Hello and welcome to the lesson.

It's Mrs. Butterworth here and I'm really looking forward to guiding the learning today.

Now this lesson is all about planning and writing essays.

Now I know for some of you this can feel like a really long and daunting task, but I think this is why I'm so excited about teaching this today because I can show you some really good strategies and steps that you can take to make essay writing a breeze.

So it's one of those things that the more you practise, the better you will get, and I'm gonna help you do just that.

So let's get started.

So in this lesson, you will plan and write a developed analytical response.

So before we delve into the lesson, let's look at those key words that are gonna help with our understanding.

They are thesis, characterization, logical, stagecraft, and dramatic techniques.

So let's just remind ourselves of what these words mean.

So the thesis is the overarching argument to an essay supported by the entire text.

And I'm sure some of you have heard this word before.

So it's all about that statement in your introduction, your thesis, that sets up your argument and explain what your essay is going to be about.

Then characterization, so this is going to be really important when we're analysing "Small Island" because this is the process of creating and developing characters.

And this can be through dialogue and physical description.

And we find that physical description in those lovely stage directions that Edmundson has written.

So we need to think about how Edmundson is creating dialogue and those physical descriptions to really bring those characters to life.

Then logical, in essays, this means your points will be well sequenced and follow a logical path.

stagecraft is using theatrical techniques to write and produce plays.

This includes things like setting and lighting.

So in "Small Island" the example that I can think of of stagecraft is where Edmundson talks about using the Pathe style footage because this is very much a technical aspect of putting on that play.

And then dramatic techniques.

So this refers to the specific techniques used in plays to create theatrical address.

So theatrical effects.

So in "Small Island" that's things like direct address.

So our lesson looks like this, today.

We're going to start by thinking about how we plan and write our thesis and topic sentences.

We are then going to move on to look at supporting detail and concluding sentences before finishing with writing your essay.

So there's lots to get through today, but we're gonna get through it and you're gonna feel fantastic at the end, I promise.

So let's look at the thesis and topic sentences.

Before we think about that though, I would like you to answer this question honestly, discuss, I always plan my essays before I begin writing.

How far do you agree with this statement? Pause the video so you can discuss your ideas.

Pause the video now.

Okay, interesting, I'm glad some of you were very honest.

So let's do some feedback.

So always, so some of you said that you always plan because it really helps you structure a coherent argument, so that's great.

So planning will mean that all the great ideas that you have are organised, logical, and relevant.

So planning is such a good idea.

Some of you said that sometimes you struggle to know what to plan, and I understand this completely because planning is a skill, but I will keep saying this, this lesson practising will ensure you get even better.

And then some of you just said you never plan because it's a waste of time, it's all in my head.

However, I will actually disagree with that statement because a good plan will actually save you time when you begin writing your responses.

It takes all the hard work of trying to think of things whilst you are writing.

So it's a really, really good thing to do, I promise.

So true or false planning is a skill that needs to be practised.

That's true and I'm going to convince you of this by the end of the lesson.

And I'd like you now to justify your answer by picking A or B.

That's right, it's B planning enables you to organise ideas into a coherent structure.

So before we begin planning an essay, we need to understand, well, we need to know what the question is and understand what it's asking us.

So our question today is going to be how does Edmundson explore the theme of hope in "Small Island"? So what I would like you to do is I'd like you to discuss what are the key words in the question and what are you being asked to do.

So pause the video so you can discuss your ideas or you may just wish to sit and think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, I'll share some of those ideas.

So lots of you picked up on that key word, how? So within this type of question, this is asking you to analyse the methods use.

So for "Small Island", this will include setting and characterization as well as language and dramatic techniques.

So all of the study that you have done on "Small Island" will help you with this part of the question, that how.

Then obviously we're thinking about Edmundson.

So you know that Edmundson is the writer, so don't forget to refer to her by name and link to her intentions.

You should be mentioning Edmundson in your essay and considering the stagecraft and how the novel was adapted.

And this is a really key point for this text, because for "Small Island", we'll also need to refer to Levy.

So it's quite tricky this text in the fact that yes, it's a play, but it was adapted from a novel.

So we need to think about Edmundson in terms of those specific things that she's done to adapt the play, but also refer to Levy when we're thinking about themes, characters, that kind of stuff.

And then hope is the focus.

Yes, this question doesn't specify character.

So sometimes they do specify characters.

So you may want to choose one or two characters to focus on in order to explore the theme of hope.

But hope is that really important focus.

So what I want us to think about now is I just want you to mind map all of the ideas that you have where hope is explored in "Small Island".

So think about this like you're just dumping all of your ideas about that question.

So where you see hope in "Small Island"? So I want you to make points rather than commenting on the writer's methods.

This really is just to get you thinking about where hope is explored in "Small Island".

So pause the video so you can mind map these ideas and we'll share some of our ideas in a moment.

Okay, off you go.

Okay, excellent, so many ideas there because hope is such a key theme in the play.

So it's great that we've got lots of ideas to work with and choose.

So let's share some of those.

So Queenie's Baby obviously and the final scene really symbolise hope.

So we've got those key moments of hope there.

Hortense and Gilbert are always hopeful for a better life.

It motivates them.

So again, we could potentially use these characters to underpin our essay focus.

And Edmundson presents hope as a strategy for change.

That's an interesting one, isn't it? This idea that if we keep hoping it kind of is, it spurs us on, it motivates us to change.

And then Edmundson reveals the hope associated with migration and the Mother Country.

Again, another key theme.

Now you may have lots of different ideas, which is absolutely fine, or you may wish to use some of these.

Because these ideas will become useful when you begin to craft your thesis and topic sentences.

So to plan your essay, you are going to use a planning grid and it looks like this.

Now this looks really complicated at the moment, but I promise you it's really simple and once we go through it you'll be fine.

So each section has a purpose.

So you'll look at these sections and you'll notice that some things are repeated.

So we have our thesis, that key word there, and this is the overarching argument supported by the whole text.

So think of this like you are telling your reader what your essay is going to argue, what your essay is going to be about.

You're summarising your viewpoint if you like.

Then we've got our topic sentences.

So you'll see there are three of these because in the main body of your essay you'll need two to three really good strong paragraphs that start with topic sentences that state the paragraphs main ideas.

So your topic sentences begin every single paragraph and they will state the paragraph's main ideas.

So again, summarising what ideas you have in that paragraph.

And then our supporting details are references to the text which support your topic sentence.

So you want to make sure you are referencing the text to really develop your argument and a written in note form.

So in a planning grid you will just write these in note form and they will include main quotations and supporting quotations.

And then we get our concluding sentences.

And this is the final sentence of each paragraph.

And it concludes the paragraph's main ideas.

And then we have our conclusion, which sums up your essay's overall thesis.

Okay, so what I would like you to do now is we have here the sections of the planning grid, and on the other side we have the purposes.

So what I would like you to do is to match each section of the planning grid to its correct purpose.

So you'll need to pause the video so you've got time to figure out which section matches which purpose.

Pause the video now.

Okay, great.

Let's just check our answers.

So thesis is the overarching argument supported by the whole text.

Now our topic sentence, that's right, the first sentence of a paragraph.

It states the paragraph's main ideas.

Now where is supporting detail? There it is, reference to the text which support your topic sentence.

Now where is the concluding sentence? There we go.

The final sentence of a paragraph, it concludes the paragraph's main idea.

And obviously conclusion is that final one, sums up your essays overall thesis.

So great, we now have an overview and an idea of what the structure of our essays will look like.

You are going to begin by planning your thesis and topic sentences.

Now Izzy can't quite remember the difference between a thesis and a topic sentence.

So Izzy, very good Izzy, looks back at her notes to remind herself, which is a really good thing to do, and she's come up with these ideas about what a thesis statement is and what a topic sentence is.

So let's have a look.

So a thesis statement is the overarching argument of the entire essay, whereas a topic sentence explains the purpose of an individual paragraph.

So you can see that the overarching argument of the entire essay is this quite big idea.

And then the topic sentences are starting to become more specific.

The thesis statement is supported by the entire text as a whole.

So you will be talking about "Small Island" as a whole text, whereas topic sentence are supported by moments in the text.

So you might think of a specific example or a specific character.

And the thesis statement is only found in your introduction, whereas your topic sentence is found at the start of each main body paragraph.

And I think what's useful here is that comparing thesis statements to topic sentences can be useful to understand the purpose of each.

Okay, so let's think about those similarities and differences between thesis statements and topic sentences in more detail.

So let's just read the thesis together.

Edmundson's adaptation of "Small Island" foregrounds the theme of hope and presents it as a strategy for societal change.

Many of the characters are motivated by hope; it allows them to survive some of the plays bleaker moments.

Now let's look at the topic sentence.

Through the character of Queenie, Edmundson also reveals a sense of futility and loss.

Despite the initial hope of Bernard's changed behaviour in act two, Edmundson reminds the audience that societal attitudes cannot so easily be changed.

So I'd like you to discuss now what similarities and differences do you notice between the thesis and the topic sentence.

So pause the video so you've got time to discuss those ideas.

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

Ready to pause that video? Off you go.

Okay, great.

Let's just look at those together.

So that thesis statement we can see starts with a focus on the whole text.

So Edmundson's adaptation of "Small Island" is a very big focus on the whole text.

Whereas in the topic sentence we get, despite the initial hope of Bernard's change behaviour in act two.

So there's a much more of a focus on a specific moment in the text.

So you can see those differences there between the whole text and that specific moment.

In the thesis there's a wide and general focus on theme and characters.

So many of the characters are motivated by hope, it allows them to survive some of the plays big moments.

And again, it's referencing the whole text, the plays.

So you can see their focus on the wider text and a wider and general focus on theme and character.

Whereas in the topic sentence there is a specific focus on named characters.

So through the character of Queenie and Bernard's change behaviour.

So you can start to see that difference between the thesis and topic sentence.

We also get that it's based on writer's intention.

So Edmundson's adaptation of "Small Island" foregrounds the theme of hope and it presents as a strategy for societal change.

So the thesis is based on writer's intention.

And a topic sentence is also based on writer's intention.

So Edmundson also reveals a sense of futility.

Edmundson reminds the audience.

Now, if you remember when we were thinking back to what we need to do, it is so important to reference the writer and the writer's intention, and I'll keep saying this.

Okay, so over to you.

Identify which pupil has crafted a thesis and which a topic sentence? So the question is, how does Edmonton explore the theme of hope in "Small Island"? Let's read them together first and then you can think about which one's which.

So Laura has written, "Whilst exploring the theme of hope, Edmundson also reveals its fragility.

This is emphasised in the indefinite resolution of the ending and the important symbolism of Queenie's baby." Okay, Jacob has written, "Edmundson's adaptation of 'Small Island' is an important reminder of the power of hope.

Edmundson reveals that hope can motivate change and survival even in the darkest of times." Okay, so which is which? Who has written the thesis and who has written the topic sentence? Okay, ready to take those answers? Okay, great.

Yes, Laura has written the topic sentence where Jacob has written a thesis because we can see here in Laura's topic sentence, she's got these really clear reference to specific moments.

So she names a character Queenie, she talks about the resolution, the symbolism in the final act.

So it's very much a specific topic sentence.

Whereas Jacob's lovely thesis is again based on the text as a whole.

So an adaptation of "Small Island" Edmundson reveals that hope can motivate change in survival.

So it's much bigger in its focus.

So well done you two, an excellent topic sentence and an excellent thesis.

So you're onto your first task.

Okay, so the first part of our planning and what I would like you to do is I would like you to write your thesis and three topic sentences to begin your planning grid.

So what you might want to do is refer back to those initial mind maps that we did together to help with your ideas, and also think back to the examples of thesis and topic sentences we have looked at to really help you craft those.

So how does Edmundson explore the theme of hope? There's the first part of your planning grid and we will feedback in a moment.

Pause the video so you've got time to complete this task.

Off you go.

Great.

So that's the first bit of planning completed.

So hopefully everyone's starting to feel a bit more positive about planning.

See, we've got the first bit done.

So let's just look at Sophia's example here so you can check your own answers as well.

So here is one of Sophia's topic sentences, "Edmundson foregrounds Gilbert's feelings of hope, to explore ideas around the colonial promises of the Mother Country." She identifies, so Sophia looks at her own sentence, and she identifies that it has a clear focus, it links to the question and writer's intention.

So make sure like Sophia, you check each of your topic sentences and check that they have a clear focus and link to the question.

So we are already on the second part of our lesson, so fantastic work so far, let's keep going.

So we're now going to look at that supporting detail and concluding sentences in our planning, let's go.

Okay, so now we have planned the thesis and topic sentences.

We are going to look at supporting detail and concluding sentences.

Now, just to remind you, your supporting details, reference your and support your topic sentence.

And the supporting details are written in note form and includes main quotations and supporting quotations.

And to remind you that a concluding sentence is the final sentence of a paragraph, it concludes the paragraph's main idea.

So let's look at this single paragraph outline here.

So supporting details should be only in note form, logical sequence, main and supporting quotations, method identified and keywords underlined.

So this is what that looks like.

So you can see here I've got my quote, "Spotlight on this baby." So I've got my main quote there and I've identified that it's symbolism, and I've given myself some notes of hope links to imagery of hummingbird.

So I've underlined that keyword of the hummingbird, I've identified the methods and I've given myself a few notes to remind myself of what I'm going to write about when I do the essay.

And then I've got some other quotes here.

So uncertain again, I've noticed that it's an adjective and shows the fragility of hope.

So again, just that note there to remind me.

So you can see the other quotations there and how I have made notes on those and identify the key parts.

So intertwined narratives is quite a key idea that I want to get into the essay.

So that's why I've underlined it.

And there's just those supporting quotes there in "Proud" and "Loved".

So you can see how this planning can just really help you not only think about the quotes that you are going to use, but how you are going to use them in your essay.

So look at this success criteria for our supporting details.

And I'd like you to identify, please, what is missing from the success criteria.

Excellent, main, and supporting quotations, quite an important part, isn't it? Of our supporting detail.

That's right.

Main and supporting quotations.

Okay, so now we have thought about supporting detail.

So we've written our topic sentence, we've thought about supporting detail.

I want us now to think about the concluding sentence in our plans.

So I'd like you to, let's read Izzy's concluding sentence together.

So it says, "Ultimately Edmundson uses Queenie's baby to show that hope exists and is a catalyst for change." So what I would like you to do, please, is to discuss what is the purpose of the concluding sentence.

So pause the video now.

Okay, so let's just think about some of those ideas.

So what is the purpose of a concluding sentence? So we can see here that it makes it really clear that the paragraph has reached its conclusion.

So here Izzy has used ultimately, so that discourse marker signals to the reader this is the final idea in the paragraph, and it focuses on writer's intention.

'cause like I said a moment ago, we are always focusing on the writer's intention.

So Edmundson uses Queenie's baby.

Okay? So that focus on a writer's intention is incredibly important throughout the essay.

And then our concluding sentence, it links to, but it doesn't repeat the topic sentence.

So it just brings everything together in a nice, neat package.

Okay, so her pupil has written a paragraph exploring Hortense and the theme of hope.

Outta these, which would serve as the strongest concluding sentence? So think about everything we just thought about with regards to concluding sentence.

So which would serve as the strongest concluding sentence, A, B, or C? Okay, so what do we think it is? B.

That's right, yes.

So, let's have a look at this concluding sentence.

So perhaps through the character of Hortense Edmundson is examining how hope is an important strategy for survival.

So again, we can see that word perhaps, which signals to our reader, this is the final moment in the paragraph There is, that's right, the writer's intention.

Edmundson is examining and it links to kind of the initial ideas of the paragraph.

It summarises them and brings them to a conclusion.

Okay, so we're onto the next part of our planning grid.

So you will now need to write the supporting details and concluding sentences into your plan.

Okay, so we've done the thesis and topic sentences.

We are now moving on to the supporting details and concluding sentence.

So get ready to pause the video so that you've got plenty of time to get this plan together.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

So let's just check what we have written.

We're doing so well everyone, so we're really getting that plan together.

So Izzy writes this concluding sentence.

"This shows the theme of hope." Hmm.

It doesn't quite meet the success criteria, does it? You can always hear that just from reading it, it doesn't sound like the other concluding sentences we've looked at.

So Izzy redrafts, "This shows the theme of hope", to "Therefore, Edmundson reveals the fragility of hope in the uncertainty of our futures." So it does now meet the success criteria because it makes it clear that the paragraph has reached its conclusion using that lovely discourse marker, therefore.

And all important, it focuses on the writer's intention.

Edmundson reveals absolutely excellent, always focusing on the writer's intention and it links to but does not repeat the topic sentence.

So it just brings those ideas together.

Okay, so the third and final part of our lesson.

So we are almost ready to start writing our essays.

We have done so well.

We have created some excellent plans, which I told you would really help.

So now let's look at writing the essay.

So let's just remind ourself of the overall structure of an essay.

So we need to make sure we've got our introduction.

So our three part structure, and this moves from the general to the specific and includes a thesis statement.

So hopefully you can remember that about an introduction.

Then you've got your first and second points.

You may include a third paragraph, which is absolutely fine.

And this should include a topic sentence, supporting detail with methods identified and analysed, links to context and closing sentence.

And you've already got the skeleton for that part of the essay, that first, second, and third point, you've already planned that.

So we've downloaded the hard work already.

And then in your essay you need the conclusion, which again, three part structure, move from the specific to the general, summarise your main argument, and leave an impactful closing statement.

So let's look at this essay structure.

What is missing from the essay structure? What should be where that question mark is? That's right, the conclusion right at the end of our essays, we need need to make sure we offer a really good conclusion.

So I just want to remind you, and Izzy also has asked for this, what a quick reminder of what an effective introduction looks like because we've looked at the main body of our essay, but we just need to think about that introduction as well.

So an effective introduction moves from the general to the specific.

So we are thinking that we'll start with a sentence about the whole text.

Then we move down getting more specifics with a sentence focusing on the theme or character.

So in this essay the theme is hope, that's right.

So that sentence will be focusing on the theme of hope.

And then we finish with that lovely thesis, which again, we've already written.

So we just need to flesh out that introduction.

So let's look at an example.

So our general statement, the place "Small Island", is a profound exploration of the experiences of Caribbean migrants and colonial power.

Then we're gonna focus on the theme, through the characters of Hortense and Gilbert, Edmundson reveals the power of hope.

So here there's a specific focus on the characters I've picked and that theme of hope.

And then my thesis statement, arguably Edmundson reveals how colonial ideologies exploit the hope and ambition of its subjects.

That thesis statement really explains what it is I'm going to be arguing in this essay, what it is I'm going to be talking about.

So can you identify the sections of the three part structure? So we've got our introduction outline there.

What would we expect to find as A, as B, and as C? Off you go.

Oh, excellent memories, everyone.

Well done.

So yes, A is a sentence about the whole text.

B is a sentence about the given theme or character.

So remember, we're really starting to narrow our focus.

And then our thesis statement comes in at the end of the introduction.

Really well done, everyone.

So again, we've looked at the introduction.

Izzy would like a quick reminder of what an effective conclusion looks like, and I think that's a really good thing to do.

So a conclusion works in the opposite way to an introduction.

So it moves from the specific to the general.

So you need a sentence to summarise what your essay has said.

What have you been arguing throughout your essay? An evaluative comment, so something like Edmundson successfully reveals or Edmundson cleverly uses Levy ideas too.

You get the idea, an evaluative comment.

And then a sentence about what the text teaches us or gets us to think about, the best sentence in the whole essay.

'Cause you really get to think about what makes the text so wonderful and that becomes your final sentence in your essay.

So let's look at an example.

Ultimately, Edmonton shows the intrinsic link between ambition, hope, and the promises of the Mother Country.

So you can imagine that summarising and concluding my whole essay.

Then I've got my evaluative comment, the effective characterization of Gilbert reveals this powerful ideology in the construction of his personal hope.

So that evaluative comment and link to the character I've been exploring throughout the essay, again just summarises my key ideas.

And then the final sentence, therefore, Edmundson offers a timeless message about the power of hope.

Okay, so what can you remember? Can you identify the sections of the three part conclusion structure? So you'll need to label A, B, and C.

Off you go.

Okay, should we see if you've got it right? So A is the sentence to summarise what you have said linked to the thesis.

Now what's B? Yes, an evaluative comment linked to the writer's purpose.

And I hope you've all got C right.

Yes, that favourite sentence of mine.

A sentence about the impact of the text and what it gets us to think about.

So what makes the text wonderful basically is that last sentence.

Okay, so we have planned most of the essay.

We have thought about our introduction and conclusion.

So now it's time to use your planning to write your essay.

So here is the question, how does Edmundson explore the theme of hope in "Small Island"? And I've given you some sentence starters to help you.

So there's some sentence starters for your introduction.

There's the sentence starters for your middle section, and there's some sentence starters for your conclusion.

So with your plans and these sentence starters, you really do have everything you need to write a really effective response.

So you can see we've done all of the hard work already.

Now we've just got to write it all up.

So you'll definitely need to pause the video to have time to write your essay.

And I cannot wait to read these because they're gonna be great.

I can just feel it.

Okay, pause the video now.

Well done, everyone.

You've done it.

You've written an essay and you've planned.

Excellent, such an achievement.

And I hope you feel that too.

You should be really proud of yourselves and everything that you have achieved.

So before we put those essays aside, I just want you to use the checklist to create a what went well and an even better if for your work.

So let's just read through that checklist together and you can start thinking about your what went wells and your even better ifs for your own essay.

So have you included an effective introduction and conclusion? Does your introduction include a thesis which presents the overarching argument of the essay? You have a topic sentence that links to the writer's intention.

I have analysed the writer's methods focusing on Edmundson's use of dramatic techniques.

Hopefully you've all mentioned Edmundson's name because we are focused on the writer's intention.

You've included main and supporting quotes.

You have included some terminology and your essay is logically sequenced.

Okay, so you have done it, you have made it to the end of the lesson, and I'm so proud of what we have achieved.

So hopefully you can see, like I said at the start, how important that planning process is and how the more you practise it, the easier it'll become and it will just make essay writing a breeze, I promise.

So all of those strategies you can use for your future responses.

So let's just recap everything we've done.

We now know that planning is an important part of the writing process, absolutely.

You need to include an introduction and thesis statement about the writer's intention.

We know how important the writer's intention is, don't we? Each paragraph begins the topic sentence also based on the writer's intention.

Form is important.

We need to consider stagecraft and the ways in which the novel was adapted.

Comment on a range of methods including characterization and setting.

So again, so many well dones and thank you so much for working so hard.

I've really enjoyed our lesson today and I can't wait to see you all again soon.

So thank you again.

Bye-ye.