Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

Thank you for joining me for today's reading lesson.

My name is Mr. Charlesworth and in today's lesson, we are going to be exploring the text, "Coming to England," which is written by Floella Benjamin.

I'm really looking forward to working with you today.

For today's lesson, you are going to need a copy of the text.

It needs to look exactly like mine.

Pause the video whilst you go and collect your copy.

Fantastic work.

I hope you're looking forward to reading.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome is I can understand the context of "Coming to England." The key words are my turn, your turn.

Memoir.

Commonwealth.

British Empire.

And impression.

Let's say those once more.

Memoir.

Commonwealth.

British Empire.

And impression.

Well done.

Let's now explore the meanings.

A memoir is a historical account or biography, written from personal knowledge.

The Commonwealth is the political association of 56 member states, most of which are former territories of the British Empire.

The British Empire is the name given to the colonies, dominions, and other territories ruled to some degree by and from Britain.

An impression refers to initial feelings about a person, place, or thing, gain from reading the text.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of these keywords, we're exploring them throughout the lesson.

Today's lesson is all about introducing the context of "Coming to England." That's some of the additional and surrounding information that can be helpful to know before we read the text.

We are going to begin by exploring the introduction to the text first and looking at the front cover before then reading the first chapter and exploring the author's perspective.

Let's begin by looking at the introduction to the text.

This edition of "Coming to England," is written by Floella Benjamin and illustrated by Joelle Avelino.

"Coming to England," is an autobiographical memoir.

While noticed on one of our keywords, a memoir is a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge.

In this case, Floella Benjamins.

The front cover can provide the reader with clues as to what might happen in the text.

I wonder what do you notice from the front cover? Look closely at the illustrations by Joelle too.

Pause the video now whilst you discuss the question with your partner and refer to the text if you need to.

Fantastic work.

I hope you looked really closely.

There were lots of details.

On the front cover, I noticed the family or group of people.

They're carrying suitcases along a gangway about to disembark.

A gangway is like a piece of wood that would allow people to walk off of a boat.

To disembark is to leave.

To leave the boat and go on to land.

The family's clothing possibly reflects the time period in which the text is set.

It looks very smart as well, don't you think? I can see on the front cover there's also a large ship.

Perhaps this is docking in a new country or maybe it's just about to leave.

And finally, I noticed a young girl right in the middle.

She's smiling and dressed very smartly.

The background is filled with blue skies and clouds.

A seagull hovers nearby.

Combining her smile and the nice weather, perhaps she's pleased to be arriving in this new place.

"Coming to England," documents Floella's childhood, which is spent in Trinidad.

This is a dual island Caribbean nation linked with Tobago.

It tracks from 1949 to her move in Britain in 1960, as part of the Windrush Generation.

You can see where Trinidad and Tobago are located on the map on the right hand side.

Let's say the name together, Trinidad.

Well done.

The text explores an important part of British history, as well as celebrating diversity, with strong themes of family and community.

Here's our first check for understanding.

True or false.

A memoir is a fictional text.

It describes imaginary events and people.

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

Well done.

It's false.

It definitely doesn't describe imaginary or fictional events.

And I'd like you to think about your justification.

Is it because a, a memoir is written from personal perspective.

It's a historical account of someone's life or experiences.

Or b, "Coming to England," describes Floella Benjamin's experiences leaving Trinidad in 1949.

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

Well done.

While some of the text describes Floella's experiences leaving Trinidad, it's discussing a memoir and a memoirs written from personal perspective, so it's the first option.

Well done if you got those correct.

Before we begin reading the text, it's important to gain an understanding of the context in which the text was written.

In 1655, many Caribbean Islands became part of the British Empire.

The British Empire were the countries ruled or controlled by the United Kingdom.

At its peak in 1913, the British Empire ruled over 412 million people.

It began to decline following the First World War and many countries regained their independence, but chose to join a Commonwealth of Nations, which included the United Kingdom Following the Second World War, the British Nationality Act, which was a new law, was passed by the British government in 1948 to change the definition of British nationality, meaning all people who were from a Commonwealth country had the right to work and settle in the United Kingdom and to bring their families with them.

The aim of this new law was to encourage residents from across the Commonwealth to come to Britain to help with post-war reconstruction.

The passing of this act by the British government led to many people from across the Commonwealth coming to Britain.

This included people from the Caribbean.

The Empire Windrush was the first boat to bring people from the Caribbean to the U.

K.

Floella discusses lots of these themes within the text.

You'll also hear reference to the Windrush Generation That includes people who came across on the Windrush.

as well as the ships that followed.

In our next check for understanding, I'd like you to match the following terms to their definitions.

They're incredibly important, so we need to make sure we understand them completely.

The terms are British Empire, Commonwealth, and Trinidad and Tobago have a read of their definitions and match them up.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

Did you get them all correct? The British Empire lists the countries ruled or controlled by the U.

K.

The Commonwealth is a group of countries and states, which have regained independence.

And Trinidad and Tobago is a dual island Caribbean nation.

It's where we find Floella in Chapter 1.

Well done if you've got more correct.

We're now going to begin by reading the first chapter of the text.

"Coming to England," opens with Floella describing her childhood in Trinidad.

She's busy expecting the birth of her brother, Ellington.

I'd like you to read pages one to seven.

Now, this might be with a partner, independently, or with an adult.

The chapter begins with a beautiful illustration by Joelle too.

Pause the video now whilst you read.

Fantastic reading.

I hope you're intrigued and wanting to read on.

I'd like you to answer the following question.

At the start of the chapter, what animal is Floella waiting for and why do you think this might be? This is getting you to practise your retrieval skills, finding the answer in the text, as well as your infant skills, thinking about it and reading between the lines.

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

Well done.

Did you notice that she was waiting for a stork? I wonder why you thought that might be.

Perhaps it links to another text that you've read or something you've seen, read, or heard before.

Let's have a look at a possible example.

Alex says, "Floella is waiting for a stork to visit.

She's told by her mother that this is how a baby arrives." I wonder if you have heard of that before.

If not, it might sound quite unusual.

In pages one to five, we're introduced to Floella's home.

How does Floella describe her home? Pick one room to discuss with your partner What you learn about Floella and her family from how the room is described? You might like to focus on the sitting room, the backyard, the bedrooms, or even the latrine.

While remembered, the latrine is an outdoor toilet.

I wonder if Floella describes it positively or negatively.

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

Well done.

You might have referred to the text for a number of the different rooms. Let's have a look at two examples.

The sitting room is described as very ornate and tidy.

It contains lots surprised possessions.

It must mean a lot to the family.

You might have also focused on the outhouse, the latrine.

Floella describes the outhouse in two different ways, pleasant during the day, but scary at night.

I wonder if you can remember why.

I'll never look at comic strips again in the same way.

Here's our next check for understanding.

Can you match the following names to the correct description in relation to Floella? On the left hand side, we've got Ellington, Lester, Marmie, Sandra, and Dardie.

And the relationships we have are brothers, sisters, and parents.

I wonder if you know which one links to which.

Pause video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

Did you match all the names with their relationship to Floella? Ellington and Lester are both Floella's brothers.

Marmie is her mother, Sandra, her sister, and Dardie is her father.

You'll see these repeated throughout the first couple of chapters.

Did you notice who was missing? That's right, Floella's other siblings were Roy, who sometimes referred to as Junior in the text, and Cynthia.

Floella discusses her relationship with her father, Dardie, when she's on the gallery.

A gallery is a bit like a balcony.

I'd like you to refer to pages six and seven.

Make sure you've got your copy of the text in front of you.

What impression do you get of Floella's father and why? Well remembered, an impression is our first thoughts or opinions.

So what impression, what opinion do you get of Floella's father and why do you get that? What bits and the texts tell us how he is, how he acts? Pause the video now whilst you answer the question with your partner.

Well done.

There are lots of impressions you could have made about Floella's father.

The first thing that struck me was that she describes her father as a storyteller.

He shares stories from his cultural heritage.

Another thing that I noticed was that Dardie is a policeman.

The family help him clean his uniform.

They take great care of their belongings.

I wonder what impression this gave you.

Did you have similar things or different things to what I drew out? Here's our next check for understanding.

True or false.

Floella's father was very strong.

Is that true or false? Is this referring to strength in terms of physicality? Pause the video now whilst you answer.

Great work.

Floella's father is physically strong so it's true.

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

Is it because a, Dardie did his work in shifts.

He was not always there for the meals.

Or b, Dardie was able to lift four of his children at once.

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

Great work, it's b.

Dardie was able to lift four of his children at once.

It tells you how he did this in the text.

It sounds very ambitious.

Do you think you'd be able to do the same? In our first task, we're going to reflect on what we've read so far.

What are your first impressions of the first seven pages? I'd like you to talk about your likes, what caught your attention, your dislikes.

This doesn't have to be things that you didn't like about the text.

It can include things that you were a bit unsure about.

And I'd like you to discuss any puzzles.

Was there anything you found strange or surprising? Discuss the following questions with your talk partner.

Pause video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

There are lots of possible examples that you could have come up with for these different options.

Under likes, I really like that we got a good sense of Floella's family.

They care for one another and work hard to provide for each other.

Under dislikes, it sounded so idyllic.

That means that life in Trinidad sounded so good.

I wonder why Floella's family decided to leave? And under puzzles, I was intrigued by lots of the different foods that were mentioned.

Some of them I knew, but lots of them were new to me.

You might like to research some of the different foods that Floella mentioned at home.

We're now going to continue to explore the rest of Chapter 1 and look at the author's perspective.

That's thinking about what it was like to see through the eyes of Floella.

Autobiographical memoirs are written in the first person, which allows readers to experience events and emotions through the author's own eyes.

This intimate perspective provides a direct connection to the authors inner world.

We're able to be offered details about their upbringing, relationships, and significant life events.

From reading texts like "Coming to England," we can engage more deeply with the cultural and historical context in which the author lived.

In the next section of the text, Floella describes her relationship with her mother.

She mentions lots of the food that she ate when she was younger.

I'd like you now to read pages eight to 15.

Make sure you've got your copy of the text with you.

Pause the video now whilst you read.

Well done.

It's such a fantastic chapter and a great introduction to Floella and life in Trinidad.

I wonder what impressions you get of Floella's mother and why is she described differently to her father? I think so.

What does she do in the chapter? Pause the video now whilst you discuss the question with your partner.

Well done.

You might have described Floella's mother as making the most amazing food.

"She does lots of the chores around the home too." You might have also said that, "Marmie enjoys buying things from the local market.

She instilled positive traits in her children." That means the example that she sets is embodied in Floella.

Here's our next check for understanding based on what we've just read.

True or false.

Floella's mother was a good singer.

Is that true or false? You can, of course, refer to the chapter again if you need to.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

The answer is false and I'll like you to justify your answer.

Is it because a, Marmie sang as she worked or b, Marmie didn't sing particularly well, but everyone wanted to join in when she did.

Have a think back to the original statement, which justification best fits? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

Although Marmie sang while she worked, she isn't a particularly good singer.

She's described as singing along while she does her chores, but when she does sing, everyone wants to join in.

Perhaps you know someone who sings in a similar way.

I think it endears the character to us, the reader, and to Floella.

In our final task, I'd like you to answer the following question.

From reading Chapter 1, do you get the impression that Floella had a happy childhood? How do you know and what evidence can you find in the text? I'd like you to create a list of positives and negatives.

Things that Floella enjoyed about her childhood and perhaps things that she did not.

You can use this table to write in your examples.

When you're thinking about positives and negatives, you could refer to Floella's home, her family, which includes her siblings, as well as Marmie and Dardie.

You could also describe the food and whether she enjoyed it or disliked it, and also the experience of shopping.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I think from reading Chapter 1 that Floella had an overwhelmingly positive experience as a young child, but there are a few things that she describes that aren't so nice.

I wonder if you found some too.

Under positives, I said that Floella describes family life as busy but pleasant.

It's full of dancing, singing, and joy.

You can't help but smile as you're reading.

Floella also describes the wide range of foods that she gets to eat as delicious.

It really made my mouth water as I read.

Floella also describes the clothes that her mother makes the family as fashionable.

Perhaps these were the ones that we see on the front cover too.

The negatives that I found from the text is that Floella doesn't really enjoy the taste of cod liver oil that her mother gives her to keep her healthy.

I wonder if you've ever had it.

It really turns your tongue.

Floella is also afraid of the outdoor toilet at night.

The noises around her home scare her.

Did you find any other positives or negatives within the chapter? Share them with your partner if so.

I've really enjoyed looking at the first chapter with you and can't wait to explore more.

In today's lesson, we've been introduced to the context of "Coming to England." We know that "Coming to England," is an autobiographical memoir, which is written by Floella Benjamin.

Autobiographical memoirs are written in the first person, allowing readers to experience events and emotions through the author's own eyes.

Floella has good relationships with both her parents.

She describes them through the actions that they perform.

And finally, Floella writes about her early childhood in Trinidad in an overwhelmingly positive tone.

Well done for both your reading and all your hard work today.

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