Lesson video

Hello everyone.

I hope you're feeling really well today and ready for our learning.

My name's Mrs. Riley and I'll be teaching you today.

In our lesson today, we are going to be starting to think about a letter that we are going to write to the poet Joseph Coelho, who we've been learning about in this unit.

We are going to be writing a letter to him, which is really exciting.

And in today's lesson, we're going to be thinking about the things that we might like to include in our letter as well as looking at different features of letters.

So let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to generate a plan for a letter to be written to Joseph Coelho.

These are our key words today.

They are letter, sender, and recipient.

Can you try repeating those after me? My turn, your turn.

Are you ready? Letter.

Sender.

Recipient.

Well done.

A letter is a piece of writing that someone sends to someone else.

It may be typed or it might have been handwritten.

A sender is the person who wrote the letter and who is sending it.

And a recipient is the person who the letter is written to and who is receiving it.

So if the postman delivers a letter through your door, you are the recipient because you are receiving the letter.

In our lesson today, we have two learning cycles.

In the first learning cycle, we'll be focusing on the features of a letter and then we'll move on to generating a plan for the letter that we're going to write and send to Joseph Coelho.

So in this letter, we will be generating a plan for a letter.

A letter is a piece of writing that someone sends to someone else.

It is often in an envelope and by post.

Sorry, it is often sent in an envelope and by post, which is called mail.

So could you discuss, why do you think people write letters? Why do they write letters? Why wouldn't they just call someone up on the phone or send a text or an email? Why would someone write a letter? Could you pause the video while you discuss this with your partner? Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

So here are some reasons why someone might send a letter.

Perhaps you came up with some of these reasons with your partner.

So sometimes, it's to communicate thanks or information.

Imagine if you have received a present or went to a party and you wanted to write a letter to say thank you.

Or you're sending some information, some important information to someone.

Maybe it's to ask or answer some questions.

Perhaps it's to express emotions.

For example, if someone's having a really hard time, you might want to write a letter to say that you're thinking of them and feel really sorry to hear that they're having a difficult time.

Perhaps it's to maintain relationships and friendships.

Maybe you have someone who you don't get to see that often, so it's a way of keeping in touch with them.

Perhaps it's to provide a formal record, so something that you would keep in a special folder somewhere so you've got a formal record of an important piece of information.

So could you now discuss, have you ever sent a letter before, and if so, for what reason? Why did you send it? Pause the video and discuss that now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So let's check your understanding so far.

Which of these are a reason why a person might write a letter? A, to communicate information; B, to ask or answer questions; or C, to order food? Which of these are reasons why a person might write a letter? Pause the video and decide your answer now.

Okay, well done.

The correct answers are A, to communicate information, or B, to ask or answer questions.

When we're talking about letters and writing letters, there are some important words you need to know.

The sender is the person who wrote the letter and is sending it.

The recipient is the person who the letter is written to and is receiving it.

And an address is a location at which a person lives or receives mail.

Letters follow a specific structure and layout.

The layout of a text refers to the way the information is organised on the page.

The sender's name and address is at the top, on the right side.

So the first thing you were doing, if you were going to write someone a letter, is you would write your name, because you are the person sending the letter, and your address.

And what that means is that if they wanted to write back to you, they know your address so they can reply to the letter if they want to.

Then you write the date below the sender's address on the right, and that way, the person who's receiving the letter will know the date that you wrote it.

Because sometimes in the post, it can take a few days to get, or if it was in a different country, even longer.

So it's quite nice to know when you actually wrote the letter.

So you'd write your name, your address, and then the date.

And then, you would write the recipient's name and address.

So who's it going to and where do they live? And that would go below the date, but this time on the left side, so the different side of the page.

And then you would have a salutation or greeting below the recipient's address on the left-hand side.

That might be something like "Dear" if you were writing someone, "Dear mm." So let's check your understanding.

Could you match each layout feature to the number on the letter template to show where they should be positioned? So first, the sender's address.

Should that go in the position where number one is, number two, or number three? B, the recipient's address.

Where would that go? And finally, the date.

So you are going to match up A, B, and C with the numbers one, two, and three.

Pause the video while you do this now.

Okay, well done.

So number one would be the sender's address.

Number two would be, sorry, number three is the recipient's address.

And number two is the date.

So on the right-hand side we would have the sender's name and address, and then the date.

And then on the left-hand side, we'd have the recipient's address.

So for your first task, I would like you to fill in the missing words.

I'll read each sentence to you and go, "mm," when there is a blank, and you've got to think, what word would go in each missing place as I'm reading them? A person might write a letter to mm with someone else.

A letter is usually sent in an mm and mailed to someone.

It's a bit of a clue there 'cause it says an not a, so that word must start with a vowel.

The person sending the letter is called the mm.

The person who the letter is to is called the mm.

And finally, at the top of the letter on the right is the sender's mm.

So could you pause the video and see if you can fill in the missing words now? Okay, let's see how you got on.

So a person might write a letter to communicate with someone else.

A letter is usually sent in an envelope and mailed to someone.

The person sending the letter is called the sender.

The person who the letter is to is called the recipient.

And at the top of the letter on the right is the sender's address.

So we're now moving on to learning cycle two, where we are going to generate a plan for our letter.

So we've learned about the British poet, Joseph Coelho.

Could you discuss what information can you remember about him? Discuss with your partner to see how much you know.

So pause the video now and tell your partner everything you can remember about this poet, Joseph Coelho.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

Gosh, you remembered so many facts about Joseph Coelho.

So now let's revise some of the key information about him.

So Joseph Coelho was born in Roehampton, which is an area in southwest London.

He grew up during the 1980s and lived in a tower block with his mum and little sister.

So let's now hear how growing up in a tower block inspired his poetry.

And I want you to listen really carefully as Joseph Coelho talks about this because this might give you some inspiration of something that you would like to ask him about in your letter that you're going to write him.

So let's find out how growing up in a tower block inspired Joseph Coelho's poetry.

<v ->Growing up in a tower block has deeply inspired my poetry.

</v> When I was growing up, I would often get frustrated that I would never see homes like mine represented in books or in film or TV.

And so now that I'm a writer, it means that I can write about the places I grew up in, so I can write about council estates and blocks of flats, but I can also start to bring in the magic that I so enjoyed reading about when I was a kid.

I used to love reading things like "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis or "Five Children and It," where you've got groups of children discovering magical worlds, or indeed, magical creatures.

And so in my writing, I try and do that, bring the magic, but onto the estate into a slightly more urban environment because I think it's important that we all realise that we all have access to magic.

<v ->Okay, wow, isn't that interesting?</v> So which of these statements about Joseph Coelho as a child are true? A, Joseph loved reading the book "Five Children and It;" B, Joseph loved reading about magical worlds and creatures; C, Joseph found "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" boring; and D, Joseph was frustrated that there were no stories set in homes like his.

Could you pause the video and decide which of these statements are true? Okay, well done.

So A is true.

Joseph did love reading the book, "Five Children and It." He did love reading about magical worlds and creatures, so B is true.

C is not true because he said he loved "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," so he definitely didn't think it was boring.

And D is true, he was frustrated there were no stories set in homes like his.

He wanted everyone to know that they could access magic wherever they lived.

So A, B, and D were all true.

So that's a little bit about Joseph Coelho's childhood.

So moving on, as he got older, he went to university and he studied archaeology, which means learning about the past using ancient things that have been left behind.

For example, you might dig up an old ancient pot and you might learn about the people who made that pot and what their lives were like from discovering things.

Coelho continued to write his own poetry and he joined a performance poetry course which gave him the chance to write poems and share them on stage.

So even though he studied archaeology at university, he continued writing poems. Some of Joseph's poems made people laugh and he was asked to share his poems in schools.

He spent many years running workshops in schools and writing plays, and he slowly began to dream about becoming a published writer.

In 2014, his dream came true and Joseph Coelho had his very first poetry collection published.

It was called "Werewolf Club Rules" and he's been writing and performing his poetry ever since.

In 2022, Coelho received the prestigious title of Children's Laureate as he joined a long list of exceptional British writers to have held the position previously.

So which of these statements about Joseph Coelho are true? A, he lived in a tower block with his mum and sister; B, he became a poet while at university; C, he was appointed Children's Laureate in 2022; D, he studied poetry at university.

Which of these are true? Pause the video while you decide.

Okay, well done.

So A is true.

He did live in a tower block with his mum and sister.

But he didn't become a poet while at university, so B is not true.

C is true.

He was appointed Children's Laureate in 2022, which is a huge honour.

And D is not true because we know he studied archaeology at university.

So we're now going to hear Joseph answering some questions that we asked him in a letter.

So we wrote a letter to Joseph Coelho and asked him some questions that we wanted to find out, and these were his responses.

So the first question we asked is, what is your favourite poem you have written and why? Let's find out what he said.

<v ->My favourite poem that I've written is a very short poem.

</v> It goes like this.

"I know an aardvark.

He works in a prison as a guardvark.

He spends his whole day walking around the yardvark.

The work's not easy, it's very hardvark." Now that's my favourite poem because it took me ages to write.

It was like a bit of a challenge.

I had to find lots of words that could work with the word aardvark and there's not many words that work with aardvark or use that -ard ending.

And also, I wanted to tell a story using those words so it was like a double challenge.

So that's why it's my most favourite poem and why I enjoyed writing it.

<v ->Wow, I loved that poem.

</v> I hope you enjoyed that one.

The next question we asked him was, how long does it take you to write a poem? Let's see what he said.

<v ->Writing a poem can take anywhere from half an hour</v> to several months to several years.

But no matter how long it takes you to write that first draught of your poem, even if it just takes 10 minutes to write a first draught of a poem, you then have to edit and redraft your work.

That's something I always do.

And the editing and redrafting process is really where the poem comes into its own, where the poem becomes more concise, where the language becomes stronger.

And I will often edit and redraft a poem 10, 15, 20 times before I publish it.

So that's always part of the process, no matter how long it took for that first draught to come out.

And sometimes, a first draught of a poem does come very quickly.

Sometimes it does come out in half an hour.

You've got that first draught and think, "Yes, this is a poem." Sometimes it does take longer.

Sometimes I have to keep coming back to that first draught over days, weeks, or months before I feel like I've got something that, "Yes, there is a strong poem here," and then the editing and redrafting process begins.

<v ->Gosh, I can't believe it varies so much.

</v> You could write it really quickly or it could take years.

That's amazing.

And finally, we asked him, what particular poems sparked your passion for poetry and why did it spark that passion? So let's find out.

<v ->One of my favourite poems</v> is Walter de la Mare's "The Listeners," which is a very creepy poem.

I've always enjoyed creepy things.

But this poem describes a traveller travelling at night.

He comes up to an inn, like an old hotel, and he knocks on the door.

And the poem describes these beings inside that are listening.

It doesn't say what they are, whether they're ghosts or ghouls or villains.

But we just imagine these things inside listening to the traveller.

And the traveller ends up calling out into the darkness, "Tell them came, and no one answered," and then he rides off.

And I find it a very creepy poem, but I loved reading that as a kid.

I love reading it as an adult.

And that definitely inspired me to write poems and to write, especially creepy poems. <v ->Ah, okay.

</v> Do you like spooky poetry like Joseph Coelho? Hmm, I thought some of you might.

Okay, so let's check your understanding.

How long did Joseph Coelho say it takes to write a poem? Did he say A, it always takes between one and two hours; B, it can take any amount of time, from half an hour to several years; or C, did he say it always takes years? Pause the video and choose your answer now.

Well done.

The correct answer is B, Joseph Coelho said it can take any amount of time, from half an hour to several years.

We have read and responded to different poems by Joseph Coelho.

The poems we have read are "Miss Flotsam" that was inspired by all the teachers that he met when he worked in schools and teachers that he had when he was at school; "MORERAPS," which was an acrostic poem to help us remember all the poetic devices, like metaphor and onomatopoeia; "If All The World Were Paper," where we imagined if the world were made of paper and you could fold people up and put them in your pocket or paperclip families back together; and "I Am A Writer," which repeated that phrase, "I am the," and it used metaphors, like "I am the blade in a sharpener." So these are poems that we have read and responded to so we know these poems now really well.

And we're going to write a letter to Joseph Coelho.

And I would like you to discuss with your partner, what purpose might you have for writing a letter to Joseph Coelho? So we know a bit about him as a person.

And we know a bit about his poetry.

We've read some of his poetry and we've explored and looked closely at some of his poetry.

So what purpose might you have to write a letter to Joseph Coelho? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Okay, wow, I heard lots of different reasons why you might like to write him.

So maybe you want to write a letter to Joseph Coelho to praise his poetry and express how much you've enjoyed reading it.

Maybe you want to ask him questions about his life and career.

Perhaps you want to ask for advice about writing.

Maybe you would like to become a poet and so you'd like to ask him a question about how he became a poet.

Perhaps you want to share a personal experience related to his poetry.

Maybe you might say something, for example, like, "I always struggle to remember what a metaphor is and now your poem, 'MORERAPS,' will always help me to remember how to include a metaphor in my writing," so something, a personal experience that's linked to his poetry that you've read.

Perhaps you might want to request something, such as an autograph where he signs his name and you have that piece of paper that he has actually written himself.

So could you discuss now, what would you like to say in your letter to Joseph Coelho? Pause the video now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So which of these are possible reasons for writing to Joseph Coelho? A, to tell him about something unrelated to his poetry; B, to ask him questions about his life and career; or C, to request something such as an autograph? Pause the video while you decide your answer now.

Okay, well done.

The correct answers are B, you might want to ask him questions about his life and career, or C, you might want to request something, such as an autograph.

We're not going to tell him about something unrelated to his poetry.

We want to try and keep it relevant to his poetry, which is what we've been learning about.

So it's time for your final task.

And in this task, you're going to write down ideas for your letter to Joseph Coelho.

And if you have a different reason for writing, you can also add that in.

So you've got this table here to help you.

And you can see on the left column, there are reasons for writing.

So for instance, you might want to praise his poetry and then you can write your idea in there.

So, for example, you might say that you loved "MORERAPS" and his poetry is so creative.

The next one is ask him a question.

So you might want to write, in note form, it doesn't need to be in a full sentence, a question that you might like to ask him.

The next one is ask for advice.

So again, in note form you could ask if there was any advice you wanted to include in your letter.

The next one is personal experience.

So maybe it was that you could really relate to something in one of his poems, perhaps the poem, "Miss Flotsam." You might want to tell him that it really made you appreciate how lovely your teacher is.

And then finally, you might want to request something from him, like an autograph.

And if you have another reason for writing, as I mentioned earlier, you could just add an extra row into your table and add that in as well.

This is a plan to help you with your letter, so when you come to writing your letter, you will have all of your ideas ready.

They'll be in note form and then you can take them and turn them into full sentences.

So I hope you enjoy this task and filling in this table with some ideas for your letter you're going to write to Joseph Coelho.

Pause the video while you complete this task now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Well done.

Here's an example of how your table might look.

So praise his poetry.

Loved "MORERAPS," your poetry is so creative.

Remember this is just a note form.

Ask him questions.

How do you get your ideas? Who inspired you? Ask for advice.

How can I become a writer? Personal experience.

I've read "If All The World Were Paper" and I felt emotional.

And request something.

I would love an autograph.

So I can then use this plan to write my letter.

I've already got my ideas and then I can turn it into a proper letter that I can send to Joseph Coelho.

So let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've learned that a letter is a piece of writing that someone sends to someone else.

There are many different reasons why a person may write and send a letter.

The sender is the person who wrote the letter and is sending it.

The recipient is the person who the letter is written to and is receiving it.

And letters follow a specific structure and layout.

So hopefully, you've got some really good ideas for your letter to Joseph Coelho, but also, you feel a bit more confident now about letter writing.

And if you are going to write a letter, you now know the structure and the layout of what that letter should look like.

Next time you see some post coming through your door, perhaps you could ask your parent or carer if you could have a look at it and you could see if you can spot any of the features of letters that we've mentioned today.

Thank you for all your hard work, and hopefully I'll see you for some more learning another time.