Lesson video

Hi there.

Welcome to the next lesson in this reading unit.

My name is Mr. Charlesworth.

In today's lesson, you're going to need a copy of the text "Coming to England," which is written by Floella Benjamin and illustrated by Joelle Avelino.

Make sure you've got a copy to hand.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Great work.

In today's lesson, we're going to be exploring the setting of Trinidad, which is where Floella grew up.

Let's get reading.

The lesson outcome for today is "I can build an understanding of a setting by examining the author's use of imagery." The keywords are, my turn, your turn, imagery, convey, sensory chart.

Let's say those once more: imagery, convey, sensory chart.

Well done.

Let's now have a look at the definitions.

Imagery refers to a writer's use of highly descriptive and vivid language to paint a picture.

To convey means to communicate a message directly or indirectly.

And a sensory chart is a table where readers can note down sight, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures that feature in a text.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of the keywords.

We'll be exploring them throughout the lesson.

In today's lesson, we're going to continue exploring the text "Coming to England," which is written by Floella Benjamin.

We're going to be looking closely at the setting and reading chapter four before in the second part of the lesson exploring imagery and how Floella paints a picture of what Trinidad's like.

Let's begin by exploring chapter four together.

I hope you've got your book ready.

Here's a recap about what we've learnt from the text so far.

In chapter one, Floella describes her early childhood and that it was very positive.

She describes her family, her home, and life in Trinidad.

I hope you've had the opportunity to read chapters two and three.

If not, there's a summary below.

In chapter two, Floella writes about her school life.

She describes it as a mixture of emotions: strict during the lesson time and playful during break time.

I love finding out about some of the games that Floella played.

They're still played in playgrounds now.

I wonder if you share any similarities or differences.

In chapter three, Floella explores how her family celebrated religious events alongside British and Trinidadian holidays.

These included Christmas and carnival.

We'll be finding out a little bit more about Trinidadian culture as we continue reading through the book.

Chapter four explores the Trinidadian setting, describing the weather, the people, and Floella's extended family.

I'd like you to read now chapter four from pages 31 to 34.

This might be done independently with a talk partner or with an adult.

Pause the video now whilst you read.

Fantastic work.

I wonder, what impression do you get of Floella's cousin's house? Does Floella enjoy going there? How do you know? You can of course refer to the text in your answer.

Pause the video now whilst you discuss the question with your talk partner.

Fantastic work.

It's described in a very different way to where Floella's living.

An example might be like Izzy's: "Floella describes her cousins as living towards the mountains.

It rains more there and has really luscious vegetation." That's another word for plants.

"Floella mentions her enjoyment as she stands beneath a waterfall." I wonder why she enjoys it so much.

Perhaps it's because of the heat.

And going up to the mountains where it's a little bit cooler and standing beneath a waterfall might really cool you off.

I can just imagine it now.

Can't you? Here's our first check for understanding.

Can you sequence the following events in chronological order? That's the order that they appear within the chapter so far.

The events are, A, Floella experiences an earthquake, B, Floella stands beneath the waterfall, and C, Floella smells the tar from the roads as they melt.

Which of these comes first in what we've read? Which comes last? Which must go in the middle? Number them one, two, and three in chronological order.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Fantastic work.

I know that Floella describes the heat in the city first, so Floella smelling the tar on the roads as they melt must be the first option.

Next, I know that she goes to visit her cousins up in the mountains before experiencing an earthquake, so standing beneath the waterfall must be second.

And experiencing the earthquake comes at the end of the chapter.

That's number three.

Well done if you've got them all correct.

Chapter four is quite a short but really descriptive chapter within the text.

It focuses the majority of its description on the weather in Trinidad.

By doing this, readers develop a better understanding of what it might be like to live there.

I wonder, how does the description of the weather in this chapter compare to where you live? Is it similar or different? You can base your understanding of what the weather's like on the chapter itself or from your own prior or personal experience.

When you're comparing the weather from these two countries, try to refer to at least two different examples from the text.

Have a think about the seasons you experience and the typical weather patterns.

How does it compare to what Floella describes in the book? Pause the video now whilst you complete the talk task with your partner.

Well done.

I hope you had lots of discussion about the weather and how it compared to the text.

Let's have a look at two examples.

Andeep says, "I think that it's very different to the United Kingdom, where we have four seasons.

Floella describes Trinidad as having two types of weather." I wonder which ones he's referring to.

It must be the hot and humid in the city and the cool and wet weather that Floella experiences in the mountains and at nighttime.

Sophia says, "We don't experience many earthquakes in the United Kingdom.

I wonder if Trinidad is near a fault line?" Perhaps you'd like to find out the answer to her question at home.

You might also like to research more similarities and differences between your country and Trinidad at home too.

We're now going to look at the imagery conveyed in a chapter in a little more detail.

We're going to be looking particularly at the different senses that are appealed to.

Imagery in writing refers to the vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating mental pictures, sensations, and experiences for the reader.

I sometimes get that when I'm reading texts.

When you're reading descriptions, you can almost feel it yourself.

By appealing to the reader's senses, imagery helps to establish a more immersive and engaging atmosphere and setting.

By immersing the reader, it's able to think about transporting them to where you're writing about.

Here's some icons to demonstrate the five senses.

When we're describing imagery, we can describe these as auditory, which is referring to sounds, tactile, which is referring to textures, temperature, and physical sensations, olfactory, which are linked to scents and aromas, gustatory, which is linked to flavours and taste, and visual, which is linked to scenes, objects, and people.

I wonder if you linked them to the senses of hearing, touch, smell, taste, and sight.

Well done if you did.

Imagery is used by Floella during chapter four to convey how she experiences her childhood surroundings.

Well noticed on one of our keywords.

This urban setting can be described in many ways.

I'm going to share a few examples of how we might describe this Trinidad setting.

Whilst I'm reading, perhaps have a think about which senses are appealed to.

"The air is filled with a lively medley of vendors hawking fresh fruits." Hawking is like bartering or selling, and this medley of vendors really appeals to the sounds like a melody.

A medley of vendors hawking fresh fruits means there's lots of voices all happening at once.

It reminds me of the end of chapter one.

"A symphony of spicy aromas wafts through the crowded street, blending the scents of jerk chicken, curried goat, and freshly baked doubles." Perhaps you've heard of lots of these foods.

The one that was new to me was doubles.

This is like a spicy street food made from chickpea flatbreads.

They sound really delicious.

I wonder if you can tell which type of imagery is used here.

I think it links to both visual and olfactory, don't you? "The golden Caribbean sun bathes the bustling street in a warm embrace." Just reading this sentence makes me feel warm.

The sun bathing is a really good example of personification, and the warm embrace can either be like a hug or a handshake.

Either way, it's describing the sun in a really positive way.

Finally: "The street pulses with the animated hustle and bustle of people navigating through the vibrant chaos." When something pulses, it reminds me of a heart beating.

So with the setting pulsing with lots of people moving around, it makes me think about how busy it might be.

Which of these descriptions is your favourite? Perhaps tell your partner and give a reason why.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

I love how you can describe a setting in lots of different ways by appealing to the different senses.

Let's have a look at a different setting that Floella describes later in the chapter.

Floella's cousin's house, which is located near the mountains, is described in contrast to the urban setting.

This rural setting can be described in many ways.

Just like with our city landscape, Perhaps have a think about which type of imagery each of these descriptions appeal to.

"The landscape is painted in a tapestry of green hues and distant mountain peaks." This description makes me think about the really bright and vibrant forest.

The description makes me imagine things that are both close and also far away when mentioning the distant peaks.

"The cool breeze carries the sweet melodies of exotic birds, their songs echoing through the lush vegetation." Well remembered.

Vegetation is another word for plants.

"The cool breeze carrying the sweet melodies," well, that's appealing to our sense of hearing as well, the different birdsong drifting into our ears.

"Crystal-clear mountain streams meander through the highlands, their cool waters offering a refreshing landscape." Reading this sentence makes me feel like I can almost dip my toe into the water.

It's appealing to both visual and tactile imagery.

"As the sun sets, shadows stretch across the landscape, casting a tranquil and serene ambience over the area." Tranquil and serene are other words for calm, so it makes me think as the sun sets up in the mountains, it's really calm and a soothing place to be.

I think Floella describes it like that in chapter four, don't you? I wonder, which is your favourite description of the rural setting? Discuss with your partner and give a reason why.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Here's our next check for understanding.

Can you match the following examples of imagery to the weather type that they're conveying? On the left, we have sunny, windy, and rainy, and the descriptions are, "A crisp breeze refreshes the relaxed surroundings," "Scorching temperatures radiate intense warmth," and "Raindrops dance on leaves, a liquid melody." I wonder which one's linked to which.

Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

I wonder if you've got them all correct.

Scorching temperatures is another way of saying it's very hot.

And something that radiates means that the heat is coming from it, so I think that's referring to sunny.

I know a crisp breeze is another way of saying wind, and it's refreshing the relaxed surroundings.

So this means a cool breeze is wafting through, so I think that links to windy.

And therefore rainy is describing the raindrops dancing on the leaves, a liquid melody.

Ah, it's another use of personification.

Well noticed.

So rainy must link to raindrops dancing on the leaves.

Well done if you've got them all correct.

Let's continue to explore how imagery is used in the chapter by Floella as she writes.

At the beginning of chapter four, Floella describes the weather in Trinidad.

She describes Trinidad as having two seasons.

Refer to page 31.

You might like to open your books ready now.

Pause the video whilst you get the chapter ready.

Well done.

I'd now like you to answer the following question: What was the weather like during October to June, and how is the weather described? Discuss the question with your talk partner.

Refer to the text for support.

Pause the video whilst you answer the question.

Well done.

Let's have a look at an example from Lucas.

He says, "During these months, Trinidad is very warm.

The skies are described as 'cloudless,' and the heat feels relentless." If the heat is relentless, there's no space to escape it.

You can't get away from it.

I think when the weather's that hot, you'd be looking for shade to try and find spaces to cool down.

I'd now like you to refer to page 32.

How does the weather change in the evening, and what does Floella compare the shift between the temperatures to? I wonder if you can remember.

Make sure you've got your page ready.

Pause the video and discuss the question with your partner.

Great discussion.

Let's have a look at an example from Aisha.

She says, "The weather in the evening is 'cooler' as the sun sets.

Floella describes a swift change as if like someone is flicking a light off." I wonder if you got a similar answer or a different one.

Well done if you noticed the comparison to the light switch.

I'd now like you to refer to pages 33 and 34.

I wonder, can you tell me why Floella was worried in these two pages? Pause the video and discuss the question with your partner.

That's right, two very different things happened at once.

Let's have a look at an example from Jin.

He says, "Floella is surrounded by darkness.

She's terrified because two things are happening at once, an earthquake and an eclipse." I wonder if you've experienced or read about either of those things.

It must have been very frightening for Floella, don't you think? Here's our final check for understanding.

True or false, the weather in Trinidad was very cold.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Well done.

It's described as cool in the mountains but not cold overall.

It's very hot and wet.

Therefore, the answer is false.

I'd now like you to justify your answer.

Is it because, A, "The heat was relentless.

It made lots of people sweat"? or B, "Sometimes it rained heavily.

Floella enjoyed these moments"? Have a think back to the original statement.

Which justification best fits? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

The example here that disproves the statement is that it was hot.

So the heat being relentless, and it made lots of people sweat is definitely saying that it wasn't very cold.

Well done if you got the answer correct.

In this task, I'd like you to complete a sensory chart listing examples of the imagery that Floella uses in the chapter that appeal to each of the five senses.

You can refer to pages 31 to 34, drawing out any references to the senses.

We have auditory, gustatory, tactile, olfactory, and visual.

If you want to refer to them as hearing, taste, touch, smell, and sight, that's okay too.

While you're completing your chart, you might like to consider the following questions.

How is the sun and the heat described? How is the rain described? And which description do you think was most effective and why? You can of course refer to the text when you're writing down your descriptions and thinking about your answers.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I hope you enjoyed exploring the chapter for imagery that relates to all the senses.

Let's have a look at some examples.

You might have said for visual that warmth rose from the shoes as they walked on the pavement.

I imagine that like a hazy atmosphere as if the light is playing tricks on our eyes.

For tactile, you might have said that the ground was shaking towards the end of the chapter during the earthquake.

For olfactory, you could mention the acrid stench of the tar melting or the flowers which were described as fragrant.

And for auditory, you might have linked the water rushing as Floella as stands beneath the waterfall in the mountains.

I wonder which was your favourite description.

Sam says, "I think the most effective imagery was related to heat.

Reading it really made me feel warm!" I wonder if you felt similar.

Did you also find any examples for tactile? Sometimes not all senses are appealed to within a chapter, and it's not required to make effective imagery.

I wonder if we'll notice any other imagery as we continue reading in our next lesson.

In today's lesson, we've been exploring setting in "Coming to England." We've noticed that including detailed descriptions about settings allow readers to develop a better understanding of what it might be like to live there.

Imagery in writing refers to the use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Imagery in the text is used by the author, Floella Benjamin, during chapter four to convey how she experiences her childhood surroundings.

She focuses primarily on the weather.

Finally, a sensory chart can be used to identify sensory information within a text.

I've really enjoyed exploring the setting with you today.

I hope you've learnt something new.

Well done for all your hard work.

I'm looking forward to working with you again soon.