Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? Hope you're feeling really good.

My name's Ms. Afzal, and I am feeling pretty excited because we're going to be exploring some more wonderful poetry by Laura Mucha, poem called "Do Nothing" and another poem "Travel by Book." I wonder what they make you think of.

I'm really excited for us to get into this lesson.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can explore the layout and rhythm of two poems before performing for an audience.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them, my turn, your turn.

Mindfulness, line break, rhythm.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in a present moment, which is thought to create a feeling of calm.

Line break, the point where one line of verse ends and the next begins, often used to create rhythm, emphasize words, or control the poem's pace.

And rhythm, the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a musical and rhythmic flow in the poem.

Let's look out and listen out for these keywords.

We have two parts to our lesson today.

First of all, "Doing Nothing" and next, "Travel by Book".

Let's begin with the poem "Doing Nothing." "Doing Nothing" is a poem found in the poetry collection "Dear Ugly Sisters" by Laura Mucha.

Laura Mucha is an ex-lawyer and award-winning poet from the UK.

"Dear Ugly Sisters" is Laura Mucha's debut poetry collection for children.

It features fun, imaginative, and thought-provoking poems that often have a humorous twist on traditional stories and characters.

Now, before we read the poem, what does the title "Doing Nothing" make you think of? What do you think this poem might be about? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Let's take a look at some answers.

Here's Izzy.

"The title makes me think of being bored because I have nothing to do." And here's Alex.

"I think it will be about just sitting around and doing nothing at all, just relaxing." Oh, sounds good.

I wonder, were your responses similar or different to these ones? And now I'd like you to read and follow along to the poem "Doing Nothing" that is appearing on the following slides, or you could also follow along to the poem, which is available in the additional materials.

"Doing Nothing." "Breathe in, breathe out, one.

Breathe in, breathe out, two.

Breathe in, breathe out, three.

I wonder if Sapana's grumpy as she hasn't replied to my message.

Breathe in, breathe out, four.

Breathe in, breathe out.

She normally replies within minutes.

It's been hours.

Breathe in, breathe out, five, or was it six? Maybe I should message her.

Maybe I should call.

Maybe I should do it now.

Breathe in, breathe out, six.

Breathe in, breathe out, seven.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Why can't I count when I breathe in instead of out? Breathe in, breathe out, eight? This is so boring.

I'm a terrible meditator.

Remember, when your mind wonders, don't judge yourself for thinking.

That's what minds do.

Just bring back gently to the breath.

Breathe in, breathe out, nine.

Breathe in, breathe out, ten.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I must remember to give Alick his pen back.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Maybe I should write that down so I don't forget.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I have no idea what number I'm on.

Breathe in, breathe out, one." Did the poem match your predictions based on the title? Why or why not? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Now I'm going to give my initial response to the poem, how the poem made me feel, what I thought it was about, and any questions that I have.

I think the poem was about the author trying to practice mindfulness, but finding it hard to stay focused on her breathing.

It made me feel quite pleased because I also find my mind wonders.

I'd like to know what inspired the poet to write this poem and whether she finds mindfulness helpful.

And now it's your turn to give your initial response to the poem.

How did you feel? What did you think it was about? Do you have any questions about it? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Hope you enjoyed sharing your responses.

"Doing Nothing" explores the poet's inner thoughts as they engage in the practice of mindfulness.

So first of all, I'd like you to discuss what is mindfulness, and have you ever tried mindfulness before? Pause the video.

Share with someone nearby.

So mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, which is thought can help to bring a feeling of calm.

During mindfulness, you sit quietly and focus your mind only on your breathing.

It's normal for your mind to wander when practicing mindfulness.

The key is to notice that your mind has wandered and gently refocus your attention back to your breathing and the present moment.

Which of the following are true? "Doing Nothing" explores the poet's inner thoughts as they engage in the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of thinking about everything you have to do in the future.

Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements are true.

Well done if you selected statements A and C.

"Doing Nothing" explores the poet's inner thoughts as they engage in mindfulness, which is the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment.

A really fantastic and fun thing to practice.

I wonder if you've had a go.

I'd like you to discuss, why do you think the poet might have decided to write a poem like this? Pause the video and discuss this.

And next I'd like you to watch and listen to Laura Mucha introducing "Doing Nothing." <v ->I would like to share a poem with you</v> that is in both of these books.

I'm gonna read it from this one.

This is a poem that I wrote because I was a lawyer and I was hit by a car and then I was stuck in bed for years and it was really rubbish, not like fun stuck in bed like watching videos, like miserable stuck in bed.

And one of the things I did was I practiced mindfulness.

There's loads of science behind mindfulness.

The idea is just as you would play football to practice being good at football, if you practice mindfulness, then you can practice being really present in this moment.

Like, ah, here I am.

It's really nice and quiet.

I'm really comfortable.

Rather than, oh, have I done that? Or, oh, I've got to rush because, oh, I wonder whether.

You know, the future and the past thoughts.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

So the idea of mindfulness is to basically build the muscle that helps you be in the present moment.

"Breathe in, breathe out, one.

Breathe in, breathe out, two.

Breathe in, breathe out, three.

I wonder if Sapana's grumpy as she hasn't replied to my message.

Breathe in, breathe out, four.

Breathe in, breathe out.

She normally replies within minutes.

It's been hours.

Breathe in, breathe out, five, or was it six? Maybe I should message her.

Maybe I should call.

Maybe I should do it now.

Breathe in, breathe out, six.

Breathe in, breathe out, seven.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Why can't I count when I breathe in instead of out? (sighs heavily) Breathe in, breathe out, eight? This is so boring.

I'm a terrible meditator.

Remember, when your mind wonders, don't judge yourself for thinking.

That's what minds do.

Just bring back gently to the breath.

Breathe in, breathe out, nine.

Breathe in, breathe out, ten.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I must remember to give Alick his pen back.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Maybe I should write that down so I don't forget.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I have no idea what number I'm on.

Ugh.

(Laura sighs heavily) Breathe in, breathe out, one." <v ->So as we heard, Laura Mucha was left bedbound</v> after being hit by a car.

In that time, she practiced mindfulness and it really helped her to keep calm during this difficult and unknown time.

She admits she found mindfulness stressful at the start because she didn't know if she was doing it right.

She wishes she could have read a similar poem to "Doing Nothing" to help her.

And now I would like you to watch and listen to Laura Mucha reading "Doing Nothing," and look at a poem written down available in the additional materials, and you can follow along as you listen.

<v ->I would like to share a poem with you</v> that is in both of these books.

I'm gonna read it from this one.

This is a poem that I wrote because I was a lawyer and I was hit by a car and then I was stuck in bed for years and it was really rubbish, not like fun stuck in bed like watching videos, like miserable stuck in bed.

And one of the things I did was I practiced mindfulness.

There's loads of science behind mindfulness.

The idea is just as you would play football to practice being good at football, if you practice mindfulness, then you can practice being really present in this moment.

Like, ah, here I am.

It's really nice and quiet.

I'm really comfortable.

Rather than, oh, have I done that? Or, oh, I've got to rush because, oh, I wonder whether.

You know, the future and the past thoughts.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

So the idea of mindfulness is to basically build the muscle that helps you be in the present moment.

"Breathe in, breathe out, one.

Breathe in, breathe out, two.

Breathe in, breathe out, three.

I wonder if Sapana's grumpy as she hasn't replied to my message.

Breathe in, breathe out, four.

Breathe in, breathe out.

She normally replies within minutes.

It's been hours.

Breathe in, breathe out, five, or was it six? Maybe I should message her.

Maybe I should call.

Maybe I should do it now.

Breathe in, breathe out, six.

Breathe in, breathe out, seven.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Why can't I count when I breathe in instead of out? (sighs heavily) Breathe in, breathe out, eight? This is so boring.

I'm a terrible meditator.

Remember, when your mind wonders, don't judge yourself for thinking.

That's what minds do.

Just bring back gently to the breath.

Breathe in, breathe out, nine.

Breathe in, breathe out, ten.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I must remember to give Alick his pen back.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Maybe I should write that down so I don't forget.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I have no idea what number I'm on.

Ugh.

(Laura sighs heavily) Breathe in, breathe out, one." <v ->So why do you think the poet</v> has laid out the poem in this way? How do the line breaks affect the way Laura reads the poem? Pause the video while you discuss this.

Here's Laura.

"It's laid out almost like a conversation in the poet's head.

She's doing her breathing, but then keeps interrupting herself with her thoughts." Yeah, great point.

Yeah, great observation.

And here's Alex.

"The line breaks create quite a calming effect with each break introducing the reader to pause and slow the pace as they breathe in and out.

The change in layout for the poet's thoughts highlights the intrusion of her worries into the moment of calm." Again, really nicely observed.

Thank you, Alex.

And I had like you to discuss what's the rhythm of the poem? What kind of atmosphere does Laura create when she reads the poem aloud? Pause the video while you discuss this.

Laura says, "The poem has a steady, repetitive rhythm reflecting the breathing in and out.

This creates a calm and peaceful atmosphere." And Alex, "The rhythm is broken when the poet's thoughts interrupt her breathing.

This creates a more tense atmosphere, reflecting the anxious thoughts that keep appearing." Thank you, Alex.

We're going to read a poem "Doing Nothing" allowed.

The layout of this poem and the line breaks used throughout make it different to reading other, more structured poems. Let's see how Laura suggests you use the line breaks when performing.

<v ->What do I do about line breaks when performing a poem?</v> So a line break is where the line ends before the end of the page.

It's like when you press return on a keyboard or you decide I'm gonna end that line there and then there's space afterwards.

I think a lot of people think that they have to when performing a poem pause when they get to a line break.

So la, la, la, la, line break, pause.

La, la, la, line break, pause.

You can pause at line break, but you don't have to.

Only add a pause if you think it will help with your performance.

Whether to put a pause is your choice.

And while I'm on the subject, there's also meter and rhyme.

Meter is rhythm.

And then there's also rhyme.

You don't have to perform a poem to make sure that you've got the rhyme at the end of the line.

And here's another rhyme.

Or you don't have to go (tongue clicking) to stick with the meter.

All of these things are your choice.

You can put the emphasis somewhere else.

You can skirt over a rhyme if you want that line to keep going in way you are speaking.

So don't feel like just because it's a poem you have to sort of emphasize the rhyme or pause at the line breaks.

Try to think about how you might say it if you were saying it to a friend and see how that changes how you would perform it.

<v ->Very interesting.

</v> So now, hopefully you'll be able to answer this question.

Laura Mucha says, "You must always pause at a line." Break true or false? Pause the video while you decide.

That's false.

Laura says, "You can pause at line breaks if you think it will help your performance, but you can also just keep reading.

Where to pause when performing a poem is your choice." And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to read the poem aloud with a partner.

Experiment with the rhythm and how you read the poem.

Read it a few times in different ways.

Change the speed.

Emphasize certain words.

Pause for effect.

Vary the volume.

Use expression in different places.

And remember Laura's tips.

Where to pause is your choice.

Put the emphasis where you want.

Think about how you would say the poem to a friend.

So pause the video here while you read the poem aloud with a partner.

All right, good to be back with you.

How did it go? Did you change the speed? Did you emphasize any particular words? Where did you pause? Did you vary the volume? Did you use expression? And did you enjoy your performance? Did changing the way you read the poem change the way you feel about the poem at all? Pause the video while you reflect on these questions.

Thank you for your reflections.

And now it's time for us to move onto the poem "Travel by Book." "Travel by Book" is another poem found in a poetry collection "Dear Ugly Sisters" by Laura Mucha.

Before we read the poem, what does the title "Travel by Book" make you think of? What do you think this poem might be about? Pause the video.

Share with someone nearby.

Here's Izzy.

"The title makes me think of going on adventures and traveling just by reading a book." Oh, love that, Izzy.

Here's Alex.

"Maybe the poem is about imagining places and going on fun journeys in your mind, without actually leaving the house." Oh, love that too.

Thank you, Alex.

I wonder if your responses were similar or different.

And now it's time to read the poem "Travel by Book." Do follow along.

I'll be reading the poem out loud.

And also the poem is available in the additional materials.

"Travel by Book." "I've traveled the world in a boat on the sea, accompanied pirates and lived fancy free.

I've seen all of the things I've wanted to see.

I did it by reading a book.

I've won many battles.

I've swum with the sharks.

I found buried treasure alone in the dark.

I've lived in the elm trees of national parks.

I did it by reading a book.

I've worn my pajamas whilst flying with birds.

I've traveled alone and I've followed the herd.

I've relish, devoured, and reveled in words.

I did it by reading a book.

I've met many people.

I've made many friends.

And though I felt sad when it came to the end of the journey I'd made, I could make it again with the words of a well-written book." I'm going to give my initial response to the poem, what I thought the poem was about, how the poem made me feel, and any questions I have about it.

I think the poem was about how reading can transport you to lots of different worlds.

It made me feel excited.

I would like to know which books inspired all of these adventures.

And now it's your turn to give your initial response to the poem.

What do you think the poem was about? How did the poem make you feel? Do you have any questions about it? Pause the video while you share your initial responses with someone nearby.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your responses.

And now it's time to watch and listen to Laura Mucha reading her poem "Travel by Book." What a Treat.

<v ->I wrote this poem to try and capture</v> what I experience in reading and writing books.

I wrote this book about festivals around the world in the middle of COVID when we couldn't go anywhere.

Everything was locked down, was stuck at home.

But I didn't feel like I was stuck at home because I was researching what different places around the world did and how and why.

And then some of these places I'd been to, a lot of them, and it basically meant that I didn't feel like I was stuck at home.

It felt like I was traveling.

And so I wanted to write a poem about that experience and the power of books to take you places.

"I've traveled the world in a boat on the sea, accompanied pirates and lived fancy free.

I've seen all the things I have wanted to see.

I did it by reading a book.

I've won many battles.

I've swum with the sharks.

I found buried treasure alone in the dark.

I've lived in the elm trees of national parks.

I did it by reading a book.

I've worn my pajamas while flying with birds.

I've traveled alone and I've followed the herd.

I've relished, devoured, and reveled in words.

I did it by reading a book.

I've met many people.

I've made many friends.

And though I felt sad when I came to the end of the journey I'd made, I can make it again with the words of a wonderful book." <v ->How wonderful to hear Laura's reading of the poem.

</v> Now, I've got a couple of questions for you.

What is the rhythm of the poem, and what kind of atmosphere does Laura create when she reads the poem aloud? Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

Rhythm and flow refer to the natural musicality of the poem's language.

Some poems have a strict, regular form, and this can affect the flow of how we read it aloud.

"Travel by Book" is a fixed verse poem.

It contains four verses, also known as stanzas.

The verses follow the AAAB rhyme scheme.

The poem has a clear, steady rhythm, which gives the poem a flowing and musical quality.

We need to find the right pace and timing when reading aloud to create a smooth and engaging performance.

Which of the following is true about the poem? "Travel by Book" has no rhyming words.

The verses follow the AAAB rhyme scheme.

"Travel by Book" is written in free verse.

Pause video while you decide which of these statements are true.

Well done if you selected statement B.

The verses do follow the AAAB rhyme scheme.

And now I'd like you to read the poem aloud and focus on rhythm and flow.

Pay attention to the rhyming words.

Think about where the words flow and where you will pause.

The line endings and punctuation can help you.

So pause here while you read the poem aloud with a focus on rhythm and flow.

Here's a top tip from Jun.

"Often we need to read a poem more slowly and clearly than we think, as the audience might be hearing it for the first time." Thank you, Jun.

We are going to perform "Travel by Book" to an audience.

Let's see what advice Laura has for preparing for a performance.

We asked Laura, what do you do the night before you perform a poem? <v ->The night before I do a performance,</v> whether that is poetry to camera or an author visit or narrating an audio book, I generally try not to go out because performance costs a lot of energy, so I wanna be rested.

And I think it's really easy to forget about the fact that performance costs energy and just go, "Oh yeah, and then I'm gonna go to this thing.

I'm see my friends or whatever.

I'll watch TV late and then I'll go and I'll be fine.

And oh, they've got a birthday party in the evening." No.

And I have learn from doing audiobooks, with having lunch with actors that this is something that actors do as well.

They recognize that performance costs energy.

So I try and have, I literally put it in my diary as down day, and I try not to do something massive the day before, or definitely not the night before.

If I'm trying to do something off the page, so learn it off by heart, then I will listen to the audio on repeat, literally like brushing my teeth, just listening to the poem, putting my pajamas on, listening to the poems, whatever.

And I will also practice mindfulness to try and stop any nerves if there are nerves.

Mindfulness is basically a practice that tries to help you stay in the present moment.

So it might be like focus on your breath or focus on your body instead.

And I do that to try and stop my brain from going how I done this? What about this? Purrrrrrr.

Which it can do sometimes.

But I'm quite lucky and I like performing.

So I'm conscious that nerves can be a bigger thing for other people, and I think mindfulness is really, really important for everyone, particularly when you've gotta perform poem.

<v ->So interesting.

</v> Rest.

Performance costs energy.

Listen to audio on repeat the night before.

Practice mindfulness to help with nerves.

And how about what do you do just before you perform, Laura? <v ->I think I'm quite lucky because my experience of nerves</v> is more like an experience of excitement.

So I don't tend to worry much.

And if I do, then it's more like eeeh, rather than ahhhh, but that does depend because sometimes I've done things where I've gone on and there's like, you know, thousands of people in the audience and then it might go from eeeh, ahhhh.

You know, it can oscillate between the two.

I think also because I have performed a lot, I now have a belief that I can do it, which is quite helpful.

So even if I'm feeling eeeh or ahhh, deep down, I'm like, "I can do this." And I think that's really helpful.

What I think is a really useful thing to do for me but for everyone is deep breaths.

Now, I know this sounds a bit like, "Oh yeah, sure, Laura, deep breath." But there's really good solid science behind it.

And this really leading professor of anxiety, which is basically the science word for worries, wishes that deep breathing was taught to all children because it slows your heart rate and it calms your nervous system.

So it is really, really helpful and really easy to do.

So I generally just do this.

(Laura breathing deeply) But there are other things you can do.

I do it for more than that.

You can trace your finger around your hands (inhaling and exhaling deeply) or you can raise your arms (inhales and exhales deeply).

There's no right or wrong way of doing it, but just remember that the science behind breathing is really great and tells us that can help us with worries.

So breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.

<v ->Believe in yourself.

</v> Deep breathing exercises, they calm your nervous system, what top advice from Laura.

And now let's practice some deep breathing.

And we can do this using our hands.

So what we'll do is we'll begin here and we'll breathe in as we trace up each finger or thumb and then breathe out slowly as you trace down.

So again, breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in, breathing out.

One more time, breathing in and breathing out.

And now I'd like you to discuss with someone nearby how did it make you feel when you did this breathing exercise, tracing up and down each finger.

Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

Hope you enjoyed sharing.

And now it's time for your final task.

Practice and then present your final performance of the poem "Travel by Book." You could perform the poem individually in a pair or in a group.

Think about the rhythm, the flow, use of your voice, tone and volume, gestures and movement, showing expression and emotion, create the desired atmosphere.

So off you go on your journey traveling by book, practicing and presenting your performance.

Well done, everybody.

Hope you enjoyed your performances.

So I'd let you to pause and reflect.

Did you vary the rhythm and flow of the poem? Did you speak clearly and vary your tone and volume? Did you use facial expressions or gestures? Did you enjoy performing? I really, really hope so.

Pause the video here, share with someone nearby your answers to these questions.

Well done for your performance, everyone.

Poems can be interpreted in many different ways.

Therefore, each performance may convey different feelings and emotions to the audience.

In our lesson Exploring and "Doing Nothing" and "Travel by Book" by Laura Mucha, we have covered the following.

"Doing Nothing" is a poem found in a poetry collection "Dear Ugly Sisters" by Laura Mucha.

The poem is about the practice of mindfulness, and the rhythm varies in the poem to reflect the atmosphere.

"Travel by Book" is a fixed verse poem which follows the AAAB rhyme scheme.

The poem has a clear, steady rhythm, which gives the poem a flowing and musical quality.

Doing deep breaths before performing can help us to feel calm and reduce nerves.

I hope you enjoyed "Doing Nothing." I hope you enjoyed "Travel by Book." These are two of my favorite things.

I love mindfulness.

I love going on adventures while reading books.

So I love this lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it too.

I'll see you again soon.

Bye for now.