Lesson video

Hello everyone.

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

My name is Ms. Afsal and I am feeling pretty good today because we are going to be exploring some poetry.

We're going to be looking at the poetry of John Foster, and you will need a copy of his poetry book, which is called, "The Poetry Chest." So I'm gonna pause here for a moment while you go and fetch you a copy of the book.

Okay, you're back, book in hand, raring to go, I hope.

Let's explore some fantastic poetry by the poet John Foster.

The outcome for today's lesson is, "I can explain what the poems are about and the impression they create." We have some keywords in our lesson today.

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

Theme.

Imagery.

Atmosphere.

Impression.

Great stuff, 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.

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

Impression refers to initial feelings about a person, place, or thing gained from reading a text.

These are our key words, let's be on a lookout for them, let's listen out for them, let's think carefully about these words.

So our lesson today, reading and responding to, "The Invaders" And, "Kingfisher" By John Foster has two parts to it.

First, we'll be exploring The Invaders, and next we'll be exploring Kingfisher.

Let's begin with The Invaders.

The Invaders and kingfisher are poems found in the poetry collection, "The poetry chest." The collection contains poems written by John Foster.

John was born in 1941.

He grew up in a village called Scotby near Carlisle, which is in the north of England.

And we can see Carlisle marked on the map there.

John Foster is a contemporary poet who writes poetry for children on a wide range of themes including family, nature and the supernatural.

Before we read the poem, what does the title, "The Invaders" Make you think of? What words or images come to mind? So pause the video here while you share with someone nearby, what does this title, "The Invaders" Make you think of? What words or images come to your mind? Let's hear from Lucas.

"The poem makes me think of our history lessons where we learned about invaders and settlers.

Invaders are people who use force to enter a place and take over, usually with an army." And we can see an image there of some Viking invaders.

And are these positive or negative images? So pause the video and share with someone nearby the images that came to your mind.

Were they positive or negative about invaders? Thank you so much for sharing.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following are true? The Invaders and Kingfisher poems come from a collection titled, "Poetry Treasures." John Foster was born in 1941.

John Foster's poetry contains themes of nature.

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

Well done if you selected statements B and C.

Indeed, John Foster was born in 1941, and John Foster's poetry contains themes of nature.

And now it's time to read the poem.

I'd like you to refer to page 164 in your text.

And 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 reading to the first piece of punctuation, then alternating.

So pause the video while you read the poem twice.

Once silently and the second time out loud.

Enjoy your reading.

Okay, great to be back with you.

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

Okay, so did it match your expectations? Why or why not? Let's hear from Lucas.

"The subjects of the poem were not people but birds.

The invaders are the starlings who take control of the garden and the breadcrumbs left for the birds by humans." So really different to what you were expecting this poem to be about, Lucas.

You were thinking it would be about human invaders and settlers, but in fact these are birds.

And I wonder if the poem matched your expectations from the title.

Before we explore the poem in more detail, it's useful to know a little about the two birds mentioned.

Starlings.

European starlings are considered invasive.

Their rapid spread and aggressive behaviour has had significant impact on native bird populations.

Starlings have a varied diet and are opportunistic feeders, they're on the lookout for what they can get.

Starlings are known for their spectacular aerial displays called, "Murmurations." It's really a very, very wonderful, spectacular thing if you get to see these birds that gather in such vast numbers and fly together almost like in formation.

Sparrows.

House sparrows often rely on humans for food and shelter.

Sparrows are highly social birds that typically form large flocks.

The population of sparrows has fallen partly due to competition with invasive species like starlings.

And now we can see the images of these two birds resting on their branches.

Check for understanding.

Match the features to the correct bird.

Rely on humans for food and shelter.

Fly in an aerial display called a murmuration.

Are considered an invasive species.

Highly social.

And then put the two birds, the starling and the sparrow.

So pause the video while you match the features to the correct bird.

So let's take a look.

Rely on humans for food and shelter, that's the sparrow.

Fly in an aerial display called murmuration is the starling.

Are considered an invasive species, the starling.

And highly social, the sparrow.

Well done if you made these connections.

The Invaders is a free verse poem.

It does not adhere to a specific rhyme scheme or metre.

The poem consists of eight lines forming a single verse also called a, "Stanza." I'd like you now to refer to the poem.

Which bird species are being referred to in the title, and how are they being unkind towards the other birds? Pause the video while you refer back to the poem and share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Here's Aisha.

"The invaders are the starlings.

They're described as bullying the sparrows.

They have much more power and control." We could say that the starlings have more authority.

Authority is are noun, means the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.

Poetry is a form through which poets can express their thoughts, emotions, and perspectives on various subjects including nature.

Refer to the poem.

Which species might John Foster sympathise with, and why? And sympathise means to have concern for others when they're struggling or having some kind of trouble.

So pause the video while you refer to the poem and share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Andy.

"I think the poet might feel sorry for the sparrows.

He describes the starlings using verbs that convey power." And here's Laura.

"The verb "Commandeering" Means to take possession of something using force.

This makes the starlings sound like an army." So yeah, we can see that because of the way the starlings are behaving, but perhaps John Foster has more sympathy, he sympathises with the sparrows.

Poets can convey atmosphere through their use of imagery, tone, and themes.

Well, we have a lot of our keywords here.

So atmosphere is the mood that is created through the text or a section of a text.

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

And a theme is a topic, a big idea that recurs within the text.

What atmosphere do you think is created in the poem, and what tells you this? So pause the video while you reflect on your answers to these questions and share them with someone nearby.

And here's Alex.

"The atmosphere created in The Invaders by John Foster is aggressive.

It makes me think of a war between the two species of birds.

They are fighting over food." The poem is rich in imagery, particularly in its portrayal of the natural setting and the birds within it.

I'd like you now to refer to the poem.

Which was your most vivid image? What impression does it give you of the speaker? An impression is one of our keywords and it's that initial feeling we have about a person, place or thing within a poem.

So pause the video while you refer to the poem and answer these questions.

Share your answers with someone nearby.

Let's hear from Sam.

"I really like the simile that the poet used to describe the starlings like storm troopers.

Storm troopers are soldiers in the Star Wars films. This makes the Starling sound like an army.

It makes me notice the difference in power between the birds." And there we can see an image of a storm trooper looking pretty powerful and a bit scary.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your most vivid image.

Check for understanding.

True or false? Sparrows are portrayed as the aggressive species in the garden.

Pause the 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.

Choose from one of these statements.

Starlings have taken control of the garden.

Sparrows are described as being bullied by the starlings.

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

Well done if you selected the second statement.

Indeed, sparrows are described as being bullied by the starlings, and this relates to your earlier answer.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to reread the final line of the poem and answer the following questions.

Do you think it's right for one group to dominate the other because of their strength? And dominate means to control by use of their power.

What would you do to make things fairer? Use evidence from the poem to support your response.

So pause the video while you reread the final line of the poem and then answer these questions.

Share your answers with someone nearby.

It's good to be back with you.

Do you think it's right for one group to dominate the other because of their strength? Here's Jacob.

"I don't think it's right for one species to have control over the food.

The starlings are depicted as powerful due to their large numbers and the way they're described resembling soldiers armed with bayonets.

I would try to give the birds more food so there is less competition." And then we can see an image of a soldier holding a bayonet.

Thank you for sharing your idea there, Jacob, for why you don't think this is right, and also sharing your idea of what you could do to make things fairer.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your ideas.

And now let's move on to exploring the poem Kingfisher.

Kingfisher shares a similar theme of nature.

Kingfishers are birds.

Before we read the poem, it's helpful to know some interesting facts about them.

Kingfishers are found in various habitats including forests, wetlands, rivers, and coastlines.

Each species has adapted to its specific environment.

The kingfisher has stunning iridescent blue and orange feathers that make it a striking sight along rivers and streams. Iridescent means very bright colours that change with movement.

And kingfishers are expert fishers, as you may have guessed from the name.

They often perch on branches or other vantage points overlooking water bodies waiting patiently for fish to swim by.

And look at those images of kingfisher.

What an incredible bird.

Now I'd like you to read the poem Kingfisher on page 165.

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

So pause the video while you read the poem Kingfisher.

So what were your first impressions of the poem and what did you like about the poem? Pause the video while you share with someone nearby.

Here's Sophia.

"The poem describes the kingfisher bird as it hunts for prey.

I liked how the poet described its movement, particularly how it knives the water.

It made me imagine it slicing through the water like a knife through butter." Oh, fantastic, thanks for sharing that, Sophia.

Love that there was a particular image that really stood out for you.

Kingfisher is also written in free verse.

It consists of 11 lines forming a single verse.

The poem tells a story beginning with the kingfisher's descent, moving downwards, moving towards its hunting action underwater.

Then returning to its perch, the branch of a willow tree.

The kingfisher is first described using a simile, comparing it to a splinter.

What do you think John Foster might have meant by the comparison? Pause the video and share your answer with someone nearby.

Here's Izzy.

"Splinters are very small and sharp.

I think that the poet might have wanted a reader or listener to imagine how small and sharp the kingfisher is in flight." Thanks for sharing your answer, Izzy.

Check for understanding.

Put the following events from the poem into chronological order.

The kingfisher returns to its perch.

A fish is in its beak.

The kingfisher dives through the air, entering the water.

The kingfisher turns and makes its way back to the water's surface.

Pause the video while you put these events from the poem into chronological order, the sequence in which they occurred.

Okay, so did you get the first event being the kingfisher dives through the air, entering the water? Next, the kingfisher turns and makes its way back to the water surface.

After that, the kingfisher returns to its perch.

And finally, a fish is in its peak.

Well done if you put the events into this order.

And now it's time for your task.

Kingfisher uses a range of poetic devices to create an atmosphere.

This includes alliteration, repetition of the same sound found at the start of words that come close together.

Personification, a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human.

And onomatopoeia, words that imitate or suggest the sound they describe.

Choose one of the poetic devices and discuss how it contributes to the poem's atmosphere.

Pause the video while you have a go at this task.

Great to be back with you.

So I wonder, which poetic device did you choose? And I hope you enjoyed sharing how it contributes to the poem's atmosphere.

Let's hear from Aisha.

"I liked how the poet uses personification.

The kingfisher sits triumphant on its branch like a king on a throne.

It made me think of the creature as quite regal and magnificent." Thanks for sharing that, Aisha.

And that blue is quite a regal colour as well, I feel.

Here is Jun.

"I noticed that the poet uses onomatopoeia.

For example, splatter imitates the sound of liquid hitting a surface." Good choice of poetic device, Jun, thanks for sharing.

And I wonder, where these responses similar or different to your own? And I hope you enjoyed sharing the poet device that you chose.

In our lesson, reading and responding to The Invaders and Kingfisher by John Foster, we have covered the following.

The Invaders and Kingfisher are two poems based on a similar theme, birds.

Both poems are written in free verse.

They do not adhere to a specific rhyme scheme or metre.

The Invaders describes the competition between two rival species, the sparrows and starlings.

Kingfisher describes the story of a kingfisher who successfully hunts for its food.

Both poems use imagery to convey an atmosphere to the reader or listener.

I would like to convey to you that I am so glad that you were here for this lesson and that we got to explore these two fantastic poems together.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.