Hello, and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Watson, and I'm delighted that you've decided to join me today for another exciting read of "The Twisted Tree" by Rachel Burge.

We are going to be learning what happened to Yrsa and Olav.

You need a copy of the book and it would be really helpful if it was the 2019 edition, it's published by Hotkey Books.

Having that edition will make it so much easier when it comes to page references.

So when you've got your book and you are ready, we'll get started.

So the outcome of today's lesson is that you will understand the plot, and you will be able to explain how tension builds to a climatic moment.

A climatic moment in a story is the moment of maximum tension and drama.

Let's look at the key words for today's lesson.

The words that are going to help you unlock your learning, they are sombre, that is deep seriousness or sadness.

If something is sombre, it is full of sadness.

Skeletal means like a skeleton.

Anguish, that is the extreme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering.

When something is shrouded, it is covered with a cloth after a person has died, you know when they're being prepared for burial.

And an entity is a thing or existence, a being.

Now, if you would like a little bit of time to familiarise yourself with the key words, now's the time to pause the video, and just return to the lesson when you are ready.

Now, there are two learning cycles in today's lesson.

We're going to start by reading pages 114 to 133.

And then we're gonna go on and look at how a writer, Rachel Burge, uses tension.

So this is an interesting grid that I want you to look at, and we're going to really focus in on the word macabre.

Now, "The Twisted Tree" could be described as macabre.

Here's a bit of information about that word.

It comes from an old French phrase, danse macabre, meaning the dance of death.

So given what I've just told you, what do you think the word macabre might be? What might it mean? You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

If you are working by yourself, you can pause the video and just make a few notes.

Well done.

It's so interesting, isn't it, when we focus in on keywords.

Now this is the definition, it's an adjective, and it means disturbing, because it's concerned with death.

Macabre is to do with death.

Now, I would like you to discuss further.

I would like you to use this grid and to think about some synonyms that we could put in, and then to think about some antonyms. Antonyms are the opposite, synonyms are similar.

And then I want you to say something about the novel, "The Twisted Tree", using the word macabre in a sentence.

Pause the video while you have that discussion, or pause the video while you make some notes.

Off you go.

Well done, and welcome back.

That was so good to hear you thinking of so many different words.

So here are some suggestions as to how the grid could have been completed.

I might put that gruesome, morbid, and grotesque are synonyms for macabre, and antonyms, the opposites, delightful, pleasant, and charming.

And I could use the word in a sentence like this.

"The Twisted Tree" has a macabre presence.

You may have different words, both the synonyms and antonyms. You may very well have used the word in a sentence differently.

But I wanted you to practise seeing the word and thinking about the word, and using the word.

What moments, or things, have been macabre up to now in "The Twisted Tree"? Again, pause the video while you think about that, or while you make some notes on that.

Off you go.

So welcome back and I'm sure you had lots to say about that, because almost everything about "The Twisted Tree" is macabre.

Let's move on.

We're going to have a check for understanding.

Which one of these is not a synonym for the word macabre? Is it A, gruesome, B, grotesque, or C, charming? Have a think, make your choice.

Did you say charming? That's right.

Something that is charming is delightful and people love it.

So let's move on and think some more about this macabre novel.

Now, I would like you to read "The Twisted Tree" from page 114 to the end of page 133.

And as you read, I would like you to just think about, and discuss the following questions.

Number one, what do you think killed Olav and Yrsa? Two, what do you think Martha and Stig will do next? And number three, these chapters could be described as macabre.

Do you agree with that statement? Do you think these chapters are macabre? To what extent do you agree with that statement? You're going to need to pause the video while you read the chapter, so off you go.

Okay, I'm gonna share with you Izzy's response to question one, what do you think killed Olav and Yrsa? She said that the deaths were mysterious and chilling, and she thinks it might have been the dangerous and malevolent spirits that seem to haunt the twisted tree.

Their deaths are a part of the eerie and dark atmosphere of the story, highlighting the danger and fear surrounding the twisted tree and its supernatural influence.

So Izzy definitely agrees that this is a very macabre novel.

Do you agree or disagree with Izzy's answer? Have a think.

Share your ideas with each other.

You might want to challenge aspects of what she says, or you might agree wholeheartedly.

Either's fine.

You just need to make sure that you are referring to the novel, and that you are clear in what you say and that you are listening to each other respectfully.

So when you've thought about that and discuss that, we can move on.

So well done for the reading that we've done.

And now we are going to look and explain a writer's use of tension.

Now, tension is that feeling of suspense and excitement that keeps readers interested and eager to know what will happen next.

And it's a sense that something important or dangerous is about to happen, and it creates a sense of anticipation.

And many readers love that feeling.

They love being on the edge of their seats, wondering what's gonna happen next, not able to put the book down.

And I want you to have a bit of a discussion about where in the novel, so far, have you experienced that feeling of tension, that suspense and excitement.

Pause the video while you have that discussion or while you make some notes.

Off you go.

Wow, welcome back.

You had so many ideas there that I think I could honestly say that like me, you are finding this novel really filled with tension and excitement and suspense.

Now we're gonna look at the how of tension, how the writer creates tension.

And there are many ways that writers can create tension.

And I'd like you to discuss what methods you think Burge has used so far to create tension in "The Twisted Tree".

Pause the video and have a discussion, or pause the video and make some notes.

Off you go.

Okay, what a lot of brilliant ideas you came up with.

You may have considered these, through the use of conflict.

There is this conflict between Martha's different family members, and that creates tension.

And there are also moments of conflict between Martha and Stig.

And there's a great sense of uncertainty in the novel, unknown and supernatural forces are connected to the tree.

And there are many, many secrets in the story.

Even Martha is unsure about her family's past and how it all connects together.

And there's a real sense of time pressure.

There is an urgency to water the tree, as it gains more power and control.

And the setting, the setting is wonderfully tense.

The bleak landscape adds to this sense of foreboding.

The weather is ominous, and that creates challenges for the characters.

And there is danger everywhere.

There is a threat of evil.

And the deaths of Olav and Yrsa have a supernatural physical threat and element to them, and they are isolated, and that makes the characters vulnerable.

And Burge makes great use of cliffhangers.

Lots of her chapters end with sudden revelations or unanswered questions or new threats.

And they're also emotional cliffhangers, in the form of arguments or betrayals.

So well done if you found some of those methods, or all of those methods or you had other methods, 'cause Burge is actually brilliant at creating tension.

So let's move on.

We're going to have a check for understanding.

True or false that Berger uses cliffhangers at the end of chapters in "The Twisted Tree".

Is that true or false? Have a think, make your choice.

It's true.

But you need to justify your answer.

Why is it true? Is it true because of A, in the form of a foreboding setting and challenging weather conditions, or B, in the form of sudden revelations and the introduction of new threats? Have a think, make your choice.

It's in the form of sudden revelations and the introduction of new threats.

Very well done.

Let's move on.

So let's consider chapter 14.

It can be found on page 125 to 133.

And I want you to consider that chapter in the light of this question.

How does Burge create tension and build towards a climatic ending, a really moment of high drama at the end? Now, one way to approach this question would be to consider the beginning, middle, and end of the chapter.

So I'd like you, in a discussion and partly reading, to look back through the chapter, look at the beginning, middle, and end, and discuss these questions.

What does the chapter begin with, and how does this create a sense of urgency? And how is the setting used in the middle of the chapter to build tension? And what technique does Burge use at the end of the chapter to create a climatic ending? Pause the video where you have your discussion, or pause the video where you make some notes.

Off you go.

Well done.

It was great to see you really leaning in and thinking about the writer's methods.

So what does the chapter begin with, and how does it create a sense of urgency? Well, it starts with panicked dialogue from Martha, and it contains a revelation and a warning from her mom, which really, really adds this sense of urgency.

And in the middle, how is the setting used to build tension? Well, the chapter develops as they move through the dark forest, and the fading light adds a time pressure for Martha and Stig.

They need to get to safety before it gets dark.

And what techniques does Burge use at the end of the chapter to create a climatic ending? The chapter ends climatically with a cliffhanger.

They hear a howl and Stig shouts, "Run!" I was on the edge of my seat.

I don't know about you, but I was on the edge of my seat.

Fantastic writing there.

Let's move on.

Now I'd like to talk to you about time conjunctions, and to show you how they can be a really effective way to explain how a writer creates tension.

Now look in this grid.

So if you wanted to write about the beginning of the chapter, you might use the time conjunctions first or initially, and then if you wanted to talk about a shift in the chapter, some kind of change that's happened, you might use time conjunction suddenly, immediately, or eventually.

And when you are moving into the middle of the chapter, you might use simple time conjunctions like next, after, and then.

And when you want to talk about the end of the chapter, you can use the time conjunction, finally.

Now discuss.

I want you to consider your findings in your discussion of chapter 14, what you found out about tension, and what the writer did to create tension.

And can you use time conjunctions when you are talking? So pause the video, have that discussion, or just make a few notes using time conjunctions.

Off you go.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following sentences uses a time conjunction? Is it A, Burge creates tension with the ominous presence of the twisted tree, is it B, finally, the chapter ends on a climactic cliffhanger, or is it C, the writer develops tension through the discovery of the murdered bodies.

Have a think, make your choice.

Did you say B? Because that's right.

The time conjunction is finally.

Let's move on.

Now, this time I would like you to choose another chapter from "The Twisted Tree".

And to answer the question, "How does Burge create tension and build towards a climactic ending?" And I would like you to include references to specific methods, conflict, danger, cliffhangers, uncertainty, setting, and time pressure.

And here's a reminder of the time conjunctions for structuring your answers.

So when you are ready, pause the video, gather all the resources that you have collected throughout this lesson, make sure you use these time conjunctions, and off you go.

Well done for such great focus.

And before we end the lesson, I would like you to self-assess your work.

There's a very short checklist here, and I would like you to use it.

Have you answered the question? Have you identified specific methods? And have you used time conjunctions to structure your answer? Just pause the video while you go over your work, and you still have time to add in anything that you may have left out.

Pause the video, self-assess your work, and then join me for the end of the lesson.

So before we say goodbye, I would like to summarise what you have been learning today.

You've been learning how Martha tells Stig about her supernatural abilities, and how Martha's mother tells them to leave the cabin immediately, making the reader feel really apprehensive for Martha and Stig.

You've learned that tension increases as they discover the murdered bodies of Yrsa and Olav, and hear another howl.

And that tension is the feeling of suspense and excitement that keeps readers interested.

And you've also learned that time conjunctions can be used to explain a writer's development of tension.

You've worked fantastically hard today.

It has been a pleasure to teach you.

I wish you a really good rest of the day, and I look forward to seeing you in another lesson on "The Twisted Tree".

Bye for now.