Hello and welcome to the lesson.

Thank you so much for joining me today, I'm Mrs Butterworth and I will be guiding you through the learning and today we're gonna be focusing on context.

So we're thinking about what context is, but also how we can use this meaningfully.

So, quite appropriately, the lesson is called using context effectively.

So, let's get started.

By the end of the lesson you will understand what context is and how to include it effectively in your responses.

So before we delve into the lesson there are a few keywords we need to be aware of.

So these are theme, disillusionment, generalisation, and literary movement.

In a moment their definitions will come up on the screen, make sure you read them and pause the video if you need more time to do this.

So the outline of our lesson, using context effectively, looks like this.

We're gonna start by considering, what is context? And look at contextual information that we can use in our responses.

We're then going to move on to meaningful context, so how we can use context in our responses to really elevate and enrich them.

So let's start by looking at what context is.

So when thinking about context, very often it is assumed that we're referring to historical facts, or even sometimes biographical facts about the writer.

However, we can think about context in four different ways.

The first of these is historical.

So when we're thinking about historical context, we're thinking about, what was happening at the time the text was written? How may this have influenced the text? We're also thinking about literary context.

So is the text in question inspired by a specific style or genre? And does it fit into a literary movement? So for example you might be looking at a text that is part of a romantic movement or maybe it's more of a modernist movement.

Then we're thinking about social context.

Now this one's a bit more tricky, but this is when we're thinking about the shared cultural constructions of big, specific ideas.

So in Animal Farm, we're thinking about the concept of a leader, but in other texts it might be something like what makes a good parent.

And again, this can link to historical context because these could change over time, how we view things, our attitudes towards things.

And we want to look at how these social constructs are explored in the text.

And then finally we get our biographical context, so how might the life experiences of the author have influenced the text? So now we've thought about the different types of context, I want to think about what contextual features could we link to Animal Farm? So what I would like you to do is I'd like you to pause the video to give yourself time to discuss or just quietly think about what contextual features you could link to Animal Farm.

Pause the video now.

Well done everyone, some really fantastic ideas and discussions happening.

I really like how some of you have started to link contextual features to specific examples in the novella, that's a really perceptive and interesting thing to do.

So let's just share some of that great feedback.

So in historical, we know that Animal Farm was published post World War II and around this time we get the establishment of the Soviet Union, the Russian Revolution and then there's a rise of totalitarian leaders like Hitler and Mussolini.

And we know that these historical events had a profound effect on Orwell and really influenced the writing of Animal Farm, and actually this historical context impacts the content of the novella because we know that lots of these events actually appear in the novella.

And then the literary, so well done to everyone that commented on the idea that Animal Farm is a fairy tale or presented as a fairy tale and draws on this tradition.

It also draws on the tradition of fables and allegorical texts as well.

What about social? Again, this is the tricky one.

So, I think some of you picked up on this idea of the constructs of hierarchy, the critique of leadership, again these cultural constructs of leadership and what that looks like, the idea of democracy and equality.

Obviously this idea will be different in different societies, different cultures.

And finally, power and equality.

So there's lots of social and cultural context really impacting Animal Farm there.

And then finally the biographical information.

Now we know that Orwell had a really rich and varied life and this really influenced why he chose to write and what he chose to write about.

So we know he went to fight in the Spanish Civil War to overthrow a dictator, so he was really proactive in fighting against totalitarianism and we can see this theme in Animal Farm.

He went to Eton, so we know he has this experience of different classes.

And again, this different experience of classes happened through his choice to live a varied life.

So he went to Eton, one of the best and richest schools in the country, but then he also chose to move to Paris and pot wash and he chose to live the life as a vagrant, then he worked for the BBC.

So he's had lots of different experiences in different classes, with different people to really enrich his writing.

Okay, question for you.

In this context grid, there is something missing, can you identify which type of context is missing? Well done to everyone that spotted it was of course the literary context missing in that grid.

We're now going to look at a model response and what I want us to think about is what type of context is being referred to in the response.

So let's just read it together first.

George Orwell experienced a sense of disillusionment with Soviet Communism and its revolution during his era.

This discontent is explored throughout Animal Farm.

Orwell conveys his apprehension and critique of communism, employing satire in the portrayal of allegorical characters like Old Major and Boxer, drawing parallels with the Russian Revolution and its figures.

So what context is being used there? Well, we can see it highlighted that historical context.

So this essay references that Soviet Communism and the revolution and how this has inspired Animal Farm, not just inspired the writer to write it, but lots of the events are replicated in the plot of Animal Farm.

We also get this interesting use of biographical context.

So, this essay refers to Orwell's own personal feelings around communism.

So it says, conveys his apprehension and critique of communism.

So it's a very subtle use of biographical context there, when we're referring to Orwell's thoughts and feelings.

And then finally in this response we get this literary context, so it refers to the idea of satire and allegory, satire and allegory to explore his themes.

So we can see that context being referred to there.

Okay, here's a sentence for you.

Orwell draws on the tradition of fairy tales.

Now which type of context does this sentence refer to? Literary, well done to everyone that said C, yes, absolutely, it's the literary context being referred to there.

So we have already reached our first practise task, well done everyone, and what I would like you to do for this is as you can see in the bullet points, I have a list of different contextual information, or different context points.

What I would like you to do is I would like you to sort the contextual information into the correct part of the grid.

So, you will need to pause the video so you have plenty of time to complete this and we'll share our answers in a moment.

Good luck.

Well done everyone, that was really good thinking.

So, let's just share these answers.

So, the historical, this is what you should have.

Animal Farm was published in 1945, post World War II.

The rise and power of authoritarian dictators like Hitler and Mussolini, and the events of the Russian Revolution.

So hopefully you identified those as our historical context.

And then our literary, so anything that refers to genre and style.

We've got uses fairy tale style to satirise governments, the novella is dystopian fiction, so hopefully you all spied that one, and that Animal Farm is an allegory.

Now the social context, our social and cultural, which is sometimes a bit tricky.

Hopefully you got the concept of leadership, but also these attitudes towards equality and democracy.

And then our biographical information, Orwell was born in 1903 and that in 1937 Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War.

So well done everyone, now these are all pieces of contextual information that would be useful to reference in some of your responses.

So, we have reached the second part of our lesson.

So now we've thought about what context is or the type of things that we could use to talk about context, we're now going to look at how we can use it effectively in our responses.

So this idea of meaningful context, how we can use it to elevate our essays.

So when writing literature essays, it is important to include context.

It's a really great way to demonstrate your understanding and link to a writer's purpose.

So, we know that context really enriches our understanding of a text.

So by being able to write about context meaningfully, we can really enrich the arguments in our essays.

So let's think about this, how can we use context effectively in our written responses? Well, it needs to be relevant to the point you are making.

We don't just want a piece of context that may sound interesting, but doesn't have any relevance to your argument.

It should develop the comment you are making and not just be an isolated fact.

So we're gonna look, in a moment, at how we can do that, but we make sure that the context really illuminates the point and isn't just added on.

We need to avoid generalisations.

We should try and use different types of context, so we've already thought about this previously in the first part of the lesson.

So hopefully by now we should be really good at that.

And then finally, it should be embedded within the paragraph and not just bolted on.

So context should be weaved throughout your responses, it shouldn't just be added on.

Okay, true or false time.

True or false? Context needs to focus on isolated historical facts.

True or false? False, well done everyone that picked out false, absolutely.

Now justify your answer by picking one of these.

Well done to everyone that selected A, absolutely, context needs to be embedded within the paragraph and refer to other relevant information, we don't just want isolated facts, it needs to be weaved beautifully throughout.

We are now going to look at some examples of students' work and what we're gonna think about is how effective is their use of context and how we can go about improving their responses.

So here's Lucas, he's written Animal Farm was first published in 1945.

The pigs represent all the bad qualities of leadership and power.

Now, what Lucas has done here is he's included an isolated fact so when the novella was published, but this doesn't really develop his argument or say anything interesting about the text.

And we also get this generalisation about the pigs and what they represent.

It is true, they show the bad qualities, but this really simplifies Orwell's purpose.

So could we improve this, thinking about using that context to really elevate and develop a point of view? So Lucas how now written this.

He has written, Orwell's novella Animal Farm was published in 1945.

So he's kept that fact, which is fine, but he then moves it on.

So World War II and the rise of powerful dictators like Hitler and Mussolini created an effective backdrop for Orwell's exploration of power and control.

Orwell uses the pigs to effectively represent the methods of control.

So now Lucas's historical context is really linked to Orwell's themes and purpose.

So he's really commenting on how that historical context impacted Orwell's choices, but also how it is present in the novella.

And also this has made the comment on the pigs much more specific, which allows for a more nuanced exploration of the characters.

So actually, it's not just that the pigs are bad, it's about exploring these methods of control.

We are now going to look at Sam's response, so let's read what Sam has written.

Orwell effectively portrays Old Major's use of compelling rhetoric in his use of the rule of three, our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.

Marx also exposed the lives of the working classes.

Now Sam has made some really excellent comments on Orwell's use of language, we can see this there in the use of the terminology and what Orwell is doing.

But what's happened with the context is it's just bolted on at the end and it's not embedded with the response.

It just kind of feels like Marx has been mentioned as an afterthought, so it doesn't really develop the argument any further or link to Orwell's purpose.

So let's see how Sam improved this.

So Sam's new response, Orwell effectively portrays Old Major's use of compelling rhetoric in his use of the rule of three, our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.

In exposing the reality of the animals' lives, Orwell uses Old Major to represent Marx, thus potentially revealing the idealistic nature of intellectuals.

So now we can see how Sam has used that historical context to develop the point, so we're looking at how Orwell has referenced Marx and his comment on him.

So it's really linked to Orwell's purpose and it feels really embedded in the paragraph, it's not just bolted on as an afterthought.

And then finally let's look at Izzy's response.

So Izzy has written, in exploring his own anxieties around corruption and the inevitability of hierarchy, Orwell reflects the anxieties of a post-war Britain.

Orwell's allegorical novel uses the tradition of the fairy tale to critique attitudes towards leadership and democracy.

What do we think about this response? Now I would say these two paragraphs are fantastic because Izzy has used a range of contexts.

So we can see the historical, the literary, and the social, and it's really embedded into the response and develops her point, and likewise, it really links to Orwell's purpose.

I really love this sentence about Orwell reflects the anxieties of a post-war Britain.

So it's such a fantastic way to refer to that historical context, but use it specifically to talk about Orwell's purpose.

So this is a really good example of how we can use different types of context and embed them into our paragraphs.

Okay, true or false time.

Your use of context should link to the writer's purpose.

True or false? True, absolutely.

Hopefully we've all remembered that one now.

Now you need to justify your answer.

Excellent, yes, this will ensure your use of context is developing your argument.

So always link your context to the writer's purpose.

Well done everyone, we have reached our second and final practise task.

You've worked really hard, but there is a little bit more work to do, so let's have a look at the task.

So, in a moment, we're going to read Jun's response and what you'll need to do is you'll need to identify what he needs to do to improve his use of context using the success criteria.

So like we have just done with the previous students.

Then what I would like you to do is to rewrite the response with a more effective use of context.

So, we're going to read it, you're going to identify what needs to be improved, and then you're going to rewrite it.

So let's just remind ourselves of the success criteria.

So, context should not be an isolated historical fact, it should be embedded within the paragraph, and it should develop the argument and link to writer's purpose.

Okay, let's just, before you get on with the task, let's just read Jun's response together.

Animal Farm was published in 1945.

Orwell explores the themes of power and corruption.

Through the character of Napoleon, Orwell reveals the methods of power used by totalitarian leaders to manipulate and gain absolute authority.

He is described as acting swiftly and ruthlessly.

Orwell's use of adverbs emphasise Napoleon's leadership style.

Napoleon represents Stalin.

Okay, so that's the response, identify what needs to be improved and then rewrite.

Pause the video so you've got plenty of time to do this and I look forward to seeing what we come up with.

Off you go.

Well done everyone, that was quite a tricky task so I really appreciate the amount of effort that you put in and I liked some of the comments around Jun could really improve that response.

So let's just look at a way you may have completed this task.

So, these are the comments that you may have made, these are the things you may have identified in what Jun needed to do.

So he used an isolated historical fact, his context did not link to purpose, and it did not develop the point.

So you should have identified some of those points.

And here is the rewritten task.

Being published in 1945, Orwell reflects the post-war anxieties around power, corruption, and the rise of powerful dictators.

So again, we're linking that historical fact, when the book is published, to Orwell's purpose, or what Orwell's doing and again I really love that idea of him reflecting the post-war anxieties and those specific themes.

Through the character of Napoleon, Orwell reveals the methods of power used by totalitarian leaders to manipulate and gain absolute authority.

He is described as acting swiftly and ruthlessly.

Orwell's use of adverbs emphasise Napoleon's leadership style.

And then our final sentence.

Orwell uses the character of Napoleon to represent Stalin.

So if you remember, Jun had this exact sentence in his response, what we've done here is we've just developed it further.

So, in doing so, Orwell mirrors and critiques the methods of control and manipulation used.

So hopefully you have something similar, you may even have something better which is fantastic.

Right, so we've reached the end of a very busy lesson, well done everyone.

So, let's just remind ourselves of everything that we have looked at.

So, we know that context refers to the historical, social, literary, and biographical.

Context should not be presented as isolated facts or generalisations.

Context should be relevant to the analysis and embedded in the response.

And then finally, context should develop your ideas and give an insight into the writer's purpose and intention.

So well done everyone, so hopefully we are all experts now on how to use context in our essays.

I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon, so until then, goodbye.