Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young, and it is lovely to see you again on another lesson in this twisted tree sequence.

So today's lesson, we are going to be focusing on a very important and very interesting skill in English, and that is inference.

So super excited to be teaching you on this journey today.

So as always, with our twisted tree lessons, you will need a copy of the text itself, and we will be using the 2019 Hot Key Books version for this lesson.

So shall we get started? So today's lesson has a very clear learning outcome.

So let's take a look at what it is.

So by the end of today's lesson, everybody should be able to use their knowledge of the Gothic to make impressive inferences about the tree.

And just as in any lesson, we have some very important words, which are our keywords.

So I do always encourage you just to pause the video, jot these down and their definitions, particularly if they're new to you, 'cause we're gonna be using them quite a bit.

Let's take a look at what they are.

So an inference is a conclusion you reach by applying logic to the evidence you are given.

And we're gonna practise our inferences today.

Connotation.

A feeling or idea that a word makes you think about, in addition to its basic meaning.

The Gothic.

A style of writing that involves dark, mysterious, and supernatural themes.

So we'd certainly say "The Twisted Tree" fits within the Gothic genre.

And finally, macabre related to death and things that are creepy or horrifying.

So really excited for today's lesson.

We have two very clear learning cycles.

So our first one is going to be all about impressive inferences.

So we're gonna revise what inferences are and then we're gonna put that skill into practise and some really, really interesting tasks.

And then we are going to move on to bringing it specifically back to "The Twisted Tree." And in particular, we're gonna focus on the tree in "The Twisted Tree," the thing that the novel itself is named after.

And we're gonna make some really fantastic inferences about that tree.

So really excited for learning cycle two.

So let's get started with learning cycle one.

So quick discussion question for me then please.

So look at this image below.

What could we suggest is going on here? What could we suggest is going on? And you could say anything about it at all, potentially the relationship between the two people, what they're doing, anything about the setting or the weather, what is going on in this image? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, or jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, some fantastic discussions taking place there.

Really, really well done.

I'm hearing some fantastic things, some fantastic ideas and lots of variety about what we could suggest is going on here.

So some things that really jump out to me are as follows.

So we could say it is a wet and rainy day.

We could also say it is potentially winter or colder weather in some way.

We could potentially suggest it is a parent and a child in this picture.

And finally I heard some people say this, it is an outdoors playground or activity centre of some kind.

So these are some things that the image suggests to me when I see it.

So let's bring that out a bit more.

So what led us to make these suggestions? So what led me to make the suggestion that it's a wet or rainy day, that it's winter or colder weather, it's potentially a parent or child or some kind of activity centre or outdoors playground? What led me to make those decisions? So once again, pause the video, have a quick discussion, jot down some ideas, and then push play when you'd like to see some feedback.

Okay, once again, some fantastic discussions taking place and really well done to all the kind of groups and individuals that are linking evidence from the picture itself to those statements.

So for example, it is a wet and rainy day.

Well, we could say they are both wearing wellies, aren't they? They're both wearing wellies.

That's usually something people do when it's raining.

It is winter or colder weather.

Well, they are both wearing jackets and woollen hats.

So again, that might indicate to us that it is simply colder where they are.

Again, it is a parent and child, but what suggests that to me is the idea that they are holding hands.

It seems to be quite a nurturing relationship of some kind.

And finally, it is an outdoors playground centre or activity centre.

And we could say it looks like this log has been deliberately set up to walk on in this way.

It hasn't just kind of fallen out the tree in this way.

So we are using evidence here to justify these suggestions.

And crucially, these things might not be true, but they are likely based on the evidence in the image.

So we can call these inferences.

So these are kind of like educated guesses based on the information that we have in front of us.

So we are making inferences about this picture.

So inference is where you look for suggested meanings and suggested ideas rather than just what is stated directly.

And we can do this with text, we can do this with the stories that we read just like "The Twisted Tree." And it is about looking at texts and coming up with interpretations based on evidence and reasoning.

So it's not exactly scientific fact, it is evidence and reasoning based on our best guesses.

So inferences usually rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated, but rather hinted at or suggested.

And inference is a different skill to analysis, and we're gonna practise it in this learning cycle.

So quick check for understanding for me then please.

Inferences usually rely on things that have been directly stated.

Is that true or false? Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you like to proceed.

Okay, very well done to everybody who identified it as false, that is a false statement, that is not true.

But how can we justify that? What could we put as a why to justify that statement? So once again, hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, well we could justify that statement in the following way, couldn't we? We could say the inferences rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated but hinted at or suggested.

So if it's been explicitly stated, then we don't need to really draw any inferences from it.

It is only from things that have been kind of hinted or suggested at that we need to draw inferences from.

We'll look at some examples as we go through this lesson.

So three Oak pupils have some helpful hints on how to use inferences correctly and they are as follows.

So inferences should pick out suggested meanings and not explain obvious statements.

So if it says the sky is grey, we don't need to draw any inference from that because we know the sky is grey.

However, if the language was a bit more vague about that, then potentially we could draw some inferences from it.

Avoid over reliance on this suggests by using synonyms like illustrates, hints or implies.

And this can add real variety to our writing and just make it a lot more interesting.

And finally, sometimes looking at the connotations of particular words can help us make inferences about it.

So remember, connotations are words in addition that we think of.

In addition to something's primary meaning.

So thinking about love being associated with a heart, for example, is a connotation.

So knowing that and knowing those kind of information about connotations can really help us draw some inferences.

So hopefully, those tips are going to be useful in our first practise task of today's lesson, and it is as follows.

So I would like you to read the below statements and explain what you can infer from each one.

So it's not something that is absolutely gonna be true or absolutely 100% facts, but it's things that we can infer based on the evidence that we have.

So let's take a look at those statements.

The first one is, "Despite the pouring rain, the concert hall was packed with people." Second one, "After the big game, Clara's teammates lifted her onto their shoulders, cheering loudly." Number three.

"Sarah quickly hid the notes in her pocket when the teacher approached." And number four.

"Tom's shoes were wet and his hair was dripping with water when he came inside." So tell me, what can we infer from each of these statements? So really excited to see you apply your skills of inference to these statements.

So pause the video and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, fantastic effort on that task.

It is really, really interesting to see you kind of picking specific things in the sentences themselves and drawing conclusions from them.

And that is exactly what inference is.

You are using your judgement , using your intelligence, and crucially using the evidence that has been given to you in each of these statements.

So let's take a look at what we could've said.

So we could've approached the task in the following ways.

Well, for the first one, "Despite the pouring rain, the concert hall was packed with people." We could say that the concert is very popular or highly anticipated in some way.

So despite this kind of negative weather people still want to get there, people still want to go and see the show.

So that would indicate that it is very popular or highly anticipated in some way.

The second one.

"After the big game, Clara's teammates lifted her onto their shoulders, cheering loudly." So we could infer from that that Clara played exceptionally well or did something significant in the game.

And I heard some people pick up on this, it is Clara that's been lifted onto the shoulders, not anybody else.

So we can infer from that that she's done something truly great in this game.

We don't know that for sure, but that is absolutely a reasonable inference we could make.

Number three.

"Sarah quickly hid the notes in her pocket when the teacher approached." And we could say that this is because the note contains something private or secretive in some way.

So the fact that she's quickly hiding it away suggests that she doesn't want other people to see it.

So we can make an inference there that there is something potentially private or secret on that note.

And our last one, number four.

"Tom's shoes were wet and his hair was dripping with water when he came inside." So simply we could say that Tom got caught in the rain.

We don't know that for sure.

There might be some other strange explanation for why Tom's entering in this way, but it is likely that if somebody is wet and their hair is covered in water, then it might be raining outside.

That is absolutely a reasonable inference to make.

So really well done for all of your judgement , all of your approach, and all of your hard work on our first practise task of today's lesson.

Okay, we have reached learning cycle two where we are going to now start applying this to "The Twisted Tree." So we've got a good foundation now of what inferences are, and we're gonna start applying it to very specific things in the novel itself, and in particular the "The Twisted Tree." So let's get started.

So quick thoughts, how is "The Twisted Tree" presented throughout the novel? So we've got an example of how it might look there.

It's kind of by (indistinct) cabin, isn't it? In Norway, in kind of rural Norway, and this is this famous twisted tree.

How is it presented throughout the novel? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, once again, well done on all of your fantastic conversations to kickstart learning cycle two.

It's lovely to hear the variety in those conversations.

People talking about, you know, the specific descriptions of the tree, but also those kind of wider deeper things of what it might actually symbolise, certain themes perhaps in the novel.

So "The Twisted Tree" is regularly presented as a strange and mysterious presence in the novel, and I heard quite a few people say this.

And in fact, it's presentation can be seen as totally in-keeping with the Gothic genre.

So what do you remember about the Gothic genre? So if we're saying that this tree could be totally associated with the Gothic genre, what do you remember about the Gothic genre? So once again, hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you like to continue.

Okay, fantastic.

I'm hearing some really interesting recaps of the Gothic people focusing on that kind of the supernatural side of the Gothic, the kind of dark underlying themes of the Gothic, and those kind of strange and terrifying creatures like the draugr as well, which also kind of underpin the Gothic genre.

And people are really drawing their knowledge of the Gothic to apply it to the tree in terms of the supernatural themes that the tree might represent.

So really well done for doing that.

So when we are first introduced to the tree by Martha, she describes it as swaying, jumping and alive.

So what can we infer from the tree from this description? What does this kind of suggest to us with these words that Rachel Burge uses? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, fantastic job on those discussions.

And what I'm really enjoying about those is that the sheer variety, you know, it doesn't just infer one thing or it certainly doesn't to me, there are a variety of things we could suggest about the tree from this description.

So we could potentially say the following, you know, the tree has a restless energy of some kind.

With all of these kind of words that describe its movement.

We could also say the tree has the ability to physically move perhaps, you know, this is a gothic novel, lots of supernatural elements.

So describing it in this way, we could actually infer the tree has a physical presence that could actually move in some way.

We've also got the idea that the tree is supernatural.

We've got the idea finally as well that there is a storm taking place, causing the tree to move in this way.

So simply the branches could be swaying and jumping purely because of a violent storm taking place.

We don't know for sure which of these is true as we read through the novel, we certainly learn a lot more, but these are absolutely reasonable inferences we can make.

So really well done for capturing those in your own discussions.

So we are going to practise making inferences about the tree following the below structure, and it goes as follows.

So firstly, we want to identify an interesting quote about the tree.

Then we want to make a clear inference based on that quote.

Then we wanna make a link to the Gothic.

We wanna show our intelligence, our knowledge of the Gothic, and how we can apply it to these inferences.

And finally, we want to develop it even further with an additional inference.

So is there anything else that we can infer based on the description of the tree? Let's take a look at an example of how that could look.

So firstly, Burge initially describes the tree as swaying and jumping.

So going back to that description we've just looked at.

So what inferences could we make from that? Well, we could say the following, couldn't we? "These verbs have connotations of restless energy, perhaps hinting the tree is alive in some way." Let's try and link that to the Gothic.

"This links to the Gothic as it evokes an eerie, supernatural atmosphere, which is a key convention of the Gothic.

And let's develop that with an additional inference.

We could say, "Burge goes on to describe the tree as moving wildly, perhaps suggesting the tree has a sinister and unrestrained power." The fact that we get that extra word wildly in the tree's description could certainly indicate power or ferocity of some kind, couldn't it? So quick check for understanding for me then, please.

Using the verb swaying and jumping to describe the tree could suggest, A.

It is supernatural in some way.

B, It has a restless energy.

C.

It is entirely normal.

Or D.

It is a vision or hallucination of some kind.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, great job to everybody who identified A and B.

I think we can definitely infer, as we've said before, that this kind of suggests it's supernatural in some way or it has a restless energy.

I don't really think it suggests it's entirely normal because this is not a normal way to describe a tree.

And secondly, there is no evidence really provided that this is a vision or hallucination of some kind.

So really well done for using your reasoning to get the correct answers, which are A and B.

Well done.

Okay, we have reached our final practise task of today's lesson.

And I would like you to do the following.

So I would like you to take your copy of the text and turn to page 53 of "The Twisted Tree." And I would like you to read the description of the tree from the paragraph that begins with the word it to the paragraph on page 54 that ends with the word up.

And in particular, I would like you to answer the following question.

So how does Burge make the tree seem mysterious and terrifying? So in that part of the text, we have a really interesting description of "The Twisted Tree" itself.

So I would like you to do the following, really.

Pick out the key descriptive words and explain their effects, but also use that structure that we've looked at in this learning cycle to really structure a really kind of effective and compelling answer.

So those steps remember are as follows.

So step one, we need to identify an interesting quote.

Step two, we need to make a clear inference.

Step three, we need to make a link to the Gothic.

And finally, step four, we need to develop with an additional inference.

So really excited to see you apply your knowledge of inferences to this kind of fantastic section of the text.

So do pause the video, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, fantastic effort on that task.

I hope you enjoyed that extract.

I really enjoyed that extract of the tree.

I think that is a really kind of compelling description by Burge.

And I think we can also draw a lot from it, can't we? We can make a lot of inferences from that description.

So here's how we could have approached the task.

So "Burge describes the frightening tree's roots, suggesting they look like the veins of a hand.

The word veins has connotations of blood and life with a simile perhaps implying that the roots of the tree are in fact alive.

The Gothic is known for its macabre imagery, and therefore the description of the tree seems more frightening as it draws on this Gothic idea.

This is emphasised further as we learn of the beating heart at the centre of the tree itself." So quick discussion and question for me then, please.

Where has the above answer made inferences about the text? Where are the specific inferences there from that passage in "The Twisted Tree?" So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you like to proceed.

Okay, excellent work if you identify the following things.

We have the inference right here, don't we? Where we are talking about the veins, using the word veins to describe the tree, the roots of the tree.

So this has connotations of blood and life.

And the implication here is that perhaps the tree is in fact alive in some way.

So really well done if you are able to identify that.

Okay, we have reached the end of today's lesson.

It's been an absolute pleasure to teach you today one of my favourite skills in English, which is using inference.

So I hope you enjoyed today's lesson as much as I did.

And let's recap all of those fantastic things that we have focused on in today's learning.

So firstly, "Inferences usually rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated, but rather hinted at or suggested.

We can use connotations to help us make inferences about a particular word or phrase.

Making links to the Gothic can make our inferences stronger." And finally, "Effective analysis is developed and can include an additional inference." So it's been an absolute pleasure to teach you today, and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this twisted tree sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.