Lesson video

Hi, everybody, it's Ms. Gardner.

Welcome to today's lesson from our unit, "The Man on the Moon:" narrative writing.

I'm really excited for today's learning.

Thank you so much for joining, so let's get started.

In today's lesson from our unit, "the Man on the Moon:" narrative writing, we're thinking all about vocabulary.

So your learning outcome is, "I can generate ambitious vocabulary to include in my narrative writing." Let's start by looking at our keywords.

We'll do my turn, your turn.

Noun.

Adjective.

Verb.

Let's just recap what those mean.

A noun is a person, place, or thing, an adjective describes a noun, and a verb is a doing or a being word.

So there are two sections of our learning today.

In the first, we'll be looking at character description, and the second will be looking at a setting description.

So let's start with a character description.

So let's just recap the main characters in the "Man on the Moon." We have the man, the man who lives on the moon, and we have Lily, the young girl back on Earth.

So we need to generate different nouns and adjectives when referring to these characters.

This will help us to do all of these things: ensure the reader loves reading our writing, it makes it much more exciting for the reader if we thought about different ways to refer to the noun; it avoids repeating the same words or names too much.

We don't want every sentence to have the word Lily in it.

Lily did this, Lily did that.

It's much more interesting to think of different ways to refer to her; and also, it paints the most vivid picture we can of our key characters, especially those adjective choices we're going to be thinking about.

They create a really vivid image in the mind of the reader of what these characters are like.

So we can refer to Lily in lots of different ways.

In the sentence, "Lily looked through her telescope," Lily is of course, okay, of course we'll refer to Lily at some points in our writing.

But we just wanna think of different ways we can refer to her.

Maybe we could call her the child, the girl, the sister, we know she has a brother, or even she is really efficient way of referring to Lily.

So let's just check for understanding, which of the following could be used to refer to Lily, A, teenager, B, child, C, girl or D, children? Pause the video now.

That is correct, B, child and C, girl.

We can't call her a teenager 'cause she's definitely a young girl, I would say probably around eight or nine.

And then children, D means more than one child and we know it's just Lily trying to find a way to reach a man on the moon.

Really well done.

We can also refer to the man in lots of different ways.

Of course, we can call him the man.

"The man felt desperately lonely." That makes total sense.

That's fine, but we want to think of different ways to refer to him as well.

So we could call him the figure, especially at the beginning when we see him for the first time outside the shack.

We don't know who he is, so the figure is a bit more vague.

The gentleman, another word for man, or just he.

"He felt desperately lonely" is also a great choice, sorry.

So true or false, this would be an appropriate way to refer to the man: "It was sat on the bench alone?" Pause was the video now.

It is false.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, "It" refers to an object or thing, or B, "It" refers to an object or thing.

He refers to a male person.

The man is a person, not a thing.

Pause the video now.

That is correct, it is B.

"It" refers to an object.

We could probably refer to the bench as it, whereas he refers to a person, a male person.

Well done.

So we can also use different adjectives to describe Lily at certain moments.

In the film, it's about a three-minute film, there are loads of different adjectives which are appropriate for Lily at different points.

So a great adjective to describe Lily would be overexcited.

However, that is only appropriate for certain moments of the film.

For example, when she's running down the stairs on Christmas morning, or she's overexcited when she sees the man through the telescope.

It wouldn't be appropriate to describe Lily as overexcited when she's bored on the sofa.

So we need to think about which adjective is the most precise at each moment of the film.

So there's a picture here from the opening, Lily slumped on the sofa.

What adjectives can we use to describe Lily in this moment? I want you to say some adjectives to the screen or to your partner, and I wanna be able to hear them and then I'm gonna share my own.

Off you go, what adjectives can be used to describe Lily in this picture? Okay, well done.

I wonder if we've got any of the same ideas.

I described her as restless.

Often, when you're bored, you can become a bit restless.

You can't rest, you can't sit still.

She's bored, we know she's bored 'cause she's slumped on the sofa.

And she's young, I think it's really important for the reader to know her age, that she's a young child, not a teenager or an adult.

Now, in the next picture, when she goes to look through the telescope and sees the man for the first time, how can we describe Lily in this moment? Which adjectives can be used? I want you to say some adjectives to your partner or to the screen now describing Lily in this picture.

Off you go.

Okay, well done.

I wonder if we've got any of the same ideas.

I described her as curious, curious meaning she wanted to know more.

Why was that man on the moon? She was surprised.

I think I'd be surprised if I saw a man on the moon.

I wouldn't expect to see that.

So you can describe her as surprised, or even shocked.

Shocked is even more than surprised.

In fact, I definitely would be shocked if I saw a man on the moon.

That is pretty shocking, so we can describe Lily as shocked.

So let's check for understanding.

In the opening, which of these can Lily be described as: A, proud; B, bored; C, overexcited; or D, curious? Pause the video now.

Okay, so the opening, we can describe Lily as bored when she's slumped on the sofa, no one playing with her, and then curious when she starts to look through the telescope.

Proud isn't particularly precise or appropriate for this moment of the film, and overexcited definitely isn't, that comes much later on Christmas morning.

Well done, everyone.

Okay, how can Lily be described in these moments? This is the moment, the next day, the day after she's seen the man and she is desperate to get home to look through her telescope again.

How can we describe her in this moment? Say some adjectives to your partner or to the screen describing Lily now.

Off you go.

Okay, I'm gonna share my ideas with you.

I'm sure you've got lots of different ideas and you've had lots of different ideas.

That's totally okay.

These were mine.

Determined, she's determined to get home as quickly as possible to look through that telescope again.

She's excited, she's desperate to see the man again.

It was so exciting seeing him through the telescope, so she's excited to get home.

Now, this picture, she's thinking of trying all those different ways to find a way to send the letter to the moon.

How can we describe Lily in this moment, the moment where she just will not give up? Tell the person next to you or tell the screen what adjectives could be used to describe Lily now.

Off you go.

Okay, these were my ideas again, don't worry if you didn't get the same.

These are just what I was thinking.

I'm sure you've also got some excellent suggestions.

I thought she was frustrated.

It must have been really frustrating not being able to get her letter to the moon with the bow and arrow not working, standing on the roof not working.

That's annoying.

It's frustrating.

She's persistent.

She keeps trying.

She keeps thinking of different ways and she doesn't give up, so that's a very appropriate adjective to describe Lily at this moment.

Let's check for understanding.

True or false: Lily gives up easily when trying to communicate with the man on the moon? Is that true or false? Pause the video now.

That is false.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, determined and persistent are both adjectives we can use to describe Lily, or B, Lily cannot be described as both determined and persistent.

Pause the video now.

That's correct.

It is A.

Lily is determined to find a way to communicate with the man on the moon, and she's persistent.

Even though every way she tries doesn't work, she keeps trying.

Really well done, everyone.

Now, how can Lily be described in this moment? This is the moment she sees the man through his telescope.

She realizes her gift made it to the moon.

How must she be feeling? You can kind of see a smile on her face, which shows that she probably is feeling really happy, but instead of just happy, can we think of any more ambitious adjectives? Tell the person next to you or tell the screen adjectives to describe Lily at this moment.

Off you go.

Okay, I'm gonna share my ideas.

I wonder if you've got any of the same.

I described her as overjoyed.

She's more than just joyful.

She's overjoyed that her balloons made it to the moon.

She's bright-eyed, describing the way she looks.

Her eyes have lit up with excitement, so she's bright-eyed.

And she's thrilled.

That's when you're so excited and happy.

She can't believe her gift made it, so she's thrilled.

Okay, moving on to the man.

We know the man's emotions do change throughout the film, so we need to think of adjectives to describe him at different moments.

In this moment, at the beginning, the opening, we see him for the first time on the moon by himself.

How can we describe him? What words can we use to give a really clear image of the man for the reader? Tell the person next to you or tell the screen some adjectives to describe the man right now.

Off you go.

Okay, well done.

These were my ideas.

Frail.

Frail means quite weak, not very strong.

And I think the man seems because of his age and the fact that he's all alone on this moon with maybe not a very healthy lifestyle, he's quite frail.

Gray-haired, this gives an image of what he looks like for the reader, he's gray-haired.

Elderly, the opposite of young.

He's really old.

And lonely.

It's really clear that he's alone.

There's no one else around him.

He doesn't seem very happy about it.

So lonely feels like a precise adjective to describe the man.

Now, we know his emotion's changing.

How can we describe the man in this moment, the moment he receives the gift? Tell the person next to you or the screen, what adjectives could be used to describe him in this moment? Off you go.

Okay, well done.

I wonder if we've got the same ideas.

These were my suggestions.

Again, you might have had lots of different ideas.

That's okay.

I said he was stunned.

He couldn't believe someone had been thinking about him.

He's stunned.

Full of gratitude.

He's really grateful and thankful to whoever sent him that gift.

And he's moved.

He feels really emotional, overwhelmed with emotions, so you can describe him as moved.

He's also overjoyed.

He is so happy to receive this gift.

So checking for understanding.

True or false: the man's emotions change throughout the course of the film, true or false? Pause the video now.

That's correct.

It is true.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, the man is lonely and unhappy throughout the film, B, the man seems unhappy at the beginning, but he's happy and moved at the end when he receives the gift.

Pause the video now.

That's correct.

It is B.

Yes, he is very unhappy in the beginning and he seems very lonely, but these emotions change throughout the film.

Well done, everyone.

It's time for task A.

You are going to sort the adjectives that are the most appropriate for describing Lily and the man.

Your adjective choices are in the word bank below.

So there is frustrated, frail, overexcited, determined, young, grateful, lonely, and elderly, and you need to sort them into the correct boxes on the table.

So pause the video now, and off you go.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Let's go through the answers.

So adjectives to describe Lily, she's young, overexcited at certain moments of the film, not in all of the film, but at certain moments, she's determined, she's determined to find a way to reach the man on the moon, she's frustrated, it's very frustrating when her letter keeps not reaching the moon.

The man, elderly, the opposite of young, he's very old, he's frail, he's quite weak, lonely, he's all alone on the vast moon and he has no one to talk to so he's lonely, and he's grateful when the telescope arrives, he's full of gratitude, he's really thankful, so we can describe him as grateful.

If you need to make any changes to this, to task A, pause the video and do that now.

Otherwise, really well done, and let's move on to the next section of our learning, which is setting description.

So let's just look again at the main settings in "The Man on the Moon." We have Lily's house.

We see it from the outside, covered in all those Christmas lights.

And then we also see the inside, the living room, the stairs, there's loads of Christmas decorations and photographs.

It looks like a very happy family home.

In contrast, we have the moon and the man's house, which is much smaller than Lily's house, much more empty, much less colorful, and doesn't look like it's full of Christmas decorations and family photos or anything like that.

The moon itself is vast and empty, and the only thing on the moon is the man, his bench, and his shack.

So two really different settings and we want to use adjectives that describe the settings and create really clear images in the reader's head, and also so they can really understand how different the moon is to Lily's home.

So let's think about describing Lily's house.

We've got three images here from the film, we've got the inside her house, the corridor and the living room, and then we also have the outside.

I wonder if you can think of any adjectives to describe her house.

Try to create really positive images in the reader's head of her house.

So have a go at saying some adjectives to your partner or to the screen.

Well done.

I'm gonna share some of my ideas with you.

I'm sure you've also had some excellent ideas.

So describing Lily's house, I thought they would be filled with roaring laughter and music playing, so we've created a really loud image of lots of loud and happy noises inside the house.

It's comfortable.

There's big sofas and armchairs.

It looks really cozy, a comfortable place to be.

It's cozy and warm.

It looks like there might even be a fire at some point, someplace in the living room, warming up the house.

And then on the outside, it's got these colorful, dazzling lights, which makes it look like a really inviting and happy place, especially on Christmas.

So we can use ambitious vocabulary to help paint vivid pictures for our reader.

For example, in this sentence, "The dazzling lights lit up the warm, cozy house." Imagining colors as we write, helps us to choose vocabulary.

So we want to be creating a really positive image of Lily's house, so we can imagine almost blue, green colors to create that really positive image for the reader.

How could we describe the moon? This is a very different setting in comparison to Lily's house.

So I've got two images here from the clip.

On the left, you can see his shack, his house that he lives in by himself, and then on the right, the bench on that big moon.

What adjectives can you think of to describe this moon? Sorry, tell the screen or tell your partner or anyone you're with any adjectives you can think of to describe the moon.

Off you go.

Okay, well done, everybody.

Here are some of my ideas.

I've described there as being an eerie silence.

There's no noise, there's no sound of children playing or music and laughter like there is at Lily's house.

There's nothing, so there's an eerie kind of creepy silence.

The desolate shack, the shack is empty, doesn't look like there's much in there.

It's very small, it's by itself, it's desolate.

The ground is rocky.

There's no plants or trees or life of animals or anything.

It's just a rocky ground.

Barren, I really like this adjective choice.

I think it's really ambitious and precise to describe the moon.

Barren means lifeless.

Nothing can grow on barren land.

And you can see that on the moon, it's just gray.

There's no flowers or plants.

It's barren and empty.

The moon looks freezing.

There doesn't seem to be any way that the man can get any warmth, so it's freezing, bitterly cold.

It's empty, all we can see is the man and his shack and the bench.

But it's also vast.

It's so huge.

We know the moon is huge and it seems really huge, and that also makes the man seem even smaller and more alone, the fact that he's so small and such a small figure in this vast expanse.

Now, let's think about describing the moon in the sky.

What adjectives can we use to describe the sky and the moon? Have a go.

Have a think about how we can describe the moon in this picture.

Tell your partner or to the screen, what do you think, how could we describe it? Okay, well done.

I thought the moon could be described as silvery.

It's quite bright in that dark sky.

The stars around it are glistening.

And you can describe the moon as being amid the dark sky, so we're creating an image for the reader of it nighttime and of it being nighttime and the moon seeming really far away in the dark distance.

So let's just think again about painting the picture for our reader, and imagining colors to help us.

"There was an eerie silence across the barren, freezing land." Those adjective choices, eerie, barren, freezing, they've all helped create a really negative image of the moon, so this is almost like a red color.

We can imagine a red color, which helps us to create a much more negative image of that moon, which is really important for the reader because it helps them also understand the character and how lonely he was up there, the man.

Okay, it's time for task B.

We are trying to create a positive image of Lily's house.

Select the vocabulary that creates a vivid and positive, happy image of Lily's house.

Your choices are cozy, warm, dazzling, cold, joyful, desolate, empty, comfortable, and overexcited.

You need to circle the adjectives that you think create that positive image.

Pause the video now, and off you go.

Okay, welcome back.

Let's go through these choices.

The adjective choices which create a positive image of Lily's house, cozy, warm, dazzling, those dazzling lights, colorful lights, joyful, the joyful, happy atmosphere, comfortable, those cozy and comfortable sofas, and overexcited, that description of Lily on Christmas morning.

Well done, everyone.

Part two of task B.

We're now trying to create a negative image of the moon.

So you need to select the vocabulary that creates this vivid and negative image of the moon.

Your options are barren, eerie, dark, excitable, freezing, desolate, empty, joyful, and lively.

Circle the adjective choices that create that negative image of the moon.

Pause the video now, and off you go.

Welcome back, everybody.

Well done.

Let's go through those adjective choices, So baron, empty, lifeless, moon, eerie, that kind of spooky silence on the moon, dark, there's no light, freezing, there's no warmth on the moon, so it's really cold and freezing, desolate, the desolate shack all by itself, empty, and then the empty moon, all that is there is the man, which creates this really negative image of the moon.

Well done, everyone.

If you need to make any changes to task B, you can pause the video now and do that.

Otherwise, really well done.

It is the end of our lesson, so here is a summary.

Different nouns and adjectives are used to refer to the characters to maintain the reader's enjoyment.

Ambitious vocabulary helps paint vivid pictures for our reader.

Some vocabulary choices are more appropriate and precise than others depending on the moment of the film.

And imagining colors as we write helps us choose ambitious vocabulary that describes images as positive or negative.

Well done for an excellent lesson, everybody.