Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name is Mrs. Riley, and I'm here today for our English lesson where we will be learning some new vocabulary.

Let's get started.

Here's our lesson outcome.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to use the words colossal and robust effectively in multiple contexts.

Here are our key words for today.

I'm going to say each word, and I'd like you to repeat it back to me.

Noun, adjective, synonym, word pair.

Well done.

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

An adjective is a word that describes a noun.

A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word.

And finally, word pairs are words that often appear together.

Don't worry if any of that vocabulary seems unfamiliar because we're going to come back to it later in the lesson.

So in today's lesson, we're going to meet the Mrs. Wordsmith characters, we're going to learn our first new big word and our second new big word.

So we're learning two synonyms for the word big.

First, let's look at our Mrs. Wordsmith characters.

The Mrs. Wordsmith characters are in the illustrations that will help us to learn the narrative vocabulary words.

So for every new word we learn, there will be a picture or an illustration, and there's going to be lots of funny characters that will help us to learn those words.

So let's meet those characters now.

First we've got Stax.

He's a daydreaming giraffe.

My turn, your turn.

Stax.

Next we have Bogart, the sneaky insect who loves to trick his friends.

My turn, your turn.

Bogart.

Next we have Brick, the competitive hippo who loves sport.

Might turn, your turn.

Brick.

Next we have Armie, the anxious armadillo.

Can you see? He looks a bit nervous in that picture.

Armie.

Yin and Yang are the twin tigers who are very different and sometimes, that causes them some problems. Yin and Yang.

Bearnice, the big bubbly bear has a huge heart and huge energy.

Bearnice.

Grit is a very grumpy dog.

Can you see how he looks a bit grumpy in that picture? Grit.

Oz is an ostrich who thinks very highly of herself.

She looks quite pleased with herself there taking a bow, doesn't she? Oz.

Plato is a platypus and he just loves food.

Plato.

And finally we've got Mrs. Wordsmith herself.

Mrs. Wordsmith.

Well done.

So a quick check for understanding.

Which characters are these? Are they a, Yin and Yang, b, Brick and Grit, or c, Oz and Bearnice? Pause the video now if you want to have a bit of thinking time.

The correct answer is a, Yin and Yang.

Well done if you got that one right.

So now it's time for a task.

For this task, I would like you to look at the pictures of each character and see if you can tell me what their name is.

The options are Bearnice, Oz, Bogart, and Grit.

So could you please draw a line to match the character to correct name? Pause the video now and have a go at that task.

Well done.

So the answers are, first of all, Bearnice is the big bubbly bear.

Oz is the ostrich who's very pleased with herself.

Bogart is that sneaky fly who likes playing tricks, and Grit is the grumpy dog.

Well done if you had a go at that task.

Our second learning cycle now is to learn our first new big word.

I hope you're excited.

So before we look at our first word, let's just remind ourselves of some of this new vocabulary we've learned today.

So a synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word.

For example, a synonym for happy is merry.

You could say happy Christmas or merry Christmas.

You could say you are feeling happy today or merry today.

They both mean more or less the same thing.

They are synonyms. Word pairs are those words that often appear together.

Word pairs can help us to use new vocabulary accurately because sometimes, we learn a new word, but we might not know how to use it really precisely.

And that's where the word pairs will help us.

For example, here are some words that would go alongside the word bright.

Bright light, bright moon, bright stars.

So light, moon, and stars would be word pairs for the adjective bright.

Quick check for understanding.

Which of these words is a synonym for big? Is it a, tiny, b, huge, or c, bright? Pause the video if you'd like some thinking time.

The correct answer is b, huge.

Huge is a synonym for the word big because they have more or less the same meaning.

Which of these words is a word pair for the word big? Remember, word pairs like to come together.

So which is a word pair for big? a, building, b, sand, or c, beautiful.

Pause the video if you'd like some thinking time.

Well done for having a go.

The correct answer is a, building.

You could have a big building.

Those two words would pair up nicely.

It wouldn't really work to have big sand, and big and beautiful are both adjectives, so that wouldn't make sense either.

The correct answer is a big building.

Let's listen to some sentence that I've written.

The big, old tree stood in the park.

The big ocean stretched before them.

She looked up at the big building that towered over her.

All of these sentences use the word big to describe the noun.

I've used the same adjective three times.

The big tree, the big ocean, and the big building.

And it's a bit boring to use the same adjective over and over again in our writing.

And that is why today, we're going to learn two new ways of describing something as big.

And these words we're going to learn are really ambitious.

That means that anyone will be so impressed if you use these words in your writing or in your speaking.

So let's look at this first Mrs. Wordsmith illustration.

I'd like you to look really closely at this picture and be a detective.

What can you see? What's the setting? What do you notice? What character can you see? How do you think the character feels? Have a look, have a think about all of those things and pause the video, and press play when you're ready.

Okay, well done.

Now I think in this picture, I can see some pyramids and a big statue of a pharaoh.

It looks like it might be set in Egypt, but I think it's modern day times because Mrs. Wordsmith is holding a camera, which tells me this can't be actually in Ancient Egypt times.

Mrs. Wordsmith is standing and taking a photo of that statue that's towering, looming over her.

So let's learn what this new word is.

This word is colossal.

My turn, your turn.

Colossal.

Colossal is an adjective that means massive or gigantic, like a huge statue that makes you feel tiny in comparison.

I wonder if you've ever stood underneath something that has made you feel really tiny in comparison like Mrs. Wordsmith here.

These words are synonyms of colossal.

That means they have the same meaning.

Massive, enormous, and gigantic.

These are word pairs of colossal.

A colossal statue.

A bit like we've got in this Mrs. Wordsmith picture.

A colossal mountain.

Have you ever seen a colossal mountain, I wonder? A colossal bore.

Gosh, something would have to be really, really boring to make it a colossal bore.

Perhaps it might be if you were asked to pick up a whole packet of rice that had tipped on the floor, each grain by grain.

That would be a colossal bore.

A colossal waste.

Hmm, what would be a colossal waste? Perhaps if I made a gigantic feast for hundreds of people, and I laid it all out in a picnic rug, and it started to rain and all of the food went to waste.

That might be a colossal waste.

And finally, a colossal squid.

Can you imagine swimming in the sea and seeing a colossal squid? Now there are some more word pairs, but before we move on, I'd like you to pause the video and say the word colossal with each word pair like this.

Colossal statue, colossal mountain, colossal bore, and so on.

Because when we learn new words, the best way we can remember it is by saying it aloud.

So pause the video now and say each word pair one by one.

Off you go.

Excellent.

Our next word pairs are colossal task.

Picking up that rice would've been a bit of a colossal task, wouldn't it? Would've taken a really long time.

A colossal mistake.

(gasps) So that wouldn't be a mistake like turning up a little bit late school one day.

It would have to be a really, really big mistake to describe it as a colossal mistake.

A colossal failure.

(gasps) Maybe you might feel like a colossal failure if you had made a colossal mistake.

And a colossal fortune.

Now, fortune is often to describe if somebody is very wealthy, so if they have lots of money, but also it can be if somebody has lots of good luck.

So if you had a colossal fortune, maybe you might be very, very rich.

So again, before we move on, please could you pause the video now and read each of these word pairs aloud.

Excellent, well done.

Quick check for understanding.

Which of these words is a synonym for colossal? Is it a, mistake, b, mountain, or c, massive? Pause the video and have a think about the answer.

Well done.

The correct answer is massive.

Massive is a synonym for the word colossal.

It's now time for your first task.

In this task, you have got the word colossal written in the middle of your word map.

And then you've got lots of words written around colossal.

Some of these words are synonyms. If it's a synonym, I'd like you to circle it.

And if it's a word pair, I'd like you to draw a line from colossal up to the word pair.

So if we looked at the first example in the top-left corner, statue, you've got to think is statue a synonym? And if it is, you would circle it.

If you thought it was a word pair, you would draw a line from colossal to statue to show that those words match together.

Pause the video and have a go at the first task.

Well done.

Let's have a look at the answers.

So first of all, the synonyms of colossal are massive, gigantic, and enormous.

That means all of the rest of these words are word pairs.

So let's read them aloud.

Colossal statue, colossal failure, colossal mountain, colossal waste, colossal mistake, colossal task, colossal squid, colossal bore, and colossal fortune.

Well done.

Now, I would like you to have a go at writing a sentence and use the word colossal.

So your sentence has got to include the word colossal.

Here are the word pairs to help you.

So, for example, you might choose colossal squid, and you might write a sentence about a colossal squid.

If you would like, there is a sentence scaffold that you could use to help you.

Here's the sentence scaffold.

Mrs. Wordsmith looked up and.

So if you want, you can complete that sentence.

Remember, you must use the word colossal in your sentence.

Pause the video and have a go at writing a sentence now.

Excellent.

Well done.

Here are two sentences that I wrote.

What a colossal failure that was! That's an exclamation with an exclamation mark at the end that starts with the word what.

And here's the sentence scaffold completed.

Mrs. Wordsmith looked up and stared in amazement at the colossal statue.

Both of my sentences include the new word colossal.

Well done for completing that task.

It's now time to look at our second big word.

So again, we'll start off by looking at this illustration very closely.

What can you see? Who is this character? How would you describe them? Pause the video and have a think about that now.

Okay, so I can see firstly that this is Plato the platypus.

Now I know that he loves food, but actually this illustration isn't about food.

But he looks very strong, doesn't he? The way his body is, his posture, the way he's standing.

He's holding a log and an axe.

I'm wondering if he's maybe going to be building something.

Hmm, I wonder what you thought.

So this word is robust.

I say, you say, robust.

Well done.

Robust is an adjective, and it means strong and tough, like something so hardy, it can't be hurt or broken.

Now Plato the platypus does look very robust here.

He looks strong and tough, and perhaps he's going to be building something strong and tough with that wood.

These words are synonyms of robust.

Strong, tough, sturdy, and solid.

So those words mean the same thing or nearly the same thing as robust.

And these words are word pairs.

A robust figure.

The figure is, it can be a number, but it also can be somebody's bodily shape.

A robust appearance.

So an appearance, how someone looks.

Plato looks like he has a robust appearance here.

A robust flavour.

Hmm, that's interesting.

Think about a really strong flavour.

Can you imagine a strong or robust flavour? And robust health.

If you had robust health, so strong, sturdy health, it means that it would probably be very difficult for you to get ill.

It means that you've got a good immune system.

And if lots of people are catching colds or sickness bugs, maybe you wouldn't catch it because your health is so robust.

So I would now like you to read those word pairs aloud.

Pause the video.

Off you go.

Excellent.

Well done.

Here are some more word pairs.

A robust appetite.

Have you met someone, or perhaps you have a robust appetite, a strong appetite? I think Plato definitely does.

A robust defence.

Perhaps that's what Plato is trying to build with that bit of wood.

He's perhaps building a robust defence.

Robust person.

So think about someone perhaps who you would describe as robust, someone strong and tough.

A robust barrier.

A robust barrier would be very hard to break down.

Okay, so just as before, could you now pause the video and say those word pairs aloud? Off you go.

Excellent.

Well done.

So a check for understanding.

Which of these words is a synonym for robust? Is it a, sturdy, b, barrier, or c, appetite? Pause the video and have a think about that now.

The correct answer is a, sturdy is a synonym for robust.

Okay, here's the next task.

So as before, you have got the word written in the middle, robust, and all the words around it are either synonyms or word pairs.

First, I would like you to circle the synonyms. Then I'd like you to draw a line from the word robust to each word pair.

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

Well done.

Let's go through the answers.

The synonyms for robust are strong, tough, sturdy, and solid.

That means all the other words are word pairs.

I'm gonna read them to you now.

A robust appetite, a robust figure, robust frame, robust appearance, robust defence, robust flavour, robust person, robust health.

Now, I would like you to write a sentence using the word robust.

Again, you can use the word pairs to help you.

For example, you might pick the word pair defence, a robust defence, and you might build your sentence around that.

Try to be really ambitious with your sentence.

Think about all the things you've learned in English, all the different sentence types you've learned, think about adding lots of detail, and try and really aim high with this second sentence that you're gonna write today.

If you want a little bit of help, here's a sentence stem that you could use.

Plato began collecting wood to build, mm.

So if you'd like, you could use that sentence starter and finish off that sentence.

So pause the video now while you have a go at this task.

Well done.

Here are some examples of some sentences using the word robust.

The children had a robust appetite because they had run for miles! Yes, if I do lots of exercise, I have a robust appetite.

And Plato began collecting wood to create his robust barrier so no one would be able to enter his home.

Well done for having a go at your sentences.

Perhaps you could just read them now and just check that they use the word robust correctly.

Well done.

For your next task, I would like you to fill in the missing word with either the word colossal or robust.

Think really carefully.

And before you choose, listen to both sentences so you can decide which word fits best in each sentence.

The first sentence is the mighty knights built a, mm, defence around their castle to protect it from their enemies.

So the word pair is defence.

Would you choose colossal or robust? The second sentence is Plato made a, mm, mistake when he put salt in the king's cake instead of sugar.

What kind of mistake might that be? How would you describe it? If you were making a cake for the king and you put salt in, it would taste so salty.

So which word goes in which gap? Pause the video and have a go at that task now.

Okay, well done.

So the correct answer is that mighty knights built a robust defence around their castle to protect it from their enemies.

Now, you may have noticed that actually, colossal does work in this sentence as well.

A defence could be colossal, but the most appropriate way to describe it would be robust.

And actually, if you did put colossal in that sentence, you might have then got to this sentence and realised that you can't have a robust mistake, so colossal had to fit here.

Plato made a colossal mistake when he realised he put salt in the king's cake instead of sugar.

So well done for completing that task.

So in today's lesson, we have learned two new adjectives to describe something that is big.

The first one we learned is colossal, which means massive or gigantic like a huge statue that makes you feel tiny in comparison.

And the second word we learned was robust, which means strong and tough like something so hardy, it can't be hurt or broken.

I really hope these two words will be useful in your writing, but also maybe you might describe something as colossal or robust over the next few days.

And I bet if you do, someone will be really, really impressed.

So well done for completing this lesson.

You've worked really hard.

If you would like, you can now have a go at the exit quiz.

Look forward to seeing you next time.

Bye.