Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young, and it is great to see you again on another lesson in this love and relationships poetry sequence.

So today's lesson, we are gonna delve into the world of context and really focus on writing effectively about modern context for the modern poems in the anthology.

So let's get started.

So today's lesson has a very clear learning outcome, so by the end of today's lesson, we should all be able to include meaningful context when writing about the modern poems in the anthology.

And today's lesson has some very important words, our key words.

As always, I do encourage you just to pause this video and jot some of these down, particularly if they're new to you, because we're gonna be using them throughout today's lesson.

Let's take a look at what they are.

Context, circumstances or backgrounds surrounding a text, and we're gonna really focus on writing meaningful context today.

Multigenerational, involving or affecting multiple generations in a family or community.

So some of the poems in the anthology have multigenerational families, for example.

Punglish, a blend of English and Punjabi.

Literary tradition, written work, styles, and conventions passed down through generations.

So I'm super excited to be teaching you this lesson today, which is all about meaningful context, writing, meaningful context, writing context effectively.

So in our first learning cycle, we're really gonna unpick exactly what I mean by meaningful context.

What do I mean when I say that? And then in learning cycle 2, we're gonna get that fantastic opportunity to bring it all together to do a really first-class piece of writing which will really elevate our essays about the poems in this anthology.

So let's get started with learning cycle 1.

So we can think about context in four different ways, in particularly in English.

We can think about historical context, which includes things like what was happening when the poem was written, how may this have influenced the poem.

We can also think about the literary context.

What we mean by this is what influenced the poem's style or genre, and what do we know about its production or publication.

Again, we've also got social context, and when we talk about social context, we mean things like what were the shared ideas or values at the time the poem was written, and how are these explored in the poem.

And finally, we also have biographical context, all of the biographical details that could be relevant to our understanding of the poem.

And this can include things like how might the life experiences of the author have influenced the poem.

So we're gonna be looking at all four of these throughout today's lesson, but let's look at a specific example from the anthology.

Let's think about the poem "Singh Song!" by Daljit Nagra.

So how could you answer these questions in relation to the poem "Singh Song!" by Daljit Nagra? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion about these questions or jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, really well done.

Some superb conversations taking place there and it's really great to hear you kind of unpicking all of these different aspects of context and really showcasing your fantastic knowledge about this brilliant poem by Daljit Nagra.

So some things we could have said, so for historical context, we could potentially have said that Punjabi or Sikh migration to the UK in the 1950s could be relevant, and this included Nagra's own parents.

So this is a historical piece of context that could absolutely elevate our analysis of this poem.

Again, for literary, we could speak about the use of Punglish, this very kind of unique specific style that Nagra uses throughout the poem.

And again, we've also got this idea of having a Sikh protagonist is reasonably rare, particularly in the anthology, so this could be something that really elevates our writing once again.

We've also got these social context.

So we could talk about potentially attitudes towards migration and migrants over time but also this conflict between first and second generation immigrants, something that Nagra explores time and time again, doesn't he? With that conflict between Singh and his kind of overbearing father.

And finally, the biographical side can be just as relevant, and I heard lots of people picking up on these things.

We could talk about Nagra drawing on his own experience working in one of his father's own shops.

So he kind of has firsthand experience, doesn't he? Real kind of biographical experience that could feed into our analysis when we write about this poem.

Great job of picking up all those things in your own discussions.

So quick check for understanding for me then please, which type of context is missing? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, yep, you've got it.

It's absolutely literary context, so what influenced the poem's style or genre and what do we know about its production or publication.

So it's crucial to remember that different poems in the anthology will have different literary contexts, so we can speak about the romantic context of some of the Victorian poems, or we can talk potentially about the rising women's rights movements for some of the poems written in the 20th century.

So different poems from different areas will have different literary contexts.

Okay, then, we have a second check for understanding.

So on the board in front of us, we have two pupil statements concerning context in the poem "Singh Song!" So Lucas has said, "Just like seeing himself, Nagra also worked in a convenience store owned by his father." And Jun says, "Nagra wanted to be truthful and authentic to the experience of Punjabi migrants to the UK, so utilised Punglish in his work, a combination of Punjabi and English typical of his community." So my question for each of you is which aspect of context does each pupil explore, is it historical, is it social, is it literary? You tell me.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see which is correct.

Okay, well done for identifying the correct examples of context here.

So we would absolutely say that Lucas' is biographical.

He is drawing on a very key biographical detail of Nagra's life, which is that he used to work in one of his father's shops.

And Jun, on the other hand, has a literary piece of context, which is a focus on the use of Punglish, which is very unique to Nagra's poem.

So great work for picking up on that in your own discussions.

Okay, so we have reached our first practise task of today's lesson.

So we have effectively done a kind of modelled work through of how we could approach context for "Singh Song!" now I would like you to do the same thing for the poem "Eden Rock" by Charles Causley.

And this poem can of course be found in your AQA "Love and Relationships" anthology.

So crucially, what I would like you to do is as you read, I would like you to complete the table making notes about contextual details that could support your understanding of this poem, so those historical, literary, social, and biographical things, and in particular, there are some questions there to guide you.

So for historical, we have what was happening when the poem was written and how may have this influenced the poem.

For literary, we have what influenced the poem's style or genre, and what do we know about its production or publication.

For social, what were the shared ideas or values at the time of publication, and how are these explored in the poem.

And finally, how might the life experiences of the author himself have influenced the poem.

So is there anything you know about Charles Causley's life that could be relevant to our understanding of the poem "Eden Rock"? So really excited to see how you got with this one, so pause the video, locate your poem, annotate it with reference to these contextual elements, and then do push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

It is absolutely brilliant to see you applying your contextual knowledge to these poems and in particular, using this kind of framework to do so.

I'm hearing lots of people identify lots of different things, historical, literary, social, and biographical, so really well done on that, but let's take a look at what we could have said.

Well, for historical, we could have said the following things, we could say, there was no significant historical events occurring at the time of writing, but Causley was influenced by the impact of World War I, which was still being felt in England at that time.

In terms of literary, we could focus on the fact that Charles Causley grew up in Cornwall.

He grew up in Cornwall and incorporated literary traditions and folktales from this place into his work, and that does come across a little bit in "Eden Rock." Social.

We could say that the 1980s saw openness in discussing topics like mental health and grief, things that really form a cornerstone of the poem.

And finally, biographical.

Well, his father died when he was young, which is reflected in his work, which imagines a reunion with his parents.

So we could absolutely link that key biographical detail into the key content of the poem itself.

So great job of picking up similar things in your own discussions.

Okay, then, we have reached learning cycle 2, where we are going to be writing about meaningful context.

So I'm gonna hand the reins over to you at the end of this learning cycle to produce a really first-rate, a really excellent piece of written work in response to some of the modern poems in the anthology.

So a pupil wanted to answer this question and our question is, how does Nagra present family relationships in "Singh Song!"? And we'd say that is a key part of the poem, isn't it? This kind of generational conflict between Singh and his parents.

So how does Nagra present family relationships in "Singh Song!"? So what context might be helpful for this question? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas if you are working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, excellent work on that task and a really fantastic start to learning cycle 2, and I totally agree with all of you.

There are a couple of different things we could say here, aren't there? So the things that really stuck out to me were as follows: so we might speak about the idea of Nagra's exploration of what it can mean to be a second generation migrant, so what that experience is like for him, particularly given that that is his own experience himself.

We could speak about gender roles, particularly in multigenerational migrant families and particularly the particular challenges that Singh's wife seems to face.

We could also speak about the literary traditions here within the poem and particularly that use of Punglish, but we could also link to the musical quality of Punjabi poetry that seems to come across in Nagra's poem.

And finally, we may also speak about parent and child conflict, particularly in Singh's decision to marry someone his parents seemingly don't approve of.

So all of these things can be brought in contextually in our analysis of the poem.

So Laura writes a response which includes context.

Let's see what Laura has written.

Laura says: Nagra depicts the lively relationship between the narrator and his wife, showing the clash between family duties and personal desires.

This is shown through the narrator's humorous struggle to manage the family shop while wanting to be with his wife.

Contextually, Nagra draws from his own experiences, highlighting the cultural challenges faced by British Indian families.

So her first draught doesn't weave context into the paragraph, but it just adds it on at the end.

This is what we mean by bolted on context, which Laura has done here.

So ideally, we want it to be a bit more interwoven than that.

So this has ultimately made it less skillful.

So Laura writes a second draught of this paragraph where the context is weaved within the paragraph itself.

So let's take a look at what Laura's written.

She says: Nagra portrays the lively relationship between the narrator and his wife, emphasising the tension between family duties and personal desires.

This tension became central to the poem as Nagra drew from his own experiences as a British Indian, highlighting the cultural challenges faced by second generation immigrants.

The narrator's humorous struggle to manage the family shop while yearning to be with his wife illustrates these dynamics vividly, showcasing the clash between tradition and individualism within British Indian families.

So we can see it's a lot more skillful now that has been weaved into the entire paragraph.

So let's have a look at another one.

So how does Sam weave context into their paragraph here? So hit that pause button, have a discussion, jot down some ideas, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, fantastic work on that.

Some really superb conversations taking place and everybody is correct.

Yeah, there are two things going on here that make this so effective.

So the first thing that we would look at is the use of a keyword.

So Sam has linked this analysis clearly to the terms of the question and has included a really insightful keyword and secondly, it is woven into language analysis.

So we have this segment here which says: Nagra uses these dynamics to illustrate the evolving nature of gender roles in immigrant communities and its associated tension.

The narrator's wife defies traditional expectations by running her own life with independence and confidence, as shown when she's effing at Singh's mum.

So a really, really good example here of context woven into our analytical paragraphs.

Okay, check for understanding for me then please, which student weaves context into their response? Is it Andeep who writes, "Singh notes that his father doesn't want him to take a break.

Nagra had experience of working in his father's shop," or is it Sophia who writes, "Singh notes that his father doesn't want him to take a break perhaps reflecting the parental conflict Nagra experienced himself when working in his father's shop when younger"? So hit that pause button, decide which is more effective, and then push play when you'd like to see which is correct.

Okay, great job to everybody who identified Sophia's example.

Sophia has woven this into the analysis.

So the point about working in his father's shop is linked directly to the point about parental conflict.

Great job if you spotted that.

Okay, we have reached our final practise task of today's lesson, so let's make this one count.

So how does Nagra present family relationships in "Singh Song!"? That is the question that we are going to use.

And in particular, I would like you to write your own paragraph in answer to this question, but of course we are going to weave context into our response and I would like you to use the points below if you wish.

We could speak about Nagra's exploration of what it can mean to be a second generation immigrant.

We can speak about gender roles, particularly in multigenerational migrant families.

We can speak about parent and child conflict, particularly Singh's decision to marry someone his parents seemingly don't approve of.

And finally, literary tradition and the use of Punglish but we could also link potentially to the musical quality of Punjabi poetry.

So all of these things can be really relevant things that you could bring into your paragraph.

So really excited to see how you going on with this one, so pause the video, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to move on to see some feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on our final practise task of today's lesson.

It is no mean feat including meaningful context in our writing, so it's wonderful to see you doing it so effectively and so successfully.

So our final self-assessment task of today's lesson is as follows: I would like you to reread your paragraph and self-assess using these questions: Number one, have you selected context relevant to the question? Number two, is the context woven into your response rather than bolted on at the end of the paragraph? And finally, can you identify what type of context you have included? Is it historical, is it literary, is it social, or is it biographical? So pause the video, complete the self-assessment task, and then do push play when you'd like to bring today's lesson to a close.

Okay, we have reached the end of today's lesson and my goodness, we have learned a lot today, haven't we? So let's recap exactly what we have focused on.

So firstly, context can be interpreted in historical, social, biographical, and literary ways.

Incorporating meaningful context deepens our analysis of modern poems in the anthology.

An author's personal experiences can significantly influence their work.

Contextual points should be seamlessly included in our overall analysis and not bolted on at the end.

Thank you for such a fantastic lesson and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.