Lesson video

Hello, everyone, my name is Ms. Butt, and today I'm going to be teaching you some new vocabulary for you to use in your unit on the Golden Compass.

I know at the moment you're working towards a writing outcome, which is a narrative piece of writing, and it's describing Lyra and some children running.

Now running is a verb that can be overused a lot, and there's actually lots of different ways that you might run.

So today we're going to be learning some synonyms or some different ways of referring to running.

And hopefully, these words will be really useful in your narrative piece of writing.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

Here's what we're going to do today.

First, I'm going to introduce the new vocabulary one word at a time.

And we're going to be looking at Mrs. Wordsmith illustrations to help us understand what each word means.

Then we're going to identify word pairs and synonyms, which we'll talk a little bit more about in a moment.

And finally, we will apply these words in sentences.

And we're going to try and write sentences that will be useful in your narrative writing on the Golden Compass.

So right towards the end of the lesson, you will need something to write on and something to write with.

Perhaps you could pause the video now to make sure you have the things that you need and to make sure you're ready and focused to start your learning.

Okay, great.

Let's get started.

So here's some key vocabulary we're going to be using today.

I'm going to say each word and then I'd like you to repeat it back to me.

Synonym, word pair, verb, adverb.

Let's see what these mean.

A synonym means a word that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, like the words marry and happy.

So today, we'll be learning synonyms for the word run.

A word pair are words that often appear together.

So if we had the adjective bright, the word pairs might be a sun, a moon, or a light because there are things that we often describe as being bright.

A verb is a being or a doing word.

Now running is something we do.

So the words we're going to be learning today are all verbs, they're all doing words.

An adverb describes a verb.

So for example, if you run quickly, quickly would be the adverb.

If you walked nervously, nervously would be the adverb.

So let's think of different situations in which animals and people run.

So first of all, why would a human or why would an animal run? But then also have a little think about how people and animals might run differently, how we might describe them running in different ways.

So pause the video and just have a little think about that now.

So there are many different ways to describe running.

Quite often we associate words like scurry, or scamper with how animals might run, which we might not use so much for people.

Let's take a look at our first running word.

Now I'm not going to reveal the word until we've had a look first of all at the illustration.

So take a look at this picture and describe what is happening.

How would you describe this character's movements? Pause the video and either have a think or describe what you see now.

Okay, so this character looks like the perhaps a Viking from the hat that they're wearing.

They're carrying an enormous and very heavy looking log and running at something.

So let's find out what this word is.

Charge.

Charge.

Charge is a verb that means to run or lunge towards, rushing towards a target as fast as you can.

I'm going to read some words to you now and I'd like you to identify the synonyms of the verb charge.

Remember, because they're synonyms, that means they mean the same thing or more or less the same thing.

So the synonyms should also be verbs or doing words.

At the enemy, at the crowd, towards the city, rush, across the room, run, down the pitch, through the door, and lunge.

Here's the words in a sentence to help you.

With determination, the children charged through the field trying to keep up with Lyra.

Can you pause the video and see if you can spot the three synonyms of the word charge now.

So let's see if you spotted them.

The synonyms are rush, run, and lunge.

Which means the rest of these words, are word pairs.

I'm going to read those to you now.

Charge at the enemy, charge at the crowds, charge towards the city, charge across the room, charge down the pitch and charge through the door.

So these are the contexts that we often see this word charge in.

I'd like you now to pause the video and read these word pairs out loud just as I did, because it's through saying words that they stick in our memories.

Excellent, so very quickly before we move on, can you just tell me what does charge mean? Okay, it means to run or lunge towards.

Let's take a look at the second illustration.

So what's happening in this picture? How would you describe this character's movements? Pause the video and have a think about that now.

This word is dart, dart.

Say dart is also a verb, a doing word, and it means to sprint or bolt, running somewhere suddenly and rapidly.

Quite often we hear this word dart, as in if you said he's darted out the room, because it's like a sudden movement.

The verb dart comes from the movement of the object, a dart, which you can see in this illustration, and which is probably why they've used a dart in this picture.

So just as before, I'm going to read a set of words and I'd like you to see if you can spot the synonyms of this verb dart.

Sprint, forward, across the room, through the door, bolt, ahead, dash, suddenly, away, around.

Here is the word in a sentence.

Playfully, the energetic children darted through the long grass.

You'll notice this sentence starts with an adverb because it ends in ly, and it describes how the children darted through the long grass.

So it can be a nice way to start your sentence with an adverb with a comma after it.

So could you pause the video and see if you could spot any verbs that could be synonyms for this word dart.

So, the synonyms are sprint, dash, and bolt.

We could repeat those words in the sentence.

Playfully the energetic children's sprinted through the long grass, bolted through the long grass, or dashed through the long grass.

Of course, in this sentence, I've changed the tense of the verb to be in the past tense by adding ed.

So here are the word pairs, dart forward, dart across the room, dart through the door, dart around, dart back, dart head, dart suddenly, and dart away.

Could you pause the video and read these word pairs out loud? Well done.

So very quickly, before we move on, just remind me what does dart mean? Very good, it means to sprint or bolt.

Let's take a look at our final illustration.

So what is happening here? How would you describe this? How would you describe this object moving? What do you think? Pause the video now.

This word is hurtled, hurtled.

Hurtled is a verb meaning rushed or moved very quickly, like a big asteroid plunging towards the earth.

Which is what we can see in this illustration.

And this poor little character looks very oblivious to what's about to happen.

The word hurtled comes from the word hurt, and originally meant to collide and crash.

So we can see how the meaning has changed over time.

It no longer means collide or crash.

It means moving very quickly.

But you can see how this word still holds on to some of its old meaning.

Because if you hurtled it might be likely that something is going to collide or crash.

So as before, I'm going to read a set of words and I'd like you to see if you can identify the synonyms of this verb hurtled.

An asteroid, a comet, a starship, a truck, a rock, rushed, plunged, an arrow, charged, a bomb.

Here is the word in a sentence.

The frantic children hurtled past ancient buildings as they panted heavily.

This is a complex sentence, is made up of the main clause and a subordinating clause.

The subordinating clause is the second part of the sentence, as they panted heavily.

The main clause is the first part because we could have that sentence clause by itself.

The frantic children hurtled past ancient buildings, we could put a full stop there, but instead we've added a conjunction, as, as they panted heavily, just to build more of a picture.

Perhaps later when you come to do your writing, you might be able to write a complex sentence.

So could you pause the video now and see if you can find any synonyms of the word hurtled? Remember if it's a synonym, it means the same thing.

So you should be able to take out the word hurdled in that sentence and replace it with one of the synonyms. Okay, so the synonyms are rushed, plunged, and charged.

So we could say the frantic children charged past ancient buildings for example.

That means the rest of these words are word pairs, which I will read to you now.

An asteroid hurtled, a comet hurtled, a starship hurtled, a truck hurtled, a train hurtled, a rock hurtled, an arrow hurtled, or a bomb hurtled.

Could you please pause the video now and read these word pairs out loud? Excellent, well done.

So we have now learned three different ways of referring to running.

This will hopefully mean that we can avoid using the word running in our narrative writing.

Instead, we could use one of these alternative verbs.

So can you remember what each word is? Pause the video and tell me now.

So the first word we learned was charge, the second one was dart, and the third one was hurtled.

I'd now like you to pause the video and come up with your own definition for each word.

It's always really helpful if we try to explain things in our own words.

So imagine that you were describing what these three verbs meant to someone.

How would you define them? Okay, so just a reminder to see how you got on, charge means to run or lunge towards.

Dart means to sprint or bolt.

Quite that usually happens quite suddenly.

And hurtled means rushed or moved very quickly.

And quite often, it might describe big and dangerous objects like asteroids or trains, you might describe them as hurtling.

So let's take a look at some sentences.

Now, you'll notice that I've written these sentences purposely so that they could fit in your narrative writing.

So you might be able to use some of these ideas when you come to write your own narrative.

So I'm going to read this to you and I'd like you to think about which verb you think you would put in the sentence.

Because these are all synonyms of each other, they often, you might find there's more than one option.

So it's just about which one you think fit best.

As the children, mmm, down the cobbled streets, their heavy footsteps echoed around the imposing buildings.

Now you need to think carefully about the tense of the verb in the sentence.

Because you might find that if you put the word as it is at the moment, say, for example, charge in the sentence, it doesn't sound right.

So you may need to change the tense of the verb.

Pause the video and think about which verb you'd use and what tense you'd put it in now.

Okay, so we could say, as the children charged down the cobbled streets, as the children darted down the cobbled streets, or as the children hurtled down the cobbled streets.

Actually, all of those words sound right.

I've put in hurtled.

The important thing is, is that we make sure that we always put the verb in the correct tense for our sentence.

Now this sentence is in the past tense, it's something that's already happened.

This is a complex sentence.

This time the subordinating clause comes first.

The main clause is, their heavy footsteps echoed around the imposing buildings.

Imposing means very tall and large.

And the subordinating clause is, as the children hurtle down the cobbled streets.

We've got a comma to separate those two clauses.

And we're really trying to create for our readers, so they have a very strong image of what's happening in this scene.

So we're not just describing what the children are doing, but we're also describing sounds that we might hear, that their heavy footsteps echoed around the buildings.

So try to think about that in your writing that you're going to do in a moment.

Really trying to create a full picture for our reader of what the scene might be like.

Here's another sentence.

Panting heavily, the group of children mmm, towards the gate.

Which verb do you think would fit in here.

And remember, think about the tense.

So I've gone for panting heavily, the group of children charged towards the gate.

You may notice this sentence also has a type of subordinating clause at the start of it.

But this time, it's a non-finite clause.

A non-finite clause is where we have an unfinished or incomplete verb so usually, the verb will end in ing.

In this non-finite clause, the verb is pant.

So panting heavily.

Again, this clause is separated from the main clause with a comma.

Perhaps you could start a sentence with a non-finite clause just like this one.

And finally, with boundless energy Lyra mmm ahead of the other children, leading the way.

This time, the non-finite clause comes at the end of the sentence.

The verb is lead, we've turned it into leading so it's incomplete or unfinished.

And again, it's separated from the main clause with a comma.

Pause the video and think about which verb you would put in this sentence.

With boundless energy Lyra darted away ahead of the other children, leading the way.

So I'd now like you to write a sentence using the word charge, dart, or hurtled.

It can't be tricky just coming up with a sentence.

So make sure you think about and picture that scene that you're going to be describing in your unit.

Here is some sentence stem to help you.

So you could start your sentence with a non-finite clause.

So taking one of these verbs like dart or charge and adding ing to it, charging ahead comma, or darting ahead comma, and then you can put a main clause after the comma.

Here's another way you could use this sentence scaffold as well.

So this has got an embedded relative clause, it interrupts the main clause.

So if the main clause was, Lyra darted ahead, we can then add some extra or relative information about Lyra.

Lyra, who led the pack darted ahead.

It's a way of just again, giving our reader a bigger picture of what's going on.

Because this is embedded in the main clause, we put commas either side of it, so that it's separate from the main clause.

And finally, with boundless energy, comma, and then you can complete that sentence.

So you don't have to use any of these sentence starters, but you might like to, and they're there if you want to use them.

Try to say your sentence out loud before you write it.

And once you've written it, go back and read it through to check it and see if you can even edit or improve your sentences.

Good luck.

Okay, excellent, well done.

So if you feel really proud of your sentence, you can ask a parent or carer to take a photo of it.

And you can upload it on Twitter, because we always love seeing the work that you're doing.

I hope that you've enjoyed learning the three different verbs, three different ways of referring to running.

And I hope they come in very useful when you write your narrative piece on the Golden Compass.

Thank you so much for working so hard and I hope I'll see you soon.

Bye.