Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Watson and I'm delighted that you have decided to join me today for another lesson about that fantastic novel, "The Twisted Tree." Today you are going to be learning about how to express your ideas about the novel.

You're going to need your own copy.

It needs to be the 2019 edition as published by Hot Key Books.

So, when you have your copy of the novel and when you're ready, we'll make a start.

So, by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to express your ideas about "The Twisted Tree" with well structured writing.

As ever, we will begin with the keywords.

There are five keywords today, all really useful to unlock your learning.

So, the first one is thesis, and that is an idea that you develop and maintain throughout an essay.

And evaluation.

This is when you make a judgement or comment about something.

The conclusion is the final idea that you leave with the reader at the end of your essay.

Something that is specific is clearly defined or identified.

And a writer's intentions, that phrase refers to what a writer wants to achieve or what they want to explore in their work.

Now, if you would like a little bit more time to familiarise yourself with the keywords, please do that now.

Pause the video and then rejoin the lesson when you're ready.

There are going to be two learning cycles in today's lesson.

We're gonna start by understanding the purpose of a conclusion and then we are gonna move on and you are going to be expressing your ideas.

So, let's start with a bit of a discussion.

In English, we want to be able to express our ideas.

Now, what can help us express our ideas effectively? Pause the video and come up with some ideas in discussion.

Or if you are working by yourself, pause the video and make a few notes.

What an interesting discussion that was, and you had so many ideas.

Let me share some ideas with you.

The way we structure our ideas can make them effective.

And when writing, this can mean our writing follows a structure of introduction with thesis statement, the main body with topic sentences to support our ideas, and a conclusion, which sums up our overall ideas.

And we are going to be focusing on developing effective conclusions.

Quick discussion.

What does the word conclusion mean to you? Pause the video and have that discussion or pause the video and make a few notes.

Well done for that discussion.

And isn't it interesting when you really dive into a word and think about all the things that it could mean? I'd like to share with you what the word conclusion means in the study of English literature.

In English literature responses, the word conclusion has a specific meaning and purpose.

A conclusion reminds readers what you have said and it focuses on the writer's intentions for their work.

And conclusions are good for the reader of your response because it reminds them of your overall thesis.

But conclusions are also good for you, the writer of the response, because it allows you to sum up your ideas and to really showcase your evaluative skills.

So, conclusions are excellent for both reader and writer.

And a conclusion moves from the specific to the general.

Let's look at this in more detail using this diagram to help us.

So, the specific, that will be your specific response to the thesis, your overall ideas and argument about the text.

And then in the middle, there will be an evaluative comment about the writer's intention, what they were aiming to achieve and how well they achieved it.

And then you end with a general comment about the text's importance.

Let's look at that structure in an example.

So, I'm going to share with you an example which concludes an answer to the question, how does Burge create a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere in "The Twisted Tree"? So, I'm gonna read the paragraph to you and I would like you to follow along, and we are going to unpick the paragraph as we go along.

So, ultimately, Burge's use of Norse mythology adds to the mystery and fear in "The Twisted Tree." You can see there, there is the specific response to the thesis, which is that is the Norse mythology, that it is Burge's use of Norse mythology that creates that mysterious and terrifying atmosphere.

And then we have the evaluative comment, "She uses these ancient myths to make the story more intriguing and chilling." And, "This mix of old legends and modern storytelling makes the book exciting and important for readers today," and that is a more general comment about why the text is important, why we the reader really would enjoy and have enjoyed this text today.

So, new question.

How does Burge present Martha as a heroic character? And here is Alex's first draught of his conclusion: "Ultimately, all these reasons mean my argument about Martha is correct.

I especially think the ending where she hurls the axe at the draugr makes her seem heroic.

I think this ending makes the story important." And now I'm going to share with you the feedback he was given.

So, in response to this, the first sentence, this statement is too general.

What did he actually argue? What is his argument? And this second sentence, "I especially think the ending where she hurls the axe at the draugr makes her seem heroic," conclusions don't need quotations.

Instead, the evaluation should be developed here.

And the last one, the last sentence, "I think this ending makes a story important," it's too general.

What is it about this ending that makes the story important to its readers? So, really useful feedback, and Alex is gonna have another go at writing his conclusion.

So, here's the second draught.

I'm gonna read it to you.

Please follow along and then discuss how has Alex responded to the feedback? "Ultimately, Burge shows Martha's heroism through her selfless acts and bravery in 'The Twisted Tree.

' Burge presents Martha as a character who protects others and faces the story's evil elements with bravery.

Her actions make the story inspiring and show the importance of standing up for what's right, a universal message that will resonate with audiences everywhere." So, pause the video and have a discussion about how has Alex responded to his feedback.

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

Off you go.

So, welcome back.

So, you might have said this, that in that first sentence, there are specific reference to the thesis, which is that Burge shows her heroism through her selfless acts and her bravery.

And that in the second sentence, this is a properly evaluative comment about Burge's intentions, and that it finishes with a general statement about why the story is important, that there is a universal message there about the importance of standing up for what's right.

So, a much, much better second draught.

Let's move on.

Now we are going to have a check for understanding.

Here's the diagram, and I would like you to identify what A, B, and C are.

Have a think and then I will share the correct answer with you.

Okay.

So, A is specific reference to the thesis, B is the evaluative comment on writer's intentions, and C is the general comment on why the text is still important.

Well done.

Let's move on.

Now Izzy is going to answer the question, how does Burge create a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere in "The Twisted Tree"? And this is her original thesis, that "Burge uses Norse mythology to add depth and intrigue to the story, weaving ancient myths into the narrative to heighten the sense of unease." So, you need to imagine that she has written the essay and you are writing the conclusion and it needs to follow these steps.

Number one, the specific response to the thesis, two, evaluative comment about Burge's intentions, and three, the general statement about why the story is important.

Pause the video while you do that and off you go.

Happy writing.

Welcome back, and it's a big thumbs up from me for your focus in that task.

Now I would like you to self assess the conclusion you wrote and identify where it meets each of the following criteria: the specific response to the thesis, the evaluative comment about Burge's intentions, and the general statement about why the story is important.

Pause the video while you self-assess your conclusion and then return to me for the second half of the lesson.

We've made brilliant progress today.

You have understood the purpose of a conclusion and you have practised writing a conclusion.

And now we are gonna move on and think about how you express your ideas in an essay.

So, you're going to write up your ideas in response to the question, how does Burge create a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere in "The Twisted Tree"? We've had so many wonderful discussions about this topic.

I know that you have lots of ideas and lots to say.

And before we start writing, I want you to think about this.

What are the keywords in the question that will guide you in your answer? Pause the video and discuss that question or just pause the video and make a few notes if you're by yourself.

Welcome back.

So, did you say how? Which means methods.

How does Burge do this? What tools does she use to do this? And mysterious and terrifying atmosphere, this is the effect that is created.

Well done.

Let's move on.

Now that we have focused on how to express our ideas, we could structure them like this, that in the introduction, we use the three-part structure and move from the general to the specific, including our thesis statement here.

And then our first point and second point, they should include topic sentences and supporting detail with methods identified and analysed and each paragraph should have a closing sentence.

And then the conclusion using that three-part structure, this time moving from the specific to the general.

And you would summarise your main argument and leave an impactful closing statement.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is missing from this structure? What should be where the question mark is? That's right.

Conclusion.

Let's move on.

Now, Izzy asks for a quick reminder of what an effective introduction looks like.

Brilliant question, Izzy.

Always remember to ask questions.

If you're not sure about something, ask questions.

So, an effective introduction.

An effective introduction moves from the general to the specific.

It begins with a sentence about the whole text, that is the general, and then there is a sentence that focuses on the theme or character, and then there is the thesis statement, which is specific.

Let's have an example.

"The Twisted Tree" by Rachel Burge is a suspenseful novel that creates a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere.

There is your general sentence about "The Twisted Tree" and what Rachel Burge has written.

And we're starting to focus in.

In particular, the atmosphere becomes increasingly mysterious as the story progresses.

And now we have our specific thesis statement.

Burge uses Norse mythology to add depth and intrigue to the story, weaving ancient myths into the narrative to heighten the sense of unease.

Let's see what you remember.

Can you identify the sections of the three-part structure of the introduction? What should go in those sections? Have a think.

Did you say this, that A, that is a sentence about the whole text, B, that is a sentence about the given theme or character, or C, the thesis statement? Well done if you got those right.

Let's move on.

It's over to you now.

Time for you to write up your ideas in response to this question.

There's the question that we've been working with.

Remind yourself of what it is and gather up all your notes and ideas and get ready.

I'm gonna give you some sentence starters to help you.

That in the introduction, you might use sentence starters like this: through the presentation of and throughout the novel, Burge.

And in the middle of the essay, the main body paragraphs, you could use these sentence starters.

Burge has done this to reveal, emphasise, suggest.

Those three verbs are really useful for writing about what the writer has intended to achieve, the effect they wanted to achieve.

And you could use more specifically when you really want to zoom in and hone in on an aspect of the text.

And then when you come to the conclusion, ultimately, thus, in conclusion, they are all fine ways to end your essay.

And when you are writing the evaluative part of the conclusion, Burge effectively, and then explain what it is that you think Burge does so effectively.

So, I think you're ready to go now.

So, when you're ready, pause the video and start writing your response.

Off you go.

Welcome back.

Really, really good focus.

I'm so impressed.

Now what I would like you to do is to use this checklist to create a what went well, WWW, and even better if, EBI, for your work.

So, you are looking to see if you have done the following.

I have included an effective introduction and conclusion.

My introduction includes a thesis which presents the overarching argument of my essay.

I have topic sentences that start each of my paragraphs.

I have analysed the writer's methods, focusing specifically on what Burge has done throughout the novel.

I have included main and supporting quotations.

My essay is logically sequenced.

So, pause the video while you use the checklist to self-assess your work and then please return to me for the end of the lesson.

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

You have been learning that your writing should be structured in a clear and logical way with the reader in mind and that effective writing will include an introduction, main body, and conclusion, and that conclusions can follow a three-part structure moving from the specific to the general, and our writing should consider the choices a writer makes and evaluate their intention.

Once again, thank you for coming to today's lesson.

It has been a pleasure to teach you today.

I wish you a fantastic rest of the day and I look forward to seeing you again in another lesson.

Bye for now.