Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

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

My name is Miss Afzal, and I'm doing well because we're going to be exploring some poetry today.

Not one, but two poems by Valerie Bloom.

We're going to look at a poem, "The Forest," and "The Colours of My Dreams." So pause the video here while you go and get either your anthology of Valerie Bloom's poetry, "Stars With Flaming Tails," or get your copies of the poems. You are going to need those two poems, "The Forest" and "Colours of My Dreams." Pause the video while you go and get these, and I will wait here for you.

All right, you're back.

I see you.

I see you with your poems in hand.

That's fantastic.

Let's get into these great poems. And please remember, bring all your ideas, your enthusiasm.

It's gonna be a great exploration.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can read and reflect on poetry about belonging and hope.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Theme, imagery, belonging, hope.

Fantastic, I liked hearing those loud and clear.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

Theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.

Imagery is the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener.

Belonging is feeling a part of something, whether it's the natural world or a shared human experience.

Hope is a sense of optimism or expectation for something positive in the future.

These are our key words.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They're gonna come up in our lesson today.

Exploring themes of belonging and hope in "Forest" and "The Colour of My Dreams" is the name of our lesson today.

First of all, we'll be exploring "Forest," and then we'll be exploring "The Colours of My Dreams." Let's begin by exploring "Forest." "Forest" and "The Colours of My Dreams" are poems written by Valerie Bloom.

Valerie was born in 1956 in Clarendon, a parish in Jamaica, and we can see the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean sea, and that image.

Mm, I want to go there.

Valerie moved to the UK in the 1970s.

Valerie's poetry is known for its musicality, rhythm and vivid imagery.

She frequently uses Caribbean dialects, humour and storytelling techniques to explore themes of identity, family, culture and everyday life.

So we have some keywords here.

Imagery is the use of language to create mental pictures or sensory experiences for the reader, and a theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a text.

Her collection, "Stars With Flaming Tails," contains poems written about friends, family, the wider world and animals.

It also explores a range of different forms. Before we read the first poem, what does the title "Forest" make you think of? What words or images come to mind? So pause the video here and tell someone nearby, what comes into your mind when you think of the word forest, and what does this title make you think of? Let's hear from Aisha.

"I imagine a forest in autumn "with golden brown leaves carpeting the floor." Oh my goodness.

I love the idea of that, and I love seeing that image there, Aisha.

How about Alex? "Forests are wild places full of nature.

"I wonder if the poem will explore themes "linked to the natural world and the environment." Yeah, I see him really thinking here about what are some of the themes that will come up in this poem.

I wonder what came into your mind.

Maybe something similar or maybe something different.

And also I'm just wondering were your responses positive or negative? So pause the video here and share with someone nearby what are your responses, positive or negative? Okay, thanks for sharing.

Now it's time to read the poem, "Forest." I'd like you to refer to pages 60 and 61 in your text, "Stars With Flaming Tails." To begin, read the poem silently in your head, and then read out loud.

You might like to read it with a partner, with one person taking the first two lines, the other, the next two lines, alternating.

So pause the video here while you read the poem, "Forest." <v ->"Forest."</v> Here at the edge, night shakes hands with day, dark and light fuse to a soft pastel grey.

Silent as a shadow's breath.

The ceaseless snowflakes fold.

Nothing living moves, no mousing owl's shrill call disturbs a piece of winter, but the sentinel trees shiver as they listen to the whispering breeze.

No straying footsteps have touched the settled snow.

No signposts point the travellers the way that they should go.

But there, for the ones who are willing to see, is a path that will lead them to a distant country.

And for the ones who are eager and willing to hear, there's the sound of laughter and a welcoming cheer.

And voices are calling, "Where have you been? "We've been waiting for you.

"Come in, come in." <v ->Okay, I hope you enjoyed reading the poem.

</v> Now, did the poem match your expectations from thinking about its title? Why or why not? Share with someone nearby and pause the video here.

Okay, hmm, I wonder did it match your expectations? Let's hear from Sam.

"I had expected the poem to appeal to the senses, "transporting the reader to a woodland setting.

"I could not tell from the title, "but it would also focus on travellers "moving from one country to another.

"I wonder why they're leaving." Okay, so it was something really quite different to what you thought there, Sam, and I can see that you have some questions as well.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your expectations and whether they matched with the title.

Check for understanding.

Which season is the poem, "Forest," set in, spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected winter.

"Forest" is a fixed verse poem.

It is 14 lines long.

Each line shares a rhyme with the line that follows it.

The poem uses vivid imagery to describe the forest and its surroundings.

Refer to the poem, which was your most vivid image? What impression does it give you of the forest? So pause the video here, refer to the poem, and then share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Andeep.

"I really like the very first line.

"It was really impactful.

"It made me think of the time and day when it is set.

"I think as the night is greeting the day, "it might be dawn, "when the forest and the forest creatures are waking up." Okay, so really like that first line and that image, Andeep.

It's pretty powerful.

Thanks for sharing.

The poem uses personifications to give objects such as the snowflakes and trees human qualities.

Here's an example of that personification.

So we had the word sentinel, that's a noun, which means a soldier or guard whose job it is to stand and keep watch.

Refer to the poem, how does the tree's description connect with the sensory description? Pause the video while you refer back to the poem, and show your answer to this question with someone nearby.

Here's Lucas.

"I noticed that in contrast to the silence around them, "the trees listen to the breeze, "which is whispering to them.

"Valerie Bloom uses figurative language "to perhaps suggest that the trees are quietly watching "or protecting the travellers passing through the forest." Thanks for sharing that, Lucas.

I love how you're really tuning in to that language and imagery in the poem.

Check for understanding, true or false.

The poem, "Forest," uses personification.

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

Well done if you selected true.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

The trees shiver when they hear the wind.

The poem describes a winter scene as travellers make their way through a forest on their long, arduous journey.

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

Both of these statements are true, but it's the first one that is an example of personification.

The travellers in the poem are moving from one place to another.

Poems can connect to readers, to other texts and to the wider world.

Refer to the poem, what connections do you make from this poem to the wider world? Pause the video while you do this.

Here's Sofia, "The poem made me think "of real life situations "where people might seek safety "or a better life in another country.

"I hope, like the poem, "that their journey also ends positively." Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Sofia.

It's so true, there are people, many people right now in this world who are seeking safety, seeking a better life, travelling as these people were in the poem.

Let's hope that all their journeys end positively.

Did you make similar connections, I wonder? Lines seven to 10 explore the traveler's journey.

The poem mentions that they have no directions, yet there is a path for those that look for it.

What do you think Valerie Bloom means by this? You can use the rest of the poem and the illustration by Ken Wilson Max to support you.

Pause the video while you reflect on this question and share your answer with someone nearby.

Here's Laura.

"The poem mentions that there are no footprints in the snow "or any obvious sign showing the path they must take.

"I think Valerie Bloom might be suggesting "that the path is within each person, "like their own personal journey." Wow, that's a really fantastic interpretation.

Thanks for sharing that, Laura.

I love this idea of the path within.

We all have our own paths.

Ah, so beautiful.

Check for understanding, which of the following is true? There is a clear path through the forest for the travellers to follow.

There is no indication of the way that the travellers should go.

The travellers will not be welcome when they arrive at their destination.

The travellers will be welcomed when they arrive at their destination.

Pause the video while you decide which of these is true.

Well done if you selected statements B and D.

There's no indication of the way the travellers should go, and the travellers will be welcomed when they arrive at their destination.

Two of the themes present in "Forest" are those of hope and belonging.

Hope is one of our keywords.

It's a sense of optimism or expectation for the future.

And belonging is one of our keywords as well, and it means feeling a part of something, whether that's part of nature or part of the shared human experience.

Refer to the poem.

With your partner, answer the following questions.

How is the theme of hope conveyed in the poem? And how is the theme of belonging conveyed in the poem? You might also wish to refer to the illustrations in your discussion too.

So pause the video here while you discuss and share with someone nearby how the themes of hope and belonging are conveyed in the poem.

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

Let's hear from Jacob.

"I think the theme of hope is shown "when the travellers are able to find a path "without any physical directions.

"Perhaps the light seen through the trees in the forest "suggests that the travellers' journey may end positively." Thank you for sharing that.

So great to hear about hope.

And what about belonging? Here's Jun.

"The theme of belonging "is shown through Valerie Bloom's use of speech "at the end of the poem.

"The travellers are welcomed with a cheer.

"It feels like they're being made "to feel part of the community." I feel like there's hope and belonging both tied up in that there.

Thank you, Jun.

So wonderful if we can make people feel part of the community and make everybody feel welcomed.

Were these responses similar or different to your own, I wonder? And now let's move on to exploring "The Colours of My Dreams." On the final page of the collection, Valerie Bloom includes another poem with similar themes called "The Colour of My Dreams." Read the poem, "The Colour of My Dreams," on page 94.

What are your first impressions of the poem? What do you like about the poem? Pause the video while you read the poem and share your impressions and what you like about it.

<v ->"The Colours of My Dreams."</v> Once, I held inside my palms the curviness of a bow, and listened in the cornfield to the sadness of a scarecrow.

I clearly saw the saltiness of the Atlantic Ocean.

Watched a mother with her newborn babe and tasted her devotion.

Once I heard the vibrant green of a lawn that was just laid, and smelled the laughter of the children playing in the glade.

I once heard the roundness of a brand new tennis ball and touched the despair of a man with his back against the wall.

I travelled once around the world on stars with flaming tails and touched the colours of my dreams along some silver trails.

<v ->Here's Aisha, "I liked how imaginative the poem is.

</v> "Valerie Bloom's descriptions "and Ken Wilson Max's illustration "made me feel like the poem was taking me on a journey "out of this world." Wow, that's quite an achievement for a poem and an illustration to do that.

"The Colour of My Dreams" is split into five verses, also known as stanzas, with four lines in each.

Each verse follows an ABCB rhyme scheme.

The second and fourth lines rhyme.

The poem appeals to the five senses, so to our hearing, sense of smell, sight, touch and taste.

Refer to the poem.

With your partner, find examples of each sensory description.

Which is your favourite and why? Pause the video while you refer to the poem.

Find examples of each sensory description, and share your favourite and why it is so.

All right, we've got Alex and Lucas together.

"Our favourite was the description "of the mother with her baby," me too.

"Even though we cannot taste devotion, "the image created is warm and tender.

"It made us imagine a strong relationship "between the two characters." Oh, thank you for sharing that one.

So many amazing descriptions.

I wonder, which was yours.

For a poem titled about colour, there are surprisingly only two colours mentioned in "The Colour of My Dreams," green and silver.

Refer to the poem.

Why do you think Valerie Bloom chose to not include lots of colours? Pause the video while you refer to the poem and share with someone your answer to this question.

Here's Izzy.

"I think Valerie Bloom might have used her description "to make the reader or listener "imagine the colours associated with the imagery, "rather than telling them." I love that.

It's so powerful when we show, rather than tell.

Poetry is open to interpretation.

It does not always offer exact answers.

That's something that's so wonderful about poetry.

It can be so open, and we can all find our own place in it.

At the start of the fifth verse, the poem contains the title of the poetry collection, "Stars With Flaming Tails." Why do you think Valerie Bloom chose this phrase as the name of the entire collection? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Here's Sam, "The phrase makes me imagine "the night sky and universe.

"It creates a sense of wonder.

"Perhaps Valerie Bloom "wanted her readers to experience this same feeling "from reading her poems." Yes, thank you for sharing that, Sam, and I think there's really something about it being right at the end of the collection as well.

It's kinda looking back and encapsulating or holding a sense of what really the whole of that anthology was about.

Check for understanding, which two colours are mentioned in the poem, "The Colours of My Dreams?" Red, blue, green, silver.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected green and silver.

And now it's time for your task.

Themes of belonging and hope can also be represented in "The Colours of My Dreams." I'd like you to refer to the poem, and with your partner answer the following question.

From reading both poems, what overall message do you take away about the theme of hope and the theme of belonging? You might also wish to refer to the illustrations in your discussion too.

Pause the video here, refer to the poem and answer this question.

It's great to be back with you.

I am so curious, what are you taking away? What is this overall message that you are getting about hope and belonging? Here is Jun.

"The overall message I take away with me "after reading the poems "is that it is important to never lose hope, "especially when overcoming challenges." Oh my goodness.

Thank you for sharing that, Jun.

I feel like that message is for everyone.

We all have challenges sometimes, and yeah, it's really important to never lose hope.

Thanks for that, Jun.

Thanks for that, Valerie Bloom.

Here's Izzy, "Both poems made me think "about the importance of empathy "to consider people's feelings and point of view.

"Everyone should have somewhere that they feel they belong." Oh my goodness, Izzy, I want this on a poster.

This is just the most fantastic message.

Thank you for sharing that.

Absolutely, everybody, everybody, everybody should feel that they belong, and let's do that.

Let's help people to feel that way.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed sharing what's your overall message you're taking away.

In our lesson exploring themes of belonging and hope in "Forest" and "The Colours of My Dreams," we have covered the following.

"Forest" and "The Colours of My Dreams" are both poems written by Valerie Bloom.

Each poem is accompanied by an illustration by Ken Wilson Max.

The poem, "Forest," explores imagery linked to winter.

The poem focuses on themes of hope and belonging for a group of travellers making a journey.

The poem, "The Colours of My Dreams," includes vivid imagery linked to the five senses.

Poetry is open to interpretation.

It does not always offer answers.

Thank you, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I really enjoyed hearing from you, and especially I loved hearing about your overall messages, what you're taking away from these fantastic poems. And I've got a lot of hope for all of us and for the future, and I hope you have that too.

I'll see you in the next lesson, bye for now.