Hello, there! Thank you for joining me today.

My name is Mr. Barnsley, and today we are gonna be stepping into the unknown.

In today's lesson, you are gonna need your own copy of this text.

This is the 2021 Hodder edition of a Akala's "The Dark Lady." So do make sure you have your own copy before we get started with today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we are gonna be exploring how the writer, Akala, used patterns of language.

Okay, should we get started? So let's have a look at today's outcome.

By the end of today's lesson, you are gonna be able to clearly explain the effects of patterns and contrasts within a text.

Now ,I want us to start by focusing on those two words, patterns and contrast, 'cause they are two of our keywords today.

So a pattern, what does that mean? Well, it's any regularly repeated arrangement.

So we are gonna be looking for ideas that we see appearing regularly and repeated throughout a text.

Now, a contrast is an obvious difference between two or more things.

So we're also gonna be looking at where we see differences within the text.

The other three key words today are semantic field, which means a group of words which share a similar theme or concept.

Symbolise, which means to represent, express, or identify by a symbol.

And a connotation is a feeling or idea that is suggested by a word in addition to its basic meaning.

Do look out for all five of these keywords in our lesson today.

If you want to pause the video and make a note of these, now's the time to do so, otherwise, let's continue with today's lesson.

So there are two learning cycles today.

In the first half of the lesson, we're gonna be looking at patterns in the language used by Akala, and in the second half, we're gonna look at how patterns are being used in the images that Akala uses in his writing.

So let's start by looking at patterns in language.

So today, we're gonna think about the patterns of words in an extract from "The Dark Lady." You are gonna need your copy of the 2021 Hodder Children's Books edition of Akala's "The Dark Lady." It's the one I showed you at the beginning of the lesson.

If you haven't got your copy in front of you, now's the time to pause your video and make sure you have it.

Okay.

So patterns in language can occur through repetition of words, either to form a semantic field, remember, a group of words that are related by idea, or they could also form a structural pattern maybe through repetition.

So, discuss.

Why do you think a writer might want to create a pattern in language? If you've got a partner, you can discuss with them, but don't worry if you're working by yourself.

Now might be the time to just pause your video and think through this question independently.

Okay.

Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Some fantastic discussion there.

Well done if you said anything like this.

Our brains are wired to recognise patterns, so the writer is most likely trying to emphasise a particular word or phrase to the reader.

Really draw our attention to something that's gonna be really key to the text.

So I want us to start by looking at pages 68 and 69.

Okay? So make sure you've got your book open, your copy of the text open on those pages now.

What I want you to do is find which word begins all but one of the paragraphs of those two pages.

Pause the video, open your book on page 68 and 69, and look for what is the first word on most of those paragraphs.

Pause the video, have a look, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done if you, like Lucas, spotted that the name Henry starts all but one of the paragraphs.

So let's consider what that pattern might mean.

What do you think the significance of repeating someone's name might be? Pause the video, have a discuss or a think independently, and press play when you think you have the answer to this question.

Some really interesting discussions going on there.

Really well done.

Fantastic to those who said something similar to Sophia, who said, "Well, names are really important because they hold power.

They hold our identity.

To repeat someone's name conveys an importance onto them to show how important that person is maybe to the plot of the novella, and especially if we place that as the beginning of the paragraph.

We almost centre them into whatever it is that we're about to read.

It suggests to us as the reader that we really should be noticing them." Well done if you said something similar to Sophia.

Now, I want us to look at pages 66, 67, 70, and 71.

So the pages either side of the extract we've just looked at.

What I want you to discuss is do you see the same pattern happening on these pages? So pause the video, you can work with a partner if you've got one, but don't worry if you're working by yourself.

You can just think through this question independently.

Do you see the same pattern in the pages before and after the ones that we've just looked at? Okay, pause the video over to you.

Press play when you are ready to continue.

Well done.

I could see you looking really closely at the text there to see if you could see any patterns.

Now you might have noticed like Jacob, that, no, the name Henry appears sometimes, but it doesn't occur nearly as much as at the start of the paragraphs that we've just looked at.

So the existence of a pattern on pages 68 and 69 and then the lack of that same pattern on 66, 67, 70 and 71, well, that creates a contrast.

There's a real difference between those first pages we looked at and the ones either side.

So I want you to think now what is happening on pages 68 and 69 that is not happening on the other pages.

Why then do you think Akala has used this contrast? What might they be trying to emphasise? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Some really interesting ideas there.

And I think the thing about when we're talking about structure in this way, when patterns or the start of sentences, it can sometimes feel quite challenging.

Maybe not as easy as it is when we talk about language devices.

So I was really impressed by how you threw yourself into that and started being really creative about what Akala's contrast might be emphasising.

I really want to shine a spotlight on those of you who said something very similar to Sam who says, "Well, Henry is using magic on pages 68 and 69 whereas he's just not on the other pages, so perhaps the pattern and the contrast show that he has power and importance when he's using magic but maybe he doesn't have those things without his magic." That's a really interesting interpretation on Akala's use of pattern and contrast in this extract.

Great work if you said something similar to Sam.

And of course you might have said some slightly different things, and if you've justified that with conjunctions and really explained your thought process, that's okay too.

So I want us to look again at pages 68 and 69.

And if you are working in your exercise book, you might want to write these words down.

You might want to write them on a scrap of paper or you might just want to think about which words that you find have the connotations, which words kind of create ideas in your mind of energy and movement.

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

Some really nice ideas there.

For example, you might have noticed that in the last sentence of the third paragraph on page 68.

Can you find it? That last sentence on the third paragraph of page 68, you might have noticed that word intensity.

These words, altogether, alongside some of the others you've noticed, create this semantic field of intense energy.

Well done if you spotted lots of different ones.

So let's have a check to see how we're getting on, shall we? Which one of the following statements is true? Is it A, that our brains are wired to recognise patterns? Is it B, names are not very important in literature? Or is it C, Akala creates a semantic field of dull, lethargic energy? Which do you think is true? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Well done if you said A.

We're talking about patterns today, and patterns are really important because our brains are wired to recognise patterns.

So we know if an author is using patterns, they're really trying to draw our attention to something in particular.

So over to our first practise task of today, I want you to write an explanation for why you think the semantic field of intense energy has been used on pages 68 and 69.

I've got a sentence starter for you.

In "The Dark Lady," Akala uses a semantic field of intense energy in order to represent what? Things for you to think about as your writing out this short response.

What is happening on pages 68 and 69? Why might that create an intense energy? And do you see the same pattern on the pages before and after? Why or why not? Pause the video over to you now, and give this your best shot, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I could see some great work going on there.

Really impressive to see those of you reading back over your response before you put your pen down, checking the spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

That's a great habit to get into.

Well done if that was you.

Okay, what I'd like us to do is compare our work to Izzy's.

Izzy has had a go at writing her own explanation.

Let's have a think about how we can make Izzy's even more convincing.

So Izzy wrote: "In 'The Dark Lady,' Akala uses a semantic field of intense energy in order to represent the sense of vitality and enthusiasm that Henry feels when he's using magic.

Words such as 'explosions' and 'aflame' create this sense of something bursting to life inside of him when he uses magic." I think she did a really good job, but you might have noticed, like Alex did, that she didn't talk about the contrast.

So let's have a look at how Izzy's answer improves when she talks about the contrast and the lack of pattern when Henry isn't using magic.

So Izzy writes: "In 'The Dark Lady,' Akala uses semantic field of intense energy in order to represent the sense of vitality and enthusiasm that Henry feels when he's using magic.

Words such as 'explosions' and 'aflame' create the sense of something bursting to life inside of him when he's using magic.

This is emphasised by the fact that Akala creates a contrast by not using these patterns of language when Henry is not using magic." A really fantastic answer from Izzy there, and thank you to Alex for giving us some great feedback.

What I'd like you to do now is pause, read, and compare your answer to Izzy's, and if there's any ideas from Izzy's work that you'd like to steal, now's the time to add it to your explanation.

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

Welcome back.

Now it's time for us to move to our second learning cycle, and we're gonna look at some patterns in the imagery that Akala uses.

So as well as patterns in words on pages 68 and 69, Akala also uses patterns of images throughout the text as a whole.

Why might a writer repeat an image throughout a whole text? What do you think? Pause the video and have a discussion if you're working with someone else, or just think through to yourself if you're working independently, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Some really nice ideas there.

Well done.

I really want to shine a spotlight on people who said something similar to John, who said, "Well, they might be trying to show that this image is something really important and relevant throughout the text." Remember, our brains are wired to spot patterns.

So if we see something being repeated, we really need to be asking ourselves what is the importance of this image? So in the same way that words have deeper meanings and connotations than their basic meaning, images can also symbolise something more.

For example, an image of a flower might symbolise ideas of beauty because of how wonderful they look in the countryside.

They might symbolise love because of how people might give them to their romantic partner.

Thinking about Valentine's Day, for example.

Or they might represent peace.

Thinking about the poppy as a symbol of peace when people wear their poppy around Armistice Day.

So I want you to remember that as with connotations, symbolism can actually vary depending on our own personal experience.

So when we think about what an image might symbolise, we might want to think about what it personally symbolises to us.

But we might want to try and be creative and think what could it symbolise to others as well.

So one of the images that is repeated throughout the text is one of a ship.

I want you to create a mind map in your books to show the connotations of a ship.

So if you are working in your exercise books, now's the time you can write ship and turn this into a mind map.

But don't worry if you're not working in your exercise book, you might want to grab a piece of paper or you could even just think about what the word, what connotations come to mind when you think of a ship.

Okay, pause the video, time to do some mind mapping or some thinking, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done.

I heard some fantastic creative ideas coming to mind there.

Some people talked about discovery, the idea that ships were once used to travel across the world and are still used to travel across the world to discover new lands.

So about freedom.

The opportunity to travel might make us feel free.

They could also.

I had some really nice ideas of the afterlife.

I thought that was very interesting.

Peace.

Kind of you might have thought of a ship on a tranquil sea.

Adventure.

The sense of adventure, travel, journeys.

And there you go.

We got the word journey.

Well done if you said anything similar to what you can see on the screen, but of course you might have had some other ideas and that's fantastic too.

So I want us to discuss then why might the repeated image of a ship.

Or, sorry, what might the repeated image of a ship suggest about the main character of this text? What might be we learning.

What might we learn about Henry through this repeated image? Okay, pause the video, have a think or discuss with a partner, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Great work.

Some really lovely discussions there.

I really liked people who said something similar to Aisha and said, "Well, it could suggest that Henry's bored with their life and they want a sense of adventure." I also heard people saying similar things to Jacob, saying, "Well, it suggests they might be feeling constrained in their life, and somehow they want a sense of freedom." Well done if you said anything similar to our Oak pupils, but of course fantastic if you had your own interpretations as long as they were justified using conjunctions like because, as, since, or so.

Another image that is represented throughout the text is one of birds.

Again, if you're working in your exercise books, you could create a mind map to show the connotation of birds.

But don't worry, you can either write on another piece of paper or you can just think through to yourself if you don't have your exercise book with you.

Let's have a think then.

What connotations might we think of when we think of birds? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Some great ideas there.

I really liked hearing ideas such as freedom, again.

Hope, new beginnings.

Lovely.

I liked peace.

You might have thought about a dove being particularly a symbol of peace.

Intelligence and wisdom.

So then why might this repeated image of a bird, or birds, what might that suggest about Henry? Why don't you pause the video, have a think, or if you've got a partner, you can discuss with them, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Some lovely discussions there.

Really thinking about what we've learned about the character of Henry so far.

So Sam said something along the lines of, "Well, maybe we're supposed to interpret them as a really intelligent character," while Andy said, "Well, perhaps they want to escape something in their lives and have a sense of freedom." Well done if you said something similar, and of course, well done if you had your own interpretations too.

Alright, let's check how we're getting on, shall we? Which of the following things do ships traditionally symbolise? Is it adventure, love, or beauty? Pause the video and have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Well done if you said adventure.

When I think about ships, I think about travelling the world, which really creates a sense of adventure in my mind.

Fantastic if you said A.

All right, onto our final task of today's lesson.

The main character, Henry, we know is a poor orphan boy in Elizabethan England, and he tries to survive by stealing.

What I want you to discuss is what could be the significant of the repeated pattern in images.

So things to consider.

What are the similarities between the images of birds and the images of boats? And what might Akala be trying to represent through these images? Okay, time to pause the video.

If you've got a partner, this is great, you can discuss with them.

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

You might wish to jot a few ideas down, or even better if there's someone in your household that you can have this conversation with.

Why don't you start discussing all the things that you've learned in today's lesson? Alright, it's over to you now, so pause the video and press play when you finish your discussions.

Welcome back! What wonderful discussions we heard there, and what I love so much about discussing patterns or imagery is that there are multiple different interpretations, and that's what makes literature so exciting to me.

Now, what I want us to do is for us to compare our discussions to the one that Laura had.

So we're gonna read Laura's explanation and I want you to think about why might you not find Laura's explanation of the patterns of images particularly convincing.

So Laura said, "Both the image of a bird and a ship have connotations of peace; therefore, perhaps Akala is trying to convey that Henry is at peace with his life." Why don't you pause the video and think for a moment why does Laura's explanation not sound that convincing to us? Pause the video and have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Well done if you said something similar to what Alex said.

He said, "Well, we know that Henry has led a very hard and dangerous life and therefore it seems more likely that the patterns in the image represent a desire for freedom, not that he's already living a very free and peaceful life." Okay, so it's really important that we notice that not every interpretation can possibly be correct.

Sometimes we have to look at the evidence that we have and say, "Hmm, that might feel like a very creative interpretation, but it just doesn't work with the facts that we do have, that we do know about the text, and therefore it can't be a valid interpretation." So well done if you spotted why Laura's explanation didn't quite work in this case.

Okay, we've come to the end of the lesson.

It's been great learning all about patterns of language and images with you.

On the screen, you can see a summary of everything that we have covered today.

You might wish to pause the video so you can read through each of these bullet points really carefully.

Make sure you feel really confident about these things before you move on to the next lesson.

I hope you have a fantastic rest of the day, whatever you choose to do with it, and I hope to see you in one of our lessons again soon.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Goodbye.