Lesson video

Hello everybody, it's great to see you.

My name's Ms. Afzal, I'm very pleased to be here.

That's because we are going to be exploring an incredible text together.

It's a picture book, it's called Greenling by Levi Pinfold.

It looks like this, and I would like you to go and get your copy of the text now.

So I'm gonna pause here while you go and grab your copy and I'm gonna take in this incredible front cover while I'm waiting.

Okay, you are back, you've got this text, look at that, wow, this is really gonna be something incredible to explore this text together.

So make sure you've got your thinking brains and your looking eyes, listening ears, your curiosity, your enthusiasm, all of your skills, and just be you and be here, and let's get into it.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can compare characterization within a text.

We have some keywords in today's lesson.

Let's go through them, my turn, your turn.

Character traits, characterization, body language, inference, motives.

Fantastic, good to hear those loud and clear.

Let's get into these words in a bit more detail.

Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.

Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

Body language is the way people communicate their thoughts, feelings, and emotions through their movements and gestures without using words.

Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions, and motives refer to a person's reasons for doing something.

Really, really interesting key words, let's make sure we're looking out for them.

Let's listen for them, let's think carefully about them.

So what's happening in today's lesson? Well, we are exploring characterization in Greenling.

First of all, we're analysing body language, and then we'll be comparing motives.

Let's begin with body language.

Here is our amazing text, Greenling.

It's written, it's illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

Wow, take that in, can you imagine being so talented as to do both of those things, to write and illustrate such an amazing text? So what do we know so far? The Barleycorns discover a Greenling, a plant-like baby.

They take it into their home.

As they nurture and care for the Greenling, it grows and transforms their world, bringing magic and wonder to their lives.

The Greenling provides crops for the couple and their community.

It changes people's opinion of it, before finally leaving after the summer.

So what is characterization? Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

And remember, traits are the special qualities that make a character unique and interesting.

Hmm, imagine if you were a character in a story, what would be some of your character traits? Let's think about this for a moment, what is it that makes you unique and interesting? I hope you can think of a few character traits for yourself.

I'm gonna give you a few options, maybe you're fun, maybe you're caring, maybe you're dedicated, maybe you're enthusiastic.

Those are some great traits, I wonder what else you came up with for yourself.

Authors and illustrators use a range of methods to convey characterization, a character's appearance, a character's words, a character's actions, and how a character is depicted, how they're shown or represented.

When looking at how a character is depicted, readers can focus on their body language.

Another key word, so body language includes facial expressions, posture, hand movements, gestures, and other nonverbal cues that can give clues about what someone is thinking or feeling.

For example, crossing your arms might show that you're feeling defensive or closed off, while smiling could indicate that you are happy or friendly.

Body language is used in Greenling to convey the characterization of the Barleycorns and the Greenling.

Check for understanding, referring to their body language, how might the people in this image be feeling? Angry, joyful, upset? Pause the video while you decide how that body language of these people shows how they're feeling.

Well done if you selected joyful, yeah, absolutely, outstretched, supportive arms, and smiles on their faces tells us that these people are happy.

Readers can infer how a character might be feeling by analysing their body language.

And remember, infer means using clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

So refer to the illustration of the Barleycorns and baby Greenling on page six.

Which character traits and emotions do you think Mr. Barleycorn and Mrs. Barleycorn show in this illustration? And how does their body language support this inference? So pause the video while you go and take a look at the illustration of the Barleycorns and the Greenling on page six, what are the character traits and emotions that are shown? And how is their body language supporting your inference? Pause the video here.

Let's see what Andeep has to say.

Mr. Barleycorn is caring.

He's leaning in towards the Greenling and gently watering it.

And see what Sam says about Mrs. Barleycorn.

Mrs. Barleycorn is shocked and astounded.

Her eyes are open wide.

She looks as though she's moving away from the Greenling.

Okay, really good inference there and good noticing, spotting that body language.

Even though it's not yet able to talk, the Greenling is able to communicate through its body language.

Refer to the illustration on page 16, what might the Greenling's body language tell the reader? So pause the video while you refer to the illustration on page 16, and share with someone nearby your answer to this question, what might the Greenling's body language tell the reader? Maybe you came up with something like this.

The Greenling is sat on the ground, its arms are outstretched as if it's asking Mrs. Barleycorn to lift it up, it might be worried.

The Greenling could be looking towards the dog and bee, which are disguised amongst the sunflowers, it might want to play.

Really great observations there, great noticing about body language.

Check for understanding, true or false? A character's feelings and emotions can only be understood through their facial expression.

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

Well done if you selected false.

Now, I'd like you to justify your answer.

Readers can infer a character's feelings and emotions through their facial expressions, posture, and hand movements.

Or, a character's body language stays the same throughout the text.

Pause the video while you decide which is helpful justification for your answer.

Well done if you selected that first statement.

Yes, of course readers can infer characters' feelings and emotions through the whole range of things such as facial expression, but as well, postures, hand movements, gestures, and so on.

Well done if you selected this answer.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to discuss the characterization of the Barleycorns on the double-page spread on pages 21 and 22, and answer the following questions.

What does the character's body language tell us about them? What can you infer, what are the clues that you're finding? How has the characterization of either character changed? And even though we cannot see her face in the double-page spread, we can see Mrs. Barleycorn's facial expression in the triangular vignette.

You might like to begin your sentences in this way, Mr. Barleycorn's body language is.

And then, I can infer that.

At the beginning of the text, Mrs. Barleycorn seems, and now she is, because there's a bit of a change in her.

So pause the video here, take a look at that double-page spread, 21 and 22, and answer these questions.

I look forward to seeing you when you're done.

Okay, how did you get on with that? Did you have a very good look at pages 21 and 22? What did you notice? Maybe something like this.

Mr. Barleycorn's body language is sadder here, he cradles the Greenling like baby.

He's no longer smiling.

I can infer that perhaps he's worried about the crowd's reaction to the Greenling.

Maybe he thinks he'll have to say goodbye to it.

And how about Mrs. Barleycorn? Mrs. Barleycorn has her hand raised with a farming tool in her other hand.

She's perhaps worried about the crowd surrounding her and feels defensive.

Mrs. Barleycorn's facial expression has changed.

At the beginning of the text, she was shocked and did not want the Greenling in her home.

Now, she looks as though she regrets her actions, her hands gently rest against her chin.

Fantastic observations of body language there and great inference.

And now it's time for us to look at motives, we will be comparing motives.

What is a motive? A motive is a person's reasons for doing something.

Understanding a character's motives helps us to understand a story, engage more deeply with the plot, and empathise with the characters.

I wonder if you can think of a motive that you have for doing something.

What is your reason for doing something? Maybe there's something you really love doing, what is your motive for that thing? Maybe there's something you spend a lot of time doing, what is your motive for doing that particular thing? Interesting to reflect upon.

We can understand the character's motives by looking at their actions, patterns and behaviour can reveal a characters' intentions.

The thoughts and decisions, these can shed light on a character's reasons for doing something.

Their dialogue, what characters say and how they say it.

Our own experiences will also help us to understand and infer a character's motives.

Refer to the text and illustrations on pages seven and eight.

Why do you think Mr. Barleycorn takes the Greenling inside? Which actions, thoughts, decisions, or dialogue tell you this? So pause the video while you refer to the text and the illustrations on pages seven and eight and show someone nearby.

Why do you think Mr. Barleycorn takes the Greenling inside? Which actions, thoughts, decisions, or dialogue tell you this? I wonder what you came up with, maybe something like what Jun has to share.

Mr. Barleycorn says that he can't possibly leave the Greenling outdoors, he worries it will be bothered by crows.

Yeah, maybe that's what you also came up with.

And your own experience might also have helped you to infer Mr. Barleycorn's motives too.

So we bring ourselves and our experiences to any text that we encounter.

Now, I'd like you to refer to text and illustrations on pages 17 and 18.

Why do you think Mrs. Barleycorn has stormed off to her bedroom? Which actions, thoughts, decisions, or dialogue tell you this? So pause the video while you refer to those pages and answer these questions and share with someone nearby.

Here's Laura, Mrs. Barleycorn is clearly annoyed.

The Greenling has taken over her home.

She thinks about the noises she can hear in the night and wonders why this is happening to her.

Yeah, great answer there, Laura, say it like it is, she is clearly annoyed, yep.

And again, your own experiences might also have helped you to infer Mrs. Barleycorn's motives too.

Maybe you've had an experience where, yeah, you are clearly annoyed by something and you just need to get some space and get away.

Check for understanding, which of the following can help readers understand a character's motives? Actions, a character's name, dialogue, thoughts and decisions.

Pause the video while you decide which of these help a reader understand a character's motives.

Well done if you selected actions, dialogue, and thoughts and decisions.

No, character's name doesn't really have anything to do with it.

And now it's time for your next task.

Refer to the text and illustrations on pages 27 and 28.

Why do you think the Greenling left the Barleycorns? Which actions, thoughts, decisions, or dialogue tell you this? You might like to start your sentences in this way, I think the Greenling left because, and then give your reasoning, it shows this in the text by.

So pause the video here while you refer to the text and illustrations on pages 27 and 28, and answer these questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

So more consideration of motives.

Why do we think the Greenling left the Barleycorns? What motives did the Greenling have? I think the Greenling left because it had provided the Barleycorns with everything that they needed to keep their community fed for the winter.

Okay, yeah, really great thinking there.

It says in the text that the Barleycorns were able to harvest every morning.

After the Greenling's actions, the land has changed and will hopefully continue to provide for the Barleycorns in the future.

Fantastic answers there and really great use of the text, finding those answers in the text.

In our lesson today, exploring characterization in Greenling, we have covered the following.

Body language includes facial expressions, posture, hand movements, and other nonverbal cues that can give clues about what someone is thinking or feeling.

Body language is used in Greenling to convey the characterization of the Barleycorns and the Greenling.

Understanding a character's motives helps us to understand the story, engage more deeply with the plot, and empathise with the characters.

A reader's own experiences also help them to understand and infer a character's motives.

Well done everyone for engaging in this lesson today.

Loved how you were exploring characterization through the body language of our key characters.

I loved how you were understanding, exploring their motives, motives is such an interesting one, and I think I'm really gonna be thinking about my motives from now on with everything that I'm doing.

What are my motives? It's a good question to reflect upon.

I'll see you at the next lesson and I'm really looking forward to that, bye for now.