationships.

If we think about our caregivers or our parents, and then again our grandparents, perhaps, we see that each of these generations have different beliefs and opinions about society.

And finally, temporal distance.

And we've got that keyword there.

Remember that it relates to the passing of time.

So perhaps lots has changed since the mother raised the speakers.

We've got this temporal distance of perhaps how their relationship was when the child was younger is now very different to how it is now their child is an adult.

So now it's time for us to read "Mother, any Distance".

So take some time to give the poem a really good read.

And when you've done that, I'd like you to think about which types of distance you can identify in the poem.

So thinking about those four types of distance that we just discussed.

So pause the video while you read the poem and discuss which types of distance you can identify.

And then when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that you enjoyed reading the poem and you're beginning to unpick some of the language that Simon Armitage is using.

So let's discuss which types of distance we could identify and where we could identify them in the poem.

So starting then with physical distance.

We've got this idea that the mother in the poem is helping their child to move into a new house.

So we've already got this idea that there is soon to be distance between them.

The son has left the family home, so there will be that physical distance between the mother and the child that perhaps there wasn't before.

Emotional distance then.

The son is independent but still requires the mother's help.

And we've got that word requires there in the first stanza.

So we're getting this idea that they're becoming more distant, but perhaps they're not as distant as they might be in the future.

The son is starting to want his independence, but he still needs his mom.

Generational distance then.

We've got that word unreeling as the mother is unreeling the tape.

But we could see perhaps that that is symbolic of unreeling the generations that exist or the time that exists between them.

That distance is becoming ever larger as they age.

And finally, temporal distance.

So we've got that reference to the years that they have spent together and the fact that that is now ending.

That distance between them and how they used to be and how they are now is growing ever larger as the son moves away.

So let's pause here and check our understanding.

Below is a list of the different types of distance featured in the poem.

So have a look and decide which type is missing.

Pause the video while you have a think and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So we had temporal, generational, physical, and emotional.

Well done if you picked up on that final type.

So now it is time for us to think about how we might summarise this poem.

So some of our Oak pupils, Lucas and Andy, are attempting to do this.

So let's have a look at their summaries.

So Lucas says, "This poem is about a mother helping her son to take measurements for his new home." And Andeep says, "'Mother, any Distance' explores how relationships can become distanced over time." So I'd like to hand over to you for a discussion at this point.

Who do you think has summarised the poem the best? So pause the video while you look at their summaries in detail and discuss with the people around you or make some notes about which summary is best and crucially, why that is.

So pause the video here and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, some fantastic discussions taking place there.

And always a good sign of a discussion is that we don't all agree because that encourages us to justify our responses and prove why we think that what we've said is a more compelling argument than perhaps what somebody else has said.

So well done.

So actually both of these summaries were valid.

They were both linked to that poem and they were both accurate.

Lucas focused on the subject of the poems. He focused on what actually happens in the text.

Whereas, Andeep focused on the poem's message and the key ideas that perhaps Armitage is trying to convey.

So which of them was best? Well, actually effective analysis is led by ideas and messages, but it is also important to show that you know what the poem is about.

So actually the most effective analysis would most likely include ideas from both Lucas and and Andeep's summaries.

So actually the best thing we could do is perhaps combine both of these ideas.

And a great way to do that is to use an embedded subordinate clause.

And here, we've got of those keywords from today's lesson that have actually been put together.

So let's see if we can work out what we think an embedded subordinate clause is.

So first of all, we've got the idea of a subordinate clause, which was part of a sentence that adds detail but cannot stand on its own.

And then we've also got that word embedded, which meant that something was fully enclosed.

So if we put those two words together, we get this idea that we are going to be inserting or enclosing a clause that adds detail into another sentence.

And that's exactly what an embedded subordinate clause is.

So we have our sentence which functions on its own and then we chop it in half, split it apart, and drop that embedded subordinate clause into the middle.

So in order to build this type of sentence, we need to start by selecting the important information from each of these ideas.

So from Lucas's summary, we need to take this idea that the poem is about the mother and the son and that they're taking measurements for his new home.

And then from Andy's summary, we need to take these ideas that relate to the message of the poem.

So now we need to combine them together to make our sentence.

And the next step that we need to do is decide which of these ideas is going to be the main sentence and which one is going to be the embedded subordinate clause.

So which one isn't going to stand as a sentence on its own, but it's just going to provide extra detail.

And at this point, I would like to hand back over to you.

So have a discussion with the people around you or make some notes which of these ideas do you think should be the main clause? So pause the video or you have a think and when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back, and well done if you picked up on this idea that we were discussing earlier that effective analysis needs to lead with inferences and interpretations.

So Andeep summary, which was focused on these key ideas and messages, is the one that we should choose for our main clause.

So if we put them together using this embedded subordinate clause, we might have a sentence that looks a bit like this.

'"Mother, any Distance', a poem about a mother helping a son to take measurements for his new home, explores how relationships can become distanced over time." And if we take out that embedded subordinate clause in purple, we can see that the rest of the sentence still makes sense because that's just our Andeep's idea that we've got there written above.

But actually adding that subordinate clause has enabled us to show A, that we know the message of the poem and that we understand the key ideas, but also that we can demonstrate knowledge of what actually happens in the poem.

So our sentence now is a lot more detailed because we've added that subordinate clause.

So let's pause again and check out our understanding.

What is a subordinate clause? Have a look at the four options below and make your mind up, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said B.

A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence which relies on an independent clause to make sense.

Okay, so it is time for the first practise task of today's lesson.

And what I would like you to do is have a go at using some embedded subordinate clauses to form your own sentences.

So here, we've got a table of three potential sentences that we could build.

And in order to be able to each one, we need to join ideas A and idea B.

So let's have a look at that first row then, our first sentence, and have a go together at seeing if we can join these ideas.

So idea A says, "Armitage builds on the theme of distance throughout the poem using words related to measurements.

And idea B says, "Arguably, the distance between the mother and son is more emotional than physical." So how could we use an embedded subordinate clause to join these ideas? Well, we could say something like, "Throughout the poem, Armitage builds on the theme of distance, arguably more emotional and physical for the speaker and his mother, using words related to measurements." So if you notice we've used a pair of commas there to almost chop that main sentence in half, split it open, and drop that subordinate clause in.

So it's really important that we identify where our subordinate clause is by putting a comma either side to show that interruption.

So now it's over to you to see if you can complete the final two sentences.

Remember, you're joining each of the ideas in the A column and the B column.

So pause the video and take as much time as you need to do this, and when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play.

Okay, so here is an example of what you could have written for these last two sentences then.

So starting with number two, idea A says, "The end of the poem could be interpreted as the speaker contemplating whether they will succeed or fail living on their own." And then idea B, "The final word fly symbolises how the speaker is like a bird leaving his mother's nest." So we've got an interpretation in idea A and then we've got a bit of analysis over there in idea B.

So how could we have combined these ideas? We could have said, "The final word fly, which could be interpreted as the speaker contemplating whether they will succeed or fail living on their own, arguably symbolises how the speaker is like a bird leaving his mother's nest." So again, we have dropped in that embedded clause to add detail.

So let's have a look at sentence three then.

So idea A, "The speaker walks away from the mother up to the attic, possibly symbolising the progress he has made towards his independence." And then idea B, "This could also refer to the generational distance between them, suggesting that each generation progresses further than those before." So we've got multiple interpretations here.

So how might we join them? Or we could have said, "The speaker walks away from his mother up to the attic, perhaps symbolising the generational distance between them and suggesting that each generation progresses further than those before, which emphasises the progress he has made towards his independence." So have a look at your sentences and how you've used embedded clauses and check whether you've indicated where those embedded clauses are by putting that pair of commas around either site.

So just pause the video while you review your responses and add in any commas you might be missing.

And when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, so we have made it to the halfway point of today's lesson, and I'm really impressed with the effort that everybody has put in so far.

So keep up the good work.

In this part of the lesson, we are going to be exploring the wider context of the poem.

So this poem is taken from a collection entitled "Books of Matches".

So I'd like to zoom in on that word matches.

What do you associate with this word? So pause the video while you discuss this with the people around you or make a few notes and when you are ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really fantastic discussions taking place there, and I was particularly impressed by all the creative ways that people were interpreting this word matches.

So let's just pick up on some fantastic responses that I overheard.

First of all, I overheard this idea that obviously matches are link to fire and people were really taking that idea quite away and thinking about the things perhaps that we associate with fire.

So I heard people referencing heat and warmth and this idea that fire is a quick burst of heat and light.

We strike a match and the fire rushes up from the end of the match.

And then we also have people taking this idea even further and thinking perhaps about potential symbolic meanings for the word matches.

So we have this idea that something small can have a huge impact.

A match is about this big, we strike it, and a big burst of fire comes out the end.

So we've got this idea that something so tiny could have a really huge impact.

In particular, if this match causes a much larger fire.

And we also have people taking that idea a little bit further.

That matches are actually harmless without human intervention.

Sat in the box as they are there in that picture, a match is simply a stick with a red end.

It's only when a human comes along and strikes that match that any sort of danger or harm could come from it.

And finally, a really clever interpretation that I overheard was actually taking the word matches and interpreting it in a different way.

See, we had some people thinking about the verb matches, to match, and linking that to the idea of pairings and relationships, which was really fantastic, especially given what we know this poem is about.

So now we've explored this idea of the various meanings or associations that we can link to that word matches, I'd like to explore the wide context in a bit more detail.

So the first poem in this collection, "Books of Matches", explains that the title refers to a party game where players must tell an episode of their life story before a match burns out.

So they've only got that really short amount of time to tell perhaps a memory or an event from their life.

And so each of the poems in this collection are short designed to be delivered in the time it takes for a match to burn.

Which I think is a really nice way to structure a poetry collection.

And there are 30 poems in this collection, which was actually Armitage's age when this collection is published.

So we do have a potential link there.

And each of the poems in this collection use many conventions of a sonnet.

So remember that's one of our key words today.

A sonnet is a traditional type of love poem with particularly strict rules around the use of rhythm and syllables.

And that is the way that Armitage uses sonnet conventions.

It's we can read that out in his use of syllable rhythms in these poems. So I'd like to hand over to you then for a discussion.

How does this information affect our interpretation of "Mother, any Distance"? So how could it affect the way we read the poem and perhaps what could it tell us about Armitage's influences or intentions with the choices that he has made? So pause the video while we discuss this and make some notes.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Again, some absolutely fantastic discussions taking place there.

So I'd just like to pick up on some of the great responses that I overheard.

So first of all then, this first bullet point that the poem relates to this idea of the party game where players must tell an episode of their life story.

A lot of people were picking up on this idea that that could suggest that these poems are autobiographical because they are focused around telling episodes from your life.

So well done if you also picked up on that idea.

That middle one then, each of the poems are short.

So we've got this idea that they capture fleeting moments.

If the poems are short and perhaps designed to be told in the time it takes for a match to burn, is likely to think that the life stories told in them are not going to be particularly long or overly detailed.

They are capturing snippets of somebody's life.

And finally then, there were 30 poems, each using many conventions of a sonnet.

So a lot of people were picking up on that idea that sonnets were traditionally love poems. So we could infer that this collection is perhaps reflections on life and love.

So perhaps reflecting on different types of relationships or reflecting on important moments in those relationships.

So again, well done if you were picking up on that idea in your discussions as well.

So just exploring that last idea there in a bit more detail.

It has actually been said that this collection explores ephemeral moments that make a deep impression.

And remember, we've got that keyword ephemeral, means it lasts only a short time.

So in this collection, Armitage is giving us these fleeting snippets of a life, but in particular, choosing fleeting moments or short snippets that have left a lasting impression.

I think we can probably all think about moments in our life that were over very quickly, but we've thought about them for a long time since.

And it's those types of moments that Armitage is trying to capture in this collection.

So let's have another discussion.

So how could we interpret "Mother, any Distance" in this way? How is it exploring an ephemeral moment that perhaps has left a deep impression? So pause the video here and when you are ready to feed back your responses, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's just explore then how we might have interpreted "Mother, any Distance" in this way.

And let's do that by exploding some key quotations from the text.

So I would like to start with the word mother from the title and that very first line, and also Armitage's use of the second person pronoun, you, which we can see there on line three and line five.

So let's start, first of all, with that word mother.

So we could interpret that because the poem begins with this word, mother, that this moment is likely played on the speaker's mind.

So they're directly addressing somebody else and they're using their name or their term of endearment that they use to refer to them at the very, very beginning.

So we've got this idea that is perhaps something that they may have planned.

They may have worked out what they wanted to say before they actually said it.

So it's something they've thought about often.

And then that second person pronoun, you.

So again, we are getting that idea of direct address.

It's something they've wanted to say perhaps for quite a long time.

So let's just explore how Armitage uses pronouns in this poem.

And actually the order in which Armitage chooses to use them is quite interesting.

So he begins with the second person pronoun, you.

And then about halfway through the poem, we get our first reference to us, and then the end of the poem is mainly focused around the first person pronoun, I.

So let's see what interpretations we could draw out from this use of pronouns.

So starting with the first and the second person pronouns.

They very much emphasise that they are two separate people.

There's you and there's I.

We have these two distinct and quite different figures in the poem.

And then we've got that word, us, which is a plural pronoun that groups two things together.

So in this case, it groups the you and the I together.

And we actually do only get this pronoun once in the poem and it's linked to that word, unreeling, which actually emphasises the separation.

So although it groups together, it groups them together while referencing the distance between them.

So the thing that they've got in common is actually this growing distance between them.

So it actually emphasises the separation rather than giving this impression of coming together.

So now let's have a think about the structure of ideas in the poem.

So if we look at stanza one, we get this idea that it's quite calm and functional.

It's very much focused on the job at hand, the measuring, that the mother and son are doing.

It's quite a literal description of what is happening in the poem and it avoids emotive language.

At this point, we are just introduced to our characters and what it is that they're doing.

So we definitely got this idea at the beginning that is describing this ephemeral moment.

It's a short snippet of a time that a mother and a son are taking measurements.

However, by the end of the poem, the tone has shifted to one of anxiety and foreboding.

So we've got a very, very emotional tone at the end which contrasts with that calm and functional tone that we were getting at the beginning.

So we have words like breaking and endless, one-hundredth and fall.

And they all serve to build the tension.

We've got this idea that they're quite dramatic terms. That things might happen or that there is something at stake, particularly with that word, one-hundredth.

The mother is clinging on perhaps to her relationship with her son.

And we can infer that that it's time for the son to be independent even though they're both scared.

And that's where that tension is coming from.

That perhaps they both want separate things, the mother perhaps isn't keen to let her son go, whereas, the son is yearning for his independence now he has grown up.

So let's pause here and check our understanding again.

True or false this time.

Armitage increases the emotional tension as the son moves further away from his mother in the house.

So pause the video or you have a think and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said true.

So now it's time for us to justify this answer.

So have a look at these two possible justifications and decide which one you think best supports that statement at the top.

Pause the video while you have a read and have a think.

And when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said B.

"The word fly on the final line emphasises this since it symbolises how the son's journey to his independence is like a bird leaving its mother's nest." So it is time for the final practise task of today's lesson, and I would like to hear some of your opinions about this poem.

So my challenge to you is do you agree or disagree with Jacob? And he says, "In 'Mother, any Distance', Armitage emphasises the lasting effect that ephemeral moments can have on a person." So this task is all about writing your personal opinions and interpretations of the poem.

So I'd like you to write a paragraph explaining your ideas.

I'm referring to evidence from the poem, how Armitage presents distance and separation, contextual information, and different interpretations of the poem.

So pause the video here while you write your paragraph, and when you are finished, click play, and we'll go through some responses.

Okay, welcome back.

So here is an example of how you might have responded to Jacob's opinion.

"I agree with Jacob.

Armitage's poem centres around an ephemeral moment, a mother and son measuring the son's new house, to explore how these fleeting memories can leave a lasting effect on someone.

The speaker directly addresses his mother at the beginning suggesting that this memory he's now recalling is something that plays on his mind often and articulating it to his mother is something he is prepared for.

Furthermore, Armitage's use of alternating first and second person pronouns emphasises the separation between the two people.

As the son moves up through the house, this distance gradually increases as Armitage builds tension around a final separation in his use of words such as breaking and one-hundredth which imply a sense of finality to their separation.

Now the son has left home to live on his own.

Although, this poem discusses negative themes such as loss, separation, and distance, Armitage's choice to structure all poems in this collection using the sonnet form, traditionally used for love poetry, introduces an underlying positivity since it implies there is love between the mother and son." So this response is particularly infective because it included evidence from the poem.

It focused on how Armitage presented distance and separation.

It included a link to context there by reflecting on how the poems in this collection used that sonnet form, and it also included different interpretations of the poem.

So I'd like you to take a moment to review your own response and check you've met this success criteria.

So did you include these four things in your response as well? Pause the video while you review your answer and when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, so we have made it to the end of today's lesson and a massive well done for all the effort that you have put in today.

So let's just summarise what we've covered in this session.

Armitage describes a mother helping her son move into his own home as he reaches adulthood.

The speaker's new home seems huge and expansive, emphasising the growing distance between mother and child.

The speaker builds on the emotional distance between the mother and son as their physical distance increases.

Both speaker and subject seem apprehensive about the son's upcoming independence.

And the poem comes from "Books of Matches" reflecting on ephemeral moments that make a deep impression.

So I hope that you are feeling a bit more confident when it comes to understanding "Mother, any Distance".

I hope you have a great day and I look forward to seeing you again soon.