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Hello, everyone.
It's lovely to see you today.
My name's Dr.
Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through learning today.
Today's lesson is called Emulating How Verne use sentences in "Journey to the Centre of the Earth." We're going to look at the samples of how Verne use interrogative, declarative, and exclamative sentences for effect in "Journey to the Centre of the Earth." And then we're gonna think about how we can use them as a toolkit in to write our own descriptions that use those sentence types for effect.
So if you're ready, grab your pen or laptop, whatever you use for this lesson, and let's get started.
So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to emulate Verne's use of declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences while writing descriptively.
So we have five words today we're gonna be focusing on as our keywords.
They're identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.
So our first keyword is declarative, and that means a sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation, or conveys information.
Writers may use declarative sentences to inform the reader of what's happening, and the way they're constructed can tell the reader a bit about the realities of the situation.
Our second keyword is interrogative, and that means a sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark.
Writers may use interrogative sentences to show ideas of curiosity, uncertainty, or confusion.
Our third keyword is exclamative, which is a statement that expresses strong emotion and typically ends with an exclamation mark.
Writers may use them to show emotions, such as anger, passion, or excitement.
Our fourth keyword is imperative, and that means a sentence that gives a direct command or instruction.
Writers may use imperative sentences to show ideas of control, authority, or certainty.
And our final keyword is climax, and that means the most intense, exciting, or important point of something, the culmination.
We're going to think about how Verne used sentence types in order to build the most intense part of the tension.
So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and the definitions.
So pause the video and write them down now.
Fantastic.
Let's go start with the lesson.
So we have three learning cycles in our lesson day.
For our first learning cycle, we're going to deconstruct how Verne uses interrogative, declarative, and exclamative sentences for effect and consider how we might make a toolkit to emulate their use in our own writing.
For our second learning cycle, we're going to plan how we can use Verne's use of sentence types in order to write our own description.
For our final learning cycle, we're going to assess a student answer, but we'll finish the lesson by writing our own description of an image.
So in order to deconstruct Verne's use of sentence types, we're going to be focusing on an extract from Verne's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth." This is a classic science fiction novel where a scientist, his nephew, and a guide attempt to travel to the centre of the Earth through volcanoes.
They travel down into an inactive volcano in Iceland, and once under the Earth, they encounter many dangers including cave-ins, subpolar tornadoes, an underground ocean, and living prehistoric creatures.
The extract we're going to focus on is where Axel, the nephew, becomes separated from the others and becomes lost underground.
You'll find a copy of the extract in the additional materials.
What I'd like you to do is read the extract.
Now I'm gonna read the extract to you, and you can listen along with me, or you can pause the video and read it through by yourself.
So this extract is taken from the "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne In the extract, Axel becomes separated from his companions and is lost underground.
So the extract says, "No words in any human language can depict my utter despair.
I was literally buried alive with no other expectation before me but to die in all the slow, horrible torture of hunger and thirst.
Mechanically, I crawled about, feeling the dry and arid rock." Now arid's a synonym of dry, so it's emphasising the feeling of the rock.
"Never to my fancy had I ever felt anything so dry.
But, I frantically asked myself, how had I lost the course of the flowing stream? There could be no doubt it ceased to flow in the gallery in which I now was.
Now I began to understand the cause of the strange silence which prevailed when last I tried if any appeal from my companions might per chance reach my ear." So he's saying he can't hear his companions.
He's saying they might be calling out for him, but he can't hear them.
And he's now realised that also the silence comes in the fact he's lost the stream, and he can't hear that anymore.
"It so happened that when I first took an impotent step in the wrong direction, I did not perceive the absence of the all important stream." So he's saying here he took a step that was risky, and it's caused him to lose the stream.
"It was now quite evident that when we halted, another tunnel must have received the water of the little torrent, that I had unconsciously entered in different gallery.
To what unknown depths had my companion's gone? Where was I? How to get back? Clue or landmark, there was absolutely none.
My feet left no signs on the granite and shingle.
My brain throbbed with the agony as I tried to discover the solution of this terrible problem.
My situation, after all sophistry and reflection, had finally to be summed up in three awful words.
Lost, lost, lost! Lost at a depth, which, to my fine understanding, appeared to be immeasurable.
These 30 leagues of the crust of the Earth weighed upon my shoulders, like the globe on the shoulders of Atlas.
I felt myself crushed by the awful weight.
It was indeed a position to drive the sanest man to madness." Welcome back, everyone.
Now throughout the extract, Verne uses declarative, interrogative and exclamative sentences to convey the rising tension.
So he uses sentences that offer facts and information to the reader.
He uses sentences to ask questions, and he uses sentences that convey strong emotions.
And these sentences all work together to create a pressured, stressful environment.
Now what you might have noticed is Verne does not use any imperative sentences.
So he doesn't use any sentences that give direct command or instruction.
What I'd like you to start off by thinking about is why you think Verne does not use imperative sentences in the extract.
Now if you're working with someone else, you might talk about it with them.
If you're just by yourself, you might just think about why it is.
So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now as we said, imperative sentences give a direct command or instruction.
And these arguably indicate control or uncertainty, and that does not reflect how Axel feels.
He's lost and panicked rather than in control.
And therefore Verne want to choose sentence types that reflect how Axel actually feels.
So we're going to spend this learning cycle to think about how Verne uses declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences for effect.
We're going to begin with declarative sentences.
So the opening declarative sentence is, "No words in any human language can depict my utter horror.
I was literally buried alive with no expectation before me but to die in all the slow, horrible torture of hunger and thirst." So what I'd like you to do is consider how Verne has crafted the opening declarative sentence to convey tension.
Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Some fantastic ideas there.
Let's talk through what you might have said.
So you might have noticed the sentence begins with a negative no.
This immediately puts the reader in a negative mindset and sets them up to think there won't be a positive description.
Phrases such as "utter despair" and "horrible torture" also convey the severity of the situation.
Verne is using declarative sentences to convey the facts of the situation, but he does so in a way that shows the reality of the situation is actually quite terrifying for Axel.
Now towards the middle of the extract, Verne uses several interrogative sentences to convey the helplessness of Axel's situation.
So he uses sentences that ask a question.
For example, "How had I lost the course of the flowing stream? "To what unknown depths have my companion gone?" "Where was I?" Now what I'd like you to do is, again, think about how Verne has crafted the sentences.
So how has Verne crafted these interrogative sentences to convey the rising tension? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Let's talk through what you might have said.
So you might have noticed that Verne uses personal pronouns within the interrogative sentences and using I conveys the personal nature of the distress.
So we as the reader feel as if we can feel the rising panic in Axel.
Because it's first person, we can imagine it's happening to us as well.
You also might have noticed that Verne's consecutive interrogative sentences to convey the helplessness.
So he uses a second interrogative sentence immediately after the first.
And that shows just how uncertain and helpless Axel is.
He's continually questioning himself and everything around him.
Now let's consider Verne's use of exclamative sentences.
At the end of the extract, Verne used exclamative sentences.
So a sentence that conveys strong emotions.
For example, "Lost, lost, lost.
It was indeed a position to drive the sanest man to madness." What I'd like you to consider is how has Verne crafted his exclamative sentences to convey the rising tension? So how do the strong emotions displayed link to the rising tension? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now you might have noticed, the first quotation series of the repeated fragment "Lost" with an estimation mark after each one.
This use of an exclamatory fragment adds a sense of panic because Axel can't even form complete sentences because of his strong emotions.
You also might have noticed the final sentence of the extract is an exclamative sentence that specifically ends in the word madness.
Now just as the opening word of no is significant, the final word of the extract is also significant because it's the last impression the reader has.
By ending on some emotionally charged word with an exclamation mark.
It's just we end the extract with a climax of panic and tension.
So now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.
So is it true or false that Verne's use of I and my within the interrogative sentence heightens attention? Pause the video.
Make your selection now.
The correct answer is true.
Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.
So pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
You might have said, "By using I and my, Verne implies that Axel is experiencing inner conflict and questioning himself, and thereby that signifies rising panic.
It conveys personal distress." So very well done if you've got those right.
So we've looked the different sentence types individually.
Now let's consider how Verne has structured the extract and how he's organised the sentence types.
So the progression of the sentences looks like this.
We go from declarative to interrogative to exclamative.
What I'd like you to think about is how does that progression effectively convey the rising tension? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Let's talk through, what you might have said.
Now, the progression represents the growing realisation of the danger that Axel is in, and it conveys his developing panic.
It shifts from statements about his situation, to him questioning himself and his situation to then having strong emotions about his situation.
Now what I'd like you to think about is why do think Verne doesn't start with an exclamative sentence right away? Why not go straight in with the strong emotions? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome, back everyone.
Let's consider what you might have said.
Now, we need to consider how the reader will feel when they read your work.
Starting with an exclamative sentence doesn't leave the reader anywhere to go emotionally.
It's more effective to develop the rising tension rather than begin with the heightened emotions straight away.
Now for a quick check for understanding.
So which type of sentence does Verne use at the beginning of the extract in order to develop rising tension? Is it A, interrogative, B, declarative or C, exclamative? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now Verne starts the extract with a declarative sentence in order to be able to build a tension towards the climax of the extract.
So very well done if you got that right.
Amazing work, everyone.
Onto the first task of the lesson.
So what I'd like you to do is add a note to each of the following sentence types to say how Vern has craft them in order to convey the rising tension in the extract from "Journey to the Centre of the Earth." So how has he used declarative sentences, how has he used interrogative sentences, and how has he used exclamative sentences? Remember a declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation, or conveys information.
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark.
An exclamative sentence is a sentence that expresses strong emotion and typically ends with exclamation mark.
So pause the video, and make your notes on how Verne's crafted each of those sentence types for effect.
Welcome back, everyone.
Some great work there.
What I'd like you to do is consider Izzy's notes and think about how well they align with your ideas.
So in terms of declarative sentences, Izzy said, "Verne opens with a negative.
He use the emotionally charged phrases to state information." For integrative sentences, Izzy said that Verne uses personal pronouns to show inner conflict.
He also uses consecutive interpretive sentences to convey helplessness.
For exclamative sentences, Izzy said that Verne ends with exclamative to show the climax of the tension.
He's repeated fragments to show panic, and he ends on an emotionally charged word.
So pause the video.
Consider how well Izzy's ideas align with your ideas.
Welcome back, everyone.
So now we have our notes.
We're going to use them to plan our own piece of writing that use the declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences for effect.
Amazing work, everyone.
Now to the second learning cycle, we're going to plan out our description, and how it might use declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences for effect.
So now that we've deconstructed Verne's use of sentences to convey the rising panic and tension, we're going to consider how we might apply it to our own writing to emulate Verne's use of sentences.
Now emulate means to imitate.
Crucially, we're not copying Verne's work.
We're using Verne's construction of sentences in order to help us in our own sentence construction.
So in order to emulate Verne's use of sentences, we want to consider how we might open a declarative sentence negatively and use an emotionally charged phrase to state information.
We want to consider how we can use personal pronouns in interrogative sentences to show inner conflict.
We want to consider how we can repeat an exclamatory fragment and then end on an emotionally charged word.
So now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is fill in the gaps to complete how we might emulate Verne's use of sentences.
So we might consider how we can open a declarative sentence and use emotionally charged phrases to state information.
We might consider how we can include to integrative sentences to show inner conflict.
We might use a repeated exclamatory and then end on emotionally charged word.
So pause the video, fill in the gaps now.
Welcome back, everyone.
Let's talk through the answers.
So we might consider how we might open a declarative sentence negatively and use emotionally charged phrases to state information.
We might consider how we can include personal pronouns in interrogative sentences to show inner conflict.
We might use a repeated exclamatory fragment and then end on an emotionally charged word.
So very well done if you got those right.
Amazing work, everyone.
We're on the second task of the lesson.
Now as I said, we're going to use our notes on Verne's sentence construction to craft our own sentences.
But rather than becoming lost underground, we're going to base our description of rising panic on being lost in this open, expansive desert.
So look at how there are no trees.
There's no shelter.
There's no other human beings.
There's no animals.
There's also no water that we can see.
Now to emulate Verne's sentences, I'd like you to answer the following questions.
So number one, rather than being buried alive, what do you think your concern would be? What emotionally charged phrases might you use to show this? What fragment might you repeat, and what word might you end on to show your panic? So pause the video.
Answer the questions now.
Welcome back, everyone.
I saw some fantastic ideas there.
Now I'm gonna share the ideas of one of our Oak pupil's, Sofia.
And I'd like you to think about which element doesn't feel cohesive.
So which element doesn't feel as if it belongs? So let's talk through Sofia's answer.
So question one, rather than being buried alive, what do you think your concern would be? What emotionally charged phrases might you use to show this? And Sofia said, "I think running out of water would be my main concern.
Perhaps I could use phrases such as withered husk and parched throat to show that idea of dehydration." Question two, what fragment might you repeat? And Sofia said maybe she could repeat alive.
Number three, what word would you end on to show your panic? And Sofia said, "Perhaps I might end on the word desiccated or shell." So I'd like you to pause the video.
Consider which answer doesn't feel cohesive.
Which one doesn't feel as if it belongs? Welcome back, everyone.
Now remember in that situation, you're likely to be feeling quite helpless, quite stressed.
So repeating alive doesn't feel cohesive because Sofia's trying to write script about how empty that world is.
So what fragment might we use instead? Pause the video.
Take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Some great ideas there.
So perhaps rather than alive, Sofia could repeat empty instead, to show how desolate the environment is.
Now I'd like to check your own answers are cohesive.
So pause the video, and check your answers now.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now we're gonna take our plans and write them up into a complete description using declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences in the final learning cycle.
Fantastic work, everyone.
We're in the final learning cycle, where we're gonna talk through a student model.
And then you are gonna have a go at writing your own description using declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences.
So before you have a go at writing your own description, let's have a look at a student example.
So Sofia's turned her plan into a description.
And Sofia's written, "Nothing! Nothing! Sheer nothingness! I could see nothing for miles around.
All I could think about was a dull scratch in my parched throat and the growing realisation that without water, I would soon become a withered husk.
What am I to do? What am I to do? Years from now, some poor explorer stumble across my desiccated shell." So what I'd like you to consider is what went well and even better if would you give this snippet from Sofia's description? So pause the video and give Sophia a description of what went well and an even better if.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now for what went well, you might have said that Sofia has used a declarative, imperative, and exclamative sentences.
So we have sentences that show a matter of fact and show information to the reader.
We have questioning sentences, and we have sentence that show strong emotion.
Now for even better if, you might have said that, "Sofia has begun with exclamative sentence rather than a declarative one." As we said earlier, beginning with an exclamative sentence doesn't give the reader anywhere to go emotionally 'cause you started at the climax rather than building towards it.
So how could we rewrite Sofia's description to emulate Verne's use of sentences? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.
Welcome back, everyone.
Let's talk through what you might've said.
So you might have changed it to, "Nothing, I could see nothing for miles around.
All I could think about was the dull scratch in my parched throat and the growing realisation that without water, I'd soon become a withered husk.
What am I to do? What am I to do? Empty, sheer emptiness.
Years from now, some poor explorer will stumble across my desiccated shell." So now we've opened with a declarative sentence that states the reality of the situation the character's in.
And then we've ended by using exclamatory fragments to show the panic of the character and the final and emotion charged phrase desiccated shell to emulate Verne's work and reach that climax of our description.
So now for a quick check for understanding.
Which final sentence best emulates Verne's use of sentences? Is it A, What should I do now? Call for help? Write a message in the sand? B, The sand stretched for miles.
Just sand before my eyes.
Or C, Water! I cannot last without water.
I'll wither and fade into nothing.
Pause the video, make a selection mow.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now sentence C uses a exclamatory fragment to start off with and then full exclamatory sentences, and therefore best emulates Verne's use of sentences.
So very well done if you got that right.
Fantastic work, everyone.
We're at the final task of the lesson.
So what I'd like you to do is craft your own description of the image.
So craft your own description of the barren desert and remember to open with a negative emotionally charged declarative sentence, use personal pronouns in interrogative sentences, and also use consecutive interrogative sentences to show that rising panic.
To end climatically, repeat exclamatory fragments and emotionally charge words or phrases.
So pause the video, and write your description now.
Welcome back, everyone.
I saw some fantastic work there.
What I'd like you to do is finish off the lesson by self-assessing your description.
So did you open with a negative declarative sentence? Use an emotionally charged phrase to state information? Did you include personal pronouns, in interrogative sentences to show inner conflict? And did you use a repeated exclamatory fragment and then end on an emotionally charged word? So pause the video, self-assess your work now.
Welcome back, everyone.
Now reading back over your work is such a good habit to get into.
It offers you the opportunity to look at it with a more critical eye, a spot or place where you might improve your work by changing a word or phrase or even how you might extend your work by adding to it.
You all did amazingly well today, everyone.
Here's a summary of what we covered.
To write a description that shows rising tension, you might open with a negative, emotionally charged declarative sentence.
You might follow that with consecutive interrogative sentences that use personal pronouns.
You might then end on a repeated exclamatory fragment that finish on an emotionally charged word to really show the climax of that tension.
I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone, and hopefully, you can take these techniques and use them in your future writing.
I hope to see you for another lesson soon.
Goodbye.