Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're well.

I hope you're doing really, really well today.

My name is Ms. Afzal and I'm doing pretty good.

Thank you, because we're going to be exploring some poetry today.

We're going to be exploring the poetry of William Blake, and in particular the poem called "The Tyger." So I'm gonna ask you to pause the video here while you go and get your copy of the poem, "The Tyger." All right, you're back.

You've got your copy of the poem, "The Tyger" by William Blake.

I hope you are curious.

I hope you are up for it.

Have you got lots of ideas, lots of energy and enthusiasm to explore this incredible poem, "The Tyger" by William Blake.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can perform the poem "The Tyger" by William Blake.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Atmosphere, pace, gesture.

Great stuff.

I enjoyed hearing those.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Atmosphere is the mood created in a section or whole of a text.

Pace is the speed or rhythm at which a poem is read or performed.

Gesture is a movement that helps express an idea or meaning.

These are our key words.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

Today's lesson is Performing "The Tyger" by William Blake.

There are two parts to this lesson, preparing to perform and performing "The Tyger." Let's begin at the beginning, preparing to perform.

"The Tyger" is a poem written by William Blake in 1794 as part of the collection titled "Songs of Experience." And we can see an image in front of us, which has the poem written out by William Blake and also an image, an illustration of the tiger.

What do we know so far? "The Tyger" consists of six verses each with four lines, these unknown as quatrains.

Each verse has a rhyme scheme of AABB.

The poem describes a speaker marvelling at the site of a fierce and powerful tiger depicted as burning bright in the darkness of the forest.

The speaker questions who or what could create such a fearsome and awe inspiring creature? We are going to prepare to perform the poem "The Tyger." We've explored some of the language and image we used in the poem and thought about the impression and atmosphere it creates.

This will help us to convey the meaning better as we perform.

To better understand the poem, let's explore some of the language Blake used in a poem that may be unfamiliar to us.

Immortal, this means something eternal or not subject to death.

Sinews are tendons or connective tissues in the body.

Furnace is a high temperature oven used for melting or forging.

An anvil is a heavy iron block with a flat top on which metal can be hammered and shaped and we can see an anvil in the illustration on screen.

I wonder if you've come across any of these words before or maybe they are all new to you.

So now it's time to re-read the poem, looking back at the language or phrases that you think are most significant, a copy can be found in the additional materials.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, and what art, Could twist the sinew of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat.

What dread hand? And what dread feet? What the hammer? What the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp.

Dare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who make the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry? There's our poem, "The Tyger" by William Blake.

Check for understanding.

Can you remember the meaning of these words? Match them to the correct definition.

Immortal, sinews, furnace, and the definitions.

A high temperature oven used for melting, forging.

Something eternal or not subject to death.

Tendons or connective tissues in the body.

Pause video while you match the words to their correct definitions.

Did you connect immortal as something eternal or not subject to death? Sinews are tendons or connective tissues in the body.

And a furnace is a high temperature oven used for melting or forging.

Well done if you made these connections.

Thinking about the meaning of the language in the poem will help bring the meaning across when we perform.

There are several other elements to consider and practise when getting ready to perform.

This includes exploring the rhythm and flow of the poem and our use of voice, gestures and movement.

Rhythm and flow refers to the natural musicality of the poems language.

Some poems have a strict regular form and this can affect the flow of how we read it aloud.

"The Tyger" has a clear rhyme scheme where the final word on the first and second lines of each verse rhyme and the final word on the third and fourth lines rhyme.

Each line has a pattern with its number of syllables.

These can be stressed or unstressed to create a rhythm.

And the stress syllable is the one where we place more emphasis.

So for example: Tyger, Tyger, burning bright In the forest of the night.

There's more emphasis on syllables that we see in purple on the screen.

We need to find the right pace and timing when reading aloud to create a smooth and engaging performance.

I'd now like you to re-read the poem aloud.

Focus on rhythm and flow.

Pay attention to any patterns such as repeated sounds or phrases.

Think about where the words flow and where you will pause.

Line endings and punctuation can help you.

Only one set of rhyming words do not rhyme in modern pronunciation.

And that is eye and symmetry.

And a top tip from Lucas.

"You may wish to focus on the overall flow and rhythm of the poem rather than forcing a perfect rhyme.

The slight difference can add to the poem's mystique and unique sound." So pause the video here while you re-read the poem aloud, focusing on rhythm and flow.

Enjoy reading the poem.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed reading the poem aloud with a focus on rhythm and flow.

Our use of voice can really affect the performance of the poem.

We must enunciate clearly so that the audience can understand us.

And enunciate means where we are making all of the sounds in our words very clear.

We can also vary our tone and our volume to create different effects.

A loud volume could show excitement or intensity, while a softer volume could show mystery.

Re-read the poem and look out for sections that you think could be louder or quieter.

So pause video here while you re-read the poem, this time really paying attention to the use of your voice and tone, and volume.

Enjoy reading the poem.

Okay, how did that go? And I'm wondering in particular about the sections that you made louder or quieter, why did you make those particular choices and how did it work out for you? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Okay, thanks for sharing.

I hope that was interesting.

So now I'm going to read aloud using the following tones of voice.

First of all, with curiosity.

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? I'm going to try with fear.

On what wings did he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? With admiration.

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? With mystery.

On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And now it's your turn.

I would like you to try reading a verse from "The Tyger" in the following ways: First of all, I'd like you to read a verse from "The Tyger" with curiosity.

Pause the video while you do this.

Okay, fantastic.

Next up, I would like you to read a verse from "The Tyger" with fear.

Pause the video while you have a go at this.

Fantastic.

Next one, I'd like you to pause video and read a verse from "The Tyger" with admiration.

Well done.

And finally, I would like you to have a go at reading a verse from "The Tyger" with a mystery.

Pause the video while you do this.

Fantastic.

Well done for having a go at reading all of these different tones of voice.

And I'm wondering which tone of voice do you think best suited the poem? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

I wonder if you found there was one tone of voice that best suited the whole poem, or maybe there were different sections of the poem that would benefit from a particular tone of voice.

Our facial expressions and body language can help to convey meaning as we perform.

We can show surprise, wonder, or mystery with our expressions or with body movements, actions, and gestures.

I would like you to re-read the poem and are there any moments in the poem that you think would benefit from a particular action or gesture? So pause the video now while you re-read the poem and consider where might a particular action or gesture benefit the reading of your poem.

Okay, great to be back with you.

I wonder what gestures you came up with.

I will show you some gestures that could be used to show something that is burning right, framed, twisting, and full of dread.

Now it's your turn.

I would let you show me a gesture.

First of all, pause video and show me a gesture to reflect something that is burning bright.

Fantastic.

Like all that brightness.

Next one, pause the video and show me a gesture for framed.

Really great, great framing.

Next one, I'd like you to pause the video and show me a gesture for twisting.

Wonderful.

And finally, I would like you to show me a gesture for full of dread.

Pause video and do this.

Ah! Oh my goodness, that one was dreadful.

Well done.

And will you use any of these in your final performance? Pause the video and tell someone nearby which of these do you think you might be using? Great stuff.

This is gonna be a fantastic performance.

I can feel it.

So it's time for your task.

Consider the elements of performance you have practised so far.

Which element has improved your performance the most and why? Think about the rhythm and flow of the poem, how you've used your voice, and how you've used facial expressions and body language.

So pause the video here and share with someone nearby which element has improved your performance the most and why.

Okay, great to be back with you.

Which element has improved your performance the most and why? I wonder.

Let's hear from Aisha.

"Reflecting on the syllables in each line has helped me find a rhythm when reading.

I will keep beat by tapping my foot during the performance." What a fantastic idea.

Maybe you wanna steal the idea from my Aisha.

And here's Jacob.

"I think adding some gestures to my performance will bring the reading alive for the audience.

I don't want to include too many, so I'm just focusing on key images." Great idea, Jacob.

Some gestures, but not too many.

Perfect.

And now let's move on to performing "The Tyger." Performing with expression and emotion means showing the feelings and atmosphere of the poem through your performance.

It's about bringing the poem to life and connecting with the audience on an emotional level.

You can use all the techniques we have practised to help you.

Rhythm and flow, pace, tone and volume, facial expressions and body language.

Check for understanding.

Which phrases best describe the atmosphere of the poem.

Tranquil and calm.

Awe and wonder.

Intense and powerful.

Optimistic and cheerful.

Pause the video while you select the phrases that best describe the atmosphere of the poem.

Well done If you selected awe and wonder, and intense and powerful.

And Alex says that, "You might like to vary the atmosphere in each verse.

Some may reflect different aspects of "The Tyger" or creator." Hmm.

Great tip there, Alex.

Thank you.

And now I would like you to re-read the poem looking for particular words or phrases that convey this atmosphere.

Are there any specific words or phrases that help to create this intense and powerful atmosphere? And which words or phrases help create a sense of awe or wonder? So pause the video while you re-read the poem and look out for any specific words or phrases that help to create the intense powerful atmosphere or the sense of awe or wonder.

Okay.

I wonder which words or phrases you came up with.

Hopefully you found some to reflect the intense and powerful atmosphere and the sense of awe or wonder.

Okay.

And now I would like you to read "The Tyger" with expression and emotion.

Pause the video while you do this.

Well done.

And let's hear from Sam.

"I emphasised intensity with 'And when thy heart began to beat.

What Dread hand and what dread feet?,' focusing on the tiger's fear some power." Fantastic.

Thanks for that, Sam.

Really focusing on the power there.

The time has come for your final performance.

I would like you, for your task, to practise and then present your final performance of the poem.

You could perform the poem individually, in a pair or in a group.

Think about rhythm and flow, use of your voice, gestures and movement, showing expression and emotion.

So pause the video while you practise and then present your final performance of the poem.

Enjoy every word, every movement, every emotion.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay.

You are back.

You have done it.

You have presented your final performance of the poem.

Pause and reflect.

Did you vary the rhythm and flow of the poem? Did you speak clearly and vary your volume and pace? Did you use facial expressions or body movements? Did you enjoy performing? That's the main thing.

I really, really hope so, and well done everybody.

What fantastic performances.

In our lesson Performing "The Tyger" by William Blake, we have covered the following: "The Tyger" is a fixed verse poem; each verse has a rhyme scheme of AABB and a clear syllable pattern when reading aloud.

Understanding a poem, its language and the impression it creates will help us to create an impactful performance.

We can improve our performances of poetry through practise.

We can improve our performances by considering the rhythm and flow of the poem, our own use of voice, gestures and movement, and by showing expression and emotion.

Something I would like to express to you today is just a very, very huge well done for getting to the stage of performing the poem.

You did a great job and I really enjoyed being along for the ride and especially enjoyed hearing your use of voice and those gestures were fun, and just well done everyone.

I'll see you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.