Lesson video

Hi, everybody.

It's Ms. Gardner.

Welcome to your next lesson from our unit "The BFG": Reading and Narrative Writing.

Today's a really exciting lesson.

We're going to be carrying on planning our opening scene.

So for this lesson, you will need access to the 1989 film version of "The BFG." So if you need to, you can pause the video now to make sure that you've got it.

Okay, great.

Hopefully we've all got access to the film, which means we are ready to get started with today's lesson.

Let's get going.

In today's lesson, for my unit "The BFG": Narrative Writing, we are continuing planning our opening scene.

So your learning outcome is: I can plan the second part of an opening of a narrative based on "The BFG." So let's start by looking at the keywords.

We'll do my turn, your turn.

Plan.

A plan is a framework that writers create before they write a section or a whole text.

Fronted adverbial, that is a sentence followed by a comma.

Notes.

Notes are written out of full sentences.

Ambitious vocabulary, that is high-level language in writing that meets the text's purpose.

And show-not-tell, that means showing a character's feelings by describing their body language and their facial expressions.

So there are two sections of our lesson today.

In the first we'll be preparing to plan, so generating vocabulary that we can include in our plan, and then we'll be writing the plan.

So let's start with preparing to plan.

"The BFG" can be structured like this: an opening, a buildup, a climax, and then the resolution.

In this lesson, we are planning the opening, but this time, part two.

The purpose of the opening is to do all of these: engage the reader, hook them in, make them want to carry on reading or watching, introduce the characters, and introduce the setting.

In the opening of "The BFG," we are introduced to all of these: the settings, so the orphanage at nighttime where Sophie lives and the village where the orphanage is; and also the main characters, so we meet Sophie for the first time and we also meet "The BFG" for the first time.

We don't get to know much about "The BFG" because by the end of the opening it's just this mysterious figure, but we still are introduced to it for the first time.

So checking for understanding.

The purpose of the opening is: A, to solve a problem; B, to introduce the characters; C, to build up tension; or D, to introduce the setting? Pause the video now.

That's right.

It is B and D.

Well done.

When we plan, we log precise and ambitious vocabulary to help us paint vivid pictures for our reader.

So we must include precise verbs and adjectives, adverbs, and a range of nouns.

In the opening, we're setting the scene, so we can also use fronted adverbials of place and time to help do this.

So just checking for understanding.

Which of these will not be in our plan? A, verbs and adverbs; B, adjectives and nouns; or C, a list of punctuation.

Pause the video now That is C.

We don't need to include punctuation on our plan.

What we do want to include is lots of ambitious vocabulary.

Well done.

So it is time to watch part two of the opening.

You need to watch part two of the opening so that we know what this section of "The BFG" contains so that we can write about it in our narrative.

So watch from the moment that Sophie began walking towards the window up to the moment when Sophie saw that mysterious figure.

Pause the video now and off you go.

Okay, let's review the key moments of the opening in chronological order so that we're really confident with exactly what happens.

So firstly, Sophie walked to the window, then Mrs. Clonkers shouted at Sophie.

Mrs. Clonkers is the woman who owns the orphanage.

Three, Sophie opened the window and she looked out the street.

And four, Sophie saw the mysterious figure.

So let's just check our understanding.

Put the key moments of the opening, part two, in order, numbering them one, two, three, and four.

Pause video now and off you go.

Okay, so number one was Sophie walked to the window.

Number two, Mrs. Clonkers shouted at Sophie.

Number three, Sophie opened the window and she looked out to the street.

Four, Sophie saw the mysterious figure.

So we are going to be describing these moments in a lot more detail when it comes to us writing the narrative.

So we need to generate precise and ambitious vocabulary to describe each moment in vivid detail.

So that includes nouns, which are people, places, things; adjectives to describe the nouns; verbs, which are doing, being, or having words; and adverbs, which describe the verbs.

So let's look at the first moment in more detail.

Sophie walked to the window and Mrs. Clonkers shouted.

In a moment, you can pause this video and re-Watch the clip again.

And I want you to think about what you can see and also what can you hear.

Then you can generate some adjectives, verbs, and adverbs to describe this moment in vivid detail.

So pause the video now and off you go.

Okay.

So here are some of the ambitious vocabulary that I thought would be great to include in our plan in our writing.

Describe Sophie as the courageous girl.

Courageous means really brave.

She quietly tiptoed because she doesn't want to wake anyone up.

So tiptoeing is how you walk if you want to be really quiet.

She edged carefully.

Again, another way to describe how she moved.

She edged across the floorboards.

And then out in the hallway a bright light switched on.

She was on the creaking floorboards that.

You can hear that, almost, in the clip when you watch it back, the sound of those creaking floorboards.

And Mrs. Clonkers, outside in the hallway, she bellowed, she shouted furiously because she was really angry that someone had got out of bed.

So we can use show-not-tell language to describe Sophie's emotions when she heard Mrs. Clonkers shouting.

So she was probably really scared because she's been caught.

And we know from the book that they get punished if they are caught.

So we don't want to just say, though, she was scared because that's not that interesting or engaging for the reader.

So show me what your body language or your facial expressions are like when you are scared.

Pause the video now.

Okay, so maybe we can describe Sophie as frozen in fear.

She froze, she stopped 'cause she was so scared.

She trembled like a leaf; her hands were trembling, her legs were trembling.

Or her heart pounded in her chest.

All of these show-not language descriptions describe just how scared Sophie was, but in a much more engaging way than just saying she was scared.

So checking for understanding.

Which verbs would you use to describe how Sophie moved towards the window? A, she sprinted; B, she edged; C, she stomped; or D, she tiptoed.

Pause the video now.

Okay, we can say she edged or she tiptoed.

Both of these are really quiet movements and really slow, careful movements because she doesn't want to wake anyone up.

Well done.

Let's now look at the next moment in more detail.

And again, we need to generate adjectives, verbs, and adverbs to describe this moment, how Sophie looked out of the window.

So if you need to, you can pause the video and re-watch the clip, thinking about what you can see and what you can hear.

Pause the video now and off you go.

Okay.

So here are some of the ideas that I've come up with.

She crept bravely.

Again, another way to describe how she was moving.

She hesitantly opened.

So she didn't open it really quickly and confidently.

She was like, "Should I do this?" So she was hesitant.

The dusty, old curtains that she opened.

She cautiously lifted the window.

She was careful, nervous.

She anxiously peered.

Peered is another word for looked, 'cause she's just peering out of the window.

And she curiously glanced.

Glanced, again, another word for looked.

And she's curious, she wants to know what's happening.

So, again, we can use show-not-tell language to describe Sophie's emotions when she's staring out of the window.

She was becoming more and more nervous, wasn't she? She senses that something's not right, that something feels a bit different.

She's starting to see something that doesn't, that looks a bit mysterious.

So she's becoming more nervous.

But instead of saying that, let's describe her body language and her facial expressions.

So show me your body language and facial expressions when you are feeling a little bit nervous or anxious.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

Well done.

So maybe we can describe Sophie as gulping in fear.

She, (gulps) that noise you make when you're a little bit nervous.

Her palms were sweating, they're getting a bit sticky and clammy 'cause she's nervous.

Or she clenched her fists.

Well done.

So we'll try and think about how we can include this show-not-tell language in our plan later on.

But first, checking for understanding.

Which verb and adverb would you use to describe how Sophie looked through the window? A, stared furiously; B, appeared nervously; or C, glared sadly.

Pause the video now.

Okay, so we can say Sophie peered nervously out of the window.

She's a bit anxious about what she might see.

Well done.

So now let's look at the next moment in more detail.

And again, we want to generate adjective, verbs, and adverbs to describe this moment when Sophie saw the mysterious figure.

So re-watch the clip again and think about what you can see and what you can hear.

Pause video now and off you go.

Okay.

So here are some ideas that I've come up with.

Something caught her eye.

She frantically tore open the curtains.

We could see that in the film.

She was really quick and panicked.

We see the colossal silhouette.

Colossal means huge.

And then the silhouette is the outline of the figure.

We don't see lots of details on its face or its body, it's just the silhouette.

It was a petrifying figure, really scary.

It had this hood, you couldn't see its face, so it's very scary.

Again, the weather was really.

We can describe the weather to create a scary atmosphere, the raging thunder.

And the figure was towering in the darkness.

Again, we can use show-not-tell language to describe Sophie's emotions when she saw that figure.

So she was shocked and she was terrified.

But instead of just saying that, let's describe her body language and her facial expressions.

So pause the video now and show me what your body language and facial expressions looks like when you are shocked or terrified.

Pause the video.

Okay, well done, everybody.

So we could say that she shrieked in terror, she screamed, her eyes widened because she's so shocked by what she's seen, or her jaw dropped.

(gaps) Often your jaw drops if you are in shock.

Okay, again, we'll think about how we can include this in our writing later in the lesson.

Well done.

So checking for understanding.

Which sentence appropriately describes how Sophie felt when she saw the mysterious figure? A, her eyes were ringing with tears; B, her eyes widened in terror; or C, a smile spread across her face.

Pause the video now.

That's right.

It was B.

A, her eyes would bring me with tears.

She's not upset.

That's not quite right.

And C, she's not smiling, she's not happy.

So B, her eyes widened in terror to show how shocked she was.

Well done.

So we can use fronted adverbials to describe each moment in detail and add extra information for the reader.

So in narrative writing, we can use these types of fronted adverbials: fronted adverbials of time, which tell the reader when an action is taking place; fronted adverbials of place, which tell the reader where an action is taking place; and fronted adverbials of manner, which tell the reader how an action is taking place.

Let's have a look at some examples.

Moments later, suddenly: these are all fronted adverbials of time.

In the eerie, dim streets; in the quiet hallway: fronted adverbials of place.

Cautiously, bravely: these are all fronted adverbials of manner.

So we'll be thinking about including these fronted adverbials in our plan.

So just checking for understanding.

Which fronted adverbials would you find in narrative writing? A, fronted adverbials of cause; B, fronted adverbials time, place, and manner; C, formal fronted adverbials; or D, viewpoint fronted adverbials.

Pause the video now.

That's right.

It is B.

We use fronted adverbials of time, place, and manner in narrative writing.

The other types of fronted adverbials are more formal, and you'd find them in nonfiction texts.

Well done.

So it's time for task A.

You need to fill in the blanks with the ambitious vocabulary below.

Here are the sentences.

And here are your words from your word bank: creaking, bellowed, hesitantly, and edged.

I'm going to read the sentences now.

And as I'm reading them, you can be thinking about which word you think is the most appropriate to fill in the blanks in each sentence.

Moments later, the brave girls stealthily blank across the blank floorboards.

Suddenly, a bright light switched on in the quiet hallway as Mrs. Conkers blank furiously.

She froze in fear Bravely, the girl blank opened the dusty, old curtains and she peered nervously out of the window.

Pause the video now and off you go filling in the missing words.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Let's go through these sentences.

As I read the sentences out loud, I want to be able to hear you saying the words with me.

Moments later, the brave girl stealthily edged across the creaking floorboards.

Suddenly, a bright light switched on in the quiet hallway as Mrs. Clonkers bellowed furiously.

She froze in fear.

Bravely, the girl hesitantly opened the dusty, old curtains and she appeared nervously out the window.

Great job, everybody.

Well done.

It's time for the second section of the lesson where we are writing the plan.

When we write a plan, we write notes.

Notes are concise, so short, and capture the key vocabulary and information.

The purpose of notes is to help the writer to organise information easily for future use, so when it comes to writing their sentences.

So this means we do not need to include full sentences in our plans.

But we do use bullet points when note-taking, and they look like this.

So checking for understanding.

What is in a plan? A, full sentences with capital letters and full stops; B, bullet points for notes; C, ambitious vocabulary; or D, unnecessary information.

Pause the video now.

So on a plan, we need B, bullet points for notes, and C, ambitious vocabulary.

We do not need full sentences.

So it is time for task B.

In the first part of task B, you need to fill in the plan with fronted adverbials and ambitious vocabulary to describe the first moment in detail, when Sophie walked to the window and Mrs. Clonkers shouted.

So you want to be including fronted adverbials, ambitious vocabulary, and show-not-tell language.

And you can absolutely use some of the vocabulary that we were looking at in the first part of the lesson, but I'm sure you've also all got loads of great ideas yourself.

So an idea for a fronted adverbial could be the fronted adverbial of time: moments later.

So now you need to pause the video and fill in the plan with fronted adverbials, ambitious vocabulary, and show-not-tell language.

Off you go.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Here are some ideas that I've come up with and if you'd like to, you can pause the video and add these to your plan, though I'm sure you've all got loads of brilliant ideas too.

So don't worry if yours don't look exactly the same.

That's a great thing.

It means we'll all have different ideas on our plan.

So some fronted head burials: moments later, soon after, suddenly.

Ambitious vocabulary: the curious orphan, she tiptoed stealthily, on the creaking floorboards, and then Mrs. Clonkers bellowed furiously.

Show-not-tell language to describe Sophie in this moment, when Mrs. Clonkers had shouted: she froze in fear, she trembled like a leaf, or her heart pounded.

Okay.

Well done.

As I said, if you'd like to, you can add these to your plan.

Otherwise, let's now move on to describing the second moment in more detail, when Sophie looked out the window.

Again, fronted adverbials, you're going to include.

So you could use the fronted adverbials of manner bravely.

And then ambitious vocabulary and some show-not-tell language.

So pause the video now and off you go.

Well done, everybody.

Let's go through some of my ideas, which if you'd like to, you can absolutely add to your plan too.

So fronted adverbials: bravely; slowly; cautiously, describing how she lifted the window or opened the curtains.

Ambitious vocabulary: She hesitantly opened the dusty, old curtains.

She cautiously lifted and then she anxiously appeared.

Then shown-not-tell language: her clenched fists, she gulped in fear, and she had sweaty palms because she's becoming more and more nervous.

Great job.

Well done.

Let's now move on to describing the third moment, when Sophie saw that mysterious figure.

Again, you're looking at frontal adverbials.

So you could say from the corner of eye, but I'm sure you can come up with lots of others too.

Then ambitious vocabulary to describe the figure and then show-not-tell language to describe Sophie's panic and shock in what she's seen.

So pause the video now and off you go.

Well done, everybody.

I'm sure you've all come up with some really amazing vocabulary to include on this plan.

But as always, if you want to do, you can definitely include some of the vocabulary that we looked at in the first part of the lesson too.

Here are some of the ideas that I've come up with, which you are more than welcome to add to your plan too.

So fronted adverbials: from the corner of her eye, frantically, in the dim street.

Then ambitious vocabulary: she glimpsed; she tore open; the towering silhouette, this really tall silhouette; and then the colossal figure.

Show-not-tell language: she shrieked in horror, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

If you'd like to, you can add these to your plan.

Make sure you keep this plan safe 'cause it's going to be really useful in the next lesson when we are writing part two of the opening.

Well done, everybody.

You've worked so hard today.

Great job.

Here is a summary of everything we've learned.

The purpose of the opening is to engage the reader and to introduce the setting and characters.

When we plan, we log precise and ambitious vocabulary to help paint vivid pictures for our reader.

A fronted a verbal of time, place, or manner indicates when, where, or how an action in the rest of a sentence takes place.

A plan includes notes, a sequence of events, and ambitious vocabulary.

And show-not-tell language shows a character's feelings by describing their actions, body language, and facial expressions.

Well done, everybody.

Great job.