Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you all here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

So grab your pen, laptop, whatever you're using for this lesson, and let's get started.

Welcome for lesson, everyone.

The lesson is called Meeting and Creating Unknown Characters.

So today we're going to be examining the extracts from L.

Frank Baum's The Wizard Oz, to analyse the moments that Dorothy meets her three companions, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion on their way to the Emerald City.

Now, these characters are all previously unknown to Dorothy.

So we're going to analyse each of the three meetings, think about what we learned about the characters themselves, and then you're going to use as inspiration for creating your own unknown characters.

So we have five words today we're going to focus on as our keywords.

They're identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

Now, our first key word is infer, which means to form an opinion or a guess that something is true because of the information you have.

Making inferences is an essential part of studying texts because we never know exactly what a writer's intentions are.

All we can do is form an opinion based on the evidence we have.

Our second key word is connotations, and that means a feeling or idea that's suggested by a word in addition to it's basic meaning.

So for example, you might think of the word sun.

I think that that suggests to use something light, warm, and positive.

It's essential to remember though that not everyone will have the same feelings from words.

Connotations come from our own individual experiences.

So will be slightly different for everyone.

Our third key word is character, and that means a person in a novel, play or film.

And it's absolutely key that you always keep in mind a character is not a real person.

They've been created by the writer with a specific purpose in mind.

So always try to think about what that character represents as well as their role in the story.

Our fourth key word is perceive, and that means to attain awareness or understanding of.

So when a writer is choosing specific words or techniques, they're trying to influence the way we perceive or understand a character or a moment in the text.

Our final key word is create.

And that means to cause something to exist or to make something new or imaginative.

So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video and write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So two learning cycles (indistinct).

For our first learning cycle, we're going to look at extracts from L.

Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, and consider the moment that Dorothy meets each of her companions, the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion.

We're going to examine Baum's choices and techniques in each of the extracts, to consider how Baum wants to perceive these characters.

Then for our second learning cycle, we're going to take what we discussed in the first learning cycle and use his inspiration for you to create your own unknown character, and think about how you might want the reader to perceive your character.

Would you want them to have a positive or negative impression? And consider how you might go about creating that effect through language.

So today we're going to look at Dorothy's meeting with unknown characters in L.

Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz.

Now, some of you may be familiar with the story, but just in case you're not, this is a quick plot overview.

So in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is caught up in a cyclone and taken to Oz where she learns she must travel to the Emerald City and ask the wizard to return her to Kansas.

On her way, she meets several characters, which is a scarecrow, the tin man and the lion.

Now, Oz is a place of witches and wizards and magic, and the characters that Dorothy meets are all fantastical in their own way.

So it's important to keep in mind that Dorothy comes from a world where there's no magic.

So not only is she meeting unknown characters, but she's specifically meeting characters that are very unfamiliar to her.

So the first character that Dorothy meets is the scarecrow.

Now, the scarecrow is created by the munchkins and then left alone in a field to try and scare off birds.

While Dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer painted face of the scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her.

She thought she must have been mistaken at first, for none of the scarecrows in Kansas ever wink.

But presently, the figure nodded it's head to her in a friendly way.

Now, what I'd like you to first think about is how do you think Dorothy feels when she meets the scarecrow for the first time? So pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Now, the text tells that Dorothy was surprised, but we don't have any indication she's in any way scared to meet the scarecrow.

She just seems curious to discover the scarecrow that seems to be alive in comparison to the scarecrows back in Kansas.

Now, let's consider how Baum has given us that impression.

So how does Baum indicate to us Dorothy is not scared through his use of language? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

And Dorothy's surprised is presented in a matter of fact way rather than any particular detail, which suggests a brief reaction.

We might imagine we would have a description of Dorothy's heart racing, her eyes widening, if her surprise was something that we as the reader need to take particular note of.

Therefore the briefness of her surprise, (indistinct) cannot have been too scared or taken aback.

The gesture that scarecrow makes is just nodding his head are also universally seen as friendly.

And because this is the first interaction between Dorothy and the Scarecrow, we might then understand from that that Baum wants us to see their meeting as friendly.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

How does Dorothy feel when she meets the scarecrow for the first time? Does she, A, feel terrified, B, feel excited, or C, feel surprised? So pause the video and make your selection now.

Correct answer is C, surprised.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now, each of the characters that Dorothy meets decides to go to the Emerald City with her because they want to ask the Wizard of Oz for something and they form part of the moral of the story.

Now, the scarecrow says he wants to ask Oz for something because he does not want people to think him a fool.

Now, what I'd like to think about is what do you think the Scarecrow wants to ask for? Here, we have to make an inference, so we have to make a guess based on the information we have.

So the scarecrow doesn't want people to think he's a fool.

What do you think he's asking Oz for? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

Now, we can infer or make a guess based on the information that the scarecrow wants to ask for brains, because if you don't want people to think you're a fool, you want to have some sort of intelligence.

Therefore, the scarecrow wants to ask for brains because he thinks his head is currently full of straw and he believes he doesn't know anything.

So the second character that Dorothy meets is the tin man.

Now, the tin man's backstory is it was an ordinary man who fell in love with a girl, but the girl's mother didn't want her to leave, so she asked one of the wicked witches to help solve the problem for her.

So the wicked witch in charge of the tin man's axe, so that when he tried to chop wood, the axe actually turned on him instead.

And whenever a body part was cut off, it was replaced with tin until his whole body was made of tin.

Now, unfortunately, he needed to oil his joints every day, otherwise he'd rust, and be unable to move, and one day he wasn't quick enough to oil his joints, so therefore became stuck in the wood as a statue.

And this is how Dorothy finds him.

Dorothy hears a groaning noise from trees, and when they follow the sound, Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees.

Now, what I'd like to think about is what does this meeting tell us about Dorothy's attitude towards meeting new people and things in Oz? So remember that Dorothy's been thrown into Oz by a cyclone.

She doesn't know where she is.

She's confronted by a world where magic exists.

So what does the fact she's willing to follow odd noises tell you? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

Some great ideas there.

You might have thought that Dorothy's willingness to follow strange noises to see what's making them shows that she's curious about meeting the people and things of Oz.

It's just she's not scared of Oz or the people.

Now actually, she wants to discover and find new things and new people.

Now, our first glimpse of the tin man is something shining in a ray of sunshine.

Now, what I'd like to think about is if something is shining in a ray of sunshine, then what might you infer about it? So what guess can we make about something if it's surrounded by light? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought that because light and sunshine have happy, positive connotations, so we think of sunshine, we think of warmth and happiness, we can make a guess or an inference that this discovery is not something to be scared of and actually, it's something more positive and happy.

Now, let's consider what else we learn about the tin man, and Dorothy's first meeting with him.

One of the big trees had been partly chopped through and standing beside it with an uplifted axe in his hands was a man made entirely of tin.

His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless as if he could not stir at all.

Now, what I'd like you to do is imagine you're walking through Oz and you've come across the tin man, how do you think you might feel? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great discussions there.

They might have thought that initially you might have felt a little bit intimidated.

So it's the fact his axe is raised could indicate an aggressive posture.

However, once we discover the fact he can't move, then that means he is not a threat to anybody and therefore he'd probably feel more curious and scared.

Now, once Dorothy oils the tin man, he gives a sigh of satisfaction and he lowers his axe.

Now, what does that tell us about how Baum wants the tin man to be seen by the reader? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great thoughts there.

You might have thought that this tells us that Baum does not want the tin man to be perceived in a threatening way, because his first action is to lower the weapon, which could cause unease.

So Baum wants the reader to understand that the tin man is not in any way threatening to Dorothy.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

Which one of the following statements is true of the tin man? Is it A, Dorothy finds him chopping wood, B, Dorothy finds him standing like a statue, or C, his first act is to smile and nod to Dorothy? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is B.

Dorothy finds him standing like a statue.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now let's think about the Tin Man's motivations.

So the Tin Man says he wants to go visit Oz with Dorothy because while I was in love, I was the happiest man on earth.

Now, what I'd like to think about is what can we infer from this about what the Tin Man wants to ask Oz for? So if he wants to be able to love again, what do we think he'll ask Oz for? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great thoughts there.

They might have thought that we associate love with our hearts.

So we can guess that the tin man wants to ask Oz for a heart because he believes he lost his ability to love, which turned him into a tin man and he lost his heart.

So the final companion that Dorothy meets is the lion.

Now, the lion looks and acts like a normal lion except the fact that he can talk and he has a consciousness.

So just as he spoke, there came from the forest a terrible roar.

And the next moment, a great line bounded into the road.

With one blow of his paw, he sent the scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of the road and then struck at the tin wood man with his sharp claws.

But to the lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin, although the woodman fell over in the road and lay still.

Now, what I'd like to think about is how might the use of raw and bounded make us feel initially a bit scared of the lion? What sort of impression might they give us of the lion? So pause the the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great thoughts there.

Now, a roar is a loud cry that's also onomatopoeic.

So it makes the reader hear the sound in their head.

And that emphasises the terrifying nature of the sound.

Also, the idea of bounding suggests movement and energy and that could suggest the lion's powerful and quick and therefore scary to the reader.

Now, how though does Baum quickly show the reader there's nothing to be scared of? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

They might have said that the notion of the lion making no impression on the tin, immediately suggests to us the lion is unable to do any physical harm to the companions.

Now, when talking about what he wants to ask Oz for, the lion says, I know it, returned the lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail, it is my great sorrow and makes my life very unhappy, but whenever there's danger, my heart begins to beat fast.

Now, what I'd like to think about is what emotion might make a heartbeat fast when there's danger? And what do you think the lion might want to ask for? So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

You might have thought that a quick beat of the heart either suggests excitement or fear.

But if the lion is sad and happy, it suggests the emotion is fear because lions are meant to be brave, and therefore that suggests to us that the lion wants to ask Oz for courage.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that our introduction to the lion makes us think we should be scared of him? So pause the video and make a selection now.

Correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to justify that answer.

So should we be scared of him because A, our introduction to him is his terrible roar, or B, our introduction to him is him hitting the scarecrow with his paw? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is A.

The very first thing we hear about the lion is his terrible roar.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now at the first task of the lesson.

Now we've met our three characters in our first learning cycle, what I'd like to do is imagine you've been transported to Oz and think about which character you'd most like to meet and why.

Now, you might consider Dorothy's first interactions with each of the characters.

So how do they come across to you? Did any of these seem more interesting than the others? You also might think about what each of the characters think they're missing.

Perhaps you might like to talk to the character about what they think they're missing and perhaps help them to discover it for themselves.

So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people reading back over the extracts.

Consider how Baum wants us to perceive the characters.

When you're thinking about who you'd like to meet, now, like Sam, perhaps you might have thought you'd like to meet the tin man.

Now, we have scarecrows in our real world and we have lions, though neither of whom that can speak that we know of.

So perhaps the idea of meeting someone like the tin man who's been enchanted by a witch to become something unnatural might be a really exciting prospect because he is the furthest removed from our normal situation.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now into our second learning cycle, but we're going to think about how you can create your own unknown character and consider how you want people to perceive your character.

So now that we've met some of the characters in the Wizard of Oz, you're going to create your own character.

Now, you need to decide what your character will look like, so what their features will be, what their clothes will be like, and perhaps even how they'll move around.

What your character feels as if they're missing.

So remember the scarecrow thought he needed brains, the tin man thought he needed a heart and the lion thought he needed courage.

What might your character feel as if they're missing that they'd want to ask the Wizard of Oz to grant them? You also want to think about how are the readers going to perceive your character when they first meet them.

So do you want the reader to have a positive or negative first impression of your character? Then you might want to think about how you're gonna make the reader perceive your character in this way.

So remember the way that Baum means body language and light imagery, for example, to influence the way we perceive the scarecrow and the tin man.

How might you do something similar with your character? So let's start thinking about creating a character.

What I'd like to do is draw this outline into your books.

Then I'd like you to create a mind map around it to show what physical features your character will have, and then write inside the outline what your character would be missing.

So pause the video and create your mind map now.

Now, I've taken the idea of a flower pot as my inspiration.

I thought about what a flower pot would look like if they were humanoid.

So we might imagine that if a flower pot on their head with soil and a flower inside, that their clothes would be brown and green to represent nature and growth, and they would have tendrils of plants trailing after them.

I also thought that in terms of what they're missing, they're probably missing their purpose, because a flower pot exists for a flower to grow inside of it, and the flower is what gets all of the attention.

So perhaps the pot itself might feel a bit neglected and a bit less important.

Now you need to think about how the reader is going to perceive your character.

So I'd like you to add a note to your mind map, with the emotion you want to create.

Now, in order to create that emotion, you need to think about your vocabulary choices, your imagery and your language.

So for example, if I wanted people to feel sorry for my flower pot man, I would use words that create sympathetic emotional reaction.

So pause the video and add a note to your mind map about the emotion you want to create.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Now let's have a look at how you might use certain words to create that emotional effect on the reader.

So what effect does the following sentence have on the reader? Her eyes widened and she recoiled.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

They might have thought that the widening of the eyes suggests surprise and the word recoiled suggests a sense of fear, horror or disgust, because when you recoil from someone, you visibly move away from them and you back away.

Now, we might change the word recoiled for smiled.

What I'd like to think about now is what effect does that have on the reader, the fact that we've substituted recoiled for smiled? So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

They might have thought that the widening of the eyes still suggests surprise, but now the addition of smiled rather than recoiled implies a positive and warm feeling towards whoever they've seen.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

So which one of the following words suggests a positive reaction? Is it A, flinched, B, grimaced or C, beamed? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is beamed because that's a type of smile.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now at the final task of the lesson, but we're gonna bring everything from this lesson together.

So what I'd like you to do is imagine that Dorothy is meeting your creative character in Oz, and I'd like you to write a description of that meeting.

Now, when you're writing a description, remember to emphasise that your character is unknown and therefore there's likely to be an element of surprise.

To use your language to show whether Dorothy's reaction to your character is positive or negative, to describe your character so that the reader can understand what they look like and to think about how you can show the reader what your character feels as if they're missing.

Now, before you get started, let's just talk through some sentence starters you might use because there's nothing worse than staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration to come.

Now remember, we're imagining that Dorothy's meeting our created character in Oz, and we're writing a description of that meeting.

So sentence starters might be my pulse quickened as I drew back the ivory tendrils to find.

Now, the idea of your pulse quickening, it's just some sort of heightened emotion, because remember, this is an unknown character, so we'd like to have a surprised reaction.

Or you might say my eyes were immediately drawn to.

Now, this gives you an opportunity to point out some of the physical characteristics of your character as well as to create that positive or negative impression based on what you draw the reader's eye to.

If we take the line, for example, if we draw the reader's attention to their fluffy mane rather than their claws, then we're going to get a different reaction.

Or you might think about using light imagery.

So you might say the glistening slash dim ray of sunlight revealed.

Now, you can use the light imagery to affect the reader's perception.

So if you say glistening, that's just the sunlight is almost sparkling and that creates a positive impression.

If you say sunlight is dim, that suggests there's not a lot of warmth or positivity, and therefore that creates a negative impression.

Finally, you might say, he or she looked at me and.

Now, you might consider the body language of your character and how that might influence the reader's perception.

Will they nod at Dorothy for example, like the scarecrow did? So pause the video and write your description of Dorothy meeting your character now.

Welcome back, everyone.

So amazing to do so many different inspiration ideas.

Now, what I'd like to do is pass your description to somebody else and then peer assess that description of Dorothy's meeting with your character.

Now, peer assessing is such a useful tool for feedback because it allows you to get an instant reaction to your creation and think about whether you're writing creates the effect you wanted in the reader.

Now, when you're peer assessing, you want to consider, can you visualise what the character looks like? Can you tell if Dorothy's reaction's positive or negative? Have they used language to influence the reader's perception of their character? And could you understand what the character felt as if they were missing? So pause the video and peer assess the work now.

Fantastic.

So amazing to see people trying to use the descriptions to draw the character to really see if they could properly visualise it.

You all did amazingly well today.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Dorothy meets three companions on her way to Oz, the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion.

Baum uses language to show the reader that Dorothy is not frightened by meeting any of these characters.

And when creating your own unknown character, you need to consider how your language will make the reader perceive them.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

Goodbye.