Hello, and thank you for joining me.

Mrs. Butterworth for our English lesson today.

And I hope you are ready for some "Twisted Tree" action because that's exactly what we'll be looking at in today's lesson.

So you need to make sure you have access to a copy of that text 'cause we will be reading from that in the first part of today's lesson.

We will then move on to start exploring some of the key themes in "The Twisted Tree".

So let's get started.

So in this lesson you will continue to understand and recall the plot as well as exploring some of the key themes in "The Twisted Tree".

Now, before we delve into the lesson, let's look at some important keywords.

Now these words will appear in your reading today and also in the lesson.

So see if you can spot them throughout.

So these keywords are fleeting, foreboding, ancestry, omen, and theme.

Now fleeting means to pass quickly.

So you might describe something like, the moment was fleeting, which means the moment was very pass quickly.

We also get this word foreboding, which is a very important word when we're considering "The Twisted Tree" because it is a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

And I think we can probably all agree that "The Twisted Tree" has a foreboding atmosphere.

We get the word ancestry as well.

And ancestry refers to a person's family history or lineage.

And this is quite important in "Twisted Tree" because Martha has a very significant.

Martha's ancestry has a very significant part to play in the plot of "The Twisted Tree".

Omen is another key word.

So this is a sign or event that is believed to predict or indicate a future occurrence.

So an omen, yeah, predicts something.

And then also theme.

So a theme is an important idea or thread in a text that is explored in a number of different ways.

And in the second part of today's lesson, we will be exploring themes in "The Twisted Tree".

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by reading pages 85 to a hundred, and then we're going to move on to think about how to explore a theme.

So before we read our pages of the book, I just want us to think about ravens.

Now, ravens have significance in both literature and society and in culture.

And I want us to think about what meaning do ravens have and what might they symbolise.

So just spend a few moments discussing or thinking to yourself, what meanings do ravens have and what might they symbolise.

So pause the video, so you've got time to answer those questions.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

Let's just feed back some ideas that you may have thought of.

So you may have discussed the following, the supernatural and mystery.

So very often ravens are linked to the idea of supernatural things that are mysterious.

Linked to death and the afterlife.

You know that we very often kind of think of ravens as having this kind of deathly link.

Solitude and isolation.

And another one is they were messengers of the gods in Norse mythology.

So this may be one that is not familiar to you, but they were seen as messengers for the gods in Norse mythology.

They also are seen as omens and prophecies either of bad luck or death.

So they can have this kind of superstitious connotation linked to them that they can be unlucky or they might suggest that something bad is going to happen.

And they have this dark appearance and foreboding presence.

So we very often see ravens in literature linking to all of these kind of dark, foreboding and ominous ideas.

Now, ravens have already been used in "The Twisted Tree" to help create the foreboding and ominous setting.

So when Martha arrives in Norway to the island, the writer describes the ravens cawing which again adds to this sense of spookiness and adds to this sense of foreboding.

And they also appear in today's reading.

So true or false time, ravens appear in Norse mythology.

Is that true or false? Yes, that's right.

Well done to everyone who said true.

But you now need to justify your answer by picking A or B.

Well done to everyone that said A, they were seen as messengers of the gods in Norse mythology.

Okay, so we thought a little bit about the symbolism of ravens and its connection to Norse mythology.

Such a tongue twister, Norse mythology.

So now we are going to do our reading.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to find page 85 in "The Twisted Tree".

And then you need to read from page 85 to the end of page 100.

When you have finished, I would like you to discuss the following questions about the plot.

Now number one is what do we learn about Stig's past? Number two, what surprises Martha about the books? Number three, why is the doll so unsettling for Martha? Number four, what do we learn about Martha's mother? And then finally, what do you think the ravens signify in these chapters? Okay, so when you are ready and you found the page, complete your reading and then complete the discussion tasks and then we can feed back some suggestions in a moment.

So pause the video and off you go.

So I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I did.

All of that are awesome, supernatural and creepy things happening, aren't there? The books just moving on their own, the doll seeming to jerk and move around with the missing eye.

There is so much happening in that isolated cabin.

I just want to find out what happens next.

Okay, so after that spooky and scary reading, let's just feed back some of those answers to the discussion questions.

So these are just suggestions.

There are ways that you could have answered the questions.

You may have something slightly different, you may have something better, but that's fine.

We can just look at these to compare.

So that first question is what do we learn about Stig's passed? So we learn that his dad died in a car crash.

And what surprises Martha about the books? Well, they move on their own almost signalling that they want to be read.

They're almost communicating with her.

It introduces an element of the supernatural.

I guess it introduces another element of the supernatural 'cause there seems to be so many already, doesn't there? Why is the doll so unsettling for Martha but also so unsettling for us as a reader? Well, it's described as seeming to jerk like it's moving on its own.

And perhaps even more unsettling is the fact that it looks like Martha, the left eye has been unpicked and is missing.

So this doll not only is moving on its own, but also strangely looks like Martha.

So again, adding to this theme of the supernatural and other worldly happenings.

And what do we learn about Martha's mother? So we learn that she was medicated for having hallucinations and Martha describes how she would scream and cover her canvases in black paint.

However, knowing what we know about the family, this could perhaps hint at something more sinister or supernatural.

I think by now, we can all agree that we can't take anything at face value in "The Twisted Tree", especially with Martha's family.

There seems to be something underneath it, something sinister or supernatural.

And then what do you think the ravens signify in these chapters? Now the ravens become even more important as the plot progresses.

But on page 98, they are linked to the image of someone hanging and skulls.

So they're symbolising the death and the afterlife.

So they're linking to that theme there.

On page 99, the raven has an ominous presence and seems to be trying to communicate with Martha perhaps as a messenger, which we know they are linked to in Norse mythology.

Okay, so we have completed our reading of "The Twisted Tree" and now we're going to consider themes and how to explore them.

So keep up that fantastic work and we'll keep going.

So a theme is an important idea in a text.

So this important idea will be explored in lots of different ways throughout a text.

So as students of English, our first tasks are to work out what themes are important to a text and when these themes are explored, okay? So what the themes are and when these themes are explored.

Now Sam is considering "The Twisted Tree" and Sam says, "I think an important theme is fate and destiny." Then Sam practises exploring this theme.

So we have two questions there.

What theme is important and how and when is this theme explored? So Sam practises by doing this.

What theme is important? Fate and destiny, specifically the idea that we are predestined to take a specific path.

And then how and when is this theme explored? Well, it's explored through the characters of Martha and the role she needs to continue as part of her ancestry.

So Martha is very much linked to this idea of fate and destiny.

It is her destiny because of her ancestry to take on this role to water the tree.

And the other place where the theme of fate and destiny is explored is in the island's name, Skjebne translates to ideas of fate, destiny, and dooms. There's two very specific ways where this theme can be seen and is explored.

So Laura agrees and she says, "I think an important theme is fate and destiny too." However, Laura looks at a different idea.

So let's see.

So Laura has put here what theme is important.

So she says fate and destiny, more specifically, how it compels people to act.

So how it encourages people to act in a certain way.

So I'd like you to discuss now, how and when is this theme explored? So you may come up with more than one example.

So think to the text, how and when is this theme explored? Okay, so pause the video so you've got time to answer that question.

You may wish to sit quietly and think to yourself or even jot down a few ideas.

But pause the video and identify how and when the theme is explored.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

Lots of suggestions coming out there.

Let's just feed back some suggestions.

So the moment that Laura chose is this, how Mormor has continued to water the tree as part of her ancestry and sees it as her destiny.

So this idea that Mormor is choosing to water the tree, that she continues to act in this way because she feels it is her fate and her destiny.

So we've gone back to Sam because Sam also believes that the supernatural is an important theme.

So again, Sam practises exploring this theme.

So what theme is important? The supernatural.

So thinking about the other examples we have looked at, I'd like you to discuss now, how and when is this theme explored? So how and when is the theme of the supernatural explored? You may have more than one example.

So pause the video, so you've got time to discuss that question.

Off you go.

Again, lots of fantastic suggestions coming from specific parts of the text.

So let's just feed back what Sam has put.

So the moment Sam chose was Martha's powers.

Yes, which enabled her to tell things about people through touching their clothes.

So we can definitely see that theme of the supernatural happening there.

So Laura agrees that the supernatural is an important thing, but again, Laura explores it in a slightly different way.

So again, what theme is important? Laura agrees is supernatural, but she suggests specifically the presence of the twisted tree.

So again, I'd like you to discuss, please, how and when is this theme of the supernatural explored in the presence of the twisted tree? So pause the video to discuss those examples.

Off you go.

Okay, thank you everyone.

Let's see what Laura puts into her grid.

So the moment Laura chose is the continued foreboding description of the tree.

It's heart pulsating, and the hollow perhaps suggests it has powers.

So you can see here, Laura has actually picked out significant moments, specific moments using words, so the heart and the hollow to emphasise the description of the tree and how this links to the theme of the supernatural.

So question time, what is a theme? So you need to pick A, B, C, or D to answer the question, what is a theme? Okay, let's share the answer.

And the answer is C, the most important ideas in a text.

So I like to think of them as like the big ideas, the big linking ideas in a text.

And another question.

Which of the following are important themes to "The Twisted Tree"? A, B, C, D? So which of the following are important themes to "The Twisted Tree"? Select your answers.

So hopefully you all notice that actually, there were two answers there.

It's C and D.

The supernatural and fate and destiny are important themes in "The Twisted Tree".

Okay, so we're onto our second practise task.

So Sam and Laura also want to explore the themes of good versus evil and being an outsider.

So there's another two important themes there.

What I would like you to do is I would like you to complete each table to show how this theme is explored.

So exactly like we've done in our discussion tasks with our other tables, you need to just look at those themes and then decide how and when this theme is explored and pop your examples into the grid.

Okay? Great.

Make sure you've got everything you need to complete this task.

Pause the video, and I very much look forward to seeing what you have come up with.

Off you go.

Okay, some really great examples being put forward there.

And it's great to see you all started to understand those big themes in this text 'cause they really are interesting to consider and consider how the writer really explores them in the text.

So let's look at one of Sam's ideas.

So the theme, good versus evil is what Sam is exploring.

And in good versus evil, how and when is this theme explored? Sam has put down the protagonist, Martha, represents good with her kindness and bravery, while the twist twisted tree might represent evil with its foreboding and looming presence.

So I'd like you to look at your own answers now and discuss.

Did you pick a similar idea or a different moment in the text? Pause the video just to consider your own work and complete this reflection task.

Off you go.

Now let's look at one of Laura's ideas.

So Laura is focusing on the theme of being an outsider.

And the moment that Laura picked was this, Martha feels like an outsider due to her physical scar and the resulting changes in her life, which separate her from others and her former sense of self.

So really lovely exploration of that theme there from Laura.

Okay, so what I would like you to do, please, is the same again, to discuss, look at your own work.

Did you pick a similar idea or a different moment in the text? Again, pause the video so you can compare your own response to Laura's and what similarities and differences you can find.

Off you go.

And that is the end of the lesson.

We have reached the final part, so very well done everyone, and thank you for your hard work.

Let's just remind ourselves of everything we have learned and looked at this lesson.

So the books in Martha's room move on their own, introducing an element of the supernatural.

Ravens help to create an ominous atmosphere in the novel.

Key themes in the novel include the supernatural, good versus evil, fate and being an outsider.

A theme is an important idea in a text that is explored in a number of different ways.

And as students of English, the first step is to work out what are a text's most important themes.

So knowing about themes, how to identify them and how to explore them is a really important part of being an English student.

Well, on that note, I think it is time to say goodbye and I really hope to do this all again soon in another lesson.

So I hope to see you then.

Thank you very much again, and I'll see you soon.

Goodbye.