Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing today? Hope you're really good.

My name's Ms. Afzal and I'm very good as well today because we're gonna be exploring some poetry together and I really love poetry.

We're going to be exploring some poems in a book called "Being Me: "Poems about Thoughts, Worries, and Feelings." So important to explore these things and how wonderful to do it through poetry.

So I'm gonna pause here while you go off and collect your copy of the book.

All right, it's great to see you again.

Hopefully you've got your book in hand and you are ready to explore some poems together.

Let's get started.

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

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Theme, list poem, identity, rhythm.

Great stuff.

I liked hearing those.

Let's go through the meanings of each of these keywords.

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

A list poem is a form of poetry that consists of a list or inventory of things.

Identity is understanding who you are and your place within the world.

Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a musical and rhythmic flow in the poem.

These are our keywords.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about these words.

So our lesson today is exploring themes of identity in "Back to Me" and "Find Me." We will begin by exploring "Back to Me" and next, we will be exploring, "Find Me." Let's start with "Back to Me." "Back to Me" and "Find Me" are two poems found in the poetry collection "Being Me: "Poems about Thoughts, Worries, and Feelings." The collection contains poems written by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow, and Laura Mucha.

It's pronounced Mooka.

The illustrations are made by Victoria Jane Wheeler "Being Me" features a diverse range of poems that explore various aspects of what it means to be ourselves, including topics like individuality, friendship, family and personal growth.

Through the poems in "Being Me," readers are encouraged to celebrate their differences, embrace their strengths and weaknesses, and navigate the challenges of growing up.

Sounds like a really important book.

Such fantastic themes there.

Before we read the first poem, what does the title "Back to Me" make you think of? What words or images come to mind? So pause the video here, turn to someone nearby and share with them, what's this title "Back to Me" make you think of or words or images come into your mind? Okay, let's hear from Jacob.

"Back to Me" makes me think of something being returned.

Okay, something coming back to you.

Let's hear from Sam.

"Perhaps the poem focuses on a person who hasn't been feeling like they normally do.

They might want to go back to what they were like before." Oh, interesting, interesting perspective, Sam.

Now, I wonder, were these similar or different to your responses and were your responses more positive or negative? So pause the video here and reflect on these two questions.

Are these ones you see on the screen similar or different to your responses and were your responses positive or negative? Share with someone nearby and pause the video here.

Okay, thank you for sharing about that.

And now it's time to read the poem "Back to Me," written by Matt Goodfellow.

Refer to page 10 in your text.

And to begin, I'd like you to 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 three lines, the other the next three lines, and then alternating.

So pause the video here while you have a go at reading this poem two times, once silently and once out loud.

Enjoy your readings.

Okay, great to be back with you.

Hope you enjoyed reading that poem.

Now some questions.

Did the poem match your expectations from thinking about its title? Why or why not? Pause the video while you share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Sam.

"The poem connected to my idea of a character not feeling their usual self.

I think the speaker in the poem is asking for some time and space for themselves in a busy day where they move from one thing to another." Okay, thank you for sharing that, Sam.

Really interesting.

Also, it's making me think, I wonder, have you ever felt like that where the day can feel so busy and you're just moving from one thing to the other and you just want a little bit of time and space for yourself? I know I've felt like that sometimes.

"Back to Me" can be considered a list poem.

And remember, a list poem is one of our keywords.

So a list poem is one which contains a list or an inventory of ideas.

It contains 15 lines with between one to four words in each.

A poem contains rhyme, it has an interesting pattern and rhythm when read aloud.

So rhythm is another one of our keywords.

It means the pattern of the stressed and unstressed syllables that can create a musical and rhythmic flow to the poem.

Let's explore one possible way to read it.

We could actually split this poem into chunks and read the first three lines and then the next three lines as a separate chunk, the next three lines and then two lines, two lines and two lines.

And we can see that Aisha's wondering, "Did you read it this way on your first reading?" Perhaps you already split it into these chunks or maybe you had a different way of reading it.

Now I'd let you to have a go at rereading the poem, following the below structure.

So read the first three lines and then the next three lines together, and then the next three lines and then two lines, two lines and two lines.

And just leaving perhaps a tiny pause in between each of those chunks.

So pause the video while you have a go at rereading the poem using this structure.

I wonder, how did you get on? Did you notice any differences or new meanings? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed that reading and sharing your reflections.

The poem presents a snapshot of the speaker's daily routine, both in school and afterwards.

It has a strong sense of movement in terms of time and space.

Refer to the poem.

Which lines indicate that time has passed? Which lines indicate that the speaker has moved from one place to another.

Pause the video while you refer to the poem and reflect on these questions.

Share your answers with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Alex.

"The poem lists specific moments that occur in the school day one after the other in quick succession.

After the end of the day bell, the speaker goes swimming before catching the bus to their home.

The short lines make it feel like time is passing quickly." I wonder if you noticed something similar or maybe something different.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the day, the speaker expresses a need for some time and space for themselves.

Refer to the poem.

How do you think the speaker in the poem might be feeling and why? Pause the video while you refer to the poem.

Reflect on these questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Jun.

"I think that the speaker might be frustrated.

Their day is so busy they don't have a chance to relax and reflect.

The speaker requests some time on their own before their tea so they can collect their emotions." I wonder if you've ever felt like this.

Have you had a day where it's just so full on and busy going from one thing from to the next and you just need a little bit of time to pause and just be and notice how you're feeling? I know I have.

Check for understanding.

True or false? The speaker gets to enjoy lots of time to themself.

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

This is false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

The speaker goes swimming after school.

The speaker requests time when they're home to relax and reconnect.

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

Well done if you selected statement B.

Yeah, this is the one that more directly relates to your early answer.

They don't get much time to themselves, so they just need some time to pause, relax, reconnect.

The title of the poem could suggest that the time the speaker has to themselves helps them connect to their thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity.

Identity is one of our keywords and it means having a sense of who you are and your place in the world.

So I've got a question for you.

What do you enjoy doing to connect to your thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity? And you might consider the following.

You might do some mindfulness or meditation where you just pause and notice your experience in the present moment.

So noticing.

You might write in a journal or a diary.

Maybe you like reading, reading a text.

Some kind of creative expression, art, music.

Maybe you're into sports or exercise.

Disconnecting from technology, just putting down the devices.

Spending some time in nature.

Pause the video and reflect on what is it that you enjoy doing to connect to yourself, to your thoughts, your feelings, your sense of identity and share with someone nearby.

I hope you enjoyed reflecting on that and sharing with someone nearby.

I know that I really enjoy mindfulness.

That's probably my favourite thing.

And I also love spending time in nature and connecting through art and music and sports.

I think I like all of these things.

So I hope you enjoyed sharing yours.

These are just some of the ways in which we can connect to ourselves.

There are many more, and let's keep doing them.

Let's keep up this connection.

I hope you enjoyed sharing.

Let's hear some reflections.

Here's Laura.

"I enjoy using mindfulness strategies to help quiet my mind after a busy day.

This helps me recognise my thoughts and emotions better." Oh my goodness, Laura, I am with you.

Absolutely the same.

That is my go-to is using mindfulness strategies.

Love that.

Here is Lucas.

"I like sports.

It reduces stress and improves my mood." Fantastic.

Love that one too, Lucas.

And here's Izzy.

"I like disconnecting from my console and exploring my local park.

Being in nature calms me and makes me feel more connected to the world." Oh my goodness, I love all of these ideas.

Thank you for sharing them and I hope you enjoyed sharing yours.

Maybe you like mindfulness, sports, being in nature, letting go of the devices for a bit.

It's wonderful when we can find a way to connect to our thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity.

And now let's move on to exploring "Find Me." Another poem that explores the theme of identity is "Find Me." Here's another one of our keywords, theme, so theme is a big idea, a topic or message that recurs within a text.

And this poem "Find Me" is written by Liz Brownlee.

I would like you to read the poem "Find Me" on pages 20 and 21.

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

So pause the video while you find "Find Me," and then have a go at reading the poem.

And I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, so what are your first impressions of the poem? What do you like about the poem? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Here's Aisha.

"I like that the poem included short verses.

It has a strong sense of rhythm when read aloud, lots of the lines have a steady beat." Yeah.

Thank you for sharing that, Aisha.

Great reflections.

I wonder what your first impressions were and what you liked.

Maybe something similar, maybe different.

"Find Me" is a fixed verse poem, split into 12 two-line verses, also known as stanzas.

Refer to the poem and its illustration by Victoria Jane Wheeler.

How do you think the speaker might be feeling and how do you know? Pause the video while you refer back to the poem and its illustration.

How do you think the speaker is feeling? How do you know? Share your answer with someone nearby and pause the video here.

Okay, let's hear from Jacob.

"I think the speaker might be feeling different to others in their class.

Not being the same seems to leave them quite isolated.

They describe themselves as a jigsaw piece that has no edges to connect to others.

The illustration shows two figures looking quite disconnected from each other, thinking." Thanks for sharing those responses, Jacob.

Yeah, there really was quite a feeling of isolation.

I wonder if you picked up on that too.

One technique that poems can use to draw attention to specific lines is by changing the rhythm of the poem.

"Find Me" has an interesting pattern.

Most of the lines have a clear four-syllable beat.

I'd like you to read the first eight lines together, clapping out the rhythm.

So pause the video while you have a go at reading these first eight lines, clapping out the rhythm.

Okay, so now I'd like you to reread the poem and this time focusing on points at which the rhythm changes and what did you notice? So pause the video here while you reread the poem.

And in particular, notice where does the rhythm change? What did you notice about that? Pause the video while you have a go at this and share your responses with someone nearby.

Okay, so let's hear from Aisha.

"The rhythm changes at the repeated line where the speaker describes not feeling like everyone else.

This repetition seems to break up the poem into three sections." Well done for that, Aisha, really noticing where the rhythm changes and actually how that's ended up breaking up the poem into certain sections.

Why do you think the poet wanted to emphasise the repeated lines and what effect does it have on you, the reader? Pause the video while you reflect on these questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

Thanks for reflecting on those and sharing your responses.

I wonder what effect it had on you.

Check for understanding.

Refer to the poem, "Find Me." Which of the following is true? "Find Me" has the same rhythm throughout the poem.

"Find Me" has a repeated line that changes the rhythm of the poem.

The speaker's classmates know how they're feeling.

The speaker's classmates do not know how they're feeling.

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

Well done if you selected "Find Me" has a repeated line that changes the rhythm of the poem and the speaker's classmates do not know how they are feeling.

"Find Me" explores the theme of identity.

Refer to the poem and answer the following question.

Do you think the speaker in "Find Me" is happy about being different? Yes, no or maybe.

And explain your answer using evidence from the poem.

So pause the video here while you refer to the poem and answer this question.

Do you think the speaker in "Find Me" is happy about being different? And then explain your answer using evidence from the poem.

You may also wish to refer to the illustrations in your explanations too.

So pause the video here while you have a go at this task and I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

So I'm curious, what did you think about the speaker in "Find Me?" Are they happy about being different? Let's hear from Izzy.

She says maybe.

"I think the speaker in "Find Me" feels a mixture of emotions about being different.

In the poem, they question whether they are unique.

Perhaps the speaker's worried that they might stand out too much.

At the end of the poem, they describe thinking about whether it's okay to say they're not the same as everybody else." Thanks for sharing your response there, Izzy.

Love how you're using the evidence from the poem to back up your ideas.

I hope you enjoyed reflecting upon this question as well.

And remember, poetry's open to interpretation.

It does not always offer exact answers and maybe is fine.

Now I'd like you to refer to both poems. From reading both poems, what overall message do you take away about the theme of identity? And you could begin your answer like this.

The overall message I take away with me after reading the poems is.

Both poems made me think about.

This is another option.

So pause the video here, refer to both of the poems and reflect on what is your overall message that you're taking away about the theme of identity? Okay, great to be back with you.

I am curious, what are you taking away? Let's hear from Andeep.

"The overall message I take away with me after reading the poems is that lots of people may struggle at times to think about who they are.

"Find Me" made me think about what makes me unique, whereas "Back to Me" got me to think about how I give myself time to reflect and connect with my own feelings and emotions." It's a really great message and I think maybe that's something we could all do.

Let's all think about what is it that makes us unique and how do we give ourselves time to reflect and connect with our own feelings and emotions.

So important that we do that, I hope you'll find time for those things.

Poetry about personal experiences can get us to reflect on our own identity when reading or listening.

In our lesson, exploring themes of identity in "Back to Me" and "Find Me," we've covered the following.

"Back to Me" can be considered a list poem.

It contains 15 lines with between one to four words in each.

The title of the poem could suggest that the time that the speaker has to themselves helps them connect to their thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity.

Readers might connect to their thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity in similar or different ways.

"Find Me" is a fixed verse poem, split into 12 two-line verses.

A technique that poets can use to draw attention to specific lines is by changing the rhythm of the poem.

Poetry about personal experiences can get us to reflect on our own identity when reading or listening.

Thanks so much, everyone for joining in with this lesson.

I thought it was so valuable to have some time to reflect on what is it that helps us connect to our own thoughts, feelings, and sense of identity.

Hope you can keep doing that and I look forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.