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 exploring how to plan a written response on conflict poetry.

So by the end of today's lesson, we will be able to use a multiple paragraph outline to plan a written response.

So here are today's keywords.

We have complement, not to be confused there with a compliment, which is spelled L-I-M-E-N-T, which is when you say something nice about somebody else.

Complement here is when something supports something else or makes it more effective.

So we can see the link there between those two words, but they do have different meanings.

We have contrast, which is things that are very different.

We have intention, which are the reasons or purposes behind a decision or action.

And finally we have the word thesis, which is a central argument or main idea that a writer develops and supports in their work.

And we would usually find a thesis in our comparative response in the introduction.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, we are going to start off by drawing comparisons between some of those anthology poems and then we are going to explore a model response and work out some top tips for writing comparative analysis paragraphs.

And then finally, we are going to have a go at planning our own comparative response.

So let's start off by having a think about some of the poems from the conflict anthology.

So here are a list of 10 poems from your conflict cluster.

I'm sure that you've come across lots of these before.

So my first question to you is what connections can we make between these poems and what do they all have in commons? If we were gonna try to find a thread perhaps that unite all of these poems, what might that be? So pause the video here while you have a think and take some time to discuss this with the people around you or if you're working on your own, that's okay.

Just make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really interesting discussions taking place there.

Well done if you were also picking up on this idea that each of these poems explores a different type of conflict and we had that clue there in the title of the anthology.

But as well as the different types of conflict that they explore, they also explore the impact of the conflict on the people who experience it.

So if we think about what the question might look like when we need to write a comparative analysis response, you will always be given one poem from the anthology in the question, and then you'll be asked to compare it to another anthology poem of your choosing.

You'll then be asked to compare the poet's presentations of a theme or a key idea.

So there's always that question focus that might shift as the different questions come along.

That's the main thing that really that will change, the poem that they give you in the question and then that question focus.

And some examples of the question focus that you could get might be destruction, detachment, growing up, relationships.

These are just a few ideas.

So when you are given your first poem, you'll need to consider the following, how does the poet present the theme? And is there attitude towards that theme positive or negatives? And once we've thought about these two initial questions, that is when we can start to think about how other poems complement it or contrast with it.

And that's really where we're going to be able to choose that second poem.

So imagine that this is your question.

Compare how poets present the relationships between different people in a poison tree and one other poem from the conflict anthology.

So when faced with this question, one of our Oak pupils, Sophia said, "I think I'd like to compare 'A Poison Tree' with 'Belfast Confetti' because Belfast Confetti is my favourite poem in the anthology." Why might this not be the most effective approach to take? So quickfire discussion here, perhaps just 30 seconds or so with the people around you or making some notes, what is a better approach for Sophia to take here and choosing that second poem? So pause the video while you have a think and take some time to discuss it.

And when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So I could overhear lots of people picking up on this idea that is far better to compare the poems thematically.

So thinking about linking those key ideas and not because you know a poem or you like it.

So Sophia has another thing and she says, "okay, I think I'll use 'The Man He Killed' as my second poem instead." So now my next question to you is, has Sophia chosen a poem that complements the one she has been given or contrasts with it? So thinking really carefully there about that relationship between "A Poison Tree" and "The Man He Killed." So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it or make some notes and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So I would argue that these poems complement one another well because they both explore the relationships between one person and someone else.

So interpersonal conflict and inner conflict that these relationships can sometimes cause.

So examining the question that you're given can be helpful to help you focus your response.

So let's have a think about a different question.

So imagine we were going to answer this one, compare how poets present ideas about discrimination in "Half-Caste" and one other poem from the conflict anthology.

So I'd like you to have a think now, which poems compare well with "Half-Caste" on the theme of discrimination and prejudice? So pause the video here while you take some time to have a think and discuss it.

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

Welcome back.

We could have selected "Half-Caste" and "The Class Game" as our pair because they both explore the divisions that exist between people in the UK.

So now we found that all important similarity between the poems, how they complement each other.

Let's have a think about what the key differences are between these poems. So pause the video here while you take some more time to discuss or make some notes.

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

Welcome back.

So well done if your discussions were also picking up on any of these ideas.

So while both poems focus on the prejudiced attitudes different people in the UK have towards others, each poem focuses on a different type of division.

Casey explores the class divisions in "The Class Game," whereas Agard challenges racial divisions in "Half-Caste." In this way, we could argue that these poems both complement and contrast each other.

So actually they're quite a good pairing here because we've got that quite obvious difference in that it's focusing on a different type of discrimination.

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

So which of the following poems would compare well with "Half-Caste" in terms of prejudice and discrimination? Pause the video while you have a think and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click, play and we'll continue.

Welcome back and well done to those of you who said B.

Both poems focus on those divisions in UK society, but they explore these different types of conflict.

So racial conflict in "Half-Caste" and class-based conflict in "The Class Game." So now it's time for the first practise task of today's lesson and I would like us to start thinking about lots of different poems together.

So what I would like you to do is to complete the table to show which poems focus on which key ideas by placing a tick in each corresponding box.

So we've got lots of poems here and then we've got the end of the list there.

So we're working with 10 poems all together.

So press pause here while you take some time to think really about these poems. Grab your copy of the poetry anthology if you haven't already.

And do feel free to familiarise yourself with some of these texts if you can't quite remember those key ideas.

So pause the video and take as a long as you need to do this and when you are ready to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

So let's just run through the poems then and consider which of these key ideas we could have linked to each of the titles.

So "A Poison Tree" then.

Well, we could have said that this poem links to the idea of division, interpersonal conflict, so therefore relationships and the inner conflict that comes out of the negative feelings in those relationships.

And then we've also got power and authority and finally destruction and danger because our speaker's foe obviously meets his demise by the end of the poem.

"The Destruction of Sennacherib." So we have got war because we know that the poem centres around a famous war that was depicted in the Bible.

Also power and authority because we do have that divine intervention.

And then obviously the destruction and danger that this divine intervention causes.

"The Man he Killed," we have got divisions because we've got that real division there between the speaker and the enemy soldier.

So we know we are also dealing with ideas of war and our speaker is quite fascinated by the relationship between themselves and that soldier who they met just that once.

A lot of the poem centres around the inner conflict of our speaker and that idea of power and authority because they sort of imply that perhaps being a soldier meant they didn't really have much of a say in the matter and they were simply following orders.

So "Exposure" then we've definitely got that idea of war because we know that Wilfred Owen was a World War I soldier, but also we've got this idea of injustice and power and authority because the speaker in "Exposure" is repeatedly questioning whether the war is worth the loss of life.

"Half-Caste" then.

We've actually got quite a lot of these key ideas in "Half-Caste".

We've got identity, linking heritage and culture, divisions and injustice, both linking to the idea of racism and prejudice.

We've got relationships, the relationships perhaps between people in society and we've got "The Class Game," again, it links to heritage and culture and those divisions.

And as such injustice and prejudice, it also links to the relationships again between the different groups of people in society and also that idea of power and authority.

So moving on to "No Problem" then.

So we know we are dealing with identity, heritage and culture again because this poem is dealing with racial divisions, injustice and prejudice, and also the idea of power and authority.

"War Photographer," we have war.

We also have some ideas relating to inner conflict when we hear the speaker's perception of what they have witnessed or the experiences of others that they witness.

And we've also got this idea of destruction and danger because we know that an explosion takes place in this poem.

"Belfast Confetti" again then, we've got heritage and culture because we've got this idea of a Northern Irish identity.

We've got the divisions that existed during the troubles and this idea of war because it involved a military style conflict.

We've got a lot of inner conflict from our speaker.

We've got this idea of power and authority because they're actually stopped by riot police in the poems. And finally, "What Were They Like?" So we have quite a lot of different key ideas here.

We've got the idea of identity, so Vietnamese heritage and culture and what was lost in the Vietnam war, war injustice.

And we've also got this idea of power and authority and we also have that idea of destruction and danger.

So one final discussion question then.

Which key idea was most common among the poems? So just take a moment to have a look at your different columns there and see which one you've got the most ticks in.

Why do you think this is? So pause the video while you have a think and discuss it.

And when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play and we'll continue.

Welcome back.

So lots of people have managed to point out the most common one, which was power and or authority.

We had lots of poems dealt with that key theme in one way or another.

And we could argue that the reason for that is because there is an important link between conflict and power because many types of conflict arise out of an imbalance of power when perhaps one group seems more powerful than another group is when that struggle, perhaps of power or authority might arise.

Okay, so we have made it onto the second part of today's lesson, then we'll be exploring a model response.

Okay, so in this session then we are going to be thinking about how we plan a model response.

So usually when we were going to plan a sort of response like this, we would use something called a multiple paragraph outline, which looks a little bit like this.

So can you explain the different purpose of the different parts of the multiple paragraph outline? So we've got a thesis, which is one of our key words, topic sentence, supporting detail, concluding sentence and conclusion.

So what function or what role do each of these different elements play in that comparative response? So pause the video here while you discuss it with the people around you or make some notes and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's these different parts of the multiple paragraph outline.

So first of all, a thesis.

Well, your thesis outlines your argument of the whole essay.

So this is where you put forward your overarching argument or your overarching comparison between the two texts.

That is almost going to function like the spine of your essay.

So all of your other paragraphs are going to in some way link back to this initial comparison.

So a topic sentence.

Well, in a topic sentence you outline the arguments for each paragraph.

So if we imagine that thesis is almost our umbrella, our overarching argument, then your topic sentences are almost mini arguments that branch off of this thesis.

And in your topic sentence, it's a really good idea to include key vocabulary from the question.

So particularly thinking about that question focus.

So if the question focuses asking you to explore the psychological impact of conflict, we might be wanting to use the words psychological impact somewhere in that topic sentence to keep our response focused on that question.

Supporting detail then.

So this is where we analyse the language form and structure using examples from the text, and we can also draw in some relevant contextual detail here.

Our concluding sentence is where we summarise the argument in each paragraph with a sharp focus on the writer's intention.

So remember that word intention links to this idea of the reasons why somebody made a choice.

So we can't ever know for certain why any of these poets made a particular language form or structural decision, but this is where we use our inference skills.

So we look at the evidence we have, we look perhaps at what we might know about the context or what we might know about the key ideas in the poem, and then it's up to us to infer why we think the poet chose to present or convey this idea in the way that they did.

And conclusion.

So this is at the very end of your response and this is a summary of the writer's message.

So this is where we're really going to start digging deep into our personal interpretations here and thinking about what the message of each poem is.

What does this poet necessarily want to convey to the reader and how are they going about doing that? So now we've had a look at how we would plan a comparative analysis response.

Let's read a model essay comparing how Owen and Byron present power in "Exposure" and "The Destruction of Sennacherib." So you can find a copy of this in your additional materials.

So pause the video here and take some time to read this through carefully because afterwards we are going to be thinking about how the writer has included similarities and differences.

So once you've read it through, you will take some time to discuss the following two questions, where is the model comparing similarities in ideas about power? And where is the model showing differences in ideas about power? So as you are reading through, do keep those questions in your mind.

You might want to underline or annotate.

So take some time to read through and click play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back.

What did you think of the model essay? That I hope you perhaps saw some things that might have inspired you or might have informed how you are going to approach your response next time.

So now we've had a chance to read through and hopefully you've underlined some sections or made some annotations.

I'm going to give you just one minute to discuss it with the people around you.

So just share your responses with your neighbours and see if you manage to find any of the same examples.

If you are working on your own, I understand you'll be able to share your responses.

So I challenge you to see if you can go back over the response and find one more similarity and one more difference.

So pause the video here for just a minute or so while you discuss this and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So now you have had a chance to discuss these similarities and differences.

Did you notice that your responses had anything in common? Well, I have heard lots of people starting to pick up on the language used to indicate this relationship between the poems. So woven throughout this response then we had lots of similarities and differences and they didn't necessarily all go in one order and quite often the response would describe a similarity and then move on to describe a difference.

So how did they do that? Well, they were using comparative language and it's so useful because it is these words like similarly or also to indicate those similarities and words like whereas or yet that indicate those differences that help to clarify those relationships between the poems. If we are using comparative language, then it doesn't matter if we are moving backwards and forwards between identifying similarities and differences because we are signposting which type of comparison we are making each time.

So let's pause and check our understanding again, which Oak pupil's summary of the thesis statement from that model answer is correct? So first you have Laura who says, "both poems convey how easily humanity can be destroyed by overwhelming majestic forces.

Byron focuses on the power of God to depict the archetypal good versus evil narrative structure." Whereas Jacob says, "both poems convey how easily humanity can be destroyed by overwhelming majestic forces.

Owen focuses on the power of nature to show how it can be a lifeline to those suffering in war." So just pause the video then for a moment while you have a think.

Whose statement is correct? So pause the video and click play when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer.

Welcome back, and well done to those of you who said Laura, everything in Laura's thesis statement was accurate.

Whereas at the end of Jacob's set when he said, "Owen focuses on the power of nature to show how it can be a lifeline to those suffering in war," we actually get quite the opposite impression of nature in exposure because we've got those quotations like the "iced east winds that knife us." So we actually have the natural elements presented as quite aggressive in "Exposure." So onto our second task of today's lesson then.

So I would like you to use that model essay that you've been looking at there in the additional materials to backwards plan.

So what I would like you to do is to transfer what you've read in that model answer onto this multiple paragraph outline.

So we imagine perhaps that you were the student who was writing this response, what might your plan have looked like? So you will need to think about what the thesis of the essay is and then how each of those paragraphs can be broken down into a topic sentence, supporting detail and a concluding sentence.

So pause the video for as long as you need to to create your backwards plan and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Lots of people really engaging with that task and using multiple paragraph outline is such a useful way to plan.

So it's a really, really good tool to have there in your analysis writing toolkit.

So let's just have a look at one of the paragraphs and see how we might have put that onto our backwards plans.

We'll start with that first paragraph.

So here's what you might have said.

For the topic sentence we could have said that the response indicates that both poets present the attacking forces as wild and aggressive.

And the supporting detail that was used to evidence this.

We had the idea that both used figurative language to liken the aggressors to either animals or weapons.

So in "The Destruction of Sennacherib," we had Byron's description of how the Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold.

So this similarly presented these Assyrians as wild predators.

And then in "Exposure" we had that quotation from Wilfred Owen, "the winds that knife us," "mad gusts tugging," it likens the weather to a weapon that is physically hurting the soldiers.

And then for the concluding sentence, we could have drawn this idea out that while both poets focus on strength and aggression of the attackers, they draw on different common metaphors to emphasise the danger each set of defenceless victims face.

Okay, so we are on to the final part of today's lesson then where we are going to have a look at planning a comparative response of our own.

So let's have a look at a section of a multiple paragraph outline comparing the way that relationships are presented in "A Poison Tree" and "The Man He Killed." So for our thesis then both Blake and Hardy explore how interpersonal conflict can lead to inner conflict.

Blake's poem warns readers not to allow resentments towards others to fester into vengeance, whereas Hardy explores the guilt and confusion felt by the speaker, a soldier, when they think about the enemy soldiers fought in the war.

So for this first topic sentence then, so remember that our topic sentence is almost a mini argument that branches off from that thesis.

So see if you can spot any links there between that thesis and the topic sentence.

So both poets explore the fluidity of the relationship with their other figure illustrating how perceptions of the other can shift.

So in this particular response, the student is drawing on this idea of the two people in this interpersonal conflict, the speaker and the other, the enemy soldier or the foe, depending on which poem we're talking about.

So for our supporting detail then, in "A Poison Tree," we've first of all got the description of the other figure as my foe.

So we know that there is that negative relationship between the speaker and the other.

And also he knew that it was mine.

In both of these quotations, we've got these pronouns, "my foe," "he knew that it was mine." They imply a sense of ownership here, which symbolises a familiar connection between the speaker and their enemy.

And then in "The Man He Killed," we've got a similar idea, "he was my foe," "my foe of course he was." We've also got those possessive pronouns there.

And we've also got hard using wordplay because actually what he does here is he swaps the pronouns around to imply that the speaker doesn't fully understand the polarity of his relationship with the enemy soldier.

So he doesn't fully understand why these two figures, the speaker and the enemy soldier, need to be such polar opposite.

"He was my foe," "my foe of course he was." This, of course, he was almost makes it sound like he's perhaps repeating something that he's been told rather than his own thoughts.

So let's think about concluding sentences then.

So a concluding sentence should summarise the argument in each paragraph with a sharp focus on the writer's intention.

So I'd like to have a look at some examples of concluding sentences and I'd like you to tell me which one you think is more effective and why.

So concluding sentence A.

"In 'A Poison Tree' the use of possessive pronouns helps to emphasise the familiarity of the interpersonal relationship and the personal nature of the disagreement.

Whereas in 'The Man He Killed' the use of pronouns actually obfuscates this division blurring the boundaries of the relationship between the speaker and his so-called enemy." And then we have sentence B.

"'A Poison Tree' explores the familiarity of interpersonal relationships, whereas 'The Man He Killed' explores how the boundaries of a relationship can be fluid and subject to change." So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss these responses with the people around you or makes some notes about which one you think is best and why.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I overheard lots of people saying that they thought it was A because it was longer.

And actually I would argue that A is more effective and possibly because it's longer, but not because of that reason, because it's actually longer because of the extra detail that it includes.

So let's just have a look because actually the ideas in both of these concluding sentences were quite similar.

So when it came to "A Poison Tree," both of these responses were discussing the idea of that familiarity in an interpersonal relationship.

And then again in "The Man He Killed," we've got that similar idea again because we were talking about this fluid or blurring of boundaries in an interpersonal relationship.

So the core ideas here in these sentences were both the same.

However, A gave a much more thoughtful consideration to each of the writer's intentions and unpick the way the boundaries of each relationship could shift and change.

So can you come up with two more topic sentences to complete the grid there? So we've got our thesis at the top and we've got that topic sentence that we would just discussing there.

So it's up to you to come up with two more.

So take some time working with the people around you or making notes if you're on your own, when you think you've got your two topic sentences, press play and your feedback together.

Okay, welcome back, overheard some really fantastic ideas there.

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

So for our second topic sentence, we might have said, "both poems consider how someone's perception of their enemy can change as time progresses." And for our third topic sentence, we might have said, "both poems explore the inner conflict that occurs as a result of a fragmented and polarised relationship." So let's just check our understanding again.

So a concluding sentence should what? Have a look at those three options and decide which one you think best completes that sentence.

And when you are ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play, and we'll continue.

Welcome back and well done to those of you who said, C, it should have a sharp focus on the writer's intention.

Go on to our final task of today's lesson then.

And I would like you to have a go at creating your own multiple paragraph outline for the following question, how do the poets present ideas about identity in "No Problem" and one other anthology poem? So here is a reminder of what your multiple paragraph outline should look like.

So for the thesis topic sentence, concluding sentence and conclusion, we should be aiming to write in full sentences.

However, in that supporting detail box, we can definitely use note form to annotate some of the methods perhaps that we are able to identify in our evidence.

So pause the video here and take as much time as you need to give this a really good go.

Because remember what I was saying earlier, these multiple paragraph outlines are such a useful essay writing tool.

So it's really important that we take that time to try our best to master this skill.

So pause the video here and click play when you are ready to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

So what I would like you to do now is to use these coaching questions to assess and improve the quality of your plan.

So as you are asking yourself these questions, make sure that you are taking the time to review and redraft your work if you can.

So do you have an interesting thesis which focuses on the similarities and differences between the poet's presentations of identity? Do all of your topic sentences support your thesis? And that's a really important one.

So definitely double check that you've got that link there.

Remember that those topic sentences should be branching off of that main idea.

Do you use a range of evidence from across both poems, exploring language, form and structure? So balance is really important in a comparative response.

So do double check that you do have that equal balance between both the poems. Do you use context as part of your supporting detail? Now with context, you don't need to necessarily use it in every paragraph.

It's really important that we include it in our response, but we should only be using it in our analytical if it is relevant to do so.

So double check that all the context you have used is relevant to the point you are making in your topic sentence or in your thesis.

Do your concluding sentences link back to the question with that sharp focus on writer's intentions? Remember, we're really looking for personal interpretations there.

And finally, is your conclusion focused on contrasting each poet's overall intentions and aims for the whole poem? So remember, are you commenting on perhaps what you think the message of each poem is? So just take some time to review your work going through these questions one by one, perhaps annotating your work with some what went wells or even better ifs, or even better, grab a different colour pen and start making some redraft straight onto what you have written.

So pause the video while you take some time to review and redraft.

And when you're ready to continue, click play and we'll carry on.

So we've made it to the end of today's lesson and a massive well done for all your hard work today.

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

The anthology poems all arguably consider conflict and its impact on the people who experience it.

The poems that you choose to compare should both be linked to the focus and nuances of the question you are asked.

It's useful to consider the similarities between poems and then consider any subtle differences between them.

And finally, concluding sentences should have a sharp focus on the writer's intentions.

So thank you for joining me in today's lesson, and I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Hope you have a fantastic day, and look forward to seeing you all again soon.