Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad you've decided to learn with me today.

We're in the unit, "Fiction: Books that changed my world." Today, we are going to be looking at Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," and we are going to be inspired by her use of motif, motif of the window, in order to construct our own creative writing.

I cannot wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas about what it is Bronte is doing with the motif of the window, and then see how you apply them to your own writing.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together.

Let's get started.

So, by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to emulate Bronte's use of motifs within your own writing.

So we're gonna remind ourselves of the fantastic writing in selected sections of Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," and then we are going to use that to inspire our own creative writing, where we use a motif, a motif of the window, in order to express how our particular character is feeling.

So there are some key words which are gonna help us unlock our learning today.

They're gonna help us achieve our objective.

They're on the board now.

If you'd like to pause and make a note of them, then please do.

I'm gonna go through just two of them, and they are the first two.

The first word is emulate.

It's the first word on the board.

That's how you pronounce that word.

Emulate, it means match or surpass personal achievement typically by imitation.

So that is our goal for today.

We are gonna match Bronte.

We are going to imitate her writing.

We're gonna use the motif of the window in our own creative writing.

And the second word is motif.

So reminder, this is an object, image, sound, or phrase that's repeated throughout a story that relates to its themes.

Now, the motif of the window is very, very important to "Wuthering Heights," and it links to themes that Bronte wants to explore in her novel, particularly the theme of exclusion, which you can see is one of the key words as well.

It's the last word, and it means an instance of leaving something or someone out.

Exclusion is a really important idea to Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." As I say, if you'd like to pause the video and spend a bit more time with our key words, you can make a note of them or read through them again one by one, then please do.

Otherwise, we'll go through them as and when they come up in the lesson.

Our lesson outline for today.

So we've got three learning cycles.

First of all, we are gonna start off by deconstructing Bronte's description of windows.

So we're gonna remind ourselves of her fantastic description of the windows and point them in the novel.

The second thing we're gonna do is plan our own description.

And then finally, we are going to finish off by writing our own description.

So let's start off with deconstructing Bronte's description of windows.

So arguably, Bronte's use of the window motif in "Wuthering Heights" relates to ideas of exclusions.

We've already got two of our key words there.

Motif, an object, image, or phrase that keeps coming up and links to key themes as we've got this idea of the window linking to the theme of exclusion.

Now let's consider how Bronte successfully crafts depictions of windows in order to create the idea of exclusion for the reader.

So we're gonna look at the description.

How does she describe the windows, and how does that link to the idea of exclusion? So our first description of the windows at "Wuthering Heights" are that they are narrow.

So what has Bronte done here? I'd like you to discuss.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

What has Bronte done with this description of the idea that the windows are narrow? Pause video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A lovely description, discussion, sorry, of this description of the narrow windows.

Now Izzy says, "The adjective conveys the emotion of the central theme." So, the windows are really narrow, and this links to the idea of the theme of exclusion.

If you've got narrow windows and then you can't see far out.

Someone might be looking out and feeling as if they are being excluded from the outside world, but similarly, the people on the outside cannot get in.

So this word, narrow, does a lot of work within Bronte's novel, and particularly with this motif of the window, one of the descriptions of the window.

So, the adjective conveys the emotion of the central theme.

Our theme is exclusion.

And if windows are really narrow, then there is an idea that there cannot be a connection between the people on either side of the window, and the idea that the person is excluded maybe from the outside world, the outside people are excluded from what is within.

Now I'd like you to discuss what adjective might you pick to show the opposite idea.

So we've got narrow windows here.

What could you pick in terms of.

Let's think about the opposite idea.

So not exclusion, but instead inclusion.

So what adjective might you pick to show the opposite idea? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

Well done for showing off your fantastic vocabulary.

Izzy's idea was, "I might pick 'broad' inside to show ideas of expansion." Other people had this idea 'expansive,' or 'large,' 'massive' windows.

So the opposite, anything that was the opposite of narrow would be a great response.

Lots of ideas I heard in your discussion.

Now I'd like you to consider the following quotation taken from "Wuthering Heights," "I rose and endeavoured to unhasp the casement.

The hook was soldered into the staple." So this is a moment where Mr. Lockwood is getting up and he's trying, endeavoured, he's trying to unhasp, to open, the casement, to open the window, but he can't because the hook, the mechanism which would open the window, was soldered, so it was kind of welded, so it cannot be undone into the staple, into the window.

So I'd like you to discuss, consider this moment where one of the characters is unable to open the window.

What is effective about what Bronte has done here? He' unable to open the window.

Why is that really effective? Particularly think about the motif of the window and the idea of exclusion.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A really lovely discussion that you are really starting to get grips with this idea of motif, seeing how important it is throughout the extract, and really thinking about that theme, exclusion.

So Laura says, "The physical description of the window creates the same idea of exclusion." So we've still got this idea of someone being left out.

"The window is soldered shut and cannot be opened." So this is the idea of confinement, the idea of a lack of freedom because the window is shut.

This character is trapped, he cannot unlock.

The window cannot unhasp, the casement cannot unlock the window.

Now I'd like you to consider the following quotation.

"I leant my head against the window." Again, I would like you to discuss, what has Bronte done here? We've got this character, Mr. Lockwood, he's leaning against the window.

What has Bronte done here? Keep thinking about this idea, the motif of the window, how important it is, and keep thinking about this idea of exclusion.

Discuss what has Bronte done here.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

Beautiful discussion.

You are deepening, developing your ideas all the time, deconstructing Bronte's description of the windows.

So Sophia says, "Bronte has shown the character physically interacting with the window." So the character is physically interacting with the window because they're leaning against it.

So we have this idea of the motif of the window, that is obviously really important, but we've also got this characterization here, and they are interacting with the window, and we can start to deconstruct this idea a bit further.

So we'd like you to discuss why might this idea of leaning their head against the window be an effective way to show exclusion? So this is our central theme relating to this motif.

Why might this idea of leaning their head against the window be an effective way to show exclusion? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A really, really lovely discussion, way of thinking about how the character interacts with the window, it develops this idea of exclusion.

Now, Sophia says, "The physical interaction demonstrates that the window is a physical barrier that the character cannot cross." So ideas of exclusion say they are trapped within.

They cannot cross this physical barrier, the window.

He can't because the window is locked.

So this starts to develop further at this idea of exclusion because they are trapped within and they cannot get without.

So a check for understanding before we refine all of the ideas that we've been discussing in this learning cycle.

True or false? Bronte's use of adjectives conveys the concept of exclusion to the reader.

Pause a video and select whether you think this is true or false now.

Welcome back.

Well done if you selected true.

Now I would like you to justify why.

Pause the video and think why is this statement true? Pause the video and complete this check now.

Welcome back.

Well done if you thought about ideas particularly relating to this adjective, narrow, which suggests something confined and small, which creates the sense of exclusion.

Okay, we're ready to review and refine all of the ideas that we have discussed in this learning cycle.

So I'd like you to consider the following examples from Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." The "narrow windows," "I rose and endeavoured to unhasp the casement.

The hook was soldered into the staple." So the idea that this character is trying to unlock the window but cannot.

And "I leant my head against the windows." So the interaction of this character with the window.

I'd like you to add a note to each quotation to say how Bronte has crafted the description of the windows to create the sense of exclusion.

So you've discussed all of these ideas fantastically in this learning cycle.

We are now just adding a note to each quotation to say how Bronte has crafted the description of the windows to create the sense of exclusion.

Pause the video and complete this task now.

Welcome back.

Well done for showing off your fantastic ideas about these three quotations that we have looked at so carefully in this learning cycle.

Let's do a bit of feedback.

So I'd like you to consider Laura's notes.

How well do they align with your notes? So Laura said, for the narrow windows, the use of adjective conveys ideas of exclusion and confinements, and being trapped within which we discussed throughout this learning cycle.

The second quotation, "I rose and endeavoured," tried to unhasp the casement.

"The hook was soldered in into the staple." This physical description of the window creates the same sense of confinement because the window is trapping this character within the house.

"I leant my head against the window." The characters physically interacting with the window to show that the window is a physical barrier.

So they're leaning their head against it.

We get this idea that they want to leave, that they wish that they were on the outside rather than the inside of the house.

So I'd like you to pause the video.

There might be some ideas from Laura that you want to add to your own notes.

There might be some things which Laura's ideas have triggered where you think, "Oh yes, actually I've got this additional idea now." Pause the video and just make sure your notes are as you wish them to be.

Pause the video and complete this review now.

Welcome back.

Okay, now we have thoroughly deconstructed Bronte's description of the windows, we are ready to start planning our own.

Let's move on to our second learning cycle.

So we are now going to plan our description, and this planning task is gonna help us for learning cycle three, where we write our own descriptions.

So first of all, we're gonna create a really thorough plan and then we can prepare to write.

So now that we've deconstructed Bronte's use of the window motif, we're gonna consider how we might transfer that to our own description of a window.

So we're gonna be planning to write our own description of a window.

Now you can choose whether to focus on the emotional exclusion, so the idea of someone being left out, or inclusion in your description.

You've got a choice here.

It can be exclusion like Bronte, or you could do its opposite, inclusion.

Now based on our deconstruction of Bronte's examples, you might ask yourself the following questions in order to plan your description.

What is the overall emotion you want to portray? How do you think your character would interact with the window? So we had Mr. Lockwood lean against the window.

How would your character interact with the window? And what do you think the window looks like? We've got a description of the window in terms of it's very narrow, and then we've got the idea that it can't be opened.

So you're going to think, what would my description of the window be like? Now, before we start our planning, before we think about these questions, start making some notes, I would like you to complete this check.

So, true or false? You should focus on your description of the character rather than the window.

So when we're doing this planning task, you should focus your description of the character rather than the window.

Is this true or false? Pause the video and complete the check now.

Welcome back.

Well done if you selected false.

Now we'd like you to justify your idea.

Why is this statement false? Pause the video and consider why is the statement false now? Welcome back.

Well done if you considered ideas that in order to use the window, it's a symbol for emotion, you need to focus on how you would show that to the reader through your description of the windows.

It's not just about characterization.

We want to focus specifically on the description of the window, just like Bronte does, to convey a central theme of either exclusion or inclusion.

All right, we are going to now create our plan for our writing for this description of the window by answering the following questions.

So we reviewed these earlier in the learning cycle.

What is the overall emotion you want to portray? How do you think your character would interact with the window? What do you think the window looks like? So remember that our aim is to create a description of a window that symbolises either the concept of exclusion or inclusion.

So you are gonna create a plan now for your writing by answering the following questions.

So you'll want to make some notes.

Remember that this is a plan, so it doesn't need to look beautifully neat.

You want to put down your ideas.

You'll probably have loads and loads of ideas because you have been inspired so much by Bronte, but really important that you make sure you have answered these three questions by the end of your plan.

What's the overall emotion you want to portray? How do you think your character would interact with the window? And what do you think the window looks like? Pause the video, give this planning task the time that it deserves so that you've got a fantastic plan that you can rely on in learning cycle three.

Pause the video and complete this planning task now.

Welcome back.

Well done for giving the planning task the time that it deserves.

I'm looking at some really fantastic plans in front of me.

A bit of a split in the room, some people focusing on exclusion, and some people focusing on the idea of inclusion.

Beautiful to see some lovely vocabulary coming through and these three questions answered.

Let's do a quick review so that we know that we've got a really, really solid plan to use when we start our writing.

So I'd like you to consider Izzy's plan.

So you can see her notes in terms of answering the three questions, the three central questions that we had in order to create our own plan.

Do you think it sounds effective? Why or why not? So for "What is the overall emotion you want to portray?" She has said, "Exclusion, feelings of confinement and rage." So exclusion, the idea of someone being left out, confinement, being trapped.

Now, "How do you think your character would interact with the window?" And Izzy's written, "I think they would fling the window open and pass something to someone outside the window to represent that idea of connection and crossing a threshold." So a place of transition.

And "What do you think the window looks like?" "I think it would a wide, expansive window." So, three ideas there where Izzy has definitely answered the question.

Do you think this plan is effective? Why or why not? Pause the video and consider Izzy's plan.

Do you think it's effective? Why or why not? Discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

Well done for carefully considering Izzy's plan, and well done if you spotted that her overall emotion that she wants to portray, exclusion, the description below where she's saying the character will fling the window open, where the window would be wide, it suggests inclusion rather than exclusion.

So the idea that they've got freedom, that they are able to interact with anybody that they wish rather than that they are excluded from something.

So we've got a slight mismatch between the idea that Izzy wants to convey and the description of the window and the way her character interacts with the window.

So therefore we might change Izzy's plan to, "What's the overall emotion you want to portray?" Inclusion, feelings of acceptance and freedom, because that would really work with the idea that the window was flung open, there's a connection with someone on the outside, and then the window is wide, expansive, is a very large window.

So we might change Izzy's plan just so that all of the questions work together, all of her notes work together to create this idea of inclusion, feelings of acceptance and freedom.

Now I'd like you to check your own plan and make sure it con conveys cohesive emotions and tone.

So, make sure that all of the ideas, all the ways in which you answered the questions, our three central questions, all work together to create either feelings of inclusion, you need to focus on that the whole time, or exclusion, then all of your ideas need to focus on that particular theme.

So pause the video, check your own plan, and make sure it is cohesive in terms of its emotions and tone.

Pause the video and complete this review now.

Welcome back.

Well done for really carefully checking your plan.

I saw people making a few changes here and there in terms of the way they want to describe their window, or the way they want their character to interact with the window, to really convey their chosen theme, whether that was inclusion or exclusion.

We are now ready to start our writing.

So, in this third learning cycle, we are now going to write our description.

We are totally prepared, thoroughly prepared, because we've deconstructed Bronte's description of windows and we've done a fantastic plan.

So we're now ready to get started with writing our own description.

So before you begin writing your own description, let's take a look at one of our Oak pupils, Sofia, and her construction of her opening three sentences.

So we're gonna watch Sofia do the opening of her paragraph, the first three sentences.

And after we have watched the video, we're going to discuss what might you be able to take away from Sofia's construction into your own writing.

So what is helpful about the way in which Sofia has thought, and way that she has written her first three sentences that might be helpful to us as we start writing our own description.

So first of all, we're going to watch Sofia constructing the opening three sentences.

I'm gonna press play and we're gonna watch the video.

I'm pressing play now.

<v Sofia>Okay, so before I delve into my description,</v> I want to think about what emotion it is I want to portray to the reader.

And I think I want to portray the emotion of confinement, someone feeling trapped within space.

So if I'm visualising the scene, I think I'll have someone looking out of a window, 'cause then that shows the idea they are trapped within the space, and they want to get out of the space.

So I want someone looking out of a window.

So I think I'll start with the same description of the window to kinda emulate Bronte's use of narrow windows to show the idea of restriction.

But obviously, I don't wanna use the same word as Bronte, I don't want to use the word narrow.

So what synonyms can I think of? Maybe I could use the word meagre, or maybe I could use the word paltry.

Now if I say meagre out loud, that sounds quite soft, it sounds quite diminished.

But paltry sounds a bit harsher, because of those plosive sounds.

So in terms of the tone, do I want it to feel helpless or do I want it to feel angry? I think I want it to feel helpless, so I will go with meagre, and that sense of the character feeling diminished.

Now again, in terms of visualising the scene, how do I picture the character looking out the window? I think I really want to emphasise that they want to get out.

So I think I will have a hand pressed up against the window to really show that she's trying to cross that threshold, she's trying to get out of the space.

And so my opening sentence might be something like, "She pressed her hand to the glass of the meagre window." Now I think I want to carry on with the description of the window.

So to really emphasise that feeling of being trapped, I think I want to show the reader that there's no lock on the window, so she can't open it, but I don't wanna explicitly say there's no lock.

So maybe I could say something like, "She ran her fingers over the unbroken edge of the frame." But I started my first sentence with the word "She," so I don't really want to repeat myself.

So maybe I will cross that out, and I will reframe the sentence to instead say something like, "Her fingertips traced the unbroken edge of the frame." I think actually here, maybe I want to emphasise that this is something she's done before, to really emphasise this is a space she is very familiar with.

This is a space that she's desperately trying to get out of.

So maybe I will add in the word familiar before the word unbroken, just to show that she has looked this window many times.

She's kind of felt this window many times.

She's traced her hands over the window many times before.

Now for my final sentence, I think I will again focus on that description of the window, and I think I'll zoom in and look at the glass and think about what the glass looks like.

So I think if it's a window that you are very familiar with, it's a window maybe you've pressed your hand up against many times, the glass would probably be smudged rather than clean.

So I will say, "The glass was smudged." And then I think I want to end with something quite metaphorical, so I think maybe I will think about the idea the glass is smudged with her emotions rather than something physical.

So if I'm thinking about the idea she wants to get outside, then maybe I will end with something like, "The glass was smudged with her wistfulness." So my opening three sentences are, "She pressed her hand at the glass of the meagre window.

Her fingertips traced the familiar unbroken edge of the frame.

The glass was smudged with her wistfulness." <v ->Welcome back.

</v> So now that we have watched Sofia construct the opening three sentences, we are going to discuss this question, "What might you be able to take away from Sofia's construction into your own writing?" So what was really helpful there that you think, "Ah, I can see that I will bring that into my own writing when I begin writing my description of the window." Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A really lovely discussion showing how you were inspired by the crafting of Sofia's own sentences.

Here are some ideas that I had going around.

So you might have said starting off by thinking of the tone that you want to convey.

Thinking of synonyms. We know that vocabulary can really, really lift a piece of creative writing, rewriting as you go.

I'm a big one for this.

As so constantly reviewing my sentences and editing, and not being afraid to put lines through words, phrases, or sometimes even whole sentences.

Thinking about how the character physically interacts within window, that is a really important part of your writing, where you're gonna convey your ideas of exclusion or inclusion, so really giving that some careful consideration and thinking about show not tell.

So you don't want to use the word exclusion, you don't want to use the word inclusion.

You want to convey it through your writing.

How your character interacts with the window and how the window is actually described.

So lots and lots of things that we can take from Sofia's thought process into our own writing.

Well done.

Okay, a quick check for understanding before we write our description of our window.

Why did Sofia decide to choose meagre over paltry to describe the window? Read through the statements A, B, and C, and then select which one you think is correct.

Pause the video and complete this check now.

Welcome back.

Well done if you selected B.

She felt the sound of meagre fit better with the overall tone.

It was not an alliterative phrase, because alliteration is when we've got one or, two or more words, sorry, starting with the same letter.

And then she wasn't sure paltry was an accurate synonym for narrow.

That was not correct.

She chose it because she felt it fit the overall tone.

So she was really considering the tone throughout her writing, through her methods, through her vocabulary.

All right, we are gonna use the examples from Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" to write our own description of a window that represents the idea of confinement or the idea of freedom.

I'd like you to remember to use the physical description of the window to convey emotion to the reader.

You have planned your physical description of the window.

Describe how the character is interacting with the window in order to show that emotion.

Again, you have planned for that in learning cycle two.

And do not be afraid to rewrite as you go.

We saw how successfully Sofia did that in her own writing.

Pause the video, give this task the time that it deserves.

Enjoy it.

You have done so much work to get to this point.

I really look forward to reading your descriptions shortly.

Pause the video and complete this task now.

Welcome back.

It was so wonderful to see you writing your description, really emulating Bronte's use of the motif, the window motif in "Wuthering Heights." You should be so proud of what you have produced.

We're going to do a review task and celebrate your work.

So, I'd like you to share your work with a peer.

If you've got someone near, then share that work with them.

If it's just you, that is absolutely fine.

You can ask these questions to yourself.

So I'd like you to reflect on the following questions.

Did they or you understand what emotion you were trying to convey? Did they or you see how your character's physical interactions with the window portray that emotion? And can they picture what the window looks like in their head? So pause the video, either share or work with a peer, or do these reflection questions yourself.

Pause the video and complete this review task now.

Welcome back.

So lovely to see people sharing their work or reflecting on their work themselves.

Always a really nice chance to celebrate what's gone really, really well.

And then sometimes reflect on some of the things that you would like to make even better.

Well done for really capturing, understanding Bronte's use of the motif of the window, and then applying it to your own writing.

In summary, arguably Bronte conveys the concept of exclusion through the descriptions of the windows in "Wuthering Heights." Bronte uses a physical description of the window to show this idea of exclusion to the reader.

Bronte also considers how the character interacts with the window in order to create that sense of exclusion.

To craft your own motifs, you might begin by asking what emotion or concept it is you want to portray.

It has been such a pleasure to work through today's lesson with you, and I look forward to seeing you next time.