Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

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

And we're going to be generating vocabulary.

We'll be generating vocabulary to use when writing the story of "Otherwise," which is a fabulous animated story that we are studying in this unit.

So let's get generating some vocabulary, shall we? The outcome for today's lesson is I can generate vocabulary to use when writing the story of "Otherwise." The keywords we will use are vocabulary, setting, expanded noun phrase, and senses.

Let's go through those together.

I'll say them and then you repeat them back.

Vocabulary.

Setting.

Expanded noun phrase.

Senses.

Fabulous, well done.

Let's look at the definitions.

So vocabulary, that simply means the words a writer uses.

Setting is where the story takes place.

And expanded noun phrase is a group of words with no verb that adds detail to a noun.

And senses are the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste.

The learning in today's lesson is looking a bit like this.

We'll start with generating vocabulary to describe the setting, and then we'll move on to generating vocabulary to describe the characters.

Now we are using the animated story "Otherwise" as inspiration for our fiction writing.

Fiction stories can take place anywhere because they are made up or imagined.

The writer can use their imagination to create a setting for the story.

A setting, well, that simply is where the story takes place.

Let me just check your understanding.

A setting is where the story takes place.

Is that true or is that false? Pause the video and decide.

Welcome back.

I am sure you have the correct answer to this one.

A setting is where the story takes place is absolutely true.

Well done if you said true.

A setting must be described with lots of detail to help the reader clearly picture it in their mind.

So we as a writer, we as writers need to put the setting that is in our mind in the mind of the reader.

We do that through words, through the vocabulary we choose.

Can you guess what setting is being described here? So I'm going to describe a setting to you, and your job is to guess what setting is being described.

Tall buildings made of glass, metal, and concrete tower over the busy streets below.

Crowds of people hurry down the steps towards underground trains.

Shops, restaurants, and museums line the roads.

Rows of red buses and black taxis queue up at traffic lights.

Hmm, what do you think? Pause the video, have a discussion with your partner about what setting being described, and, really importantly, say how you know.

Say why you think that is the setting.

What clues were there in the text that told you, ah, this is the setting that's being described.

Okay, pause the video and have a discussion now.

Welcome back.

I'm really intrigued to see what you thought.

Okay, well, let's see if you are right.

Well done if you said a city.

Exactly, I was describing a city.

I talked about the tall buildings, crowds of people, shops, restaurants, museums, rows of red buses, black taxis queuing up.

All of these things were describing a city.

So this setting, the setting for this story if it was a city, was described through those sentences.

Now I'd like you to watch this clip from the opening of the animation "Otherwise." As you watch, pay attention to the setting, so where the story is happening, so you can answer these questions.

I'd like you to tell me where is the setting.

So where actually does the story of "Otherwise" take place? And how do you know? What clues did you have? Okay, so it's over to you now.

Pause the video and watch this clip from the opening of the animation "Otherwise" now.

(lighthearted music) (eggs cracking) (Anders whirring) (lighthearted music) (Anders whirring) (lighthearted music) (dejected music) Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a little look, shall we? Can you answer these questions? So where is the setting? Where is the setting for the animation "Otherwise?" Well, the setting of the animation "Otherwise" is a jungle.

Well done if you said a jungle.

A jungle is the name for an environment full of plants, animals, and trees, which usually has a tropical climate.

And we can see from the clip of "Otherwise" that that's exactly a description of this setting.

There's full of plants, and trees, and animals.

Of course the chameleons are animals.

So absolutely, we could tell that it was a jungle.

True or false, the setting of the animation "Otherwise" is on the moon.

Is that true or is that false? Pause the video and decide now.

Okay, welcome back.

So of course the setting of the animation "Otherwise" is on the moon, do you agree with that? I remember there was lots of rocks, and rockets, and stars.

Was there? No, of course that is false.

The setting of the animation "Otherwise" is not on the moon.

It is set in a jungle.

Absolutely, well done.

To describe a setting to the reader, a writer will try to include as much descriptive vocabulary as possible.

We can use our senses to imagine what it would be like in this setting.

We should try to include what a person can see, hear, smell, and feel in the setting.

We'll be using our senses to generate descriptive vocabulary in today's lesson.

And as you can see, remind ourselves one more time, our senses are what we can see, what we can hear, what we can smell, and what we can feel.

You can also have what you can taste, but we won't be focusing on taste in today's setting description.

That might be something, you don't necessarily describe what a setting tastes like.

An expanded noun phrase is a group of words with no verb that adds detail to a noun.

It can contain two adjectives separated by a comma.

For example, tall, comma, green trees.

Trees is the noun we're describing.

Tall and green are the adjectives that describe it.

Tall, comma, green trees is an expanded noun phrase.

First, think of an important noun that you want to describe.

So when creating an expanded noun phase, the first thing you do is think of an important noun that you want to describe to the reader, something that you want them to be able to picture clearly in their minds.

Next, generate adjectives to describe that noun.

Finally, choose the two most descriptive adjectives and then list them before the noun with a comma between them.

Follow these three steps and you have just created an expanded noun phrase.

And you will do this in your writing lots and lots and lots.

An expanded noun phrase may contain two adjectives and a verb, noun, or adverb? An expanded noun phrase may contain two adjectives and a verb, noun, or adverb? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Okay, let's have a look at the correct answer.

Well done if you said an expanded noun phrase may contain two adjectives and a noun.

Well done, it's (indistinct).

We're going to complete a senses map with expanded noun phrases to describe the setting in "Otherwise," what can be seen in this setting, what can be heard in this setting, what can be felt in this setting, and what can be smelled in the setting.

I have completed the sound and smell sections of the senses map for you.

So let's have a look at those, shall we? I have focused on what you could hear in the setting.

I've said you might be able to hear loud, buzzing insects.

That's an expanded noun phrase.

We've got adjective, adjective, noun, adjective, comma, adjective, noun.

Loud, buzzing insects.

Cheerful, tweeting birds.

Playful, chattering monkeys.

And rustling, whispering leaves.

So I've got insects, birds, monkeys, and leaves.

They are the important nouns that I have used in my description of this setting.

Now what about for smell? The nouns I've got are soil, leaves, again, flowers, and fruit.

And I've described the soil as damp, muddy soil, the smell of damp, muddy soil.

The smell of old, rotting leaves, so leaves that have fallen off trees and are just gradually rotting away.

Blooming, fresh flowers would be a really strong smell in the setting that we're in.

And ripe, tropical fruit.

I'd like you to generate some expanding noun phrases for what can be seen in the jungle.

What can you see? Look at these images.

What can you see? Have a discussion with the person next to you.

What things can you see in these images from the setting of our animation "Otherwise?" Pause the video and try and come up with a list of things that you can see.

So these will be nouns, a list of nouns that you can see in these settings.

Pause the video and have that discussion with your partner now.

Okay, welcome back.

Let's have a little look now.

I'd like you to start to think about the adjectives that you'll use to describe those nouns.

So I've given you an example here, blank, comma, blank, leaves.

So you can see there are lots of leaves in these images.

Your job now is to be able to start thinking about the adjectives you would use to describe those leaves, because leaves can look very different.

So what are these particular leaves looking like? You need to imagine that I can't see these pictures, and you have to put the image of those leaves in my mind.

And you do that through your words.

So for example, green, lush leaves or long, hanging vines, thick, brown branches, golden, soft sand, shimmering, turquoise water.

So these adjectives put the particular images of those things in my mind.

Your job is to look through those images and decide if there are nouns that you want to describe and which adjectives you'll use to describe them.

So continue this discussion with your partner.

I'd like you to pause the video again, and this time add adjectives before the nouns that you can see.

So something, something, leaves, something, something, branches.

Okay, it's over to you.

Pause the video and have a go with your partner now.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed generating some expanded noun phrases for things that can be seen in the jungle.

I've added a few onto my senses map.

I've gone for green, lush leaves, long, hanging vines, golden, soft sand, and shimmering, turquoise water.

So that is what you can see.

We've got what you can hear, what you can smell.

It's now going to be what you can feel, exactly.

So your task is to create expanded noun phrases to complete your senses map and add to the touch section.

What can you feel? You can use these nouns as a starting point if you wish, plants, rocks, water.

And then of course I would like you to remember to keep that expanded noun phrase structure, adjective, comma, adjective, noun.

Get those adjectives in there to describe the nouns that you see.

So step one, pick out the nouns, the things that you would be able to touch or feel in this setting.

Step two, add those adjectives.

Generate as many as you can.

And then step three, decide the best two, the most descriptive two.

And then put those together to make an expanded noun phrase, which will look like adjective, comma, adjective, noun.

Okay, I think you've got it.

It's over to you now.

Pause the video.

You can work with a partner if you want to or a group, and create expanded noun phrases to complete your senses map and add to the touch section things you can feel in this setting.

Pause the video, off you go.

And welcome back.

I am so interested to see what vocabulary you generated.

Okay, let's have a look then.

So I generated tall, spiky plants.

You would be able to feel how spiky those plants were.

They were tall and they were spiky.

If you touch them, they might be sharp, they would feel spiky.

Soft, delicate petals.

Sometimes when you touch a flower, the petals are so delicate they fall off just by you gently touching.

Sometimes the wind can blow petals off.

Maybe if you're playing in your garden, and perhaps you kick a football, and it knocks into a flower, then the petals will fall off.

That's how delicate they are, so soft, delicate petals.

Cool, clear water, how that water would feel.

Sharp, prickly branches.

Smooth, heavy rocks.

Of course, yeah, those rocks will have been worn down over many, many, many hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, and that's what's made them so smooth.

Again, let's move on to generating vocabulary to describe the characters.

A character is a person or animal in a story.

The characters in "Otherwise" are animals.

They are a red chameleon called Anders, a group of four green chameleons, an eagle, and its chicks.

We are going to describe the main characters, which are Anders and the green chameleons.

The eagle and its chicks do come into this story but only in a small part.

Most of the story is played out between Anders and the other green chameleons.

Fill in the missing word.

In a story, a person or animal is called a.

A, chapter.

B, character.

Or C, setting.

In a story, a person or animal is called a what? Pause the video and decide now.

Welcome back.

Okay, in a story, a person or animal is called a character.

Well done if you said b, character.

The main character in the animation "Otherwise" is a chameleon called Anders.

I have decided to make the character a boy, but you can decide this for yourself.

We don't know if the character is a boy or a girl.

It's not clear from the video, so it's absolutely fine to decide whatever you want.

You can make the character a boy or a girl, and you can choose.

It's up to you.

I've chosen to make Anders a boy.

To describe Anders, we need to generate adjectives for his appearance and personality.

Can you explain to your partner what appearance and personality mean? Have a discussion together.

What does appearance and personality actually mean? Pause the video and have that discussion now.

And welcome back.

Okay, let's have a little look, shall we? Now, a character's appearance is what they look like.

A character's personality is what kind of person or animal they are on the inside and how they behave.

So appearance is what they look like.

Personality is what they are like on the inside, how they behave.

We will start by generating vocabulary for Anders, the main character.

Look at the images of Anders.

Let's pick out the different nouns that make up his appearance.

So we can see from that image, we have, well, let's first of all just clear up what a noun is.

A noun is a naming word for people, places, or things.

We all knew that already, hopefully.

We're reminding ourselves.

A noun is a PPT, a person, place or thing.

So in that picture, I can see that Anders has eyes.

Of course that'd be a good thing to be able to describe, to explain his appearance to a reader.

His smile, his tail, his skin, his snout, so that long nose that a chameleon has.

Now, we will create expanded noun phrases by adding two adjectives before the noun, separated by a comma.

So we have generated the nouns that we think we'd like to describe, so now it's time to add the adjectives.

So these will look exactly like it did earlier in the lesson, that adjective comma, adjective, noun structure.

So bright, friendly eyes, warm, wide smile, so thin, curled tail, rough, scaly skin, and long, pointed snout.

So instead of just saying eyes, smile, tail, skin, snout, I now have adjectives to add description to those.

Which of these is a correctly written expanded noun phrase? Is it a, round, comma, friendly eyes? Is it b, long, pointy snout? Or is it c, skin? Which is a correctly written expanded noun phrase? Pause the video and describe to your partner how you know.

I'd love this as well, if you could talk to the person next to you and explain how you know the correct answer for this one.

But decide the correct answer and explain how you know.

All right, pause the video and have a go at this task now.

And welcome back.

Let's see if you were right.

Well done if you said a, round, friendly eyes.

Anders does have round, friendly eyes, doesn't he? And this is an expanded noun phrase that is correctly written because it has two adjectives and a noun, and there is a comma between the two adjectives.

Round, comma, friendly eyes.

Time for a task.

I'd like you to write a list of adjectives to describe the personality of Anders and then the green chameleons.

You may wish to watch the animation again to help you.

If you'd like to, you can use any of these adjectives in your lists.

Remember, Anders and the green chameleons have very different personalities.

So there are some adjectives in this box at the bottom of the page that will apply to Anders, some that will apply to the green chameleons.

Your job is to be able to work out who is who, or use your own ideas too.

Okay, it's over to you now.

Pause the video, you could work with a partner or a group, to write a list of adjectives to describe the personality of Anders and then the personality of the green chameleons.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Let's have a look at an example.

So we have, for Anders, you may say he is kind, brave, curious, friendly, playful, persistent.

Yeah, he doesn't give up.

He's persistent.

And the green chameleons, well, would they be the same ones? Absolutely not.

They are rude.

Sometimes they just completely ignore Anders.

Unfriendly.

They're not welcoming to him.

They don't welcome him to their games.

Inconsiderate and not thinking about his feelings and how he will feel.

Mean.

Yep, they're absolutely just mean in a lot of the story.

Unkind.

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

A setting is where the story takes place.

We can use our senses to describe a setting in detail.

An expanded noun phrase can contain two adjectives to describe a noun, separated by a comma.

A character's appearance is what they look like.

A character's personality is what kind of person they are on the inside and how they behave.

Brilliant work today.

The vocabulary you've generated, you'll be able to use as you write the opening, the buildup, the climax, and the resolution of "Otherwise." So the work you've done today is so valuable.

I will see you again to put that vocabulary into some sentences.

And I'll see you again to do that very soon.