Hello everybody.

My name is Ms. Afsal and I'm really, really pleased to be here with you today.

That's because we're going to be exploring a fantastic text.

It is a piece of historical fiction and it's called "Escape from Pompeii." This is what it looks like.

It's written and illustrated by Christina Balit.

What a talented person to do both of those things.

I'd like you to pause the video now while you go off and get your copy, 'cause you're going to need this text for our lesson today.

So I'll just pause here and admire this incredible front cover while you go and get your copy of the text.

Okay, so you're back, you've got your text.

Oh my goodness, look.

I wonder if you have predictions about what's gonna happen in this text.

I wonder what you know already about this event, about Pompeii and Vesuvius, and I'm really excited for us to explore all of this together.

So make sure you've got your thinking brain, your listening ears, your curiosity, your enthusiasm, your great ideas, your great skills.

And let's go for it, let's get into "Escape from Pompeii." The outcome for today's lesson is I can understand the context of "Escape from Pompeii." We have a few keywords in today's lesson.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Historical fiction.

Context.

Afterword.

Fantastic, I heard those loud and clear.

Let's get into these words a little bit more.

Historical fiction is a genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular, real historical events.

The context is the surrounding details that help you understand what you're reading.

An afterword is a concluding section, providing additional insights or reflections after the main content.

So let's make sure we are on the lookout for these words in our lesson today.

So what's involved in our lesson introducing the context of "Escape from Pompeii?" Well, first of all, we'll be exploring the historical context of the text and next we'll be looking at Pompeii before and after the eruption.

So first of all, historical context of the text.

"Escape from Pompeii" is written and illustrated by Christina Balit.

"Escape from Pompeii" is a historical fiction text set against the backdrop of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii.

It is presented in picturebook form.

The front cover can provide the reader with clues as to what might occur in the text.

What do you notice on the front cover? So take a look at this image, really quite an incredible image.

What a talent is Christina Balit, both writing and illustrating this text.

So yeah, take a look at this image.

What do you notice? Pause the video and talk to someone nearby about what you noticed.

What did you notice? What did you spot? Perhaps some of the following.

Two figures wrapped in rugs on a wooden ship.

The facial expressions show that they're shocked, they're cowering at what they see, they're shrunk back, they're low, they're scared.

Housing is covered with tiny, gritty particles and billowing smoke clouds.

These cloud-like formations are known as pyroclastic flow.

So fast moving clouds full of ash, gas and rocks.

A volcanic eruption.

Lava flows down the side of the volcano through the city and into the sea.

An ash cloud fills the sky with plumes of smoke, it blocks out the sunlight.

Wow, so many things going on in that image on the front cover, maybe you noticed these things.

Check for understanding, true or false? "Escape from Pompeii" is a non-fiction text.

Pause video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false and now I'd like you to justify your answer.

"Escape from Pompeii" is based on real events, but it is a fictional account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Or "Escape from Pompeii" is presented in picturebook form.

Its illustrations and words are created by Christina Balit.

So pause video while you decide which of these justifies your answer.

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Yes, absolutely, "Escape from Pompeii" is based on real events, but it is a fictional account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The second statement is also true, however, the first one more directly justifies your answer.

Finding out what Pompeii was like helps us understand the text better, it adds context to what we read.

Context gives us surrounding details that helps us understand more about the text.

Pompeii is in southern Italy.

Due to its location near the sea, it was a busy port town and a centre for trade during Roman times.

Its economy thrived and the city was a vibrant centre for culture.

It featured many theatres and temples.

The city was destroyed and covered in a layer of ash and stones.

Today, it is a popular tourist destination and provides a glimpse into ancient Roman life.

And we can see a map of Italy and the purple cross marks is Pompeii.

Historical fiction is a genre that blends fictional narratives with real, historical settings, events, and often, real historical figures.

Authors of historical fiction use research to immerse their readers in the past, creating a vivid and authentic, which means real and genuine, backdrop for their stories.

Historical fiction texts usually have a forward, some text, writing at the very beginning, or an afterword to explain the process the author took to ensure their writing was as accurate as possible.

They can also include factual information based on the event being written about.

And our text today has an afterword, and we can see on the screen here another example of some historical fiction.

So you might like to check this one out as well.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is a feature of historical fiction texts? Real, historical settings or characters.

Unknown time period.

Good versus evil.

Pause the video while you decide which is the feature of historical fiction texts? Well done if you selected real historical settings or characters.

And this is absolutely what we have in our text, "Escape from Pompeii," a real historical setting.

Historical fiction texts usually take place in a specific time period or contain historical figures that were alive at the time.

Before we begin the text, we'll read the afterword.

This can be found on pages 23 and 24.

This section presents the reader with factual information.

Before reading, here are some new or unfamiliar words you may encounter.

Pumice, which is volcanic rock with small holes, allowing liquid or air to pass through.

Archaeologists, a person who studies past societies or history.

Plaster cast, a replica or a copy made in plaster.

You can see images of each of these things here on the screen as well.

There are those pumice stones, pumice rocks.

Some archaeologists who are studying a site.

And some plaster casts.

So I'd like you to read the afterword on pages 23 and 24 and then afterwards share an interesting fact that you discovered with your partner.

So pause the video now while you read the afterword and then turn to someone nearby and share your interesting fact with them and listen to their interesting fact.

Okay, let's see what Aisha found out.

"I was surprised to learn that people stayed behind after the eruption of the volcano.

Perhaps they did not fully understand the danger posed by the volcano." Yeah, good point, Aisha.

And how about Sam? "I was amazed by how well preserved everything was.

Archaeologists were able to piece together what had happened over 1,700 years before." Really great fact, thank you Sam.

I wonder what interesting fact you discovered.

I'd like you to put the events of the eruption in the correct order, starting with the date Pompeii erupted.

So let's just go through these events.

Those who had stayed behind were suffocated.

Ash and stone covered the city.

Mount Vesuvius erupted on the 24th of August in AD 79.

Pompeii lay dormant for over 1,700 years until the site was excavated.

So pause the video now while you put these events into the correct order.

So first up was when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.

Next, ash and stone covered the city.

Those who stayed behind were suffocated.

And Pompeii lay dormant for so very long.

Well done if you put the events in this order.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to write down five facts that you now know about Pompeii from reading the afterword.

We've got some images here as well on the screen.

Really, really fascinating to see these images of Pompeii So pause the video now and write down five facts that you know about Pompeii.

It's good to see you again and I'm wondering which facts did you come up with? I wonder which ones really stuck with you.

Which ones stood out for you? Did you include any of these? Pompeii is located in Italy, near the Bay of Naples.

Pompeii was a busy Roman city, home to a population of approximately 15,000 people.

Mount Vesuvius erupted on the 24th of August in AD 79.

Showers of ash and stone covered the city and the people suffocated.

The city was excavated in 1748 and is a popular tourist destination today.

And were there any other facts that you discovered in your reading? Well done for exploring the text and coming up with whatever the facts were that you discovered.

Now it's time to move on to the next part of the lesson.

Pompeii before and after the eruption.

Background information and wider reading can help us to gain a deeper understanding of the text we read.

We're now going to read a short extract about life in Pompeii before the eruption.

Life in Pompeii before the eruption, Pompeii was a typical Roman city.

Just like many other Roman cities, it had well organised streets and impressive buildings made of stone and brick.

Romans were skilled engineers and they built beautiful houses.

In Pompeii, people had different jobs such as farmers, bakers, merchants, and artists.

Romans believed in many gods and goddesses and they built temples to worship them.

They would watch gladiator contests and plays at the amphitheatre.

I'd like you to take a look at the words in green and have a think, what do these words tell us about the buildings in Pompeii? Impressive buildings, beautiful houses, temples, amphitheatre.

So pause the video and share with someone nearby what these words tell us about the buildings in Pompeii.

I wonder what you talked about with your partner.

We can see that there are a number of different kinds of buildings, houses, temples and amphitheatres.

And so these buildings, which were impressive and beautiful, had different functions.

So buildings were a really important part of Roman city life.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following were jobs for the people of Pompeii? Refer to the additional material for support.

Electrician.

Farmers.

Merchants.

Website developer.

Pause the video while you decide which of the following were jobs for the people of Pompeii? Well done If you selected farmers and merchants.

Merchants are people involved in supplying goods to a particular trade.

Electricity and the internet were not available in the Roman era.

Life in Pompeii after the eruption.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius had a devastating impact on Pompeii and its people.

When the volcano erupted, it unleashed a violent explosion that sent hot ash and rocks into the sky.

The city's residents faced a terrifying situation as they tried to escape, but many couldn't and they lost their lives.

The once vibrant city turned into a ghost town and remained hidden for almost 1,700 years.

The rediscovery of Pompeii in the 18th century sparked immense interest and helped archaeologists and historians learn about ancient Roman life.

Today, visiting Pompeii allows tourists to step back in time and imagine what life was like before the eruption.

What do you think happened to the buildings and people in Pompeii? Pause the video and share with someone nearby your thoughts.

Okay, good to be back with you.

I wonder what you discussed.

Perhaps you discussed how many people escaped, but also many people lost their lives.

And the buildings, many of them were destroyed and some of them were covered by the ash, the metres and metres of ash, and were rediscovered all these years later.

Check for understanding, true or false? Pompeii has become a popular tourist destination.

And you might like to refer to the additional material for support.

This is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

The discovery of Pompeii sparked significant archaeological interest about Roman life.

People visiting Pompeii can journey back in time, imagining life before the eruption.

Pause the video while you decide which of these best justifies your answer.

Well done if you selected the second statement.

Yeah, indeed, people visiting Pompeii can journey back in time, they can imagine what life was like back in Roman times.

The first statement is also true, but the second one is a more direct and accurate justification for your answer.

Okay, and now it's time for your next task.

Based on what we've read and discussed, I'd like you to create a mind map with your initial thoughts and questions that you have about the text.

So initial thoughts about "Escape from Pompeii." And you might like to begin your sentences with things like I wonder if or I think that.

Maybe I notice or I'm intrigued about.

Perhaps, I believe.

Even looking into the future, I predict that.

So pause the video here while you create in your mind map of your initial thoughts about "Escape from Pompeii." It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with your mind map? Is it very, very full of ideas and questions? I hope so.

Maybe it looks like this.

I predict that we'll read about the experiences of the two characters on the front cover of the text.

I wonder if lots of people were able to escape the eruption.

Yeah, really interesting question.

I'm intrigued about what life might have been like for residents of Pompeii before the eruption.

Yeah, I love that curiosity.

I notice that it says Vesuvius has not erupted since March, 1944.

Good, good spot.

Perhaps we'll find out some of the answers and confirm your initial thoughts as we continue exploring the text.

In our lesson today, introducing the context of "Escape from Pompeii," we have covered the following.

"Escape from Pompeii" is a historical fiction text set against the backdrop of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii.

The afterword provides the reader with valuable information and context.

Background information and wider reading can help us to gain a deeper understanding of the texts we read.

Life in Pompeii was very different before and after the eruption.

Thank you everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was really good to be with you today for this lesson of introducing the context of this wonderful text, "Escape from Pompeii." And I'm very excited about us continuing this exploration together.

So I look forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.