Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name's Ms. Keller, and welcome to today's lesson.

In this session, we are going to be exploring how writers describe arriving in an unfamiliar place.

For this session, you'll need a copy of the book, "Asha and the Spirit Bird" by Jasbinder Bilan.

Okay, so by the end of today's lesson, we will be able to make inferences about an unfamiliar place through textural and sensory descriptions.

So let's have a look at today's keywords.

We have inference, unfamiliar, symbolise, imply, and texture.

So what do these words mean? Well, inference is a guess that you make or an opinion that you form based on the information that you have.

Unfamiliar is something that you don't have any knowledge or experience of.

Symbolise means to represent something.

And often in literature when we see symbolism, it's when the writer uses a concrete object to represent a creative, imaginative, or abstract idea.

Imply is to communicate an idea or feeling without saying it directly.

And finally, texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, we're going to start by focusing on Asha's arrival in Zandapur.

And then we're going to explore how the writer describes Zandapur.

First of all, we're going to look at how writers use textures in descriptive writing.

And then we're going to look at how writers use smells.

So let's get started.

Today, we're going to be examining how Bilan presents the unfamiliar city of Zandapur in 'Asha and the Spirit Bird'.

And we see this story through the eyes of our main characters, Asha and Jeevan.

So Asha and Jeevan are travelling to Zandapur to try to find Asha's father who has gone missing.

So Asha originally comes from a place called Moormanali.

And in the text, Moormanali is described as a village that is made up of agricultural buildings with plants and fields.

So I'd like to hand over to you at this point for a quick discussion, so you can discuss this with the people around you or if you are working on your own, don't worry, you can make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

But what I'd like you to think about is this.

What image do you get of Moormanali from this description? And how do you think that Asha will feel going from a village to a city? So pause the video here while you discuss this or make some notes.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Some really great discussions there to start us off.

I really liked how you were all beginning to infer how Asha might feel going from a smaller place like a village to a big, busy city, so well done.

Let's just pick up on some responses that I overheard.

So first of all, well done if you were also discussing this idea that it sounds like quite a rural place.

So that word there that Lucas is using, "rural" is a word that we would usually use to describe places that are perhaps in the countryside.

And rural is a word that we usually associate with farming communities.

And Izzy said that she imagines that Asha would feel quite overwhelmed entering a city from such a rural isolated area.

We've got that word "rural" again.

And here, Izzy's linked it to that idea that living out in the countryside is usually something that we associate with a more isolated way of life.

It's much less busy, and much less populated.

And Izzy took that a step further then, and began to infer that Asha perhaps would feel quite overwhelmed that maybe coming from such an isolated place into such a busy environment might be quite overwhelming for Asha's senses.

So well done if you've picked up on that idea, as well.

So now, it's time for us to read an extract from the book.

So you will need your copy of Asha and the Spirit Bird.

And I'd like you to read pages 165 to 167.

And this is an extract taken from near the end of the text, and it describes the moment that Asha first arrives in Zandapur.

So pause the video here while you give this extract a really good read.

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

Okay, welcome back.

What did you think of the description of Zandapur? I'm not convinced that it sounds like a very nice place.

I don't know about you.

So let's actually track how the author manages to get that impression across to us then.

So we'll have a look at this extract together.

So the extract begins with Asha and Jeevan getting on a busy bus and taking a seat at the very back.

So I'd like to start off by just discussing what's happened there on page 165.

So I've got two key questions that I would like you to focus your discussion on.

First of all, what does that word "twist" suggest about how Asha is feeling? And you'll find that word there on page 165.

And also, if Asha and Jeevan are trying to hide, how am I arriving in an unfamiliar place make them feel? So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss this, or make some notes if you're working on your own.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I really liked how we were drilling down into the author's use of that word "twist".

So fantastic.

Let's just pick up on some fantastic responses from our Oak students then.

So first of all, Lucas said, "It suggests that she's nervous, and might also symbolise that her world is about to turn upside down." And here, he is really drawing out those inferences there from the word "twist".

We've got this idea that if something's twisting, it's perhaps moving, and turning around.

So not only does Lucas identify that if perhaps we feel a little bit twisted up inside, we might feel a bit nervous, but also we've got this symbolic meaning that it could link to how her life and her world is about to turn upside down.

And we've also got Jacob who said, "She might feel uncertain and suspicious of everyone." And he's focusing in there on that second question that if they're trying to hide, arriving in an unfamiliar place might make them feel suspicious, because they don't know anyone in this unfamiliar place.

So they've got no way of knowing who could be trusted and who can't.

So after they've got on the bus, the driver starts the engine, and a chilly breeze rushes into the bus.

What might this breeze symbolise? So just like we did with that word "twist", I'd like you to zoom right in on that word "breeze" and think really carefully about what emotions or ideas it could symbolise.

So pause here for a quick fire discussion with the people around you or take a few minutes to make some notes.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

Some fantastic responses there, very creative interpretations of that word "breeze".

So well done if you are also picking up on this idea that it could symbolise that something unpleasant and negative awaits Asha in Zandapur, because she's got this idea of a chilly breeze blowing around her, it almost sets the scene, perhaps for some negative experiences that she might have in Zandapur when she gets there.

She's not even arrived yet, and we're all getting these omens, these ominous signs perhaps that Zandapur isn't going to be a very nice place.

So what happens next in this extract? Well, as the bus travels towards Zandapur, Bilan uses the following words to describe the journey: dangerously, dark, steep, and crashing.

So just as we did there with that idea of the breeze, I'd like you to think carefully about what these four words might suggest or might imply about Zandapur.

So pause the video while we discuss this with the people around you or make some notes.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Again, some very, very creative responses that I heard there, and I like that we didn't necessarily all have the same opinion, because that is a sign of really good discussion.

Because if we don't all agree necessarily, then that means we've got to back up our responses with evidence from the text, and we've got to justify our ideas with reasons.

So well done if you were doing that.

So we could have said something like the semantic field of danger adds to the impression that Zandapur is going to be a dangerous, unpleasant experience for Asha.

And we've got that method there, the semantic field of danger.

And a semantic field is a way that we could perhaps group or categorise certain words that appear in the text.

So if we look at those four words, they're all linked to or associated with the idea of danger.

Dangerously, dark, steep, and crashing.

So a great way for us to group these words together is to use that word "semantic field".

So see if you can use that when you next come to analyse a text, 'cause it's a really useful method to know.

So what happens next in this extract? Well, when they arrive in Zandapur on page 166, Bilan describes the fading daylight.

So what could this symbolise? So pause the video again for a quick fire discussion with the people around you or make your notes.

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

Okay, welcome back, and well done if you were picking up on this idea that the fading daylight could symbolise that hope and positivity are also fading as they enter the city.

And that's a really strong response there from Aisha, because she's picking up on this idea that light usually symbolises hope and positivity.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "There's a light at the end of the tunnel," for example? That symbolises that there's hope at the end of a difficult and dark time.

So light is quite common way that writer's symbolise hope and positivity.

So by having that light fading away when they arrive in Zandapur, Bilan could be symbolising that this hope and positivity might also be fading away.

So one final challenge for you, what I would like you to do is to re-read page 167, and I'd like you to have a go at trying to find the triple that Bilan uses to describe the atmosphere in the bus station.

So see if you can identify that triple in the text, and when you think you found it, I'd like you to discuss or make some notes about what effect you think it creates.

So pause the video one last time or you have a discussion or make your notes.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

I definitely overheard that some people had found that triple, so well done if you also found that the triple began with that word "laughing", and we had three verbs next to each other.

And also well done if you picked up on this idea that it emphasised the loud, bustling, and noisy nature of the bus station and the city itself.

It was like an explosion of noise all of a sudden.

And if we scale our minds right back to our first discussion in this part of the lesson, we were talking about this idea how Asha might feel quite overwhelmed by exactly this sort of atmosphere, because she comes from a rural place.

So that's really interesting for us to think about how Bilan is using that loud and bustling atmosphere to create a sense of her characters feeling quite overwhelmed perhaps.

Okay, so now, it's time to pause and check our understanding of what's happened in this part of the book so far.

So true or false, Bilan implies that Zandapur could be a negative experience for Asha.

Pause the video while you have a think, and click play when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back.

And well done to those of you who said true.

So now, it's time for us to justify our answers.

So have a read through of these two possible explanations, and decide which one you think best supports our idea above.

Press pause, while you have a think, and click play when you're ready for me to reveal correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said B, the wind that blows into the bus is said to be cold.

Okay, so now, it is time for the first practise task of today's lesson.

And what I would like you to do is to re-read and extract from the part of the text that we looked at today.

So I'd like you to re-read from the word "yes" on page 166 all the way through to the word "quickly" on page 167.

And when you've done that, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

Number one, how does Asha's slow body movement suggest a reluctance on Asha's part to enter Zandapur? Number two, Asha's dreams have been way of guiding her.

What might it suggest that she cannot remember this dream? And finally, number three, how does Asha's speech, with multiple pauses and repetition, suggest a reluctance on Asha's part to enter Zandapur? So pause the video here while you take as much time as you need to answer these questions in detail.

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

Okay, welcome back, and well done for the fantastic effort that you put into that task.

I could see everybody working really hard, which was amazing.

So let's have a look at what one of our Oak students, Lucas, wrote for his responses.

So number one, Asha's slow movement suggests that she's not excited and energised at the thought of entering the city, which suggests she's reluctant and hesitating.

That's a really good idea though, because Lucas has zoomed in on that word "slow" and is using it to infer that perhaps she's not very excited.

She's not rushing into the place, because she can't wait to be there.

Actually, it's quite the opposite.

She's quite hesitant and unsure about the place.

Number two then, the fact that she can't remember the dream could suggest that she might lose her way in Zandapur if she doesn't have her dream guide to help.

And finally, for number three, Lucas was a little bit unsure here, and he said he wasn't sure how the pauses and the repetition could suggest reluctance.

So what did you write for this final question? Well, Izzy suggested that perhaps pausing and repetitions could suggest uncertainty and hesitation, because it's linking perhaps to this idea that she might be stumbling over her words or unsure of what she wants to say.

So Lucas takes this idea a little bit further, so her pauses and repetitions could be hesitations, which implies reluctance.

So we go as far as seeing those hesitations, and then perhaps thinking a little bit further about which emotions hesitations might imply.

And here, they might imply reluctance.

She's unsure and uncertain about her next step.

So perhaps, she's a bit reluctant to just go rushing in.

Okay, so we've made it to the end of the first part of the lesson.

So well done for all your hard work so far.

In this part of the lesson, we are going to look at how the writer uses textures in descriptive writing.

So now, we're going to focus on descriptions of Zandapur itself, and we're going to explore how Bilan uses textures for effects.

So I'd like to hand over to you for a quick discussion.

What is texture? What does that word mean? And also, why might it be effective to talk about texture in descriptive writing? So pause the video while you have a good think, and discuss it with the people around you or make some notes.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Some really interesting discussions taking place there, especially with lots of people thinking about creative reasons why writers might choose to use these textural descriptions in their writing.

So let's just explore some of the responses that you might have covered in your discussions.

First of all, we've got this definition of the word "texture".

So here, Sam suggests that texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface.

For example, is it's soft or hard.

And a great way to think about texture is literally to put your hand out, and touch the nearest surface.

Maybe that's a wall or a table or perhaps an item of your own clothing.

And think really carefully about how it feels to your touch.

And if you look really closely at the texture, can you see any pattern to it? Is it grainy, for example? Or does it have lines on it? These are all different ways that we could start thinking about texture.

So why might be effective? Well, Andy suggests that using textures in descriptive writing might be effective, because it can help to immerse us in the scene.

Perhaps, it can help us to imagine what it was like to be there, and get a really clear image of the place in our minds.

So we can use textural descriptions in order to make inferences about a particular object or place.

So let's put that to the test.

For example, when Asha and Jeevan enter a taxi in Zandapur, the seats are described as slippery.

So I'd like to hand over to you again for a quick fire discussion.

What might we be able to infer from that word, "slippery" that texture.

So pause the video while we discuss this with the people around you or make some notes, and click play when you're ready to feedback.

Welcome back.

Some really fantastic responses there.

Well done if you were also picking up on this idea that perhaps Asha and Jeevan are feeling unsettled or unstable.

This idea that if something's slippery perhaps is difficult for them to get comfortable.

They feel quite uncomfortable in this place.

And also, well done if you are picking up on this other meaning of the word "slippery".

But it could also suggest slimness.

If someone perhaps is a slippery character, maybe they're not to be trusted.

So if we read this meaning of a slippery into the text, it could imply that the taxi and the taxi driver can't be trusted.

So well done if you picked up on either of those two ideas.

So the specific choice of a texture can also help us to understand the quality of the object or surface.

So I'd like to hand over to you to have a bit of a think about this idea.

So what is the difference between a golden statue and an aluminium statue? What inferences might we be able to make about both of these objects? So pause the video here while you have a think, and discuss it with the people around you or make your notes.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done if like Sam, you are picking up on this idea that gold is expensive.

Whereas, aluminium is quite cheap.

For example, aluminium is something that we usually associate with cooking foil.

It's quite a cheap material to get your hands on.

And also, it can corrode, which means it can rust over time.

Whereas, gold does not do this.

So we can infer actually that a golden statue is perhaps a lot more valuable and also a lot more durable.

It will last a lot longer than an aluminium statue.

And actually, we could take this idea even further, because the way that the statue is made could actually suggest a lot about the person perhaps that the statue represents.

If the statue is made of gold, perhaps it suggests that the people who've made this statue respect and want to honour this person that they've made the statue of, because they've used an expensive material, and they've also chosen a material that's going to last a long time.

So let's pause here, and check our understanding of how writers use textures.

So each one of the words suggests the most comfortable, pleasant texture? So pause the video while you have a think, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said pillowy, because we are getting that idea that it's quite soft for us to touch.

It's not scratchy, and perhaps it's not bumpy, like something that is knotted might be.

So now, it's time for the second practise task of today's lesson.

So throughout Asha's time in Zandapur, we have a repetition of paper and plastic textures.

And these appear quite a lot in the text.

For example, on page 170, there are wrappers and bags whipping around in the breeze as they walk through the tunnel.

So what I would like you to do is to take some time to discuss this idea with the people around you, and make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

But thinking really carefully about what might you infer through Bilan's use of these repeated paper and plastic textures.

And some great jumping off points there below, what are the qualities of paper and what do we associate with plastic? So it's a really good idea to just think about these textures and think about those links perhaps, or associations that we have to them, and then take that idea a bit further to think about what they might suggest about the place.

So just how we were doing with those two statues.

Except this time, we're thinking about two different textures.

So take as much time as you need to discuss this, and make your notes, and click play when you are ready to feedback your responses.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you had lots of time to really unpick that idea in your discussions.

So let's have a look at some of our Oak pupils' ideas.

And as we are reading through them, I would like you to consider whether you agree with them or not, and why or why not that might be.

So let's start with June who suggests that paper suggests something fragile.

So maybe Bilan is implying that the city isn't safe or secure.

So here, he's making that link between the fragility of paper and perhaps the insecure nature or the unsafe nature of Zandapur.

And Alex said, "Plastic suggests that something is cheap, so maybe the city isn't a very worthwhile place.

Plastic is also bad for the environment, so maybe Bilan is implying that the city is not a good place." So again, we've got that link there to perhaps how plastic is harmful to the environment.

And maybe Zandapur is a harmful or a bad city.

And also, a link to plastics' cheapness.

So maybe the city has a cheapness to it.

It is not a very worthwhile or valuable place.

So just take a moment to discuss these two ideas with the people around you or make some notes.

Do you agree with them? Do you not agree? And crucially, why is that? Pause the video here while you discuss this, and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we've made it to the final part of today's lesson, and now we finished exploring how writers use textures.

It's time to explore how writers use smells.

So using textual descriptions in descriptive writing can immerse the reader in the scene through the sense of touch, and we've explored how that can happen.

So now, we are going to consider how the writer uses a sense of smell, and any inferences that we might be able to make about a place through its sense.

So I'd like to start with a discussion.

So have a look on page 168, and I would like you to identify what smell Bilan uses to describe the tunnel.

And also, what effect does this create? So pause the video while you take some time to discuss this.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play.

Okay, welcome back, and well done if you identified that smell was fish.

So let's have a look at Laura's opinion then on what effect this creates.

She said that this implies the city is a really unpleasant place and potentially that there's something wrong with it as fishy suggests something isn't right.

So just like we did there with that word "slippery", she's pulling out that more subtle implied meaning, it smells of fish, which is unpleasant.

But we've also got that link to the word "fishy", which is another word perhaps for suspicious.

So maybe it could also symbolise that there's something a bit suspicious about this place.

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

So true or false, Bilan's use of smell implies a positive connotation.

Pause the video here where you have a think, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

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

So now, it's time to justify our answer.

So have a read through of these two explanations, and decide which one you think best supports our ideas above.

Press pause while you have a think, and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said A, the city is described as smelling of fish.

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

So we can infer from what we know of Zandapur, that Bilan wants to create a negative impression of the city.

So what I would like you to do is to use your creative writing skills, and to write a sentence describing how each of these places would smell in Zandapur.

So you are really trying to carry on with those negative impressions that Bilan started us off with.

So we are thinking first of all about how market would smell, a rubbish dump or a landfill site, and a busy street.

So pause the video here while you write your sensory descriptions, really zooming in on those smells to create that negative impression.

And click play when you'd like to feedback your responses.

Okay, welcome back.

So here is an example of what you could have written.

And remember, that with creative writing, the opportunities are endless.

So it's likely that your sentences won't look like these.

But as you are reading these ones through, think really carefully about the descriptive words or the dynamic words that you used in your own sentences, because we're going to talk about that in a minute.

So for a market then, you could have said, the market was a symphony of a thousand putrid odours; rotting fish, sweaty feet, and mouldy vegetables mingled as one.

For a rubbish dump or a landfill, you could have said, a sickly sweet smell filled my nostrils.

And finally, for a busy street, you could have said, the smells were in competition with each other; body odours, clambered on top of car fumes in a huge, noxious muddle.

So now, it's over to you to reflect on what you've written.

So I'd like you to discuss your descriptions with the people around you or make some notes or annotations if you're working on your own.

And in particular, I would like you to choose just one of the descriptive words that you chose to use in your answers, and explain why you chose to do it.

So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss this or make your notes, and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's just explore what some of our Oak students said during their discussions.

What Aisha said, "I chose the word 'sickly'.

This word emphasises how the rotting rubbish has a sweet smell.

It also links to sick, which could help the reader to imagine how nauseating it is." So just how we had those two meanings linked to that word "fishy".

Here, Aisha has got the word "sickly", which again plays on these two meanings.

It emphasises how sickly sweet it was, but it also links that idea perhaps of feeling a bit sick, which emphasises how disgusting the rotting rubbish might be.

And Izzy said, "I chose noxious for my description of the street.

I wanted to emphasise how strong and powerful the smells are.

The word 'noxious' links to poisonous or harmful odours." So here is he is using that word "noxious" to imply that perhaps these smells are so powerful that they almost seem like they might be harmful or poisonous.

Okay, so we've made it to the end of today's lesson, and a massive well done for all the effort that you have put in.

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

So Bilan arguably foreshadows something negative happening to Asha and Jeevan in Zandapur.

Textual description can be used to influence the reader's perception of a place or object.

Arguably, Bilan uses textures to imply that Zandapur is unsafe and not a worthwhile place.

And finally, we might infer from Bilan's use of smells that Zandapur is an unpleasant place.

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

I look forward to seeing you again soon.