Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

My name is Ms. Voyle, and welcome to this lesson, where you are going to be planning a setting description based on a Christmas carol.

During this lesson, you'll need to be listening and looking carefully.

There'll be tasks where you need somebody to talk to, and you'll also need a piece of paper and pen or pencil for writing your plan.

I hope you are feeling excited and ready to learn.

Let's get started.

The learning outcome for today's lesson is, I can generate precise vocabulary to plan a narrative setting description.

Here are the key words for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Atmosphere.

Sensory details.

Personification.

Great job.

Well done.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

Atmosphere is the tone or mood created in a narrative.

Sensory details are descriptions that include touch, sight, taste, sound, and smell.

And personification is a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be preparing to plan, and in the second part, you will be writing your plan.

So let's begin with preparing to plan.

Your narrative writing is based on the story, "A Christmas Carol." Here is a summary of the story.

Ebenezer Scrooge is introduced as a cold-hearted, miserly old man who cares only for his wealth and has a disdain for Christmas and its festivities.

Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him of the consequences of his greed and selfishness.

Marley informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits.

One by one, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts, who show him events from his past, present, and future.

Through these ghostly visits, Scrooge begins to realise the error of his ways and the impact his actions have on others.

He experiences profound guilt and remorse, and his heart softens as he sees the potential for redemption.

Upon waking on Christmas morning, Scrooge is filled with a newfound sense of purpose and compassion.

He sets out to make amends for his past behaviour by showing kindness and generosity to those around him.

Scrooge reconciles with his nephew, Fred, assists the Cratchit family financially and becomes a beloved figure in his community.

The story ends with Scrooge fully embracing the spirit of Christmas and experiencing newfound generosity and love for others.

"A Christmas Carol" can be structured like this.

Opening, build-up climax, resolution.

Describing the setting is a key part in the opening of the story.

You will be generating precise and ambitious vocabulary to describe the setting of "A Christmas Carol." What do we know about the setting of "A Christmas Carol"? It is set in Victorian London during the Christmas period.

This means that it is bustling and lively.

Cold and snowy.

There are tall, brick houses.

There is a contrast between rich and poor.

And the streets are busy and dirty.

We are going to use the following images to support us in generating a range of precise and descriptive vocabulary.

Pause the video and take a look at these images carefully.

What can you see that lets you know that it is Christmas time in Victorian London? The buildings and the clothes convey that this is happening during Victorian times, and the decorations and the snow convey that this is during the winter or Christmas period.

We can also see a contrast between wealthy and poor people in one of these images.

In a narrative setting description, the author's description of the setting is written to convey an atmosphere to the reader.

Atmosphere means the tone or mood created.

A writer's choice of vocabulary needs to be precise and ambitious in order to convey the desired atmosphere.

Including a range of sensory details is crucial for engaging the reader and allowing them to feel the atmosphere within the story.

This means providing details about what can be heard, smelt, seen, tasted, and felt.

Let's check your understanding.

What does atmosphere refer to? A, the precise words that are written.

B, the tone or mood created by the words that are written.

Or C, the order that the words are written in.

Pause the video and select the correct answer.

The answer is B.

Well done.

Atmosphere is the tone or mood created by the words that are written.

Let's consider precise vocabulary to create a festive atmosphere for a Victorian Christmas setting.

I would like you to take a look at this image and imagine you are there.

Here are some examples of sensory experiences that you might feel or notice around you.

Excited giggles travelled.

Orange and cinnamon wafted.

Glistening, festive wreaths dangled.

Crunch of roasted chestnuts.

Crisp, frosty air sent chills.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? It is important for vocabulary in a setting description to describe a range of sensory details.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is true.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

A, a range of sensory details conveys the full atmosphere to the reader.

Or B, a range of sensory details creates rhyme and rhythm for the reader.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A.

Well done.

A range of sensory details conveys the full atmosphere to the reader.

Personification is a powerful linguistic device when describing a setting and creating an atmosphere.

Personification is a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

Here are some examples of personification when describing this setting.

Snowflakes danced through the air.

Friendly window displays winked at shoppers.

Buildings wore their decorations with pride.

Adjectives and verbs that would describe humans have been used to create these pieces of personification.

Let's check your understanding.

Which of the following are examples of personification? A, glistening snow covered the cobbled streets.

B, the streets boasted their finest, festive decorations.

C, friendly snowflakes whispered as they floated down.

D, the lights inside shop windows shone brightly.

Remember that you are looking for adjectives or verbs that would be used to describe humans, but instead have been used to describe non-living things.

Pause the video and select the examples of personification now.

The answers are B and C.

Well done.

In B, it says that the streets boasted their finest, festive decorations.

Boasting is a human action, but this lets the reader know that the streets decorations were worn so proudly that it was like they were boasting about them.

In C, it says that friendly snowflakes whispered as they floated down.

The adjective friendly and the verb whispered would both be used to describe humans, but it instead is being used to describe snowflakes, which conjures the image of lots of snowflakes being friendly with one another and whispering to each other as they make their way to the ground.

It's now time for your first task.

Discuss and develop a piece of personification for each of the following nouns in the setting.

Use a verb or an adjective that would be used to describe human actions or traits.

A, snowflakes or frost, B, houses or shops, and C, decorations.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Welcome back.

I loved listening to your discussions and hearing all of your imaginative ideas for personification.

Let's take a look at some of the examples I heard.

For A, snowflakes or frost.

I heard, snow and frost painted the city white and whispering snowflakes danced in the air.

For B, houses or shops.

I heard, shop displays told tales of Christmas magic and proud houses modelled their finest garments.

And for C, decorations.

I heard, garlands hugged the window ledges tightly and festive wreaths smiled at passersby.

In each of these examples, adjectives or verbs that would be used to describe humans have been used to describe non-living things instead.

This helps to create vivid imagery for the reader.

Well done for developing ideas for personification for this setting.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson where you are going to be writing the plan.

Your narrative setting description will be written following this structure, from the sky down.

You will begin by describing the sky and the snowflakes.

You will then move on to describing the streets and the decorations.

And finally, you will describe the people and sensory experiences or details within the setting.

Let's check your understanding.

Order the following from one to three to show the structure your setting description will follow from the sky down.

A, streets and decorations.

B, sky and snowflakes.

C, people and senses.

Pause the video and number these correctly now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

First, you will describe the sky and the snowflakes, then the streets and decorations, and last, the people and senses.

Well done.

When we write a plan, we use notes.

Notes are concise and capture key vocabulary and information.

For the setting description, it is important to include precise and ambitious vocabulary, linking to a range of senses.

The purpose of notes is to help the writer to organise information easily for future use.

We use bullet points when note-taking.

They look like this.

Let's check your understanding.

What should the vocabulary in your plan include? A, full sentences with capital letters and full stops.

B, a range of sensory details.

C, personification.

D, unnecessary information.

Pause the video and select the correct answers now.

The answers are B and C.

Well done.

The notes in your plan need to include a range of sensory details and the use of personification.

Your notes will not be written in full sentences, so you do not need to use capital letters and full stops when writing them.

It's now time for you to write the first part of your plan.

Fill in the plan for the sky and snowflakes.

Remember to include precise and ambitious vocabulary, including sensory details.

Pause the video and do the task now.

Welcome back.

Well done for completing the first part of your plan.

I have loved reading some of your ambitious ideas.

Let's take a look at some good examples I saw.

Dusky, winter sky sent a blistering chill.

Intricate, fluffy snowflakes floated peacefully.

Blanket of glistening snow developed.

Cobbled pavements hid beneath the snow.

It's now time for you to complete the second part of your plan.

Fill in the plan for the streets and decorations.

Pause the video and do the task now.

Welcome back.

Let's take a look at some more wonderful examples I have seen.

Grand, brick houses proudly boasted garlands.

Vibrant, festive decorations glossed in ice.

Frosted wreaths dangled and glistened.

Shop windows bursting with Christmas joy.

Well done for completing the second part of your plan.

It's now time to complete the third and final part of your plan.

Fill in the plan for people and senses.

Pause the video and do the task now.

I loved reading all of your different ideas for describing the people and senses within this setting.

You were great at including a range of sensory details.

Let's take a look at some examples together.

Hustle and bustle of eager shoppers.

Melodic sound of tuneful carolers echoed.

Scrumptious crunch of roasted chestnuts.

Sweet smell of orange and cinnamon wafted.

These are just some of the wonderful ideas I have seen when reading all of your plans.

Well done for completing your plan for writing a setting description.

We've now come to the end of our lesson, so let's go over a summary together.

"A Christmas Carol" is set in Victorian London during the Christmas period.

The atmosphere is the tone or mood created in a narrative.

Precise vocabulary, including a range of sensory details, conveys the atmosphere in a narrative setting description.

And personification is a linguistic device used to describe a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

I've really enjoyed teaching you this lesson.

Well done for your hard work.