Lesson video

Hello, everybody! How are you today? I hope you're really well.

My name is Ms. Afzal and I'm very pleased to be here with you today because we will be exploring some poetry and I love poetry.

I hope you have a good feeling about it.

We're going to look at the poem "A Bird came down the Walk" by the poet Emily Dickinson.

So I'm going to pause here for a moment while you get your copy of the poem.

So you're back.

You've got your poem in hand.

What else have you got? Lots of ideas.

Enthusiasm.

Openness to collaboration.

What else? We're going to be doing some performing, so I hope you're up for that as well.

Shall we get started? The outcome for today's lesson is I can perform the poem, using intonation and expression to convey meaning.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Atmosphere.

Imagery.

Gesture.

Pace.

Fantastic! I liked hearing those loud and clear.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

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

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

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

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

These are our keywords.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for these words.

Let's think carefully about these keywords.

Our lesson today, Reading, responding to, and performing "A Bird came down the Walk" by Emily Dickinson has two parts to it.

First of all, exploring "A Bird came down the Walk" and then performing "A Bird came down the Walk." Let's begin by exploring this poem.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived in the 19th century.

She was born in 1830 in Massachusetts, USA, and she spent most of her life there.

She didn't become famous for her poetry until after she passed away.

And we can see an image there, which is a restored portrait of Emily Dickinson.

Emily Dickinson loved nature.

She spent a lot of time observing the world around her, especially the birds and flowers in her garden.

Many of her poems are about nature and the beauty she found in it.

Hmm, what about you? I wonder, do you enjoy spending time in nature? What do you like about nature? Do you like looking at the sky or trees or birds or flowers? Animals? Maybe something else? Pause the video and tell someone nearby, what is your favourite aspect of nature? If you were going to write poems about nature, what would you write about? Okay, thank you for sharing with each other.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about each other's favourite aspects of nature.

Hmm, for me, I think it might be trees.

I feel very inspired by them and I love spending time around trees.

Emily Dickinson's poetry has a unique style.

She often used short lines and simple language, but her poems are full of deep meanings and emotions.

Sometimes, her poems don't rhyme or follow traditional poetry rules, including use of punctuation, but they still have a powerful impact.

"A Bird came down the Walk" uses enjambment, when descriptions cross lines and verses, also known as stanzas.

Before we read the poem, what does the title "A Bird came down the Walk" make you think of? What words or images come to mind? So pause the video here and share with someone nearby, what does this title "A Bird came down the Walk" make you think of? What words or images have come into your mind? Okay, so what did this make you think of, I wonder? Let's hear from Jacob.

I think the poem might be about a bird descending from a nest in its tree.

It describes the movements and actions as it makes its way to the ground.

Ooh, interesting.

Interesting idea there, Jacob.

Here's Sam.

The poem reminds me of a robin who came to my hand to get some crumbs of food during the winter months.

Oh my goodness.

How amazing, Sam, to have a robin right here in the palm of your hand.

How gorgeous.

And now considering the words or images that came into your mind, are they positive or negative images? So pause the video and share with someone nearby, what came into your mind? Was it more positive or negative? Okay, thank you for sharing.

"A Bird came down the Walk" contains some language which may be unfamiliar to us.

Let's have a look at the definitions before we encounter them in the poem.

Angleworm.

This is another word for an earthworm.

And we can see an earthworm on the screen there.

I wonder how you're feeling about this creature.

Dew are the tiny drops of water that form on surfaces like grass early in the morning.

And we can see some dew on that blade of grass there on the screen.

Velvet is a soft fabric often used to describe something smooth and gentle.

Mm, it really does have quite a lovely feel to this, does velvet.

Rowed, moved softly or smoothly, like rowing a boat gently through the water.

Oh, now that is a delightful experience.

Seam is a line or division.

So these are some words that we will encounter in our poem.

Let's look out for them.

Check for understanding.

Match the following words to their definitions.

So we have seam, velvet, and dew.

And the definitions are tiny drops of water that form on surfaces.

A line or division.

A soft fabric.

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

Well done if you matched seam to a line or division.

Velvet is a soft fabric.

And dew are the tiny drops of water that form on surfaces.

Well done if you made these connections.

And now it's time to read the poem, "A Bird came down the Walk." And refer to the additional materials.

First of all, 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 verse, the other the next verse, then alternating.

So pause the video here while you refer to the additional materials to find the poem and read the poem twice.

Once silently, and next out loud.

Okay, great to be back with you.

I hope you enjoyed reading that poem.

So did the poem match your expectations from thinking about its title? And were there any questions you had about it? So pause the video here while you reflect on your answers to these two questions and share them with someone nearby.

Okay, let's hear from Jacob.

The poem described a bird's movements and actions in vivid detail.

Yeah, there's quite a lot of detail there.

You've got it.

I wonder what happened to the bird in the final verse? Okay, great question there.

And I wonder what you thought and I wonder if your early expectations were matched after reading the poem.

So let's get into it.

Let's read and discuss the poem "A Bird came down the Walk." We'll take it stanza by stanza.

"A Bird, came down the Walk - He did not know I saw - He bit an Angle Worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw." Wow! That was quite a start.

Let's find out more about it.

So these first two lines here.

The speaker observes a bird descending down a walkway and the bird is unaware of being watched.

Next, it captures an earthworm and eats it raw.

Let's move on to the next stanza.

"And then, he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass - And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass." So after eating, the bird drinks dew from the grass and then it moves sideways to the wall to make way for a passing beetle.

So it's descending down to the walkway, it's eating, it's drinking, and then it's moving aside.

So there's quite a bit of movement and there's some eating and drinking going on so far.

"He glanced with rapid eyes, That hurried all abroad - They look like frightened Beads, I thought, He stirred his Velvet Head." So the speaker notices that the bird's rapid, darting eyes, which appear like frightened Beads.

And the bird stirs its Velvet Head in response to its surroundings.

"Like one in danger, Cautious, I offered him a Crumb, And he unrolled his feathers, And rowed him softer Home." So here the speaker feels a connection to the bird's cautiousness and offers it a crumb.

The bird responds by unfurling its feathers, so it's opening its feathers, and flying away gracefully.

Final stanza.

"Than Oars divide the Ocean, Too silver for a seam, Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon, Leap, plashless as they swim." So here the speaker compares the bird's departure to other graceful movements in nature.

And here we can see some oars being used by a rower, dividing the water.

And a beautiful, flying butterfly.

So that is our poem, "A Bird came down the Walk" by Emily Dickinson.

Great job, Emily.

Check for understanding.

Put the following events found in the poem "A Bird came down the Walk" in order.

Refer to the poem for support.

The speaker of the poem offers the bird a crumb to eat.

The bird has a drink from a dew drop on a blade of grass.

The bird lets a beetle pass.

The bird eats an angleworm.

So pause the video while you put these events from the poem in order.

Okay, so did you have the bird eats an angleworm as the first event, followed by the bird has a drink from a dew drop on a blade of grass? After that, the bird lets a beetle pass.

And finally, the speaker of the poem offers the bird a crumb to eat.

Well done if you put the events in this order.

"A Bird came down the Walk" can be described as a fixed verse poem.

It consists of five verses, each containing four lines.

These can be called quatrains.

Examples of rhyme occur in the second and fourth lines.

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

The poet uses imagery to describe the natural world.

Which is your favourite example? And why is it effective? And imagery is one of our keywords.

It's the use of language to create a mental picture or a sensory experience for the reader or listener.

So which is your favourite example of imagery, and why is it effective? Pause the video while you share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

Here's Jun.

The poet describes the bird eating the worm raw.

This is a very vivid image and I can imagine the bird enjoying eating its prey.

I'm with you, Jun.

That is a very, very raw image.

Actually, this image of the bird eating the worm raw.

And we can see in the image, and we can see on that picture on the screen, a robin eating a worm.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your favourite example of an image.

Emily Dickinson uses dashes to create a pause in the poem.

She used these frequently in her poetry.

They can be referred to as caesuras and can be used to create emphasis, add dramatic effect, or control the pacing of a poem.

So the pacing is the speed at which a poem is read or performed.

I'd like you to refer to the poem and locate an example of where dashes have been used.

And what effect does it have? Why do you think it might have been used? So pause the video while you refer to the poem, locate a dash, and share with someone nearby, what effect does it have, and why do you think Emily Dickinson chose to use it? I'll see you when you're finished.

Here's Izzy.

The dash in the second verse after the bird drinks a dew drop from a "convenient grass -" made me pause mid-verse and think about the action.

I think Emily Dickinson might have wanted readers to slow down and appreciate the imagery she uses to describe the surroundings she writes about.

Yeah, great point there, Izzy.

This is something that we can do, especially when we're in nature.

We can just stop and pause and take things in.

So yeah, I like how Emily Dickinson is perhaps encouraging us to do that.

Hope you enjoyed sharing an example of a dash that you found effective.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following effects can dashes, caesuras, have on a poem? A dash can create emphasis.

A dash can control the pacing of a poem.

A dash can signal the end of the poem.

A dash can add dramatic effect.

So pause the video while you decide which of the following effects dashes can have on a poem.

Well done if you selected a dash can create emphasis, it can control the pacing of a poem, and it can add dramatic effect.

Dashes are more commonly found within the lines of a poem, not at the end.

And now it's time for your task.

Emily Dickinson keeps the atmosphere of the poem quite calm and tranquil.

So the atmosphere is the mood that is created by the poem or by a section of the poem.

The speaker is watching the bird from a distance before interacting with the bird towards the end of the poem.

Discuss the following questions.

How does the interaction between the bird and the speaker contribute to the atmosphere of the poem? What does it tell you about the relationship between humans and nature? You can refer to examples in the poem in your answer.

How is the bird described before and after the interaction? Why does the speaker offer the bird a crumb in the first place? So pause the video while you discuss these questions with someone nearby.

All right.

It's good to be back with you.

I am curious.

How do you feel the interaction between the bird and the speaker contributed to the atmosphere of the poem? And what does it tell you about the relationship between humans and nature? Here's Alex.

I think the speaker and the bird respect one another.

The speaker watches the bird from a distance, as it "did not know I saw." I think the speaker is very empathetic towards the bird when they offer a crumb.

It tells me that the speaker must care lots about the natural world and creatures that inhabit it.

Thanks for sharing your response there, Alex.

I particularly enjoyed hearing about that relationship between the speaker and the bird.

And yeah, how lovely to care for the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it.

I wonder if you do too? I really hope so.

This precious world, beautiful creatures.

And now it's time for the next part of our lesson where we will be performing "A Bird came down the Walk." Reflecting on the structure and atmosphere in the poem will help communicate the meaning 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.

Gesture is one of our keywords and it means it's a movement that we make to help convey an idea or meaning.

Rhythm and flow refer to the natural musicality of the poem's language.

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

The poem "A Bird came down the Walk" can be described as a fixed verse poem.

It has four lines in each verse and includes dashes, caesuras, to indicate places to pause.

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

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is true about the poem? "A Bird came down the Walk" has no rhyming words.

"A Bird came down the Walk" is a free verse poem.

"A Bird came down the Walk" includes dashes to indicate a place to pause.

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

Well done if you selected the final statement.

"A Bird came down the Walk" includes dashes to indicate a place to pause.

Now I would like you to re-read the poem aloud and focus on rhythm and flow.

Pay attention to any patterns, including use of dashes.

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

The line endings and punctuation can help you.

And here's a helpful reminder from Lucas.

Often, we need to read a poem more slowly and clearly than we think, as the audience might be hearing it for the first time.

So pause the video while you re-read the poem aloud and focus on rhythm and flow.

I hope you enjoyed reading the poem.

Now, 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 we're pronouncing all the sounds in our words clearly.

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.

Now I would like you to re-read the poem.

This time, look out for sections that you think could be louder or quieter.

Pause the video while you re-read the poem and paying real close attention to the volume of your voice.

I hope you enjoyed that reading.

And I'm wondering why did you make the choices that you made in terms of your volume? Pause the video and share your answer to this question with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

It can be really helpful if we have a sense and understanding of why we're making certain choices, so we can be really deliberate about the way in which we are reading and performing our poem, or rather, Emily Dickinson's poem.

So now I will read aloud using the following tones of voice, gentle and soothing voice.

I'm going to use a thoughtful and reflective voice.

Now it's your turn.

I would like you to try reading "A Bird came down the Walk" and use the following tones of voice.

First of all, curious and intriguing.

So pause the video while you read perhaps one stanza from the poem with a curious and intriguing tone of voice.

Fantastic! Hope you enjoyed that.

Next up, I'd like you to try a joyful and inspired tone of voice.

So pause the video, take another one of the stanzas, and read it in a joyful and inspired voice.

Thank you for exploring using different tones of voice.

And I'm wondering, does one particular tone suit the entire poem, or will you use a mix? That would be an interesting thing for you to reflect on.

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.

This time, consider are there any moments in the poem that you think would benefit from a particular action or gesture? Pause the video while you re-read the poem and bringing in any actions or gestures that you think will be helpful.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed that, reading and gesturing as well.

So let's have a go now.

I'm going to show you some gestures that could be used for the following imagery and then you'll have a go.

So let me begin, observing the bird from a distance.

That's my observation, looking far into the distance.

Let me try another one.

Sipping dew from the grass.

I'm going to pretend I'm sipping through a straw.

Next one.

Eyes like frightened beads.

Okay, it's your turn.

I would like you to show me a gesture that you could use for the following imagery.

Hopping sideways to let the beetle pass.

Pause the video while you show me a gesture for this.

Fantastic.

Thanks for that.

Next one, offering the bird a crumb.

Pause the video while you show me how to offer the bird a crumb.

And finally, the bird flying away.

Pause the video while you show me a gesture for the bird flying away.

Thanks for sharing those gestures.

I really enjoyed seeing those.

And will you be using any of these in your final performance, I wonder? 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.

Pace and flow.

Tone and volume.

Facial expressions and body language, gestures.

And now I'd like you to read "A Bird came down the Walk" with expression and emotion.

So pause the video while you do this, bringing in all the expression and emotion that you feel would be helpful.

Okay, well done for doing that.

Let's hear from Laura.

I used the punctuation in the poem to ensure I paused in places but kept it flowing.

When the speaker is watching the bird quietly, I lowered the volume of my voice, as though I was watching the bird myself.

Oh, I like that, Laura.

I wonder what you did.

Okay, it's time for your final task.

You've guessed it.

It's time for your final performance! I would like you to practise and then present your final performance of the poem.

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

I'd like to think about the following.

Rhythm and flow.

Use of your voice.

Gestures and movement.

Showing expression and emotion.

So pause the video here and enjoy practising and then presenting your final performance of the poem.

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

It is great to be back with you.

How did you get on? How was your final performance? Just pause for a moment and reflect.

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

I really hope so.

Poems can be interpreted in many different ways.

Therefore, each performance may convey different feelings and emotions to the audience.

In our lesson today, Reading, responding to, and performing "A Bird came down the Walk" by Emily Dickinson, we have covered the following.

"A Bird came down the Walk" can be described as a fixed verse poem.

It consists of five verses, each containing four lines.

Dashes, caesuras, create a pause in the poem.

They can be used to create emphasis, add dramatic effect, or control the pacing of a poem.

The poet uses imagery to convey the poem's atmosphere.

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

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.

Well, something I would like to express to you is my gratitude for you showing up to this lesson in the way that you have.

It was great to explore this poem together, and I really loved your performances.

Well done for putting so much into them, and I really look forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Bye for now.