Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're doing really, really well.

My name's Ms. Afzal and I'm feeling pretty excited because today we are going to be exploring the poetry of Karl Nova.

He's a very exciting poet and I can't wait for us to get into his poetry.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can explain the effect of imagery in a poem.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Imagery, atmosphere, visual.

Fantastic.

I liked hearing those.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Imagery is the use of vivid and sensory language that appeals to the reader's senses, creating vivid mental pictures and enhancing the emotional impact of the poem.

Atmosphere is the feeling or mood created in a section or whole of a text.

Visual is relating to the sense of sight.

These words will be coming up in our lesson today.

Let's keep looking and listening out for them.

So in our lesson exploring imagery in "The City of My Birth" by Karl Nova, there are two parts.

First of all, introduction to the poet and poem and next, exploring imagery.

Let's get into this introduction.

"The City of My Birth" is a poem written by Karl Nova.

It is part of his collection titled "Rhythm and Poetry".

Karl Nova is a British poet, performer, and speaker.

He was born in London, England in 1975.

He spent part of his childhood in London before moving to Nigeria.

His work is influenced by hip-hop culture.

It blends rhythm, rhyme, and stories and it is fun to perform and listen to.

Nova is passionate about making poetry fun for young readers.

He won the CLiPPA, Centre for Literacy and Primary Poetry Award, in 2018 for his collection "Rhythm and Poetry".

Well done, Karl Nova.

Great achievement.

Select the statements that are true.

Karl Nova believes that poetry is for older readers.

Karl Nova was born in London in 1975.

Karl Nova was born in Nigeria in 1975.

Karl Nova believes that poetry should be fun to read and listen to for younger and all readers.

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

Good to be back with you.

Which statements did you select as true? This one hopefully.

Karl Nova was indeed born in London in 1975 and he believes that poetry should be fun to read and listen to for younger and all readers.

The poem, "The City of My Birth", was written by Karl Nova and published in 2017.

It is a free verse poem.

There's no set rhyme scheme or structure.

In the poem, Nova vividly describes the place of his birth, London.

It has a natural rhythm and flow.

The poem shines a light on all these themes.

Identity, who we are.

Belonging, where we feel we belong.

And heritage, our personal story of what our roots are.

Really important themes.

I love those.

So let's read the poem.

Here we go.

"I spy with my London eye, Big Ben telling the time.

As these thoughts like the River Thames flow through my mind, thoughts of love for my city like tube trains move quickly.

Although unlike them, there's no delay swiftly like red buses that move through the streets like the blood pumping through my veins as my heart beats.

I feel a rush of blood for the city of my birth.

I might be biassed, it's one of the greatest on earth.

I stand still on Westminster Bridge watching the movement of different people moving around.

I'm grooving to music pumping in my headphones.

I crack a smile.

London is my playground and I am its child." What a poem.

Love that, Karl Nova.

I'm going to give my initial response to the poem.

Well, I already did get the bit of one there.

I'm going to answer.

So what did I like about the poem and any questions I have about it? I liked hearing the rhythm and flow of the poem.

It sounded a bit like a rap.

Hmm, question, what does bias mean? Over to you.

It's your turn to give your initial response to the poem.

What did you like about the poem? Do you have any questions about it? Pause the video while you have this discussion about your initial response with the person nearby.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your ideas.

There are 17 lines in this free verse poem.

Let's explore some of its language.

So in this first section, we've got Big Ben and a River Thames.

Now Big Ben is a very famous clock in the Elizabeth Tower of the Houses of Parliament in London and the River Thames is the large river that flows through London.

Big Ben is next to the Thames.

So these are some very famous landmarks in London.

"I Spy" is a game usually played with children.

The speaker is playing with the reader, telling them what they can see.

So it's quite fun how Karl Nova has used this idea of I spy of my eye to make it all about London and I spy of my London eye.

Really fun.

In this next section of the poem we have, hmm, some really interesting words here, tube trains and red buses.

Now if you're travelling around London, you may travel on a tube train.

This is a underground train that runs through London that lots of people use every day to get around.

And something else that you might see if you're in London, something very famous is a red bus.

So red buses are public buses that transport people through London and they are red.

So they really stand out 'cause it's bright, vibrant red colour.

And maybe if you've ever been to London or if you live in London, you may have seen these.

And if not, come to London, have a visit and see these buses.

And also I'm wondering if you live somewhere else, what colour are the buses where you live? Now there's something else we can see in this section of the poem, which is that there are some near-rhymes and some rhyming words.

And there are.

So we've got quickly and swiftly.

We've got streets and beats.

And there's also examples of enjambment where one line continues over onto the next line without a pause.

And onto the final section of Karl Nova's poem.

We have this word biassed and Westminster Bridge.

Biassed is when someone believes something based on their experience.

And Westminster Bridge is a bridge that crosses the River Thames near the houses of Parliament in London.

And again, we can see some more rhymes and near-rhymes.

We've got birth and earth, moving and grooving.

Smile and child not quite a rhyme, but some similar sounds there.

Now I'd like you to put the images from the poem in the order that they appear in the poem.

So we have red buses, Big Ben, music and headphones, and Westminster Bridge.

Pause the video while you put these images from the poem in the order that they appear.

Okay, first up, we've got Big Ben.

Then the red buses.

Westminster Bridge makes an appearance and then we have that music and headphones at the end.

Well done if you put the images from the poem in this order.

And now time to have some fun.

I would like you to practise reading the poem, "The City of My Birth" aloud.

And it's available in the additional materials.

Use your knowledge of where the near-rhyming and rhyming words are to help you read with the expression.

Remember to feel the natural rhythm of the poem.

Enjoy reading the poem and see you when you're finished.

Okay, great to be back with you.

I hope you enjoyed that.

Did you use an expressive voice, I'm wondering? Also, could you feel the natural rhythm of the poem? And was it easy or hard to read? Just take a moment to reflect on those questions.

Thank you.

And now let's move on to exploring imagery in this fantastic poem.

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

It can include metaphors, similes, and personification.

By making specific language choices, poets can create a specific atmosphere for the reader.

Let's look at some of the image we used in "The City of My Birth".

First read the poem, "The City of My Birth" again.

Pause the video while you do this.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed reading that.

It's such a fun poem to read, I find.

So let's take a look at some of the imagery in the first few lines of the poem.

So London eye, this metaphor.

And you'll have come across metaphors before.

This metaphor tells us where the poem is set.

Big Ben telling the time.

This description tells us what Big Ben is doing.

And here, we have simile.

This simile compares the flow of the river to the flow of the poet's thoughts.

And here we've got some en enjambment.

Here adds to the flow of the poet's thoughts.

So we've got a river flowing, We've got the thoughts flowing.

We've got the enjambment flowing.

There's a lot of flow.

In the next part of the poem, we have some emotion in this first line.

This emotion clearly lays out how the poet feels.

And then we've got no delay, swiftly.

This description adds to the fast pace of the poet's emotions.

And then we've got some similes.

These three are similes like tube trains, like red buses, like the blood pumping.

These compare the fast London transport system to the poet's blood.

They describe his joyful energy and love for his city.

Now let's take a look at the final section of the poem.

The description in this first line adds more pace to the poet's emotions, this rush of blood.

And then we've got some clear descriptive verbs.

We've got some really precise language here from Karl Nova.

And these verbs tell us what is happening.

This makes the imagery easy to see in our minds with this movement and a grooving, cracking smile.

Really fantastic use of imagery from Karl Nova.

And then we've got the enjambment again adding to the flow of what the poet can see.

And then in this last line, we've got this metaphor of London being like the playground.

And here's this child and this refers us back to that childlike game of "I Spy" at the start of the poem.

So there's a really nice theme at both the start and the end of the poem about being like a child.

And now that we've explored more language and imagery, how would you describe the atmosphere or mood of the poem? Pause the video while you do this, share your ideas with someone nearby.

Here's Andeep.

"I think the atmosphere of the poem is thrilling and joyful because the poet clearly describes what he loves about the city where he was born." And here's Alex.

"The atmosphere felt busy because so much of the poet's language was fast language.

This helped me to picture the hustle and bustle of the city clearly." Thanks for sharing those ideas and I hope you enjoyed sharing yours.

And now let's explore in more detail how poets create vivid imagery.

Karl Nova's language choices helped create an atmosphere of London that is busy, full of energy, and joyful.

Great combination.

To do this, he creates a vivid picture with his language choices.

Really precise use of language Karl Nova has.

His language choices include a lot of visual descriptions.

Which of these does Karl Nova describe to create a visual image in our minds? Wembley Arena, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the River Thames.

All landmarks in London.

Pause video while you decide which of these Karl Nova describes to create a visual image in our minds.

Well done if you selected Big Ben.

Well done if you selected the River Thames.

Using a lot of visual descriptions means that we, the readers, get a clear picture of London in our minds.

When discussing imagery, we can do all of these.

We can explain the words or phrases that we know.

Read around the visual words or phrases we don't know to try to understand them better.

Describe how the language creates a visual impression.

Our ideas and discussions will all be different because we are all unique.

I will discuss some visual language from the first four lines of the poem.

I like that Karl Nova describes his eye using the word London.

It makes me think that he has vision and sight over the whole city from where he's standing.

And now over to you.

I'd like you to discuss some visual language from the first four lines of the poem.

You can choose the same or a different example.

Remember to do all of these.

Explain the words or phrases that you know.

Read around the visual words or phrases to try to understand them better.

And describe how the language creates a visual impression.

So pause the video while you do this.

Thanks for having a go at that.

Let's take a look at a response.

I know that the River Thames is a very big river.

I like that Karl Nova likens his thoughts flowing to the river flowing.

It helps me to picture the size of his thoughts in my mind.

Yeah, wonderful.

I love that flow.

Flow of his thoughts, flow of the river.

Next I'll discuss some visual language from the next seven lines of the poem.

I like that Karl Nova chooses the simple adverb quickly to describe how the trains travel.

Sometimes poet's language can be tricky to understand, but this helps me to picture the trains clearly in my mind.

And now over to you.

I'd let you to discuss some visual language from the next seven lines of the poem.

You can choose the same or a different example.

Remember to do all of these things.

Explain the words or phrases that you know.

Read around the visual words or phrases to try to understand them better.

Describe how the language creates a visual impression.

Pause the video while you do this.

Well done for joining in with that.

Let's take a look at a response.

I like that Karl Nova compares the redness of London's buses to his own blood.

The use of the colour red creates a strong image and connects the poet's energy to the life of London.

Fantastic example.

And finally, I'll discuss some visual language from the next six lines of the poem.

I like that Karl Nova tells us exactly where he's standing.

I can visualise the bridge easily because I've seen a photo of it before.

That means I can understand that he's standing right in the centre of the city he loves.

And over to you.

Can you discuss some visual language from the next six lines of the poem? You can choose the same or a different example and remember to do all of these.

Explain the words or phrases that you know.

Read around the visual words or phrases to try to understand them better.

Describe how the language creates a visual impression.

Pause the video while you have a go at this.

And let's take a look at an example.

I like imagining Karl Nova grooving with his headphones on.

I've done that before.

Danced a bit when I'm feeling happy.

Listening to my favourite music.

This helps me to understand how happy he is watching life go by in the city.

Oh, yes.

What a fantastic thing to do.

Just listening to your favourite music, feeling a groove.

I love that.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to draw your own visual representation of London as seen from Karl Nova's eyes in the poem.

Include The Bridge of Westminster.

Include London's river.

Include the buses and underground trains.

Include bustling crowds of people.

So pause the video here and enjoy having a go at creating your own visual representation of London.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, great to be back with you.

How did you get on? Did you include the bridge of Westminster, London's river, the buses, the trains, and bustling crowds of people? Did it look something like this or this? I hope you enjoyed creating your visual representation of London as seen from Karl Nova's eyes.

In our lesson today, exploring imagery in "The City of My Birth" by Karl Nova, we've covered the following: Imagery refers to the use of language that evokes vivid pictures in the reader's mind.

In the poem, "The City of My Birth", Karl Nova uses visual language to paint a vivid picture of London for the reader.

Visual language includes descriptions of London's transport system and landmarks.

The atmosphere that Nova creates is one of a busy, energetic, and joyful city.

There is also a natural rhythm and flow to the poem.

Thank you everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It felt pretty energetic and joyful for me just to be here and to take part in this lesson, and I hope you felt that too.

I'll see you next time.

Bye for now.