Hello, everybody.

It's really good to see you.

My name is Ms. Afzal and I'm really happy to be here with you today because we're going to be exploring a novel.

It's a piece of historical fiction, this is it.

It is "Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: My Story." I'm gonna pause here while you go off and get your copy.

And while you're doing that, I'm just gonna take a look at this cover.

Wow, there is a very, very powerful-looking woman on this cover.

I'm really excited for us to find out a lot more about her.

Okay, are you back? Great.

So you're back, you're here, you've got your copy of the text, and hopefully you've got lots of ideas and thoughts and curiosity.

We're gonna be talking about a lot of important things such as justice, inequality, standing up for what's right, and I'm really excited for us to get into this.

I hope you are too.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can explore characterization in historical fiction.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Characterization, character traits, compare, contrast.

Fantastic, good to hear those loud and clear.

Let's find out more about what these words mean.

Characterization is the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.

Comparing involves identifying similarities between two or more things, ideas, themes, or texts.

Contrasting involves identifying differences between two or more things, ideas, themes, or texts.

So let's look out for these words, let's listen for them, let's think about them, let's be curious about these keywords.

So what's happening in our lesson, exploring characterization in "Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: My Story" today.

Well, first of all, we'll be reading Chapter 4.

After that, we'll be exploring characterization.

So, first of all, reading Chapter 4.

Here is our text.

Look at this amazing book, "Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: My Story." This is a novel written by Sufiya Ahmed, with cover illustrations by Euan Cook.

What a book, what a text, what a front cover, what a story.

And what do we know so far? Sophia and her family are on their way to India.

The family have conflicting opinions about the British Empire and its control over India.

In Chapter 2, Sophia's father is not permitted to continue travel to India.

The family are made to disembark the ship by British officers.

Sophia, her siblings, and her mother return to England.

In Chapter 3, Sophia's mother passes away in 1887 after an illness.

What is characterization? Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

And remember traits, character traits, are the things that make us each unique and interesting.

I'm wondering, what are some of your character traits if you were to think about it.

Hmm, how would you be described, how would you describe yourself? How would others describe you? That's a nice thing to think about.

Authors and illustrators use a range of methods to convey characterization.

A character's appearance, a character's words, a character's actions, how a character is depicted, how they're shown, presented.

Check for understanding.

True or false? Characterization can only be conveyed through a character's actions within a text.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

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

Select from one of these statements.

A, the text is written from Sophia's perspective.

Therefore, we can only develop understanding of her character.

Characterization can be conveyed through a character's actions, thoughts, dialogue, and interactions with others.

So pause the video while you decide which of these statements justifies your answer.

Well done if you selected B.

Yes, absolutely! We know that characterization can be conveyed through so many different ways.

It's not just actions.

It's also thoughts, dialogue, and interactions with others.

In Chapter 4, we learn that following their mother's death, Sophia and her family are split up as they are at different stages of their education.

I'd like you now to read Chapter 4, pages 25 to 30, up to the page break ending with the word "not." And then I'd like you to answer these questions.

Which sibling would you say Sophia is fondest of, and why? And I'd like you to refer to pages 25 and 26 for support.

So pause the video here while you read 25 to 30 and then in particular 25 and 26, that should help you to figure out which sibling Sophia is fondest of and why.

And share it with someone nearby.

Pause the video.

Okay, good to be back with you.

So, who does she have a soft spot for amongst her siblings? Let's see what Aisha says.

"I think Sophia is fondest of Eddie.

She describes him as her darling.

She hugs him last and says she does not want to let him go." Yeah, absolutely.

Great one.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Aisha.

Wonder if you've got the same answer.

We learn that Queen Victoria, who Sophia refers to as Queen Vi, has made sure the Duleep Singhs are supported.

Refer to page 26.

How are Sophia's feelings for her father and Queen Victoria contrasting? So how are they different? Pause the video while you refer to page 26 and decide.

Okay, let's see what Sophia came up with.

Another Sophia.

"Sophia mentions that Queen Victoria has sent a Christmas present, even though she considers herself too old for dolls.

Her father has not sent any gifts to his children for a while." So we can see some differences there in maybe in the way that she's treated by Queen Victoria and her father.

Check for understanding.

Match the member of Sophia's family to where they were located during December 1889, and refer to page 25 for support.

So the family members we have are Victor, Freddie, Bamba, and Eddie, and locations are Cambridge, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, boarding school, and Oxford.

Pause the video while you match the family member to their location during December 1889.

Okay, so did you link Victor to being at Royal Military College, Sandhurst? Freddie was at Cambridge, Bamba was at Oxford, and Eddie was away at boarding school.

Well done if you made these connections.

Sophia's father has decided against regaining his kingdom and has asked Queen Victoria for forgiveness.

Refer to page 27.

What is Bamba's reaction to her hearing that her father was let down by the Russians? Pause the video while you refer to page 27 and respond to this question.

Share your answer with someone nearby.

Let's see what Laura has to say.

"Bamba calls the people speaking with her father traitors.

She is furious that he has been let down and argues with her brothers about his lack of support." I wonder if you had an answer similar to this one.

Sophia's father's letter is read out by Victor, who has shared it with Queen Victoria.

Refer to pages 28 and 29.

Which persuasive techniques does Papa use in his letter to apologise? Pause the video while you refer to pages 28 and 29 and answer this question.

Share your answer with someone nearby.

Here's Jun.

"Sophia's father appeals to Queen Victoria by apologising for his previous actions.

He asks for clemency and uses emotional language and flattery.

He ends the letter by calling himself obedient, at her service." And clemency is a noun, and it means a pardon or mercy.

So we can see the range of persuasive techniques that he's used in his letter, the emotional language, flattery, pleading for clemency.

Check for understanding.

Why might Sophia's father ask Victor to ask for his forgiveness in his place? Victor was against his father travelling back to England.

Victor thinks of England as his home.

Victor is the Maharaja's heir, the eldest male in the family.

Victor and Sophia are Queen Victoria's godchildren.

Papa might think the letter would be better received being read from his son.

So pause video while you decide which of these statements suggest why Sophia's father would ask Victor to ask for his forgiveness in his place.

Well done if you selected the final two.

Victor is the Maharaja's heir and the eldest male in the family so that gives him a certain position.

And also, Victor is one of Queen Victoria's godchildren.

So Papa feels that the letter could be better received being read by him.

Okay, and now it's time for your first task.

How does Sufiya Ahmed, this fantastic author, characterise Bamba? What effect does this have on our understanding of her character? So focus on how she's described, the words she uses, and the actions she performs. And write down two or three occasions where Bamba's traits or emotions can be inferred by the reader.

So what are some clues that help us to work things out? And refer to pages 25 to 30 to support you.

So pause the video here while you refer to pages 25 to 30 and answer the questions.

How does Sufiya Ahmed characterise Bamba? What effects does this have on our understanding of her character? And write down a few occasions where Bamba's traits or emotions can be inferred.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

So, what did you find out about how Sufiya Ahmed characterises Bamba? What effect does this have on our understanding of her character? So let's see.

Did you have something like this? "Bamba is described as playing games with her siblings and applauding Sophia's piano skills.

She is proud of their achievements." Proud older sister.

"Bamba stands up for her father's actions.

She calls the people who had initially supported him traitors when they decided against helping him.

Bamba explodes upon Victor saying that Queen Victoria thought of herself as Papa's mother.

She says that he was snatched from his real mother.

She is clearly angry at the situation that her family are in." And now for the next part of our lesson, we'll be exploring characterization.

Eventually, Sophia's father comes to England from Aden, Yemen.

He brings with him his new wife and their daughters, and we can see Yemen on the map there and Aden on the coast.

Continue reading Chapter 4, from page 30 to the end of the chapter on page 33.

How does Sophia describe her emotions when she learns of her new stepmother? Refer to page 30.

So pause the video while you continue reading Chapter 4, up to page 33, and then show someone nearby how does Sophia describe her emotions when she learns of her new stepmother.

Here's Izzy, saying that "Sophia is conflicted about meeting her father's new family.

Ada has known her father for a long time.

Sophia thinks about her mother when she hears of his remarriage." Yeah, of course there's real mixed emotions going on there, so understandable.

Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Izzy.

Maybe you had a similar answer.

Sophia travels to Folkestone, where Victor has rented a house for their father to stay.

And we can see on the map there that Folkestone is on the south coast of England.

Refer to page 31, Why might Mr. Oliphant, Sophia's guardian, be reluctant, so he's not so keen, to have Bamba and Catherine return from their holiday to see their father? So pause the video while you refer to page 31, and show someone nearby why might Mr. Oliphant be reluctant to have Bamba and Catherine return from their holiday to see their father.

Here's Sam, saying that "Mr. Oliphant might be worried that Sophia's father might convince Bamba to go against Queen Victoria and the British Empire." I wonder if you had an answer similar to this one.

Check for understanding.

True or false? Sophia's father does not want Sophia and Eddie to stay with them.

Refer to page 31 for support.

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.

Victor informs Sophia that there is not enough space for everyone to stay at the rented house.

The rented property was very pretty and near to the sea.

So pause the video while you decide which of these statements justifies your answer.

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Both of these statements are true, but the first one is the one that more directly justifies your previous answer.

And now it's time for your next task.

In this task, we're going to explore the characterization of Sophia and her sister, Bamba.

How does Sufiya Ahmed depict the two characters? Are they similar or are they different to each other, these two sisters? Compare and contrast the characters by filling in notes in the corresponding boxes.

Similarities go in between the characters and differences on the outer sides.

And refer to Chapter 4 to support you.

So pause the video here while you refer to Chapter 4, and have a look at ways in which Sufiya Ahmed depicts the two characters of Sophia and her Bamba, how are they similar and how are they different? And you'll compare and contrast the two.

You'll pop similarities in the middle and differences between the two sisters on the outer edges.

Pause the video here while you complete the table.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

What did you come up with? Let's have a look.

So let's start with some differences.

Sophia.

Sophia is loyal.

She formed strong bonds with both her mother and Queen Victoria.

So she's loyal to her mother and Queen Victoria.

Similarities between the two of them.

Sophia and Bamba both show care to their family.

Due to their different ages, this might look different.

And differences.

Bamba is fiercely independent and strong-willed.

She believes that her father should not have apologised.

Okay, fantastic.

So well done for spotting the similarities and differences between the sisters.

In our lesson today, exploring characterization in "Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: My Story," we have covered the following.

Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

When we compare, we can find how things are alike, which helps us see patterns and connections.

When we contrast, we notice differences, and this helps us see unique details or aspects that make each thing special.

Sophia and her siblings are written with some shared character traits and some different character traits, reflecting their contrasting personalities.

Bamba is described in a similar way to their father; Sophia is similar to their mother.

Well done, everybody, for exploring characterization in "Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: My Story." Love the way we really delved into Bamba's character and Sophia's character, the similarities and differences.

I wonder if you can notice similarities and differences between you and maybe some of your friends, some of the children around you.

Maybe just look around you and notice.

Can you see some things where you are similar and you notice some things where you are different? It's fun to compare and contrast our character traits.

It was great fun being with you in this lesson, and I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

Bye for now.