Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name is Mrs. Riley, and I'll be teaching you today.

I hope you're feeling well and excited for our lessons today, which is going to focus on poetry and one poem in particular.

This is a poem by a poet called Joseph Coelho, and the poem is called "I Am a Writer." So, let's find out more about this poem.

The outcome of today's lesson is to give a personal response to the poem and read it aloud.

We have three keywords for our lesson today.

They are theme, metaphor, and imagery.

Can you say them with me? My turn, your turn.

Are you ready? Theme.

Metaphor.

Imagery.

Well done.

A theme is a big idea, topic, or message that recurs within a text.

A metaphor is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

Imagery is the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener.

In our lesson today, we have two learning cycles.

We're going to first have an introduction to the poem and poet.

And in the second learning cycle, we'll explore the poem in more detail.

So, let's start off with an introduction to this poem and poet.

Joseph Coelho is an award-winning performance poet, playwright, and children's author.

Joseph's poetry is known for using engaging and emotive themes such as identity, family, and friendship.

In 2022, he was appointed the Children's Laureate, which is a really big honour.

Today, we will be reading and responding to Joseph Coelho poem, which is called "I Am a Writer." This poem is taken from his published collection of poems, "Werewolf Club Rules," which was Coelho's first published book of poetry.

So, before we read the poem, what does the title, "I Am a Writer," make you think of? What words or images come to mind? Could you pause the video and discuss that with your partner now? Okay, let's come back together.

Perhaps you said something like this.

"It makes me think the poem is going to be about a writer talking about themselves." Maybe you're right.

Maybe you thought that you imagined the poem will be full of useful tips of things that you might need to become a writer.

Oh, so, like some advice on how to become a writer.

Both really good ideas.

So, I wonder also if you have got positive or negative images when you think of the title, "I Am a Writer." Do you think of positive or negative images? Maybe you could show me with your thumbs up if you think of positive images, thumbs down if you think of negative images, or maybe it's somewhere halfway.

Can you show me now? Ooh, okay, a bit of a mixture.

So, we are now going to have a chance to watch and listen to Joseph Coelho, who wrote this poem, perform the poem "I Am a Writer." Enjoy.

<v ->This poem is called "I Am a Writer."</v> And in this poem, I wanted to try and sum up what it feels like to be a writer and also to let everyone reading it know that they are writers, too.

And you guys listening are writers.

"I Am a Writer." I am the clash and collide of the stars, because I create worlds.

I am the awareness of the trees because I hear the wind.

I am the sweat of a rainbow because I refract all colours.

I am the blood in a pen because I ink arteries.

I am the blade in a sharpener because I make nibs vanish.

I am the edge of a rubber, rounded, worn, and softened by mistakes.

I am the conversation of notes, discussing melodies.

I am the holes in a flute, knower of unknown tunes.

I am the skin of a drum.

Every hit, beat, and bang, bouncing off me, forming music from nothing.

<v ->Okay, wow, wasn't that brilliant?</v> So, now you've listened to the poem, we're going to give our initial responses to the poem, the first kind of things that we think or felt when we listened to that poem.

So, I'm going to go first and then you're gonna do the same thing.

So, I'm gonna give my initial response to the poem.

I'm gonna answer these two questions.

What did I like about it? And do I have any questions about it? Hmm, well, I liked lots of things, but one thing I especially liked was how the poem included different objects that a writer might use.

For example, a rubber or an eraser.

And I would like to know if the poet can really make music with words.

So, now it's your turn.

Can you give your initial response to the poem? What did you like about it? And do you have any questions? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Okay, fantastic.

So, let's go through each verse, a verse is a little section of the poem.

We're gonna go through each verse of the poem and we're going to kind of break down what that each verse is about.

So, we've got the poem on the left-hand side and then we've got the kind of synopsis or summary or discussion on the right-hand side.

So, here are the first.

These are lines 1 to 4.

The poem goes like this.

I am the clash and collide of the stars because I create worlds.

I'm the awareness of the trees because I hear the wind.

So, the poem begins with the speaker saying that they have a creative force inside them because they can create new worlds.

They also say they're the awareness of nature, implying they have a connection and ability to listen to nature.

Here are lines 5 to 8.

I am the sweat of a rainbow because I refract all the colours.

I'm the blood in a pen because I ink arteries.

So, you might notice there's this repetition of this phrase, I am, at the start of these lines.

So, next, the speaker says they are the sweat of a rainbow, hinting at the hard work it takes to create something beautiful.

The metaphor used, I am the blood in a pen, that's the metaphor, one of our keywords, comparing one thing to another, saying it is something.

So, we're comparing ourselves to the blood in a pen.

The metaphor used to compare the speaker to the blood in a pen suggests the speaker's writing is vital and carries truths and emotions like blood being carried around the body.

Lines 9 to 12.

I am the blade in a sharpener because I make nibs vanish.

I am the edge of a rubber, rounded, worn, and softened by mistakes.

So, if you imagine a pencil sharpener, there's the bit that you sort of stick the hole where you stick the pencil into, and then there's that little silver blade, which is the bits that actually slices the pencil away, the old bit of pencil away.

So, the speaker compares themselves to a blade in a sharpener being able to remove the worn or dull parts of a pencil and allow it to become sharp again.

They say they're the outside of a rubber, indicating they have been shaped and softened by their experiences and mistakes.

Lines 13 to 16.

I am the conversation of notes, discussing melodies.

I am the holes in a flute, knower of unknown tunes.

So, the speaker says they're the discussion between musical notes, hinting that they can create and develop beautiful compositions.

A melody is like a tune.

And they continue this musical theme, which is one of our keywords, saying that they're holes in a flute and they know tunes before they've been played out loud.

And this highlights the speaker's potential to create new and unheard music.

Line 17 to 20, this is the last verse.

I am the skin of a drum.

Every hit, beat, and bang bouncing off me, forming music from nothing.

So, if you imagine a drum and you've got the sort of the metal hard bit and then you've got that layer at the top, which is like fabric pulled really tight, which is the part that you hit.

So, in the final verse, the speaker says they're the surface, that surface of a drum, and every time they're struck, a sound is made.

And this indicates that the speaker is able to create vibrant and rhythmic expressions.

So, it's time to check your understanding.

Could you please put the following events that occur in the poem in order? So, we've got a, the speaker compares themselves to the outside of a rubber.

So, where does that come in the poem? b, the speaker says they are collisions in space.

And c, the speaker uses a metaphor to say they are the surface of a drum.

So, could you put a, b and c in order 1, 2, and 3 that they come in the poem? Pause the Video now.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

So, hopefully you got to the first event to occur in the poem is, the speaker says they are a collision in space.

Second is a, the speaker compares themselves to the outside of a rubber.

And in the final verse, we have c, the speaker uses a metaphor to say they are the surface of a drum.

So, I would like you in a second to discuss how the poem made you feel.

Here are a couple of examples of what you might think.

Maybe you might say, "The poem made me think about being a writer and how special it is because you can create anything." Maybe you might think, say, "The poem made me feel amazed at how many different ways there are to create writing." So, it's your turn now to discuss how this poem made you feel.

But remember, our personal responses to the poem will be different, 'cause we're all unique, and that's okay.

So, don't worry if you and your partner both had a really different feeling when you read or listened to this poem.

That's all right.

So, pause the video now and discuss how this poem made you feel.

Okay, well done for sharing.

So, it's time for your first task.

In this task, I would like you to refer to the poem, so make sure you've got a copy next to you, and discuss these questions with your partner.

First thing I'd like you to discuss is what do you think the main message of the poem is? What's Joseph Coelho's message? What's he trying to tell his readers, do you think? And the second question is, what images created by the poem were memorable for you and why? So, if you imagine now we've read this poem, if you turned that piece of paper over and you can't see the poem, what images kind of stick in your mind from the poem? Maybe it's the image of the drum or the rainbow, or maybe it's the image of being the blade in a sharpener.

What image sticks with you? So, here are a couple of sentence scaffolds you might use in your discussion.

I think the main message of the poem is mm.

And the image of mm was memorable for me because.

I hope you enjoy this task.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

So, here's an example of what you might have said to your partner.

Maybe you said, "I think the main message of the poem is that being a writer is like being so many different things, as you have the power to create whatever you want." Maybe you said, "The image of a rainbow sweating was memorable for me, because I never thought about how much hard work is needed to create something beautiful." We're now moving on to our second learning cycle where we're going to explore the poem in more detail.

Joseph Coelho's poems often explore personal experiences.

This means he's writing poetry using real events from his own life as inspiration.

A theme is a big idea, topic, or message that recurs within a text.

Some themes in this poem include creativity, imagination, and identity.

Identity is how you define who you are and how you fit into the world.

So, which of these are themes explored in the poem? a, environment, b, creativity, c, identity.

Pause the video and choose your answer or answers now.

Okay, well done.

So, the correct answers are, creativity and identity are both themes explored in this poem.

Imagery is the writer's use of highly descriptive and vivid language that appeals to the senses to paint a picture.

Now, our senses are things like our smell or our touch.

So, any language that's going to appeal to our senses, make us imagine smells or things to see or things that we might hear paint a picture.

It includes metaphors, similes, and personification.

And metaphor is one of our keywords today.

By making specific language choices, poets can enhance meaning in their poems and create a specific impression.

So, I would like you now to read the poem "I Am a Writer" again, and as you're reading it, have a real think about the language that Joseph Coelho's chosen to use.

See if you can think about the imagery.

Maybe you might be able to spot some metaphors, similes, or personification.

So, pause the video while you read the poem again.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

A metaphor is a way of describing and comparing something by saying that it is something else.

For example, he had a heart of gold.

Now, somebody doesn't actually have a heart of gold.

They wouldn't be able to be alive if they had a heart of gold.

But if you say someone had a heart of gold, it's a way of saying that they have a really, like, kind heart.

So, this is a metaphor.

In "I Am a Writer," Joseph Coelho uses metaphors throughout the poem.

Maybe you spotted some when you just reread it.

Many of the comparisons he makes are to items associated with writing and poetry, such as ink, rubbers, and sharpers.

So, what other comparisons are made in the poem? Could you have a look? Make sure you've got the poem at hand.

Have a look, see if you can spot any and discuss them with your partner.

Pause The video now.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

So, do you like the metaphors that have been used? If you could add another metaphor to the poem to create a comparison, what would it be and why? I'd like you to discuss both of these things with a partner.

So, do you like the metaphors that have been used? And if you could add another one, what would it be and why? Pause the video.

Okay, here's what you might have said.

"I like the metaphor of the edge of the eraser.

It reminded me that we can all learn from our mistakes." I liked that, too.

And maybe you might say, "I would use the metaphor, I'm a spark of fire, because I'm full of ideas as a writer and can take my writing in any direction.

Often, we refer to ideas as sparks." So, yeah, that would be a really nice metaphor to add to the poem.

So, which of these is a metaphor? She.

Sorry, a, she is as sly as a fox.

b, he is a couch potato.

c, they were like busy bees.

Which of these is a metaphor? Pause the video and choose your answer.

Okay, well done.

The correct answer is b.

Now, you may have thought a or c are metaphors because they are both comparing one thing to something else, she is like a fox, they were like bees, but they are actually similes, because they use the word as and like.

She is as sly as a fox.

They were like busy bees.

A metaphor compares by just saying something is something else.

He is a couch potato.

That's a way of saying someone's quite sort of lazy.

So, it's time for your second task.

In this task, I would like you to read the whole poem out loud to a partner, but this time, we're thinking a little bit about how we read it and perform it.

I want you to use your voice to bring the vivid imagery in the poem to life.

I want you to read the poem clearly so that the person listening can hear every word and with expression in your voice.

And now, we're going to get some extra tips from Joseph Coelho himself about how he thinks you should perform this poem.

So, let's find out what they are.

<v ->My poem, "I Am a Writer," has quite a regular rhythm</v> and there is a repeat of I am a writer.

So, I would first of all challenge you to memorise the poem, really get it into your body, get a real feeling for the words, and then you can start to play with that rhythm, you can start to play with the musicality of the poem.

Maybe try different ways of using that rhythm.

You might want to stamp your feet in time or clap or click, or maybe even use some instruments through the performance of the poem.

Good luck.

<v ->Okay, lovely.

</v> So, thinking there about the rhythm, maybe wanting to tap your foot or something like that to help you.

That's some really nice tips there from Joseph Coelho.

So, I hope you enjoy reading this whole poem and trying to really bring the imagery to life using expression, thinking about all of those top tips from Joseph Coelho.

Pause the video now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Well done.

I hope you enjoyed reading that poem.

So, let's just reflect on how we read the poem to your partner.

Did you manage to read it in a loud, clear voice? Did you use your voice to emphasise the imagery? Did you read with expression? Did you use the rhythm by tapping your feet? And did you manage to memorise any lines or words in the poem? So, perhaps pause the video and just take a moment to reflect on how you read the poem.

Is there something you think you did really well at? Maybe is there something that you think you could try and improve on for next time? Pause the video and think about that now.

Okay, well done.

Here's what you might have thought in your head.

Maybe you said, "I used my voice to emphasise the image of drum by saying the words beat and bang in a louder voice." Maybe that was something that you thought you did really well at.

Okay, so, well done for reflecting.

It's always important to take time to think about how we did something and what we did well and what we could maybe improve on for next time.

So, let's summarise what we've learned together today.

We've learned that Joseph Coelho's poem, "I Am a Writer," uses metaphors to compare the process of being a writer to many other things.

We've learned that the poem explores the themes of creativity, imagination, and identity.

Poets can use a range of poetic devices to enhance the meaning or impact of their poems. A metaphor, which is an example of a poetic device, is a way of describing something by saying that it is something else.

We looked that example, he is a couch potato.

Imagery is the use of language to create a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader or listener.

So, thank you so much for joining me today for this lesson.

You've worked really hard.

I hope you feel proud of yourselves.

And perhaps if you loved this poem, you might want to explore more of Joseph Coelho's poems. Bye!.