Lesson video

Hello everyone.

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

I'm really excited for our learning today because we are going to be looking at poetry together.

We are going to be looking in particular at one poem and we are going to explore it and read it.

And I really hope you enjoy this poem as much as I do.

Let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

These are our key words for our lesson today.

That means they're going to be really important.

So let's start off by saying each one aloud.

My turn, your turn.

Are you ready? Theme and alliteration.

And again, alliteration.

Well done.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.

So you might read a poem and then ask yourself, what are the themes of that poem? What are the big ideas or messages? The next key word alliteration is the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

So if lots of words close together, start with the same sound, it's called alliteration.

And we're going to see some examples of alliteration in today's poem.

So today we'll be reading and responding to Miss Flotsam by Joseph Coelho.

First we're going to have an introduction to the poem and the poet, so the person who wrote the poem.

And then we're going to explore the poem in even more detail.

So let's start off with our first learning cycle, an introduction to the poem and poet.

In this unit, and in today's lesson, we'll be exploring the poetry of Joseph Coelho.

Here's a summary of what we already know about Joseph Coelho.

He grew up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mother and sister, and Roehampton is in London.

He wrote his first poem in year eight and kept writing from then on.

He studied archaeology at university and spent two years in Peru.

Archaeology is where you dig up ancient artefacts and learn about the past from looking at them and studying them closely.

He attended a poetry course and shared some of his poems on stage.

He spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays.

In 2014, his first poetry book, "Werewolf Club Rules," was published.

In 2022, he was appointed Children's Laureate, which is a really big honour.

So let's check our understanding so far.

Which of these statements about Joseph Coelho are true.

A, he grew up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mother and sister.

B, he worked as a teacher before becoming a poet.

C, he spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays.

So which of these statements about Joseph Coelho are true? Pause the video and decide your answer now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So the correct answers are A and C.

He grew up in a tower block in Roehampton with his mom and sister, and he spent years running poetry workshops in schools and writing plays.

But he wasn't a teacher even though he'd spent lots of time in schools, he wasn't actually a teacher.

Joseph Coelho's poems for children are easy to read and engaging with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.

He often explores the following themes, oh, there's that key word, a theme, and a sort of key idea or message, identity, family, friendship and imagination, and the power of storytelling.

So these are key themes that Joseph Coelho often explores in his poems. In today's lesson, we'll be reading and responding to a poem taken from his first published collection of poems, "Werewolf Club Rules." In this collection of poems, Coelho includes poems written about school and family life.

And he demonstrates a delight in language and an ambitious use of words.

So he really celebrates in all these poems in this collection, a delight in language and ambitious use of words.

So some of the words that we read in these poems might seem, we might not know what they mean, but that's okay because hopefully we can learn some new words as we read his poems. The book was received extremely well.

And even one prestigious CLiPPA, which stands for Centre for Literacy and Primary Poetry Award in 2015.

So this collection of poems won an award because people loved it so much.

So let's find out a little bit more about this collection of poems from Joseph Coelho himself.

<v ->Hello, this is my book, "Werewolf Club Rules."</v> It's a poetry collection.

It was my book to ever get published back in 2014.

All the illustrations, including the cover, are by a wonderful illustrator called John O'Leary.

It's called "Werewolf Club Rules," because when I started out writing for kids, I was doing a lot of work in schools and there was a game that I would sometimes play with the children called Werewolf Club Rules, where we would create a poem by imagining the rules for a club for werewolves.

And I thought that would make a great title for a collection of poems. The themes of this poem include things like growing up, school, feelings and emotions.

When I was writing this book, I really did think back to when I was a kid and the different experiences I was having at home and at school.

So there's a lot of things about growing up in this book.

<v ->Okay, so which of the following are themes</v> in the collection of poems "Werewolf Club Rules?" A, travelling, B, growing up, C, becoming a parent, or D, feelings and emotions.

Pause the video and decide your answer.

Okay, well done if you identified that the correct themes are, growing up and feelings and emotions.

So I would like you to discuss now before we read the poem, "Miss Flotsam," what does the title Miss Flotsam make you think of? What words or images come to your mind? Can you pause the video and discuss that now with your partner? Okay, let's come back together.

Maybe you said something like this.

"It makes me think the poem is going to be about a school teacher called Miss Flotsam." Maybe you said, "I imagine the poem will be about Joseph Coelho's favourite teacher from his time at school.

I think she is going to be kind and inspiring." Okay, well let's find out, shall we? So these positives are, do you think these are positive or negative images? So when you hear the title "Miss Flotsam," does it make you have a positive image or a negative image? Just take a moment to think about that now.

Perhaps we're all different.

Perhaps some of you think it's going to be a positive poem.

And Miss Flotsam's going to be a really kind person.

Perhaps some of you think Miss Flotsam is going to be a really mean teacher.

Who knows? So now it's time to read the poem, "Miss Flotsam." This poem is available in the additional materials.

So I would like you to read the poem out loud with a partner, reading one verse each and then swapping.

Once you've read the poem, we will discuss our initial responses to it.

An initial is your first, your kind of the first things that you think after reading the poem.

You might talk about whether you liked the poem, and why or why not.

And you might also discuss if it made you think about anything in particular.

So could you pause the video now while you read it with a partner, one verse each, and then discuss your response to the poem.

Okay, let's come back together.

I hope you enjoyed reading that poem together.

So I'm now going to give my initial response to the poem.

I'm going to think about what I liked about it and if I had any questions about it.

And then you are going to do the same thing.

So let me have a think.

Well, I really liked this poem.

I liked the way how it describes Miss Flotsam in such a positive way.

She seemed like an amazing teacher.

And I would like to know if Miss Flotsam did actually let him sleep through lessons.

That was a question I had when it said it let him sleep through right until the bell went at the end of the day.

I wonder if that was actually something true that happened.

So it's your turn now to discuss your initial response to the poem.

What did you like about it? Do you have any questions about it? Pause the video while you discuss that with a partner now.

Okay, well done, let's come back together.

So we're going to now explore what happens in the poem.

So I'm going to read each verse to you.

A verse is like a section of verse or a stanza like a section of the poem.

And then we are going to kind of break down what each verse is about.

So here's verse one.

Miss Flotsam was my reception teacher.

So when you start school, you start in reception.

So that's the teacher from the, your very first ever teacher you would have at school.

So Miss Flotsam was my reception teacher.

She had travelled the world, brown hair turned golden under distant suns, clothes carrying colours from countless corners of continents.

Okay, isn't that lovely? What a lovely verse.

So the poem begins by introducing Miss Flotsam, the speaker, so the person who's speaking in the poem's reception teacher, and she's described as having a well-traveled background and a diverse wardrobe.

She's got colourful clothes from all the different places that she's visited.

So here's verse two.

When my mother's face spilled a gush of adolescent tears at the school gates, Miss Flotsam soaked up the drops in Peruvian alpaca, caught splashes in Himalayan singing bowls, let sobs fall on Indonesian Gamelans.

Okay, so the second verse recounts an emotional moment at the school gates when the speaker's mother cried and Miss Flotsam comforted her using items from her travels all over the world like Peruvian alpaca.

An alpaca's an animal, a bit like a sort of big sheep or goat.

And the alpaca you often use the sort of wool to make a snuggly jumper.

So the Miss Flotsam soaked up the tears in her snuggly jumper.

So verse three, Miss Flotsam had flown through air pockets in jumbo jets, sailed the seven seas in opposite directions, cycled through cyclones with dengue fever, soothed mothers when their hearts heaved.

So this verse continues to describe Miss Flotsam's extensive travels, including flying in jumbo jets and sailing the seven seas.

Her kindness is also emphasised that she soothed other people's hearts.

Verse four, when the bully punched me for being too brown, Miss Flotsam glared at him with an eye that could turn fists into begging bowls.

So the speaker now tells us about a time when they were being bullied at school and somebody hit them because of the colour of their skin.

The speaker says how Miss Flotsam stepped in and gave the bully a stern glare.

This shows her protective and supportive nature.

Verse five, when my mother was late, the chairs upturned on the desks.

Miss Flotsam read to me stories of imperfect families and unexpected heroes.

So when the speaker's mum was late to pick them up, Miss Flotsam remained caring and read stories to the speaker, comforting them.

Verse six, when I dozed in class, Miss Flotsam let me sleep through maths, through lunch, through the tuk-tuk traffic, through the home-time bell.

The speaker here recalls how when they were tired in school, Miss Flotsam allowed them to rest.

This demonstrates her understanding and her patience.

Verse seven, when I was naughty, Miss Flotsam told me off, asked of the disasters destroying my home and placed sandbags around my lies.

So here the speaker describes how if they misbehaved, Miss Flotsam would address the issue.

So she would still tell you off, she's not, she wouldn't just ignore it.

But the verse goes on to say that she would ask about difficult situations in the speaker's home life and care for them even if they lied about it.

So Miss Flotsam's kind of trying to work out, perhaps you did something naughty because something was actually going on at home and she tried to address that and ask questions.

Verse eight, the final verse.

Miss Flotsam had climbed peaks circled by vultures, waded rivers with unseen bottoms, brought ugly fruits in dusty languages in foreign markets, spoke to parents in dialects they could understand, sang to pupils in rhythms they could bear.

So this final verse highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

It reflects her adaptability and inclusive approach to teaching.

So let's see if you can put the following events that occur in the poem in order.

So A, the speaker highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

B, the speaker recalls an emotional moment at the school gates when Miss Flotsam comforts their mom.

And C, the speaker tells us about a time when they were being bullied at school and Miss Flotsam in to support them.

So if you want, you can refer to the poem, but can you put these in order that they occur in the poem? Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

So the first event that occurs is B.

The speaker recalls an emotional moment when Miss Flotsam comforts a mother.

The next one is C.

The speaker tells us about a time when they were being bullied.

And then A, the speaker highlights Miss Flotsam's ability to connect with children from different backgrounds and cultures.

Okay, so we now have a chance to watch Joseph Coelho himself perform the poem "Miss Flotsam." So sit back and relax and enjoy watching this performance.

<v ->"Miss Flotsam" is a poem inspired</v> by all the wonderful teachers I had when growing up and the fantastic teachers I've had the pleasure of meeting as an adult when I go into schools and do author visits.

"Miss Flotsam.

Miss Flotsam was my reception teacher.

She had travelled the world.

Brown hair turned golden under distant suns, clothes carrying colours from countless corners of continents.

When my mother's face spilled a gush of adolescent tears at the school gates, Miss Flotsam soaked up the drops in Peruvian alpaca caught splashes in Himalayan singing bowls.

Let sobs fall on Indonesian gamelans.

Miss Flotsam had flown through air pockets in jumbo jets, sailed the seven seas in opposite directions, cycled through cyclones with dengue fever, soothed mothers when their hearts heaved.

When the bully punched me for being too brown, Miss Flotsam glared at him with an eye that could turn fists into begging bowls.

When my mother was late, the chairs upturned on the desks, Miss Flotsam read to me stories of imperfect families and unexpected heroes.

When I dozed in class, Miss Flotsam let me sleep through maths, through lunch, through the tuk-tuk traffic, through the home-time bell.

When I was naughty, Miss Flotsam told me off, asked of the disasters destroying my home and placed sandbags around my lies.

Miss Flotsam had climbed peaks circled by vultures, waded rivers with unseen bottoms, bought ugly fruits in dusty languages in foreign markets, spoke to parents in dialects they could understand, sang to pupils in rhythms they could bear." <v ->Okay, so I would like you to with a partner,</v> discuss how did this poem make you feel? And remember, all our personal responses to the poem will be different because we are all unique.

So pause the video and discuss with your partner now how that poem made you feel.

Okay, let's come back together.

So maybe you said something like this.

This poem made me think about what a wonderful teacher Miss Flotsam is.

She sounds really kind and understanding.

Maybe you said this poem made me feel proud to have my own great teacher who's like Miss Flotsam in lots of ways.

So it's time for your first task and in this task you are going to refer to the poem and discuss these questions with your partner.

Did the poem remind you of any teachers you've been taught by before and describe how.

What things described in the poem made Miss Flotsam so special? Has there been anything that a teacher has done for you before that you would include if you were writing a poem about them? For example, I had a teacher when I was at school called Miss Neil.

And actually when I first had her as my teacher, I always thought she was quite strict and I was a little bit frightened of her.

But one day I brought in, I had this little China doll and I brought it in to show my friends and I was so upset because it smashed and the doll's face smashed.

And my teacher, Miss Neil, took it home and she glued it so carefully back together and bought it in for me the next day.

And I realised that actually Miss Neil might have come across as being a little bit stern, but in fact she had a really kind heart.

So that's something that if I was writing a poem about a teacher, I would include.

So is there anything, an example, do you have an example like that, that you would want to include if you were writing a poem about a teacher? So here's a scaffold you might say the poem reminded me of mm, because, or maybe Miss Flotsam sounded so special because.

So pause the video now while you complete this task.

Okay, let's come back together.

Here's an example of what you might have said.

"The poem reminded me of my teacher because he also loves to travel around the world and shows us interesting things he brings back!" Maybe you said, "Miss Flotsam sounded so special because she went above and beyond for the speaker.

For example, she read him stories when his mum was late to pick him up." Maybe you said, "In my own poem about my teacher, I would include the time that they comforted me when I fell over during a race on sports day." So it's time for our second learning cycle now.

Exploring the poem.

A theme that was our key word is a big idea, topic, or message that recurs within a text.

Joseph Coelho's poems often explore personal experiences.

And this means he's writing poetry using real events from his own life as inspiration.

Some themes in this poem include kindness, diversity, and relationships.

Coelho uses the themes within the poem to make the reader think and feel a certain way.

Joseph Coelho is often asked about where he gets his ideas from for his poetry.

Being a children's writer, he often thinks back to his own childhood and uses those experiences to inspire his poetry.

The poem, "Miss Flotsam," is inspired by the fantastic teachers he had growing up and also the teachers he's met while working in schools as an adult doing workshops.

So who inspired Joseph Coelho to write the poem "Miss Flotsam?" A, his teachers growing up, B, his mother, or C, teachers he has met when working in schools as an adult.

Pause the video and choose your answer or answers.

Well done, the answers are A and C.

His teachers growing up and teachers he met when he was working in schools as an adult.

So how do you think Joseph Coelho feels about the teachers he had growing up? I would like you to reread the poem and discuss what evidence from the text can use to form your opinion.

So you might say, I think he felt mm about his teachers growing up because in the poem he says this.

So you are using the poem to provide evidence to back up your opinion.

Pause the video while you do that now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Here's an example of what you might have said.

"I think he admires and respects the teachers he had growing up because the teacher in his poem, Miss Flotsam is such a compassionate and diverse person.

I know this as in the poem, she makes the effort to support the speaker's mother when she's upset." A poetic technique that is used by Joseph Coelho in his poem, "Miss Flotsam" is, it's our key word, alliteration.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

Joseph Coelho uses alliteration in the first verse of the poem by including lots of words which start with the same sound.

Let's have a look.

Clothes, colours, countless, continents.

All of them start with what sound? That's right, they all start with the C sound.

Here it is in the verse.

Brown hair turned golden under distant suns, clothes carrying colours from countless corners of continents.

So we can see there the alliteration that he uses.

He's not just done that by accident.

He's done that on purpose.

He's purposefully included alliteration, that repetition of that C sound.

And this alliteration can be used by poets to create a rhythmic or musical quality in the poem.

So that's why he's chosen to include alliteration in that verse.

It can also be used to emphasise key themes and draw the reader's attention to important parts of a poem.

Coelho uses alliteration in the first verse to emphasise how important travelling is to Miss Flotsam.

He wants the reader's attention so they understand this is a key part of Miss Flotsam's personality.

So let's watch and listen to Joseph Coelho performing "Miss Flotsam" again.

And as you're watching it this time, see if you can spot any more alliteration.

<v ->"Miss Flotsam was my reception teacher.

</v> She had travelled the world.

Brown hair turned golden under distant suns, clothes carrying colours from countless corners of continents.

When my mother's face spilled a gush of adolescent tears at the school gates, Miss Flotsam soaked up the drops in Peruvian alpaca, caught splashes in Himalayan singing bowls.

Let sobs fall on Indonesian gamelans.

Miss Flotsam had flown through air pockets in jumbo jets, sailed the seven seas in opposite directions, cycled through cyclones with dengue fever, soothed mothers when their hearts heaved.

When the bully punched me for being too brown, Miss Flotsam glared at him with an eye that could turn fists into begging bowls.

When my mother was late, the chairs upturned on the desks.

Miss Flotsam read to me stories of imperfect families and unexpected heroes.

When I dozed in class, Miss Flotsam let me sleep through maths, through lunch, through the tuk-tuk traffic, through the home-time bell.

When I was naughty, Miss Flotsam told me off, asked of the disasters destroying my home and placed sandbags around my lies.

Miss Flotsam had climbed peaks circled by vultures, waded rivers with unseen bottoms, bought ugly fruits in dusty languages in foreign markets.

Spoke to parents in dialects they could understand, sang to pupils in rhythms they could bear." <v ->Okay, let's come back together.

</v> So what is the name for the poetic technique in which a writer selects words that have the same sound at the start? A, repetition, B, personification, or C, alliteration? Pause the video and choose your answer.

Well done, it is C, alliteration.

Joseph Coelho wrote another poem called "Greyfriars Bobby." It's about a dog who accompanied his police officer master wherever he went.

And after his owner died, it was rumoured that the dog who's called Greyfriar's Bobby, kept guard on his grave for 14 years.

The dog stayed on his grave for 14 years.

We're going to watch and listen to Joseph Coelho performing "Greyfriar's Bobby." And I want you to see if in this poem you can spot any alliteration.

<v ->This poem is called "Greyfriar's Bobby."</v> Now in Edinburgh during the 1800s, there was a Skye Terrier dog who accompanied his police officer master wherever he went.

After his master died, Greyfriar's Bobby kept guard on his grave for 14 years or so it is rumoured.

This poem is all about that dog.

"John Grey would hunker through Scotland's stormed streets face pressed by stone, wind, a mop of bark's dog, a yap at heels stray.

The copper's canine always together come hail or halos through Scotland stormed streets through rain, through stone wind, through tongues of wet flint, two friends eroded.

John Grey would hunker into his coughing face pressed by satin, a sad of bark's dog found slumped on Gray's grave, the copper's canine alone he stays there come hail or halos on Scotland stormed stone through rain, through inked wind, through tales unfolding entombed by fiction." <v ->Okay, well maybe you spotted some alliteration.

</v> Perhaps you spotted it in this example, Scotland's stormed streets.

Could you discuss now what effect does that alliteration have used in those words, Scotland's stormed streets have? Pause the video and discuss that now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So we're going to read "Miss Flotsam" out loud with a partner.

Before we do that, let's hear what Joseph Coelho's top tips are for performing this poem.

<v ->Here are some tips if you're going to have a go</v> at performing my poem, "Miss Flotsam." Now the poem, "Miss Flotsam," is about a wonderful teacher and there are lots of action words, lots of verbs in there, things about travelling, about flying, about cycling.

So maybe you can embody some of those actions.

So bring some of those actions to life.

It's also quite an emotional poem.

It can have moments of brightness, but also moments of sadness as well.

So I think when you are reading the poem, really try and connect to the emotions of the different stanzas, the different verses of the poem.

And see if you can bring out that emotion through your voice and also through your facial expression.

I think that will help make the performance of the poem ace.

<v ->Okay, so Joseph Coelho said it would be nice</v> to bring some actions in and also try to convey some emotions.

So could you discuss with your partner ahead of reading the poem now, what actions could you bring to life when you read this poem? And what emotions will you try to show or convey when you read the poem? Discuss that now with your partner, pause the video.

Wow, you've got so many good ideas.

I can't wait to see you read the poem in a moment.

So maybe you said, "I'll add an action when I read the actions dozed and climbed," and "I will try to show sadness when I read the verse about the bully." So it's time for your second and final task.

You are going to read the poem, "Miss Flotsam" out loud to a partner.

I'd like you to try to use actions where you can, like Joseph Coelho suggested.

I also want you to think about the emotion you are trying to convey at different points in the poem.

Use your voice to emphasise the alliteration Coelho uses in the first verse, all of those C sounds.

And this will help your partner clearly understand that a love for travel is a key part of Miss Flotsam's personality.

And remember, always read in a loud, clear voice so your partner can hear every word you say.

I hope you enjoy reading this poem now and really try to think about your emotions, your actions, and emphasising that alliteration.

Pause the video while you complete this task now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Let's just reflect on how we read the poem.

Did you use any actions? Did you remember to show some emotion? Did you use the alliteration in the poem to emphasise important parts? And did you read loudly and clearly? Just take a moment to reflect on all those things.

And is there something you think you did really well at? Is there something that maybe next time you might try and improve on a little bit? Just take a moment to reflect now.

Okay, well done.

It's really important to always reflect on our learning.

So perhaps you might have thought, I emphasised the C sound at the start of lots of words at the end of the first verse.

That's something I think I did really well and this drew my partner's attention to the important part.

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

Joseph Coelho's poems for children are easy to read and engaging with playful rhythms and subjects that young readers can relate to.

Joseph Coelho often writes poems about his personal experiences.

The poem, "Miss Flotsam" is inspired by the teachers that Coelho had when growing up and teachers he's met as an adult.

The poem depicts Miss Flotsam as a kind, understanding, and caring teacher who has an inclusive approach to teaching.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

So well done for all your hard work today.

Perhaps moving forward, you might see if you can spot any other examples of alliteration in books or poems you are reading.

And maybe this lesson has inspired you to go and write a poem about a teacher that is really important to you.

Hopefully I'll see you for some more learning another time.