Lesson video

Hello, everybody, how are you? I hope you're doing really well today.

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

We're going to be looking at some poetry from the book entitled "Being Me, Poems About Thoughts, Worries, and Feelings." So I'm gonna pause here for a moment while you go and collect your copy of the text.

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

You've got your copy of the text, you've got some poetry, you've got, hopefully, lots of ideas, lots of enthusiasm, and openness to learn and discover and share.

Let's get started.

The outcome for today's lesson is, "I can read and reflect on poetry about resilience." We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Theme.

Resilience.

Enjambment.

Great to hear those.

Let's find out what these words mean.

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

Resilience is overcoming challenge, staying strong, and seeking positive change.

Enjambment is when a line in poetry continues onto the next line without pause or punctuation, creating a sense of flow.

Let's be on the lookout for these ideas.

Let's listen for them.

Let's think carefully about them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson today, stanzas in "One of These Days," and "Being Heard," has two parts to it.

We have got exploring "One of These Days," and exploring "Being Heard." Let's begin exploring "One of These Days." "One of These Days," and "Being Heard," are 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.

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.

What an important collection of poetry.

Before we read the first poem, what does the title, "One of These Days" make you think of? What words or images come to mind? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What does this title, "One of These Days," make you think of? What words or images come into your mind? Here's Andeep, "It sounds a little bit like a warning.

Like, 'One of these days, something will happen.

'" And here, Sofia, "I wonder if the poem is more hopeful.

The speaker might be saying it to themselves to inspire them to change, after a long time waiting." I wonder, were these similar or different to your responses and were your responses positive or negative? Pause the video while you reflect on your answers to these two questions and share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing, and I wonder what were yours more on the positive or the negative side.

The poem we are looking at today uses enjambment.

Enjambment is when a sentence or phrase runs over into the next line of poetry without punctuation.

Enjambment can be used to create a sense of flow as well as to emphasise certain words or ideas.

It allows the poet to control the pacing and rhythm of the poem, guiding the reader's attention from one line to the next without interruption.

Let's have a look at an example of enjambment.

"I packed my bags said goodbye to familiar streets where memories lingered echoing with bittersweet.

Enjambment helps to maintain the momentum of the speaker's actions as they transition from packing their bags to bidding farewell to familiar roads.

Check for understanding.

Do these four lines include an example of enjambment, "With every step, the distance grew wide between me and the place where I used to reside?" Pause the video while you decide yes or no, whether this includes an example of enjambment.

Well done if you selected yes.

And now, I wonder if you could share with someone nearby why? Pause the video while you share your response.

We can see that each line in the example continues over from the previous one without punctuation, breaks, or pauses.

And now it's time to read the poem, "One of These Days," written by Matt Goodfellow.

I'd like you to refer to Page 44 to find a poem.

To begin, read the poem silently in your head, 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 while you find this poem and read it twice, once silently, and once out loud.

Hope you enjoyed reading this poem for the first time.

Now, did the poem match your expectations from thinking about its title? Why or why not? Pause the video and share your responses to these questions with someone nearby.

Here's Andeep, "The poem was less of a warning, more a desire from the speaker to change things.

I think the speaker wants to leave their hometown and follow the lights to a place that offers more hope." Thanks for sharing that Andeep.

So we can see for Andeep, actually, there was a bit of a change there.

It wasn't a warning that he'd expected, but actually, a desire for the speakers to change things.

I wonder if the poem matched your expectations or maybe it was something different.

"One of These Days," is a fixed verse poem.

It contains eight lines and follows the AABBCCDD rhyme scheme.

I'll let you now to refer to the poem.

What effect does endowment have on you as a reader or listener? Pause the video while you refer to the poem and share your answer to this question with someone nearby.

Here's Sam.

"The use of enjambment made me feel like the poem had a sense of urgency as if the speaker is longing to escape." Thanks for sharing that, Sam.

How about Jun? "Enjambment helped me to find a rhythm when reading aloud.

It made me anticipate each line." Fantastic responses, thank you for sharing those.

The poem uses vivid imagery to describe the speaker's hometown.

I'd like now to refer to the poem.

Which was your most vivid image, and what impression does it give you of the speaker? Pause the video while you refer to the poem and reflect on these questions.

Share your answers with someone nearby.

Here's Izzy.

"I really liked Matt Goodfellow's use of metaphor where he compares the feeling of boredom to oil spreading across the water.

It makes me feel like boredom is suffocating the speaker and their town.

It reinforces the speaker's desire to leave." Yes, thanks for sharing, that's a really powerful image that you selected there, the boredom's like oil spreading across the water.

I wonder if you chose that image or if it was a different image that really struck you.

In the final four lines, the poet describes that one day, they will be free.

The water they must swim through to leave their town is described as treacle, a thick, sticky, dark syrup.

And we can see there some treacle being poured.

We can see just how thick that is.

Why do you think the water is described in this way? What effect might diving into the water have on the speaker? Pause the video while you reflect on these questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

Here's Lucas.

"Describing the water as treacle made me think of how determined the speaker would have to be to swim through it and leave their town.

By diving into the water, the speaker might have a chance of a fresh start as they shed their skin." Yes, thanks for sharing that, Lucas.

Yeah, absolutely.

That treacle was so thick.

It would really take some serious determination to swim through that and start a new.

Check for understanding true or false.

The speaker describes their hometown in a positive light.

Pause a 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.

Winds blow through broken telephone boxes in the town by the sea.

The speaker feels drawn to leave their hometown by the bright lights.

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

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Yeah, this is really showing us a description of the hometown, which is not so positive.

And now, it's time for your first task.

The theme of resilience is presented in the poem, "One of These Days." So we've got some keywords there.

So theme is a big idea, message, or topic that it that recurs within a text.

And resilience, that's a noun, means to overcome challenge, staying strong, and seeking positive change.

I'd like you to refer to the poem and answer the following questions.

How is the theme of resilience conveyed in the poem? What do you think will happen next? You may like to begin your answers in this way, "Resilience is shown when or through," and also, "I predict," and share what you think will happen next.

So pause the video here while you answer these two questions about the theme of resilience and what will happen next.

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

Okay, great to be back with you.

So how is the theme of resilience conveyed in the poem? What do you think will happen next? Let's hear from Aisha.

"Resilience is shown through the speaker's determination to break free from their surroundings and pursue a better future.

They have not managed this yet, but it seems inevitable," so it will happen.

And here is Jacob.

"I think that speaker will persevere.

They'll keep going and they'll find success in leaving.

Perhaps they might move to somewhere more rural or a bigger city?" Really great responses.

Thanks for sharing that theme and what you think may happen next.

I wonder were these responses similar or different to your own? I hope you enjoyed sharing your responses.

The end of the poem is open to interpretation.

The speaker may have encountered setbacks and not been able to leave.

We don't know.

And now, let's move on to exploring the poem, "Being Heard." Another poem that explores the theme of resilience is "Being Heard." It is written by Liz Brownlee.

Read the poem, "Being Heard," on pages 72 and 73.

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 while you read the poem, "Being Heard." And now, I wonder now that you read the poem, what are your first impressions of the poem? What do you like about the poem? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Alex.

"I like the positive message that the poem contains.

It tells me that you do not always have to have the loudest voice to be heard." Thanks for sharing that, Alex.

It's a really positive message and I'm glad that you liked that.

I wonder what you liked and what your first impressions were being heard is.

A fixed-verse poem split into 12 two-line verses, also known as stanzas.

The poem has a steady rhythm due to its short lines and syllable structure like, "One of These Days," it also includes enjambment.

Here's a question for you.

How are the two groups of people in the poem described? Pause a video while you share your answer to this question with someone nearby.

Here's Laura.

"The poem uses the terms they and you.

They are compared to waves which make a big noise as they crash into one another.

You, the reader, is described as a ripple which is longer-lasting and reaches the shore, leaving a mark on the sand." Thanks for sharing that response, Laura.

So we can see they're both derived from the water and the ocean, but really quite contrasting the waves and ripples.

The poem is written to you, the reader.

It describes encounters with other people who are not giving space for your voice.

I'd like you to 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 to the poem and its illustration and answer these questions.

Share your answers with someone nearby.

Here's Sophia.

"I think that the speaker might be feeling frustrated as they have great ideas, but their classmates do not recognise or value them.

The illustration shows someone standing on the sand with a towel covered in mouths.

I think it might represent how talking over other people can sometimes cause them to hide and not value themselves." Thanks for sharing that, Sophia.

Yeah, that feeling of frustration and, yeah, interesting how much we can gain from that illustration as well.

Check for understanding which of the following is true about the poem, "Being Heard," and refer to the poem to support you.

The poem makes the reader feel valued by their peers.

The poem makes the reader feel undervalued by their peers.

The poem compares the reader to a wave.

The poem compares the reader to a ripple.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements is true about the poem, "Being Heard." Well done if you select that the poem makes the reader feel undervalued by their peers and that the poem compares the reader to a ripple.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to refer to the poem, "Being Heard," and answer the following question.

How is the theme of resilience conveyed in the poem? And then, I'd like you to refer to both poems and answer the following question.

Are there any similarities or differences in how resilience is portrayed in the two poems? So pause the video here while you refer to the poems, and then answer these two questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

I'll see you when you're finished.

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

I'm so interested to hear about this theme of resilience.

How did you feel it was conveyed in the poems? And were there similarities or differences in how resilience is portrayed in the poems? Let's hear from Andeep.

"Resilience is shown in the poem "Being Heard" by its encouraging the reader or listener to value their ideas and truth in the face of louder voices who might want to drown them out." And here is Jun.

"A similarity I noticed was that both poems remain hopeful in the face of challenge.

A difference I noticed was that one challenge is physical, leaving a town, and the other is emotional, feeling valued." Yeah, goodness, really.

I really see you diving into those poems, Jun, and discovering those crucial differences there.

The same theme can be represented in poems in similar or different ways.

Hope enjoyed exploring theme of resilience in these poems. I felt very inspired by these poems. Let's all be resilient.

In our lesson, "Exploring Themes of Resilience" in "One of These Days," and "Being Heard," we have covered the following.

"One of These Days," and "Being Heard," are two poems in a collection that shares themes of resilience.

Both poems include enjambment.

Enjambment is when a sentence or phrase runs over onto the next line of poetry without punctuation.

Enjambment can be used to create a sense of flow as well as to emphasise certain words or ideas.

The same theme can be represented in poems in similar or different ways.

Thank you everyone for joining in with this lesson.

I loved exploring these poems. They have such important themes, this theme of resilience, life will be, hopefully, amazing for all of us, but sometimes it will be tough.

So we need some resilience, and it was inspiring to hear of resilience in these poems. I look forward to seeing you next time.

Bye for now.