Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing today? I hope you're really, really well.

My name is Miss Afzal.

I'm doing pretty well today.

Guess why? Because we get to continue exploring one of my favourite ever picture books.

It's "Mirror" by Jeannie Baker.

I'd like to pause the video here while you go and finish your copy of this text.

All right.

Good to see you again.

You're back here with this fantastic text.

We are gonna continue our exploration.

Are you ready? Let's go.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can make connections to and from the text "Mirror." We have some keywords in our text today.

Let's go through them one at a time.

My turn, your turn.

Moroccan, Western, connection.

Fantastic.

I liked hearing those words.

Let's find out more about 'em.

Moroccan refers to something or someone associated with the country of Morocco, located in North Africa.

Western refers to countries in the west part of the world and those with historical, political, or cultural links with Western countries.

How a text relates to a reader, another text, or the wider world can be called a connection, and connections can also relate to patterns that you spot when reading.

So let's see if we can spot these words in our lesson today.

Our lesson is making connections in "Mirror." We'll be exploring the stories and connecting stories.

Let's begin with exploring the stories.

"Mirror" is created by Jeannie Baker.

Oh my goodness.

Just take a look at those two front covers.

Have you ever seen a book with two front covers in two languages and that each is a mirror of the other? It's really something remarkable, this text.

Well done, Jeannie Baker.

So what do we know so far? The text is a dual narrative text with two stories that can be read side by side.

The Moroccan story is read from right to left, the Western story from left to right.

The Moroccan story is set in the Valley of the Roses.

The Western Australian setting is based on a suburb of Sydney called Rozelle.

The two landscapes contrast with each other.

However, there are similarities and connections within each story.

We will rejoin the story with both fathers and sons selling and buying items, and what items in particular, I wonder? Hmm.

Let's find out.

There are lots of different kinds of clothing represented within both stories.

Western clothing typically refers to modern garments commonly worn in Western countries, such as Europe, North America, and Australia.

This includes items like jeans, T-shirts, dresses, suits, and jackets, which are often made from materials like cotton, denim, and synthetic fibres.

In contrast, traditional Moroccan attire is characterised by its cultural and historical significance, often reflecting centuries-old traditions and craftsmanship.

Traditional Moroccan clothing varies depending on factors like the region, ethnicity, and occasion.

Let's have a look at a few types of Moroccan clothing that we might encounter in the text.

First of all, the djellaba.

It's a long-hooded robe worn by both men and women, typically made from wool or cotton, and often adorned with decorative embroidery or trim, and we can see in the image there, in one of the first images, we can see a man wearing a green djellaba.

Haik, a large rectangular piece of fabric worn by women to cover their bodies and sometimes their faces, often made from lightweight material like cotton or silk and dyed in vibrant colours or patterns, and we can see a woman wearing a haik in the image on the top right.

Babouche or balgha, comfortable and practical shoes, which usually have a pointed toe, nice.

Suitable for everyday wear in both urban and rural settings.

Hmm, you can see those there as well in the image.

They look very comfortable and attractive.

It's important to note that these are just some forms of clothing.

Moroccan clothing is very diverse and also has Western influences.

Check for understanding.

Match the types of traditional Moroccan clothing with their descriptions.

We've got djellaba, babouche or balgha, and haik, and the descriptions are a large rectangular piece of fabric worn by women to cover their bodies and sometimes their faces, comfortable and practical shoes, a long-hooded robe worn by both men and women.

So pause video while you connect the type of traditional Moroccan clothing with its description.

Well done if you made this connection.

A djellaba is a long hooded robe worn by both men and women, babouche, comfortable and practical shoes, and haik, large rectangular piece of fabric worn by women to cover their bodies and sometimes their faces.

Well done if you made these connections.

In Morocco, the young boy and his father have arrived in a thriving marketplace commonly referred to as a souk, and we can see in these images the marketplace, the souk.

I'd like you now to read pages eight and nine of the Moroccan story.

The double-page spread depicts a market scene.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? Pause the video while you read these pages and share with someone nearby.

What can you see, and what are the characters doing? So did you spot people buying and selling spices? Two men are sheltering from the sun.

Their babouche are left at the entrance to the tent.

Women selling crops and food.

A man is trading computers and mobile phones.

The boy is drawing on the ground.

The father is trading sheep.

Well done if you spotted these things in that image.

There's so much going on.

I'd like you now to refer to page 10 and 11.

The father is hoping to sell the carpet to a trader at the market.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? And we can see in that image on the screen some beautiful rugs, Marrakesh market.

So pause the video while you refer to page 10 and 11, and tell someone nearby.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? Here's Izzy.

"The father is selling the carpet.

He's purchased something which he has wrapped up in a box.

The boy is looking at how a bicycle works.

He's then helping his father load up the donkey with food for their return journey.

On their way home, the son offers an orange to someone waiting outside." Great noticing there, Izzy.

I wonder if you noticed the same things.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

Father and son were not able to sell the livestock, lamb and chickens.

Pause the 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.

By the time the two characters leave the market, the lamb and chickens are not with them.

Readers can infer that they have been sold.

A range of plants, food, and technology is sold at this market.

People are in a range of different clothing.

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

Both statements are true, but it's the first one that is more of a direct justification for your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected this one.

In Australia, the young boy and his father have arrived at a hardware store, a shop that sells a wide variety of tools.

Read pages eight and nine of the Western story.

The double-page spread depicts the inside of the store.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? So pause the video while you read pages eight and nine of the Western story and share with someone nearby.

What can you see, and what are the characters doing? Did you see anything like this? A range of DIY equipment is on the shelves, priced in Australian dollars.

The father is deciding which parts he requires.

There is a box of plants in the foreground with a sign stating that the plants are real because sometimes you can also get plants which are not real that sometimes people have in their homes.

There are tools hanging in the distance and boxes stacked.

Afterwards, the boy and his father pay at the till.

There's a queue of people in a range of different clothing.

Well done if you spotted these things, and now I'd like you to refer to page 10 and 11.

A young boy notices a shop he wants to visit nearby.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? Pause the video while you refer to page 10 and 11 and share with someone nearby.

What can you see, and what other characters doing? Here is Lucas.

"The boy has spotted a carpet shop.

He picks out a carpet that looks very similar to the one in the Moroccan story.

The owner of the shop looks like the same man who appears in the market.

His hand pose is the same.

I wonder if he'll end up buying the carpet? The father and son return to the car." Oh my goodness, wow.

The two stories have come together.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is true? And refer to the text for support.

The hardware store is open until 9:00 PM.

The carpet shop is called Carpet World.

The father wears glasses.

Pause video while you decide which of the following is true and refer to the text for support.

Well done if you selected A and C as being true.

The hardware store is open until 9:00 PM, and the father does wear glasses.

And now it's time for your first task.

In this task, we're going to explore the next double-page spread in both stories.

Read pages 12 and 13 in the Moroccan story and the Western story.

What can you see? What are the characters doing? Note down what you can see what are the characters doing.

Add in any unanswered questions that you may have so far, and if you have any questions, you may begin with "I wonder if" or "perhaps" or "maybe," anything that you're curious about.

So pause the video here.

Read pages 12 and 13 in the Moroccan story and the Western story and answer the questions.

What can you see, and what are the characters doing? It's good to be back with you.

So what did you see? What are the characters doing? Let's begin in the Valley of Roses.

Such a beautiful name for a place.

I can see the father and son travelling home.

There are sheep being herded.

Three figures are playing football.

One is wearing a Nike T-shirt.

Someone is tending to the crops.

Where are these mountains located? Hmm, interesting question.

I wonder what crops are being grown here.

Yeah, very curious, and now to Sydney.

I can see the father and son have stopped at traffic lights.

The Tigers are in a final.

The area has been decorated including paw prints, a car, and even a dog.

Oh my goodness.

Some real fans there, super fans.

There are lots of shops including a dentist, shoe shop, and a computer store.

I wonder how the boy knows the child waving at him.

Yeah, interesting.

Interesting question.

Well done sharing what you could see and what the characters were doing.

And now it's time for us to make connections.

Connecting stories.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with the text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their own life experiences.

Connections can be from text to self, text to text, or text to the world.

So text to self is when the context of the text relates to personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts.

Text to text is when the content of the text relates to another text, and this could include anything you've seen, read, watched, or heard, and in text to the world is when the content relates to events and issues in the real world.

Connections can also relate to patterns that you spot when reading.

Check for understanding.

Match the types of connections to their definitions, text to text, text to world, and text to self, and the definitions relates to personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts, relates to another text, relates to events and issues in the real world.

So pause video while you match the type of connection to its definition.

Okay, did you connect text to text relates to another text? Text to world relates to events and issues in the real world, and text to self relates to personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts.

Well done if you made these connections.

It's time for your next task.

In the first part of this task, we're going to focus on text-to-text connections to the story.

What connections have you noticed that link the two stories, Moroccan and Western together, and are there any connections you can make to other texts? Remember, text-to-text connections do not have to just link two other books.

They can link to other forms of media, including films, television, theatre, and audio books.

So pause video while you reflect on connections that link the two stories and connections that you can make to any other texts.

Okay, what connections did you make? I'm so curious.

Let's see what June came up with.

"The connection I noticed between the two stories was the carpet shop owner." Good point, June.

"He appears in both the Moroccan and the Western stories.

I also noticed that the boys are dressed in similar colours." Yeah, me too, June.

I noticed that they were wearing red.

All right, how about Sam? "'Mirror' makes me think of 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan.

Both texts are wordless and celebrate culture and a family's experiences." Fantastic connection and recommendation there, Sam.

Do check out "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan if you haven't already.

It's an amazing, amazing text.

If you can justify your connection with evidence from the text, it's a good connection.

Finally, we're gonna focus on text-to-self and text-to-world connections to the story.

What connections do you make from "Mirror" to your own life, and what connections can you make from the text to the real world? You might make connections to characters, locations, or events that occurred within the stories.

Okay, so pause the video here while you make those connections from "Mirror" to your own life and from "Mirror" to the real world.

Okay, it is good to be back with you.

I am so curious.

What connections did you make? Let's hear some.

"The text made me think of my family who are in different parts of the world.

Like the characters in 'Mirror,' we may have different cultures and clothing, but there are lots of things we share and have in common." I love that one, and I also have similar connections 'cause I have a family in different parts of the world, and also, I really love that my family and my culture, we have different clothing.

Like we wear something called Shalwar Kameez and saris, and I love that clothing.

Another answer here.

"'Mirror' makes me think about the real-life locations that inspired it: the Valley of the Roses in Morocco and Sydney, Australia.

Having explored the text, I'd love to visit both." Oh my goodness, you've taken my words away.

Me, too.

I wanna be there.

Let's all go.

Tex-to-self connections are personal and unique.

They reflect our own life experiences.

Well done for sharing yours.

Making connections in "Mirror." In our lesson today, we have covered the following.

There are examples of Western and traditional Moroccan clothing represented within both stories.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with a text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their own life experiences.

Connections can be from text to self, text to text, or text to world.

There are connections between the two stories in "Mirror" involving characters, objects, and clothing.

I loved hearing about all these connections.

It was so interesting and so inspiring.

Thank you for sharing, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.