Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson! My name is Mr. Barnsley and I'm so glad you've joined me as we continue to step into the unknown.

Today, we are gonna be contrasting the familiar with the unknown.

Let's dive in, shall we? So our outcome today, then, by the end of the lesson, you are gonna be able to use language and structure to create contrast between the familiar and the unknown.

And you may have spotted a few words in our outcome today are highlighted in bold, which means they are keywords.

So let's have a look at what they mean.

So there are four keywords in today's lesson.

Familiar, contrast, unknown, and evoke.

Shall we look at what they mean then? So if something is familiar, it means that it is well known or you have a long or close association with it.

A contrast is when there's an obvious difference between two or more things.

So we are gonna be contrasting the familiar with the unknown and that's really useful for us because the unknown is something that is not known or not familiar, okay? So actually, the familiar and the unknown are essentially opposites.

So it should be easier for us to create this contrast, this difference.

The final keyword is evoke.

And that means to bring or to recall a feeling, a memory, or an image to the mind.

Okay, if you need to pause the video to make a note of those words, please do.

Otherwise, let's continue with today's lesson.

There are three learning cycles today.

First, we are gonna be describing the familiar, then we're gonna be writing about the familiar, and then we're gonna be adding in that contrast, adding in the unknown.

So let's start by describing the familiar.

So let's start with this discussion then, shall we? What do you associate with the word familiar or the idea of something being familiar? What images come to mind? So you've got a partner, now is the perfect time to pause the video and discuss with them.

But don't worry if you're working by yourself.

You might wish to pause the video for a couple of minutes and just think through, maybe even make a few notes if you wish.

Okay, over to you now.

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

Some lovely ideas in the discussions there, really giving me a sense of warm and cosy thinking of all those familiar things.

So Laura said.

Let's have a look at some of what the Oak people said.

And Laura said, I associate it with the ideas of comfort and safety.

So some of the things that you might have been mentioning when you thought about the idea of the familiar might have made you things that make you feel warm and safe.

And Jacob said, well, he really associates the idea of relaxation with the familiar.

You might have had said something similar in your discussions too.

So today, you are gonna be writing a descriptive piece based on an image.

However, you are gonna be creating the image based on a familiar room to you.

So let's pause for a second.

How do you feel about creating your own image to describe, rather than being given an image by me? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

Let's look at what one of our Oak pupils said.

So Laura said, actually, that might be really useful because we've got a chance to consider the construction of the image, how we put the image together, what's in it, and what details that we are naturally gonna be drawn to before we start describing it.

So rather than having to explore an image that's been given to us, we are gonna create the things that we actually wanted to talk about and the things that we want to describe.

So hopefully, a really exciting opportunity for all of us today.

So I'm gonna share with you a drawing that I did of my familiar room.

So first of all, I began with a centre point, something to really focus on.

And for me that was a sofa, something that makes me think of comfort and relaxation.

I then included a vase of flowers because they are the smash, the smell of fresh flowers for me is really instantly relaxing.

I also included a nice, hot cup of tea.

Nothing better than to sit down with a cup of tea to make me feel really relaxed.

And finally, I added a bookcase because I really, really enjoy reading and it brings me joy and comfort.

I can really picture myself snuggled down on that sofa with a cup of tea and my favourite book open.

Feels really familiar and comforting to me.

So let's check how we're getting on.

Which of the following do we often associate with the familiar? Is it A, unpredictability, B, danger, or C, comfort? Pause, have a think, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Yes, I hope you said C, comfort.

Okay, thinking about that image of on the sofa with a cup of tea, we definitely want this feeling of comfort when we think about the familiar.

So over to you for our first task in today's lesson.

I would like you to draw your familiar room.

So things you might consider as you are drawing.

Which room do you feel comfortable in? Will anyone else be in the room? Are there people that make you feel comfortable? What objects might you find in the room? What are those objects that make you feel warm and cosy and are really familiar to you? What colours do you see? What are the colours that make you feel relaxed? So it's over to you now to draw that familiar room, the one that makes you feel comfortable and cosy and warm and relaxed.

Okay.

Pause the video, take as much time as you need on this, and press play when you're ready to continue.

I saw some fantastic drawing going on there.

And don't worry if you're not an artist, because really we are gonna be bringing these images to life with our words very shortly.

Okay, I want you now to discuss your image with a partner.

So if you're working with someone, that's great.

You can discuss it with them.

If you're working by yourself, it might be really nice to find someone else to share your image with.

And the kind of things I want you to discuss when you are thinking about your drawing is, how you felt when you were drawing that familiar room.

Why you included each component.

So everything you put in that room, why is it there? Why you drew each component in the way that you did.

Okay, why did you present it in that way? And what details are there about each of the different components that you might want someone to notice? You might want to draw their attention to.

Okay, pause the video and start talking through the decisions you made when you created that familiar room.

Remember to press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

Some really lovely discussions there.

And those rooms are making me feel really cosy.

Right.

It's time for us to start writing about the familiar.

So I want us to consider how we can use language and structure to write a description of the familiar.

So let's start to discuss then.

Which of the following sentences do you think shows someone looking at a familiar object, and why? Is it, "My face relaxed at the sight of the book" or is it, "My eyes widened at the sight of the book"? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

I saw most people focusing on this sentence, my face relaxed at the sight of the book.

Laura, one of our Oak people, said, well, relaxed suggests familiarity.

It's comforting.

Whereas the idea of the eyes going widened might suggest surprise or shock.

Well done if you said something similar in your discussions.

So in order to describe something familiar, you want to use language that evokes a sense of comfort and relaxation.

So I want you to think.

You're gonna do this verbally.

I want you to place the following words into a table to show whether they create a comforting or a surprising tone.

These words are envelop, dart, startle, stun, cocoon, and murmur.

So I want you to imagine, you can do this verbally with a partner or just think through to yourself, which column in the table would you put each of these six words in? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Great work.

Great discussions there.

And I could see some of you may be having to look up some of those words to double-check you knew what they meant.

So let's have a look.

Where could we have placed them? Well, envelop means kind of to cover.

And so that feels really comforting to me.

I like to think of myself being enveloped in my blanket as I snuggle into bed.

Cocoon is the case that a caterpillar goes into before it becomes a butterfly, and it's all kind of wrapped tightly in this net of safety.

So again, for me, this feels really comforting.

And murmur, a really quiet noise.

I don't know about you, but sometimes the idea of absolute silence doesn't make me feel comforting.

But a really quiet noise in the background can make me feel really warm and relaxed inside.

Whereas words like dart, this feels like quite an aggressive verb.

It means moving very quickly or very assertively.

Startle, something shocking.

Certainly surprising.

Doesn't make me feel relaxed.

And stunned.

If I'm stunned by something, I'm shocked.

I wasn't expecting it.

So all of these words create a really surprising tone rather than a comforting one.

Okay, so in order to describe something familiar, you can also use structure to indicate that you have seen something before.

So I want you to think about short, simple sentences can indicate shock or tension.

Why do you think a really short, simple sentence might not be appropriate for describing something familiar? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Some really interesting ideas.

It can be quite difficult talking about sentence structure and the effect they have.

So really well done in that discussion.

So Sam said, if something is familiar, then we're not gonna be shocked by it.

And a short sentence can often indicate shock or tension.

Now a compound sentence is where we join two main clauses together, showing there's a relationship between those two clauses.

So why do you think then a compound sentence could suggest familiarity? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

Some lovely discussions there.

Our Oak pupil said, well, compound sentences might show that you know the objects very well.

Therefore, you know the relationship with them.

For example, in my image, I know exactly where that cup of tea sits, in comparison to the edge of my sofa.

Because it needs to be where I can reach it from the comfort of where I'm sitting.

Now, a complex sentence is where we have one main clause and we have at least one subordinate clause.

Remember, a main clause works by itself, whereas a subordinate needs to be joined onto a main clause for it to make sense.

How could using a complex sentence suggest familiarity? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Again, some really interesting discussions.

It's great to see everyone talking about structure in this way.

It can sometimes feel challenging, but what you were saying there sounded brilliant.

So our Oak pupil said, well, complex sentences might show that you know the room very well and therefore you know what details to add about it.

Let's have a check then to see how we're getting on.

Which of these words creates a sense of comfort? Is it envelop, dart, or pierce? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done if you said envelop, remembering that word means kind of to cover.

So a really nice verb to think about using if we want to create a sense of comfort.

Okay, now over to you for our second task of today's lesson.

I want you to think about the verbal description that you shared of your drawing from the first learning cycle.

You're gonna use that now as inspiration to write a description of your favourite room.

So things to consider as you're writing.

How can your language show that you feel happy and safe in this room? Think about your vocabulary choices.

How can you use your structure or your use of structure? How can your use of structure show that this is a room you feel comfortable and familiar with? It's time for you to pause video now and give this a go.

Give yourself plenty of time to write, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Over to you.

Good luck.

Welcome back.

What I'd like us to do now is compare our work to one of the Oak pupils.

Laura's description of the sofa, the sofa that we saw in the learning cycle one.

And I want you to think about which language you would highlight to suggest a sense of comfort and familiarity.

Let's have a look at what she wrote then, shall we? Lounging on the sofa, I could feel the cosiness of the cushions envelop me in a sense of snugness.

I ran my hand over the stitching and felt instantly soothed.

A warmth crept into my chest and I exhaled deeply.

So what could we highlight there? Well, we could highlight verbs such as lounging or exhaled or envelop.

There are other words like cosiness and snugness.

Soothed.

Warmth.

All of these words create this sense of comfort.

Now take some time to look at your own work.

Did you manage to include some words that created this sense of comfort and relaxation? Pause the video, check your own work, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

It's now time for us to add in the unknown.

Remember, today's lesson is all about contrasting the familiar with the unknown.

So we're gonna think about how we can use language to create contrast.

Remember, that's a clear difference within our description.

So I want you to imagine you are sitting in your familiar room and suddenly you notice an unknown object.

How might you feel? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I heard some great adjectives to describe how you might feel.

Laura said, I think she'd feel very surprised, but also potentially curious.

Okay, well done if you had kind of that contrast of maybe more than one emotion.

So now let's think about how you can show through your language and your structure that this unknown object gives you a different set of emotions than the familiar objects in your room did.

I want you to think about creating a verbal mind-map.

So you can either do this with a partner or you can think through it to yourself, make a couple of notes if you wish, to show the emotions you might feel when you're confronted with an unknown object.

Pause the video.

Have a discussion, have a think.

What does the unknown mean to you? I heard some fantastic ideas, and I really want to shine a spotlight on some of those.

So I heard people saying, surprise, fear.

Excitement perhaps.

Confusion.

Why is this object in my room? And hesitant.

Maybe you're not sure whether you should interact with this object, whether you should pick it up and look at it.

Okay, let's think then, how do the following descriptions show someone is looking at an unknown object? So I've got two quotations, and for each of them, I want you to think, how does this or how does this imply the unknown? So A, the bubbling, tingling sensation began to take over.

And our second quote.

My heart skipped.

What was that? Why was it here? What did it mean? Pause the video and discuss, either with a partner or just think through this question to yourself, how does each of these quotations suggest that someone is looking at an unknown object? Over to you.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I heard some really interesting discussions there.

So Aisha said, well, bubbles suggest something fizzing, and that suggests something new, potentially something really exciting.

Whereas Izzy said that there is lots of short, simple sentences in this quotation, and that could suggest shock.

The question marks suggest uncertainty.

This person seems very confused about what's appeared in their room.

Okay, let's have a quick check.

Which of the following emotions would you be most likely feel when confronted with an unknown object? Is it calm, surprise, or anger? Pause the video.

Have a think.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, of course.

I hope you all said surprise.

We should really start by feeling surprised, and then depending on what the unknown object is, our emotions might change further.

Okay, over to you then for our final task of today's lesson.

You are gonna rewrite your description, the one that you wrote in learning cycle two, and this time you're gonna introduce an element of the unknown to contrast with the familiar.

So things I want you to consider.

What unknown object are you gonna add into your room? What language choices could you make to introduce this unknown object? And think about how could you structure your sentences to show the contrast between the familiar and the unknown? Pause the video, give this a good go, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

Some fantastic writing there.

And a real congratulations to anyone who stopped and read through their work, checking for spelling, punctuation, and grammar before they put the pen down.

That's great to see.

Okay.

Let's have a look at Laura's description then.

Let's think about how she added an element of the unknown into her familiar room.

You are gonna explain how Laura did that.

Okay, let's just read what she wrote.

My eyes rested on the comfy jumble of blankets and I shrugged off my jacket in anticipation of their warmth.

As I nestled into the groove between the cushions, a strange sensation jarred my peace of mind.

Something was different.

I sat up straight.

There, a book.

It was giving off a light that dazzled and pierced.

Okay, pause the video and discuss with your partner or think through to yourself, how did Laura create contrast between the familiar and the unknown.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

Wonderful discussions there.

Let's have a look at something that you might have said.

So Laura begins by creating a semantic field of comfort through words such as comfy, nestled, and warmth.

Additionally, Laura uses a compound sentence to begin, which shows that she's aware of the relationship between the blankets and the warmth.

To create a contrast, Laura switches from compound and complex sentences to short, simple sentences to show her shock.

Rather than using the language to create a sense of comfort, she uses words such as dazzled and pierced to show the discomfort of the intrusion of the unknown object.

Now, I want you to explain to your partner how you have added unknown in your own writing.

If you're working by yourself, now would be a fantastic time to find someone else to show them your work and explain what you have done.

Okay, pause the video and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic work today, everyone.

I've been so impressed with the writing that you've created, contrasting the familiar with the unknown.

On the screen, you can see a summary of everything we've learned today.

Please read through it carefully, and if you need to, you can go back and watch the sections of the video again to make sure you feel really confident before moving on.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I'm wishing you a wonderful rest of the day, however you are choosing to spend it, and I hope to see you in one of our lessons soon.

Bye-bye.