Hello, everyone, my name's Ms. Keller, and welcome to today's lesson.

I'm so glad you could join me.

In this session, we are going to be analysing how poets use language and structure to reminisce and recall loved ones.

For this lesson, you will need a copy of your AQA "Love and Relationships" poetry anthology.

So by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to plan a comparative analysis of "Before You Were Mine" by Carol Ann Duffy and one other poem.

So let's have a look at today's key words.

We have ekphrastic, context, abstract, thesis, and possessive.

So what do these words mean? Well, ekphrastic means a vivid, often detailed description or response to a visual work of art.

Context is the circumstances influencing the meaning or interpretation of an event, statement, or idea? Abstract is theoretical or conceptual.

It's something that exists in thought or is an idea.

It doesn't have a physical or concrete existence.

A thesis is a central argument or claim supported by evidence.

And finally, possessive means expressing ownership, showing a desire to control or dominate.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, we are going to start off by using context to discuss the writer's intentions, and then we're going to explore how to plan a comparative analysis.

So let's start by having a think about the wider context of the three of our poems "Before You Were Mine", "Eden Rock" and "Climbing My Grandfather".

So our Oak students have been trying to recall their contextual knowledge, and Jacob says, "It is an ekphrastic poem based on a series of photographs." And Alex says, "The poet is known for their simplicity and direct messages about love and loss." And Izzy says, "The poet was an environmental campaigner who often wrote about the natural world." It's my first challenge to you today is to have a think about which poem each student is referring to.

So take some time to discuss this with the people around you, or if you're working on your own, that's okay, make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

Press pause while you do that.

And when you are ready to continue and feedback your response is click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's have a look at which poem each student was describing.

So Jacob then was talking about an ekphrastic poem.

So he was describing "Before You Were Mine".

"The poet is known for the simplicity and direct messages." Alex was describing "Eden Rock".

And finally, "The poet was an environmental campaigner." Izzy was describing "Climbing My Grandfather".

So let's take this contextual knowledge and think about how we could use it to add detail to our analysis.

It's really important to remember with context that it should never just be bolted on.

We should only use context when it's relevant to the wider point that we are making.

It is not necessary for us to use context in every paragraph if it isn't relevant, but it is important that we manage to get it into our response.

So instead of just bolting it on, we need to consider what impression this contextual knowledge gives us of the poet as a person, and also how this then affects our interpretation of their text.

So I'd like to take a moment for you to have a discussion thinking about those three contextual ideas that we had from Izzy, Alex, and Jacob.

But I'd like you to think about what inferences we can make about each of those contextual ideas.

So what do they tell us about the poet and how might they affect our interpretation of the text? So I'll just put those contextual points up there to remind you.

So take a few moments to have a discussion or make some notes.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really fantastic discussions taking place there to start off the lesson.

I was so impressed to see people thinking really carefully about what impression they got from this contextual information.

So let's just pick up on a few fantastic responses that I overheard.

So starting with "Before You Were Mine", and this idea that it is an ekphrastic poem.

So what does this tell us about Duffy and what does this tell us about the poem? Well, we could have said something like this vignette that we see in stanza 1 of the mother stood with her friends laughing.

It's described like a photo, it has that photographic feel.

And from that we could infer that Duffy's handling of her mother's memories suggests that she cares for her mother.

The way that she's describing them is perhaps quite respectful and attempting to be fairly accurate to what she has seen in the picture, which suggests that she perhaps has respect for her mother and her mother's past.

So onto this second one then, "Eden Rock".

So Charles Causley's writing was known for its simplicity and its direct messages about love and loss.

So let's see what we could infer about the poet or the text from that knowledge.

So interestingly, Causley's use of language is simple and sparse, which we might expect given now what we know is characteristic about his writing.

But this poem is very ambiguous and abstract, it's indirect, open to interpretation perhaps, what's really going on in this poem.

Although it's simple, it perhaps isn't as direct as we would've expected from Causley's writing.

And finally then "Climbing My Grandfather".

So Waterhouse an environmental campaigner often wrote about the natural world.

So from this we might infer that Waterhouse's use of natural imagery and his extended metaphor of exploring and mountain climbing could suggest that he has respect for the grandfather because we know that Waterhouse was very passionate about the environment and the natural world.

So the fact that he's chosen these particular descriptions to describe our speaker's view of their grandfather, perhaps suggests that our speaker has that same level of respect for his grandfather that Waterhouse does for the natural world.

So now I'd like you to have a think about these three poems. Can you remember any other contextual information about each of them? Pause the video while you have a think or perhaps create a mind map for yourself.

And when you are ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, I was really impressed with the contextual information that people were coming up with.

It's really impressive to see what you can remember.

Don't worry if you couldn't remember that much because I'm about to show you a few more examples from our Oak students.

So Jacob said that "Before You Were Mine", "Duffy describes her childhood memories in this poem." So well done, if you also picked up on that idea.

Alex, who's talking about "Eden Rock" remembered that "The setting was fictional; and it said to be based on the Cornish landscape where Causley grew up." And finally, Izzy, who was thinking about "Climbing My Grandfather" said, "It is part of a series of poems, focusing on the theme of family." So well done if you manage to pick up on any of those ideas yourself.

So let's pause here and check our understanding of how we use contextual knowledge.

So it says, contextual knowledge is most effective when used to consider what and what.

So have a look at the four options that you've got there and decide which two you think best fill those gaps.

Pause the video while you have a think.

And when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said B and D.

Contextual knowledge is most effective when used to consider what impression it gives us of the poet and how it affects our interpretation of the text.

So now it is time for the first practise task of today's lesson.

And what I would like you to do is to complete the table below, adding your own inferences about each piece of contextual information.

So we got those three pieces of contextual information that we just heard from Jacob, Alex, and Izzy there.

And this time it's up to you to provide those inferences.

So remember, we are thinking about what this suggests about the poet as a person and how this might affect our interpretation of their text.

So pause the video and take as long as you need to to complete this table.

And when you'd like to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Welcome back, really fantastic to see so many of you giving that a really good go.

So here are just some examples of what you could have written.

And remember, the inferences are personal interpretation.

So don't worry if your answer isn't exactly what you see here.

As long as you are drawing out your personal interpretations from that contextual information, it's likely that what you've written is valid.

So let's have a look at "Before You Were Mine" then.

We are thinking about the fact that Duffy is describing her childhood memories.

So we could have said Duffy doesn't portray the speaker in a good light.

In fact, she describes her as possessive, which could suggest that she feels guilty about how possessive she was over her own mother as a child.

So we might be getting an insight there into Duffy's feelings towards her mother and the relationship that they might have had.

But it's really important because we can't do that for certain that we use that tentative language.

So it suggests that she feels guilty, it doesn't tell us for certain.

And then we've got "Eden Rock" we were thinking about the fact that the setting was fictional and said to be based on the Cornish landscape where Causley grew up.

So we might have said that Causley depictions of the afterlife involve an element of regression and perhaps Cornwall is a place that he finds comfort in.

So we were drawing on that possible interpretation of the text there as a depiction of the afterlife and the crossing that our speaker does at the end as perhaps symbolic of him crossing over into the afterlife.

So if we do read into that interpretation, we could then infer that these depictions of the afterlife involve an element of regression because causally perhaps is taking us back to a familiar landscape or at least a landscape similar to the things he found familiar as a child and maybe he takes comfort in describing those sorts of landscapes.

And finally then "Climbing My Grandfather", it was part of a series of poems focusing on the theme of family.

So he might have said perhaps Waterhouse was fascinated by the complexities of family relationships, and this could link to the ambiguous descriptions of the grandfather.

So although Waterhouse is focusing a lot on the theme of family, he's exploring these relationships in a complex way.

His depictions of these family relationships are not necessarily straightforward because in this poem we get this very ambiguous description.

The grandfather is multifaceted in the way that he's portrayed by Waterhouse.

So I would like you to just take a moment to review what you've written and consider, have you thought about the impression that we get of the poet as a person? And also have you explored how this might affect our interpretation of the text.

So pause the video while you read through your responses and when you're ready to continue, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, so we've made it to the halfway point of the lesson and I hope you are pleased with everything you've achieved so far.

So now we've explored using context to discuss the writer's intentions.

It's time to look at how we plan a comparative analysis.

So the best analytical responses begin with a solid plan.

So let's explore what we need to do for each part of the plan.

So the very first step that we need to think about is our thesis.

And this is the part of your essay that goes at the beginning and it's where you sum up your overall arguments.

You introduce your main points that you'll then go into cover in a bit more detail across each of your analysis paragraphs.

And then if you see underneath, your response would split off into each of those individual paragraphs, each one made up of a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.

So let's just have a think about what a topic sentence is.

And a topic sentence is a mini argument linked to your thesis.

So it is where you begin to draw out those subtle arguments that you can make that contribute that overall argument at the top.

You are supporting detail.

So this is where you would copy in your key quotations and you would make notes on the poet's use of language, form, and structure.

So this is where the bulk of your analysis is taking place.

You've got your evidence and you are identifying those methods.

And then you'll conclude in sentence, this is where you sum up everything you've said in each analysis paragraph.

And then you can link to the writer's intentions or influences.

And that is where we can draw in that contextual knowledge that we were looking at in the first half of the lesson.

So this is a great way to structure your essay plan because it really clearly lays out all the different components that you need to make sure you've got a detailed analysis.

So let's have a look at this thesis in a bit more detail because it's such an important part of effective analysis writing.

So as we just said then, the thesis is your initial argument and it's the introduction to your response.

So what might we expect to see in an effective thesis? Well, it will link specifically to the focus of the question.

This is where you answer that question directly.

It will also introduce both the poems that you're comparing and it'll summarise their key ideas.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to show off your knowledge of those poems. And it will also be supported by ideas that are linked to the entire text.

So at this point, we're not focusing on those smaller, more subtle details.

We are discussing these texts in a more generalised way because this is our introduction.

A good thesis will not use quotations.

This is something we need to save for later on in our response.

We use our quotations as evidence when we are writing our analysis paragraphs and they aren't needed in that introduction.

The thesis will also not bolt-on irrelevant contextual facts.

Remember we were discussing earlier that context should only be used when it is relevant to our main argument.

And finally, a good thesis will not focus on only one poem.

Remember, this is also your introductory paragraphs.

So this is your opportunity to show us your knowledge of both of these poems. It's really important that we get that balance between the two texts right.

And one top tip here, as contextual knowledge often refers to the entire text, the thesis is really great place to include these links to it because we're not just making specific points perhaps about certain standards or certain methods or certain ideas.

This is a great place for us to use that context because we're talking about the entire poem or the poet.

So here is an example thesis.

So our question was how do the poets present family relationships? Both "Before You Were Mine" and "Eden Rock" focus on parental relationships but portray them differently.

Duffy's semi-autobiographical poem is ekphrastic, using real photographs from her mother's life to explore her identity before she had children and highlight feminist issues around the sacrifices women make when they become mothers.

However, Causley's poem arguably doesn't focus on individual identity at all and instead, the parents in "Eden Rock" are described like caricatures seemingly used as placeholders for the poet to explore themes of death and the afterlife.

Known for his simple and direct messages about love and loss, here Causely interestingly uses concrete descriptions to symbolise abstract ideas.

So now I would like you to take a moment to assess this thesis, thinking really carefully about those top tips that we just discussed.

So what makes this an effective thesis? So take some time to discuss this with the people around you or make some notes if you're working on your own.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses and look at this thesis in a bit more detail, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I could hear lots of fantastic ideas coming out of that discussion.

So let's just pick up on a few that I overheard.

So thinking really carefully then about what makes this thesis effective.

So let's review it against this checklist that we were discussing earlier.

So does it link specifically to the focus of the question? So our question was how do the poets present family relationships? But yes it does, we've got quite a lot of links there.

We've got this opening sentence that both of these poems focus on parental relationships but portray them differently.

And then later on we've also got comments about how each of the poems discuss family relationships.

So we've got this bit that Duffy is discussing elements of her mother's life and that the parents in "Eden Rock" are described in a particular way.

So it's really clear that our opening paragraph, our thesis is responding directly to that question.

So next then, does it introduce both poems and summarise their key ideas? Well, yes it does.

So we've got, again, that opening sentence straight in there with both of those poems. And then we've also got a brief explanation of each of the poems where the writer is able to show off their knowledge of each text.

So Duffy's semi-autobiographical poem and the idea that she uses it to explore her mother's identity before she had children.

And then also in "Eden Rock" Causley's poem perhaps doesn't focus on individual identity, but it explores themes of death and the afterlife.

So we've definitely got that idea that whoever wrote this paragraph has quite a good understanding of both of those texts.

So is it supported by ideas linked to the entire text? And remember, we are avoiding using individual quotations in our opening thesis.

Well, yes it is.

So we are just focusing our discussion here on things that relate to the entire text.

So mentioning perhaps that Causley's poem doesn't focus on individual identity at all.

And also that Duffy's poem is ekphrastic, using real photographs from her mother's life.

So we are discussing the entire text in both cases.

So let's pause here and check our understanding so far then.

So true or false, a thesis statement should use precise, accurate, and relevant supporting detail.

So pause the video while you have a think and when you've made your mind up, click play and I'll reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said false.

So now it's time to justify our answer.

So have a look at these two potential justifications and decide which one you think is most convincing.

Pause the video while you have a read and when you've made your mind up, click play and I'll reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back again and well done to those of you who said B, a thesis statement should focus only on ideas relating to the entire text and not specific sections.

And just having a look at that other answer there, remember that there is never a time where a paragraph should focus only on context because we are avoiding bolting it on if it isn't relevant.

It's important we use it, but we don't necessarily have to use it in any particular paragraph.

So once we've come up with a strong thesis, then the rest of your plan follows the single paragraph outline structure.

And then if you'll notice, this is just a larger version of those boxes we were looking at earlier when we were exploring the entire plan.

So each single paragraph, single analysis paragraph is made up of a topic sentence, some supporting detail and a concluding sentence.

So let's look in detail at what we need to do for each of these parts.

So for your topic sentence on your plan then, you need to write this out as a full sentence and explain in each of those boxes your mini arguments linking to a specific idea or a specific part of the text.

So your support in detail then, this is where you make notes on up to four relevant supporting references to the text.

And it's important that in each of your analysis paragraphs that you aim to have a balanced argument by trying to use two from each text.

Remembering that we need to try and cover those poems equally as we compare them.

And remember that references to the text should be precise, accurate, and judiciously chosen.

So in terms of them being precise, they need to link to whatever point it is that you are making up there in the topic sentence.

Accurate, they must be copied out correctly from the original text.

And judiciously chosen, so perhaps we're just choosing as much of the text as we need and we are not copying down big chunks.

I would avoid using quotations perhaps longer than a couple of lines.

And instead zooming in on the specific words and phrases that link to our point in the topic sentence.

And finally then a concluding sentence.

This is where you sum up the ideas in your paragraph and link to the writer's intentions.

And you should aim to use at least three single paragraph outlines in your essay plan.

Just some top tips then for effective analysis.

One, it's really important that you ensure your thesis statement is strong because this is the spine of your essay that all your single paragraph outlines should link to.

It's also a good idea to annotate your text before planning so you've got a good idea of which evidence you can use and that will help you to build the different points that you might make.

And each analytical paragraph should be led by a key idea from the text and not by feature spotting a writer's use of methods.

So it's really important to begin each of your analysis paragraphs with a key inference or interpretation of the text and use that evidence in your analysis of it to support that original idea.

So let's pause and check our understanding again then.

So you should begin every paragraph by comparing what? Have a look at those three options and make your mind up.

And when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done to those of you who said C, a key idea from the text linked to the question focus, remember we are not leading with quotations and we are not leading with that feature spotting of literary methods.

Okay, so it's time for the final practise task of today's lesson.

And for the first part of this task, I would like you to have a go at writing your own thesis statement in response to this question, how do the poets present relationships in "Before You Were Mine" and "Climbing My Grandfather"? So let's have a look at a few key questions that you might want to ask yourself while you are doing this.

So what attitudes and messages do both poets convey about relationships? 'Cause that's our question focus.

And what is the relationship between both poems? Are they similar or different? And finally, can you include any relevant contextual knowledge about the poems? So pause the video while you write your thesis and when you are ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll continue.

Welcome back, so now it's time for us to self-assess our thesis statement.

So let's review it against some of those top tips we were discussing earlier.

So have you remembered to link specifically to the focus of the question? Have you introduced both poems and summarised the key ideas? And have you supported your arguments with ideas linked to the entire text? And did you remember to avoid using quotations to avoid linking to that irrelevant bolt-on contextual information and using it only when it's relevant? And did you avoid focusing on just one poem? So take a moment to review your thesis against these top tips and things to avoid and set yourself a what went well and even better if for next time you write a thesis statement.

So pause the video while you do this and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so now we are on to the second part of this practise task.

So now we have built this strong thesis, it is time to use it to plan the rest of your response, using single paragraph outlines.

So you've got that thesis there at the top, and then you've got space for you to add in your topic sentence, supporting details and concluding sentence.

Remember that your topic sentence and concluding sentence need to be written as a full sentence, but for that middle box you can use note form to copy out your quotations and then annotate them.

So pause the video while you complete the rest of your plan, filling out these single paragraph outlines.

And when you're ready to feedback your response, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

A really fantastic effort from everyone there.

So let's have a look at how you might have planned one of your paragraphs.

So for your topic sentence then you might have said, both poems explore the complexities of familial relationships through the perspective of a child speaker.

So we've got that similarity there.

Then supporting detail.

We might have chosen from "Before You Were Mine", the word mine from the title, the possessive pronoun, which suggests that the mother now belongs to her family as far as the child speaker views it.

And also that word relics there that was used to describe her mother's going out shoes, which could symbolise how her youthful freedom and her independence is now a thing of the past.

And then from "Climbing My Grandfather", you might have chosen the word scramble, that verb, which suggests that the grandfather is patient, kind, and allows the speaker to explore his body.

So again, we're getting that idea of ownership.

The speaker treats the body as their play thing.

And finally, you may have also chosen that word brogues.

We've got another reference to shoes there because they symbolised a life well lived before having children.

They symbolised this idea of independence.

So it's actually interesting that both poets are choosing to use shoes as an object to symbolise perhaps youthful independence.

And in fact, concluding sentence, both poets highlight the way children view adults in their family as caregivers devoted to them, often overlooking their individual identities and the lives they led before they had children and grandchildren.

So now it is time to review your response.

So let's go through each section and check that we have completed it in the most effective way.

So starting with that topic sentence then, have you explained how the poems are similar or different? So if we look at the topic sentence from our example, we've got the idea that it starts with the word both.

We're already grouping those poems together to show that similarity.

And then if we have a look at our supporting detail, so is your supporting detail precise, accurate, and judiciously chosen? Well, we have got links there to belonging and these possessive pronouns, we've also got those symbolic objects.

And we've also got the verb scramble, which suggests a little bit about the grandfather's character.

So here we've got very short quotations, but they directly and precisely link to that topic sentence.

And also with that supporting detail, have you identified the writer's methods and any links between the language and ideas? So we've got lots of methods identified there, and then those annotations that come after it, which link to ideas and interpretations and those deeper, more subtle meanings.

And finally then you're concluding sentence.

So have you linked back to ideas in your topic sentence? And if we look here, we have got lots of references to the way that children view adults in their family, which links back to the point we made in the topic sentence that both of these poems describe these relationships through the perspective of a child speaker.

So just take a moment to review each of your single paragraph outlines, and if you need to redraft to include anything that you might have missed.

Pause the video while you do that and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, we've made it to the finish line of today's lesson and a massive well done for all the effort that you have put in today, you should be really pleased with yourselves.

So let's just summarise what we've covered in this session.

Context is a useful lens through which to consider the writer's intentions and evaluate our interpretation of the text.

Contextual links should be relevant to analysis and not used as bolt-on sentences.

Effective analysis begins with a strong thesis statement, introducing key ideas and the relationship between both texts.

And finally, single paragraph outlines are useful tools to plan comparative analysis paragraphs.

So thanks for joining me and I hope that you enjoyed today's lesson.

Have a great day, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.