Lesson video

Hello everyone.

It's great to be here with you.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'm very pleased to be here together because today we're going to be exploring some poetry.

In particular, we're going to be exploring a poem called "Cosmic Disco." Yep, you've heard it, "Cosmic Disco." It comes from a collection of poetry called "Cosmic Disco." It's by Grace Nichols.

So I'd like you to pause now while you go and get your copy of the book.

While you're doing that, I'm gonna just take a look at this front cover.

Look at that.

Oh, I just love those words, "Cosmic Disco." It's a lot of fun, and we're gonna find out what about that in our lesson today.

Are you back? Yep, great.

So you've got your copy of the book.

You are ready.

Hopefully you're enthusiastic.

You're all set full of ideas and open to exploring this poem.

Let's do it.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can read the poem and share my personal response.

We have got some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Poem.

Cosmic.

Metaphor.

Awe.

Fantastic.

It was good to hear those words loud and clear.

Let's get into them.

Let's find out what these words mean.

A poem is a piece of writing that uses creative and rhythmic language to express thoughts, feelings, or ideas.

Cosmic refers to anything related to the vast expanse of outer space, including stars, planets, galaxies, and other celestial bodies.

A metaphor is a poetic device that makes a comparison between two things, by stating that one thing is another, creating deeper layers of meaning.

Awe is a feeling of wonder, reverence, or admiration caused by something majestic, beautiful, or extraordinary.

Wow, these are some pretty extraordinary keywords, I think.

So let's make sure.

we're looking out for them.

Let's listen for them.

Let's think about them.

Let's be curious and excited about them.

So what's happening in our lesson today? Introduction to "Cosmic Disco" by Grace Nichols.

Well, first of all, we'll be looking at Grace Nichols, the poet, and next we'll move on to first impressions of "Cosmic Disco." So let's begin with introducing ourselves to this amazing poet, Grace Nichols.

Grace Nichols is an award-winning poet and writer who writes poetry for both children and adults.

She was born in Guyana in the Caribbean in 1950 and moved to live in the UK in 1977.

She was previously a journalist and a teacher, great professions.

Her poetry covered a range of topics and themes.

And we can see on this image here, Guyana is in the orangy colour, and we can see that it is next to Venezuela and Suriname, and part of it is on the coast.

Fantastic country.

I would love to visit one day.

Maybe you would too.

Grace Nichols's poetry includes rich language.

Some of her work incorporates the language Creole, also spoken in her homeland alongside standard English.

Do you know any other poets who do this? For example, John Lyons, who's from Trinidad and Tobago, also incorporated local dialect into his collection of poems, "Dancing in the Rain." This can make poetry very exciting.

And we can see an image of the front cover of "Dancing in the Rain" on our screen in front of us.

Even the image looks pretty fun and exciting.

I love dancing in the rain.

How about you? Check for understanding.

Tick the statements that are true.

Poetry must always be written in formal English.

Grace Nichols has written poetry for adults and children.

Grace Nichols was born in Guyana.

So pause the video now while you consider these statements and tick the ones which are true.

Okay, so which ones did you tick? Maybe this one.

Yeah, well done.

Grace Nichols has indeed written poetry for both adults and children, wide appeal.

And Grace Nichols was born in Guyana, absolutely, in the Caribbean.

And hopefully you didn't take the first one because we know that poetry doesn't need to always be written in formal English.

Poetry comes in many different forms and can be written by a variety of different people.

Michael Rosen is a famous poet who often writes humorous poetry.

Edward Lear was a poet who wrote nonsense poems and limericks.

Malorie Blackman is a famous author who wrote a whole novel out of poems. I must say that novel was one of my absolute favourites.

Let's see what Aisha has to say about poetry.

"I like writing poetry about how I see the world." Oh, fantastic, love that.

And what about Jacob? "I like writing rhyming poetry about my favourite places." Really nice too.

How about you? I wonder what kind of poetry you like reading or writing.

I'd like you to pause the video here and tell someone nearby.

What kind of poetry do you like? Do you like poems about animals? Do you like poems about funny things, nonsense poems? Do you like novels, written out poetry? Do you like rhyming poems? Do you like poems that don't rhyme? Choose whatever it is that you like poetry about, and tell someone nearby.

Okay, good feedback with you.

Hope you enjoyed sharing with each other, the kind of poems you like or poetry.

Maybe there's some topics you like reading poetry about.

Okay, let's move on.

Check for understanding.

Tick the statement that is true.

Poetry must always rhyme.

Poetry is found in many different forms. Poetry is only written by men.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements are true.

All right, so what did you come up with? Did you tick this one? Poetry is found in many different forms. Fantastic.

Yeah, there's so many forms of poetry.

Funny poems, nonsense poems, poems about space, poems about nature, poems that rhyme, poems that don't.

And hopefully you didn't take poems must always rhyme because we know that they don't always have to rhyme.

And hopefully you didn't tick poetry is only written by men because we know poetry can be written by anyone and everyone, men, women, children, everybody.

And now it's time for your first task.

So we've already had a little think about things that we like poems about.

So all the kinds of poems we like.

Now we're gonna think about some of our favourite poets.

So I'm really curious to find out who are some of your favourite poets and what is it that you like about their poetry? So you might like to begin your sentence like this.

So I like the poet, say their name, and because.

And maybe this particular poem you remember.

So I remember the poem, you could say the name of the poem, and I liked it because, and give your reasoning.

First of all, take a moment to have a good think.

Who is the poet that you really like? What did you like about them? And can you even remember any of their poems in particular that you like? And then share this with someone nearby and really do some careful, mindful listening to each other.

Pause the video here and I'll see you when you're done.

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

Who are your favourite poets? I'm just really, really curious.

I'm wondering.

Let's find out about some favourite poets.

All right, let's hear it from Lucas.

"I like the poet Joseph Coelho because he writes about lots of things that I know about, family, friends, and even teachers." Oh my goodness.

What is he saying about the teachers? I wonder.

Good things, I'm sure.

And next, let's hear from Sophia.

"I remember the poem, the 'Magic Box' by Kit Wright.

I liked it because it was so imaginative." Oh wow.

I love that that poem has had such an effect and made such an impression on you, Sophia, that's wonderful.

And what about you? I hope you really enjoyed sharing about your favourite poet and what you liked about their poetry.

And remember, poetry comes in many different forms and can be written by a variety of different people.

Poetry is for everybody.

And now let's get into our first impressions of "Cosmic Disco." We will be reading Grace Nichols' poem, "Cosmic Disco," from her book of poetry with the same name.

Before we read it, what do the words cosmic and disco make you think of? What words or images bring to your mind when you hear those words, cosmic, disco? Is it positive or a negative image? Even taking a look at this image on the screen, what's coming into your mind here as you see this constellation of stars from the mirror ball, the glitter ball, and these people dancing? So pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What is it that comes into your mind when you hear those words, cosmic and disco? All right, what did you come up with? I'm wondering.

And how did it feel? Was it positive? Was it negative? Really, really interesting.

And remember, the great thing with poetry is there's no right answers.

There's no it has to be this way or it has to be that way.

It's whatever comes to you, whatever it is that you feel, that you notice, that you imagine.

So it's a very much a win-win situation when it comes to poetry.

So let's get into these words a little bit.

So cosmic means relating to the universe or space, the cosmos.

And a disco is a type of party where people dance together.

The best kind of party in my mind.

Let's see what Jun has to say.

"The word cosmic makes me think of galaxies and planets, the wonders of the universe." Oh wow.

Amazing.

And here's Alex.

"Discos make me think of loud music, flashing lights and lots of fun." Oh my goodness.

Take me there.

I wanna be there.

I love it.

These are both positive images.

Where your idea is positive too? Remember, they don't have to be.

Whatever comes to you, whatever it makes you think of, whatever your impressions are, it's all fine, it's all welcome.

Now I'd like you to listen to the poem, "Cosmic Disco" by Grace Nichols.

So make sure you're sitting comfortably.

Could you be five or 10% more comfortable? Just have a little wiggle if you need to.

Just get really nice and comfy and cosy, and sit back, and listen to this poem.

"Cosmic Disco" by Grace Nichols.

Okay, so we have listened to that poem, and now we're gonna share some responses to the poem.

So first of all, I'm gonna go.

So we'll go my turn, your turn.

So I'm gonna go first.

I'm gonna respond to the poem.

So I'm gonna respond with what did I like about poem and any questions that I have about the poem.

So for me, I liked imagining dancing in the sky.

I always like thinking about the universe, and infinity, and forever, and vastness.

And I wondered why the poet describe the sea as waltzing.

It was quite curious for me.

All right, it's your turn.

Are you ready? Your turn to respond to the poem.

So what did you like about it? And do you have any questions about this poem? Anything you're curious about? So pause the video now while you respond to the poem.

What did you like about the poem? And do you have any questions about it? And share with someone nearby.

Okay, good to be back with you.

I'm really curious.

I wonder what you liked, wonder what you liked about the poem, and wonder what your questions are about it.

And I hope you enjoyed sharing with someone nearby.

"Cosmic Disco" by Grace Nichols describes the universe as a dance party where various elements of nature, such as trees, oceans, and stars, are depicted as dancers.

In a metaphor, one thing is compared to another to help convey a deeper meaning.

In this poem, various elements of nature, like trees and stars, are depicted as dancers.

This metaphor suggests that everything in the universe is interconnected and in constant motion, like dancers on a dance floor.

Oh my goodness.

I love that metaphor.

The language used in a poem is imaginative and playful.

These definitions may help your understanding of the poem.

Waltzing is dancing in a smooth, gliding, and rotating fashion.

A waltz is a type of dance.

Glad-rags.

This is an informal term for fancy or stylish clothing.

Get on your glad rags.

When someone's going to a party, they may say, "I've got my glad-rags on." Luminous means giving off light, bright, or glowing.

Constellations are groups of stars forming patterns in the night sky.

Intergalactic is occurring between galaxies.

Infinity is the concept of being endless, something that goes on forever.

Gravitational is relating to gravity, the force that attracts objects towards each other.

And rotating, turning or spinning around an axis.

Orbiting is moving in a circular or elliptical path around another object like a planet.

Magnetic, having the ability to attract or repel other objects due to the presence of a magnetic field.

Some vocabulary you may know from your learning or reading in science, this poem is linked to the science of the stars and the universe.

What incredible vocabulary is in this poem.

I wonder if there are any of these words in particular, any of this vocabulary that really sprung out at you that you felt an attraction towards, any of these words, waltzing, glad-rags, luminous, constellations, intergalactic, or any of these words, infinity, gravitational, rotating, orbiting, magnetic.

I know that there was some of those words I really felt a strong connection with.

I felt a gravitational magnetic pull towards some of those words.

I wonder if you did too, or maybe you didn't, and that's also fine.

We all have our own responses to poetry.

Check for understanding.

Match these words to their definitions.

Waltzing, rotating, intergalactic, glad-rags, constellations.

And here are the definitions.

Groups of stars forming patterns in the night sky occurring between galaxies.

Informal term for fancy or stylish clothing.

Turning or spinning around an axis.

Dancing in a smooth, gliding, and rotating fashion.

Pause video while you match the words to their definitions.

Did you match up? Waltzing is this smooth gliding, rotating kinda dancing.

Rotating is turning or spinning.

Intergalactic is occurring between galaxies.

Glad-rags is the in informal term for fancy or stylish clothing.

And constellations are groups of stars forming patterns in the night sky.

And now I'd like you to read the poem and try to paint a picture in your mind.

What impression does the poem create? Is it happy or sad? Is it serious or playful? Is it familiar or wondrous? And remember, our impressions and personal responses to the poem will be different because we are all unique.

We all have our very own impressions and responses to this poem.

That's the beauty of poetry, and that's the beauty of us as unique individuals.

So let's have a go at responding to the poem.

Let's do my turn, your turn.

So I'm gonna go first.

I'm gonna share with you how the poem made me feel, and what it made me think of.

And then it will be your turn.

So this poem made me feel awe and wonder about the universe.

There is so much that we still don't know about how the universe works, but I love the idea.

The planets were dancing and having fun like people do.

Now it's your turn to respond to the poem.

How did the poem make you feel? And what did it make you think of? So just pause the video here and share with someone nearby.

How did it feel? What did it make you think of? Okay, good to be back with you.

I hope you enjoyed sharing that with someone nearby, sharing your feelings, sharing what came into your mind.

And I wonder if you had similar or different responses.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to draw your response to the poem.

It could be a picture of what you imagine when reading the poem.

And you could add words and phrases that you like from the poem, or other words and phrases that it makes you think of.

You could use pencil or colouring pencils.

There is no right or wrong way of responding to the poem as your response is unique to you.

We are all unique individuals.

We all have our own identities as poetry readers, and let's just be ourselves, be unique, and let's see what you come up with.

So excited to find out what you'll be drawing.

So pause the video here and get out your pencils and your colouring pencils and draw your response to the poem.

It's good to be back with you.

Oh my goodness.

Look at all these responses.

Wow.

Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Cosmic, intergalactic.

I'm full of awe just taking all of this in.

Wow.

And maybe let's show someone nearby why did you choose to draw what you drew in response to this amazing poem, "Cosmic Disco." In our lesson today, Introduction to "Cosmic Disco" by Grace Nichols, We have covered the following.

Poetry comes in many different forms and can be written by a variety of different people.

Grace Nichols, the author and poet, was born in Guyana in the Caribbean, and moved to live in the UK in 1977.

The poem, "Cosmic Disco," is linked to the science of the stars and the universe.

It describes the universe as a dance party where various elements of nature are depicted as dancers.

Poetry can communicate a sense of awe and wonder in a natural world.

Well, I'm gonna say I'm full of awe and wonder after this lesson.

I've loved sharing this poem with you, and I loved how you joined in with awe.

So thank you so much for that, and I can't wait to see you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.