Hello everybody, my name is Miss Afzal and I'm really pleased to be here with you today.

That's because we are going to be exploring one of my very favourite texts, which is "Cloud Busting" by Malorie Blackman.

You will need a copy of the text that looks like this one here, and I'm going to pause for a minute to let you go and get your copy of the text.

Okay, you're back, you've got the text.

You've got your listening ears, you've got some enthusiasm, you've got your thinking brains.

I think we are all set to go.

Let's explore this wonderful text.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can develop my own response to "Cloud Busting." There are a few keywords in today's lesson.

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

Character trait, connection, recommendation.

Fantastic, I heard you loud and clear.

Let's find out more about these keywords.

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

How a text relates to a reader, to another text, or to the wider world can be called a connection.

A recommendation is a suggestion for a text that is well suited to a reader's age and their interests.

I wonder if you've ever given anyone a recommendation.

In today's lesson, we have got two main things that we'll be covering.

First of all, we'll be exploring characters and relationships, and next, we'll be looking at connections and recommendations.

First of all, characters and relationships.

"Cloud Busting" is written by Malorie Blackman with illustrations by Helen van Vliet.

"Cloud Busting" focuses on the relationship between two friends, Davey and Sam.

The story is told as a verse novel.

"Cloud Busting" uses both fixed verse and free verse poetry.

A range of poetic forms and devices are used to convey meaning to the reader.

Illustrations at each chapter break provide characterization and insight into what life was like before and after the central event.

I've got my first question for you.

Who do you think the main characters in "Cloud Busting" are? Pause here and have a talk to someone nearby and share with them your response.

Hm, okay, so I'm wondering who did you come up with? Who do you think is the main character or the main characters in "Cloud Busting?" Let's look at some responses.

Here's Jacob, "We begin the text "from the perspective of an unnamed narrator; "the 'I' of the first seven poems or chapters." Okay, good, good thinking there, Jacob.

And what is Sam saying? "We learned that the narrator is called Sam," ah, okay, Sam.

Sam spotted another Sam.

"And he has a best friend called Alex." Okay, thank you, Sam.

And how about Andy, what do you think? "A new boy, Davey, joins the class.

"Sam takes an instant dislike to him.

"Slowly this begins to change." I wonder if you've came up with any of the ideas that we've heard here or maybe something different.

Sam embodies characteristics that we perhaps would not normally associate with ourselves.

He is an anti-hero and an anti-hero is a flawed protagonist, often with ambiguous morals.

So not quite sure about some of their ideas or morals.

How would you describe Sam at the beginning of the text, in the middle, and at the end? What character traits and emotions does he exhibit? So I'd let you to pause the video here and again, turn to someone nearby and have a think about how you would describe Sam at these three different points in the text.

And what character traits and emotions does he exhibit? Pause the video here while you discuss.

Okay, so here's something I'd like to share with you.

At the beginning of the text, Sam is full of regret.

He's reflecting on Davey having left the class.

You can see that on page 11.

In the middle of a text, Sam is fascinated in how Davey views the world.

He also feels ashamed to be seen with him.

You can see this on pages 70 to 75.

And then at the end, Sam feels reflective yet optimistic at the end, so it's got hope, having shared his poem about Davey with the teachers.

And we can see that on pages 159 and 160.

Check for understanding, I'd like you to match the following characters to their relationship with Sam.

So we've got Mr. Mackie, Alex, and Davey, three of the key characters there, and here of their relationships.

So Sam's best friend, he has lots of influence over Sam's feelings and actions.

Sam's teacher, he introduces the class to the power of poetry.

And Sam's newest friend, he introduces Sam to a new perspective and a different way of looking at things.

So pause the video here while you match the characters and their relationship to Sam.

Okay, so what did you come up with? Did you match together Mr. Mackie being Sam's teacher? Really inspiring teacher, love his sharing that power of poetry with the class.

Alex is Sam's best friend, and Davey is Sam's newest friend.

Well done if you made these connections.

In Chapter 11, "Shadow," Sam recognises that Davey is different to other children.

He says that he is "weird" and he does not conform to be like everyone else.

Davey turns this into a compliment.

I'd like you to refer to pages 63 to 72 of the text and then to answer these questions.

How is Davey described to the reader in this poem? And how does Davey perceive his differences? How does he see his differences? So pause the video here while you refer to those pages and then answer these two questions.

Okay, good to be back with you again.

I'm wondering how you got on with those questions.

So how is Davey described to the reader and how does he perceive his differences? I wonder what you came up with.

Here are some responses.

"Davey is well-liked by Sam's parents.

"Davey and the author use figurative language," so that's language using metaphors and similes, "to make things seem more fascinating." "Davey sees his differences as a strength.

"He talks with Sam about a wide range "of things beyond just football." Next, I'd like you to refer to pages 73 to 75.

And here's my next question for you.

Why do you think Sam decided to remain with Alex? And you could use the following sentence stem, "I think," and then you could use a "because" and give your reasoning.

So why did Sam decide to remain with Alex? Pause the video while you refer to these pages and answer this question.

Okay, I wonder what you came up with, let's see.

What does Sofia think? "I think that Sam is ashamed to be seen "to be friends with Davey, "who is still looked at as being different.

"The poem mentions that Alex is likely to make fun of him." Mm-hm, okay, so Sam is really thinking about what other people think.

Well, in particular, what Alex thinks.

How about Jun? Jun says, "I think that Sam knows "that it was the wrong decision, "however, did not have the courage "to be honest and truthful.

"Sam could change the class perceptions "of Davey, but chooses not to." Wow, thank you for sharing that insight, Jun, and yeah, some really interesting words there, "courage," "honest," "truthful." I wonder what you came up with.

Check for understanding, true or false? Sam regrets how he treated Davey.

Refer to Chapter 12, pages 77 to 80 for support.

Pause the video here while you decide if that statement is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

Yeah, it is true, Sam absolutely regrets how he treated Davey.

Next, I'd like you to justify your answer.

Which justification best fits with the original statement? Is it A? In Chapter 12, Malorie Blackman uses the repeated refrain, "sorry?" So refrain is where we keep repeating something, we keep saying something again and again.

Or is it B? In the illustration at the beginning of the chapter, Sam is sat on a bed facing away from the reader.

He is thinking about something.

So pause the video while you decide which justification best fits with the original statement.

Well done if you selected A.

This one more directly fits with that original statement, that repeated refrain of "sorry" is really quite powerful in terms of sharing Sam's regret.

In Chapter 22, Sam describes an imagined scenario of him and Davey cloudbusting like they used to.

I wonder if you've ever done that? Just laying back, looking up at the clouds, imagining shapes, scenarios.

Refer to pages 135 to 139.

How does this poem contrast to the one before it? So pause the video here, refer to those pages, and then talk to someone nearby about how this poem contrasts to the one before "Sam is imagining a much more positive interaction.

"He celebrates his friendship with Davey "and no longer feels the need to keep it secret." Well done if you picked up something like this.

In the chapter that follows, the reader finds out what actually happens.

So now please refer to pages 141 to 143.

How does this poem contrast to the poem, "What Should've Happened?" Pause the video while you refer to these pages and think about this question.

"Well, what did happen is a dramatically shorter poem.

"I think this is for effect.

"The poem ends with just four single words." "Sam is alone.

"The illustrations for both chapters are different.

"In the previous chapter, Davey "and Sam are lying down in the grass, "big smiles on their faces.

"In following illustration, "Sam faces away and stormy clouds hang overhead." I wonder if you spotted these contrasts.

Check for understanding, in what ways has Sam changed as a result of the narrative? A, Davey now hangs out with Alex.

He has lots of influence over the class.

B, Davey talks about football and sport.

C, Sam is on his own a lot of the time.

D, Sam regrets what happened.

He misses his friendship with Davey.

So pause the video here while you decide which statement or statements show us how Sam changed as a result of the narrative.

Well done if you selected those last two.

Yeah, so Sam is on his own a lot of the time now and he regrets what happens and misses his friendship with Davey.

Sam's character changes dramatically from the beginning of the text to the end.

He is now like Davey, and Davey is like him.

So I'd let you now to consider the following questions.

Is Sam a better person now? He used to fit in, but now he doesn't.

What has he learnt from being friends with Davey? So I'd like you to discuss these questions with your partner.

Refer to Chapter 24, which explores these changes in characters.

And share your responses with either a larger group or with the whole class.

And you could use sentence starters such as "I think Sam is" or "He has learnt." And you could use sentence starters such as "I think Sam is" and "He has learnt." So pause the video here while you refer to Chapter 24 and discuss the question with your partner and share your answers.

Okay, so here's a response, I wonder what your response was.

Let's share this one together.

"I think Sam is a better person "from being friends with Davey.

"He has learnt to look at the world "in a much more positive light.

"This will eventually lead him "to forming good relationships." Okay, yeah, great response there.

Also, "I think Sam is feeling lonely.

"However, his change in character traits is positive.

"This even affects how he writes in Chapters 25 and 26." Okay, I'm really wondering what you came up with.

Is it something like this or something different? We all take slightly different things away from a text and that's the beauty of it, of being a reader and having our own reading identity.

And now it's time for us to explore connections and recommendations.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with the text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their life experiences.

Now there are three ways that we can connect with a text.

Connections can be from text-to-self, text-to-text or text-to-world.

So text-to-self is when the content of the text relates to personal experiences, feelings and thoughts.

Text-to-text is when the content of the text relates to another text.

So this could include actually anything that you've seen, read, watched, or heard.

And then text-to-the-world is when the content relates to events and issues in the real world.

Connections can also relate to patterns, things that you spot that recur, as you're reading.

The connections that I make to the text are to charities NSPCC and Childline who support children with bullying.

Really important work there.

And also to song lyrics, "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, great singer, which includes imagery on clouds.

And to the verse novel, "The Final Year," which explores themes of friendship, self-belief, and overcoming adversity.

Okay, how about you? Which connections do you make to the text? Are they text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-the-world? Pause the video while you reflect on the connections that you make to this text and share them with someone nearby.

Okay, well, I hope you enjoyed sharing your connections there and I'm wondering what they were.

Making connections and recommendations can significantly enhance the reading experience and broaden our understanding of literature.

Here are some recommendations based on the themes, form, and connections in "Cloud Busting." "Zombierella," "Inside Out & Back Again," "Other Words for Home," "The Deepest Breath," and "The Bird Within Me." I'm just enjoying even just looking at these covers and reading out these titles.

I wonder what your first impression is of these texts.

Let's explore these texts in a little more detail.

"Zombierella" is written in verse and offers readers a playful twist on the famous fairytale.

"Inside Out & Back Again" explores themes of immigration, grief, and starting life in a new country.

"Other Words for Home" is a verse novel, which follows Jude as she journeys across the ocean from Syria to America.

"The Deepest Breath" tells the story of building up courage to share truths with family, it's told in verse.

And inspired by the paintings, letters, and diaries of the Swedish artist Berta Hansson, "The Bird Within Me" is a highly-illustrated verse novel all about realising your dreams. So which text would you recommend for Andeep? Here's what Andeep's after.

"I would love to read a memoir written in verse novel form "that explores some themes similar to "Cloud Busting." Mm, what do you think? "Zombierella" or "Inside Out & Back Again?" Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected "Inside Out & Back Again." Yes, indeed, and why do you think this would make such a good recommendation? Andeep's after a memoir written in verse with themes similar to "Cloud Busting." So "Zombierella" wouldn't quite fit the bill as that's something a bit lighter and it's based on the fairytale, "Cinderella." So "Inside Out & Back Again," yeah, it's got themes of grief and loss and I think that would probably be a really good fit for Andeep.

For your task, I'd like you to research one of the recommended text.

So discuss with your partner which one would you like to read, and do you have a text that you'd like to recommend and why? Pause the video while you discuss this with your partner.

So let's see what some of our friends have to say.

So Alex says that, "'The Deepest Breath' looks "like a really inclusive read.

"I like exploring different perspectives when I read." Yeah, me too, actually, Alex.

Yeah, I'd agree with you on that one.

And what does Lucas think? Well, Lucas says, "I noticed "that 'The Bird Within Me' was nominated "for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal in 2021." It's a very illustrious award.

"I'd love to explore the artwork "alongside the poetry in verse." Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Lucas.

Yeah, there really is something about the artwork in that text that draws you in.

In our lesson today, we have covered the following.

Character traits can be explored through the texts, illustrations, or words used by the characters.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with a text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their own life experiences.

Connections can be from text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world.

Making connections and recommendations can significantly enhance the reading experience and broaden the reader's understanding of literature.

Thank you everyone for being together in this lesson.

I really enjoyed this time together where we were developing our responses to "Cloud Busting." Such an amazing text and amazing responses from you.

I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson, bye for now.