Lesson video

Hello there.

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

My name is Ms. Afzal and I am very excited because we're gonna be exploring a wonderful poem today.

This poem is by the poet Valerie Bloom, and it's called "The Wall".

I'd like you now to go and get your copy of the poem.

So you may be getting just a paper copy of the poem, or perhaps you've got the whole anthology.

It's in a anthology of poetry called, "Stars with Flaming Tails".

So either way, off you go and fetch your copy of the poem while I wait here, pause the video while you do this.

All right, you're back, you have your poem in hand.

What else have you got, do you have lots of ideas? Do you have enthusiasm, do you have a collaborative spirit? 'Cause we wanna be working together, hearing each other's ideas.

I hope you're all set to go, let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can reflect on poetry, the themes of hate and anger, writing a personal response to a poem.

Here are the keywords for our lesson today.

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

Symbolism, interpretation, personal response.

Great stuff, I loved hearing those.

Let's find out what these words mean.

So symbolism is the use of objects, actions, or ideas to represent deeper meanings or concepts.

Interpretation is the process of understanding and assigning meaning to a poem and a personal response is the reflections that we make about a poem after reading or listening to it.

So let's listen out for these keywords.

Let's think about them carefully.

They're gonna come up in our lesson.

So today's lesson is exploring themes of hate and anger in "The Wall".

There are two parts to this lesson, Exploring "The Wall" and writing a personal response to a poem.

Let's begin with exploring "The Wall".

"The Wall" is a poem written by Valerie Bloom.

Valerie was born in 1956 in Clarendon, a parish in Jamaica, and we can see Jamaica on the map.

Doesn't it look like a fantastic place in the Caribbean Sea? Oh my goodness, 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.

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 poem, what does the title "The Wall" make you think of? What connections can you make to the word? Pause the video while you share with someone nearby.

What does this title "The Wall" make you think of? And what connections can you make to this word? Okay, let's have a look at some ideas here.

So we've got protection and safety.

Boundaries.

Can offer privacy.

Division and separation of people.

Creativity and expression.

Oh, wow, I wonder if you've seen walls like this that have murals, graffiti or murals on them.

Look at that one, that looks so fantastic.

So we can see a real variety of connections can be made to the word the wall.

And what about these connections that I've shared here? Are these more positive or negative? And did you think of any other connections? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Are these connections here positive or negative? And did you have some other connections? Okay, thanks for sharing.

Yeah, I think we've pretty much got quite a mix there.

So protection and safety, creativity, expression really, and boundaries, really more on the positive side of things, as is offering privacy, but division and separation of people, that really feels quite negative.

The poem we are looking at today uses symbolism.

Symbolism, one of our words in poetry, involves the use of symbols, objects, images, or actions that represent ideas beyond their literal meaning.

So literal is the primary meaning of a word.

A common example of symbolism in poetry is the red rose, which is widely recognised to symbolise love and romance.

What a gorgeous image of a rose, oh, I'd like one like that.

It might be used to show the deep emotional bond between two people.

If a rose's petals are falling off, it might symbolise heartbreak instead.

Check for understanding.

Match the following common symbols to their meaning.

So we have tree, rose, and a rainbow and some meanings, Love, hope, and growth, strength.

Pause the video while you match each symbol to its meaning.

Okay, did you connect tree with growth and strength? The rose symbolises love and the rainbow symbolises hope.

Well done if you made these connections.

And now it's time to read the poem.

I'd like you to refer to page 33 of the anthology "Stars with Flaming Tails".

And 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 of each verse and the other, the final two lines.

So pause the video while you have a go at reading this poem, first of all, in your head and then out loud.

<v ->Have you ever been angry with someone</v> and you didn't want to talk to them or have anything to do with them? I used to feel like that sometimes.

This is "The Wall".

I'm building a wall to keep you out.

"A wall of silence, won't open my mouth.

Won't say a word, won't heave a sigh.

Won't touch your hand, won't catch your eye.

I'm building a wall, a wall of hate, but I leave a gap for a little gate." <v ->All right, I hope you enjoyed reading that poem silently</v> and then out loud.

And now questions for you.

Did the poem match your expectations from thinking about its title and why or why not? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

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

"I was surprised that the poem used so much negative imagery.

I wonder what has happened to the speaker for them to feel this way." Thanks for sharing that, Lucas.

So you were surprised by what you read and by that negative imagery, and I see that you have some questions as well.

What did happen to the speaker, why did they feel this way? The wall is a fixed verse poem.

It has 12 lines with three pairs of rhyming words.

Refer to the poem.

Why do you think the speaker is putting up a wall? What purpose does it serve? Pause the video while you refer back to the poem and share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Okay, so why do you think the speaker is putting up a wall? What purpose does it serve? Hmm.

Let's find out what Alex thinks.

"I think the speaker might be angry and frustrated at how a situation has ended.

They're not using any words or expressions to communicate how they feel.

They refer to the wall as being built out of hate." Thanks for sharing your responses, Alex, and referring back to the poem.

Now, we could say that in this poem, the wall might symbolise isolation.

Isolation's a noun, means being alone, disconnected, often conveying loneliness or emotional detachment.

In what ways might the wall symbolise isolation? Pause the video and share your answer to this question with someone nearby.

And hear from Izzy.

"By keeping the subject, 'you', on the other side of the wall, the wall acts as a barrier.

It keeps the speaker separate from the subject of the poem and other people." The wall can represent a physical isolation as well as an emotional one.

Yeah, this is where that symbolism comes in.

So it's not just the literal physical isolation, but also the emotions being kept separate and away.

The poem ends on the speaker leaving space for a gate.

This is mirrored in the accompanying illustration by Ken Wilson Max.

Max, what do you think the gate might symbolise in the poem? Pause the video and share your answer with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Sam, "I think the gate symbolises hope.

It's the possibility of the speaker reconnecting with the person who hurt them." Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Sam.

And I feel like the illustration really helps us with that as well, just to see that little gate in the wall.

As readers, we do not know whether the gate opens from the speaker or the subject's side, or both.

This leaves the poem open to interpretation.

Is the speaker expecting an apology from the subject of the poem, or is it on the speaker's terms whether they let anyone pass through the gate? Interpretation is one of our keywords, and it's the process of understanding or assigning meaning to a text.

So this poem is open to interpretation to how we understand it.

So many different ways in which that ending could go.

Check for understanding.

Which action in the poem gives the impression that the speaker may eventually want to speak to the subject again? The speaker builds the wall in silence.

The speaker leaves space for a gate.

The speaker does not make any physical or eye contact with the subject.

Pause the video while you decide which of these actions gives the impression that the speaker may eventually want to speak to the subject again.

Well done if you selected action B, the speaker leaves space for a gate.

Yeah, there's some hope, there is some possibility for reconnection.

And now it's time for your first task.

Now that we've explored the poem, we are going to reread the poem aloud.

So refer to page 33 in your anthology.

And remember to use the following tips when reading aloud.

Expressive voice, vary volume, emphasis on keywords to show meaning, facial expressions, and gestures.

So pause the video here while you refer to the poem.

And then have a go at re-reading the poem aloud, remembering all of these reading aloud tips.

All right, it's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with re-reading the poem aloud? Check that you used the reading aloud tips.

Did you use an expressive voice? Did you vary your volume? Did you emphasise any keywords for meaning? And did you use facial expressions and gestures? Did you enjoy it? I really hope so.

We'll now write a personal response to the poem and let's get into it.

Let's get into writing a personal response to the poem, "The Wall".

We can respond to a poem by writing a personal response to it.

Personal responses are reflections that we make about a poem after reading or listening to it.

To effectively convey our thoughts and feelings about a poem, we can focus on the following, your personal reflection, how the poem made you feel, and the atmosphere it created.

Aspects of the poem you liked, a particular line or phrase or a poetic device used.

Your interpretation, a key theme in a poem or your takeaway idea.

These are just some ways that you can respond to a poem.

There are many more.

Okay, so let's get into our personal responses.

So I'm going to personally reflect on a poem.

"The poem made me feel empathetic for the speaker who's trying to distance themselves from others.

The mood of the poem was quite negative." And now it's your turn, how did the poem make you feel? What atmosphere did you feel it created? So pause the video now while you share a personal reflection.

How did the poem make you feel? And what atmosphere did you feel it created? Thank you for sharing.

Did you include how the poem made you feel and the atmosphere it created? I hope so.

And now I'm going to describe an aspect of the poem that I liked.

"I really liked how Valerie Bloom used the word 'silence' to describe what the wall is built out of.

It made me imagine the wall like a barrier, stopping sound from reaching the speaker." Now it's your turn, which aspect of the poem did you like? Did you have a favourite line or example of poetic device? Pause the video while you share with someone the aspect of the poem you liked.

And did you have a favourite line or poetic device? Okay, thanks for sharing.

So did you include your favourite line? And did you notice any poetic devices, any metaphors or similes or personification? And now I'm going to give my interpretation of the poem.

"A take-away idea that I had after reading the poem was to notice when people are feeling this way, to give them the space they need.

Then look for ways in which I can help or connect with them.

How about you, what is your interpretation of the poem? Pause the video while you share with someone nearby your interpretation of this poem.

So what themes did you notice? And did you have a takeaway idea? And I hope you enjoyed sharing these.

We can structure our written personal response in the following way.

Introduce the poem.

So begin by writing some context about the poem such as its title and poet.

Then summarise the content of the poem briefly.

We can give a personal reflection.

How did the poem make you feel? Describe its atmosphere.

Aspect of the poem, was there a particular line or a poetic device that you liked? How about your interpretation? What themes and takeaway ideas did you discover from reading the poem? And summary, end with a final insight or reflection.

So this is how I would like you to structure your personal response.

Let's take a look at an example, Aisha.

"'The Wall' is a poem written by Valerie Bloom.

It describes the speaker building a wall of silence and hate to keep others out, but they leave a gap for a little gate.

Reading the poem made me feel sad.

The idea of building walls to shut others out reminded me of times when I've wanted to do that.

I like that Valerie Bloom used the wall as a symbol for both physical and emotional distance.

The poem explores the themes of anger and hate and what happens when we experience these emotions.

I think 'The Wall' ends hopeful that the speaker might make their way back to the other side eventually." Thank you, Aisha, love the way you structured that.

Check for understanding.

Sequence the following parts of a personal response to a poem.

So we have personal reflection, summary, a final reflection, interpretation, themes, take-away ideas, aspect of the poem you liked, introduce the poem and poet.

So pause the video here while you sequence the following parts of a personal response to a poem.

So we'll begin by introducing the poem and poet.

Next, we give a personal reflection, an aspect of the poem you liked, share your interpretation, and conclude with a summary.

Well done if you sequenced the parts of a personal response to a poem in this way.

And now it is time for your task.

I would like you to write your own personal response to the poem.

Use the below structure to support you.

So first of all, remember that introduction to the poem.

Begin by providing some context about the poem, such as its title and poet.

And then summarise the content of the poem quite briefly.

Next, give your personal reflection.

How did the poem make you feel? Describe its atmosphere.

Move on to aspects of the poem.

So was there a particular line or poetic device that you liked? And then your interpretation.

What themes and takeaway ideas did you discover from reading the poem? Finally, the summary, end with a final reflection or insight.

So pause the video here, use this structure to support you, and write your own personal response to the poem "The Wall".

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with writing your own personal response to the poem? Did you introduce the poem and the poet? Did you include a personal reflection? Did you comment on a particular aspect of the poem you liked? Did you mention any themes or take-away ideas? And did you end with a final reflection or insight? I hope you managed to cover all of these things in your personal response, and I hope you enjoyed writing it.

In our lesson, exploring themes of hate and anger in "The Wall", we have covered the following.

"The Wall" is written by Valerie Bloom and illustrated by Ken Wilson Max.

The poem uses symbolism.

Symbolism in poetry involves the use of symbols, objects, images, or actions that represent ideas beyond their literal meaning.

The wall in the poem can represent a physical isolation as well as an emotional one.

A poem can have multiple meanings and interpretations.

Each person's response can be different and unique to them.

We can respond to a poem by writing a personal response to it.

Personal responses are reflections that we make about a poem after reading or listening to it.

Well, my personal response to you is thank you.

Thank you for joining in with this lesson, and I really enjoyed hearing your responses and interpretations and the aspects of the poem that you liked.

Thank you for sharing.

And I look forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Bye for now.