Lesson video

Hello, and thank you for joining me for today's English lesson.

My name is Mrs. Butterworth and I'm very much looking forward to guiding you through your learning today.

Now, this lesson is all about planning a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology.

So you'll need to make sure that you have access to that poetry anthology.

Now, I know for some of you, you may think that planning isn't worth it or it's a waste of time, but I'm going to show you today the importance of planning and give you some really effective strategies that you could use in your essays, and they are really effective, I promise.

Does this sound good? Great.

Then let's get started.

So, in this lesson, you will conceptualize and plan a comparative response on how two poems present the theme of love.

But before we delve into the lesson, let's look at those all important keywords.

We have nuance, judicious, and cohesive.

Now, nuance is a small detail that shows careful thought and helps you see more than one side of something.

And we're really hoping and striving to achieve a nuanced response when we're writing about poetry.

So, we're really looking at those small details and thinking about different perspectives.

Now, judicious is exercising good judgment in a thoughtful and careful manner.

So, if we think about judicious in terms of quotations, we want to use our good judgment to select good quotations, thoughtful quotations that are carefully picked.

Now, cohesive.

So, in essays, this refers to all parts of your writing, linking clearly and working well together.

So, we want to make sure that our essays are cohesive.

So, they follow.

They have a through line.

And they follow that through line throughout the essay so that they're nice for the reader to read.

Okay, so the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by thinking about drawing comparisons between poems and the sorts of comparisons we can draw before moving on to planning that all important comparative response.

Now, sometimes when comparing poetry, you may be given a named poem and asked to compare it to a poem of your choice.

So, it's good to start thinking about these sorts of things now, okay? So, the sorts of poems that you would choose for those named poems. So, I'd like you to discuss, please.

If you were given "Cousin Kate" by Christina Rossetti from the anthology, which other poems from the anthology would you choose to compare it to, and why, okay? So, you will need to pause the video to give yourself time to discuss your ideas.

If you are working on your own, you may wish to sit quietly and think by yourself or even jot down some ideas.

But when you are ready, pause the video and get going.

Great, some really interesting comparisons coming out there.

Let's look at what some of our Oak pupils said.

You may have something similar.

You may have something different.

But hopefully they'll give us some really great suggestions.

So, Izzy has said that she would pick "Dusting the Phone" because both poems explore ideas around love and relationships.

Really good suggestion.

Maybe something that you came up with too.

Alex has said that he would compare it to "Catrin" because both poems look at love and family conflict and strength.

Great idea.

And Lucas has said that he would select "Sonnet 29" because it deals with resilience and relationships.

So, these are all really great suggestions from our pupils here.

We can organize the poems from the anthology into themes.

So, throughout this lesson, I really want us to think about the thematic links between those poems in the anthology.

So, using your knowledge and the images to help you, what themes could we organize the poems into? So, let me just repeat that question again.

Using your own knowledge and the images to help, what themes could we organize the poems into? So, pause the video to give yourself time to discuss that question.

If you need to, you can think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas, but pause the video and off you go.

Thank you.

Some really great discussions happening there.

So, you may have thought about this image here, the theme of love, the theme of war or conflict.

The theme of identity is a really strong theme throughout the anthology.

And finally, nature.

Now, this isn't to say that these are the only themes in the anthology, but these are kind of the four core ones that we think about.

But there are many themes that you may have even just discussed happening in this anthology too.

So, now, thinking about these themes, I would like you to think about the poems themselves.

So which poems best link to each theme? Are there any that explore more than one theme? Pause the video to give yourself time to discuss those questions.

Off you go.

Great.

Thank you.

It's really lovely to see how well you know this anthology already.

So a very well done to you all.

So, I'd like you now to think about this question.

Which would not be considered a theme in the Eduqas poetry anthology? So, you need to pick A, B, C, or D.

Pause the video to give yourself time to come up with your answer now.

Okay, so a very well done to everyone that picked C, technology.

It's not really considered a main theme in this anthology.

Now, although it may be easier to compare two poems from the same cluster, so those ideas of love or conflict or nature, you can compare any of the poems from the anthology, okay? So, sometimes it can be insightful to explore more subtle or nuanced links between poems. So, what I mean is that you don't always have to go for the most obvious choice.

You can think about something that maybe has a more subtle or nuanced link.

So, for example, how might you compare the poem "Blackberry-Picking" and "Disabled"? So, what do we think? So, I'd like you to discuss what similar themes and ideas did these poems explore? How are these poems different? So, I'd like you to pause the video to give yourself time to discuss those poems. You may want to think quietly to yourself or write down some ideas, but pause the video and off you go.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

That's quite tricky, isn't it? But I think it's really interesting to explore these less obvious links between the poems. So really well done for thinking about those.

Let's see what Jun came up with.

So, you may find that you came up with something similar, which is great, or maybe you had something different.

Let's have a look.

So, Jun says, "These poems though from different clusters within the anthology explores similar themes.

The loss of innocence and the harsh realities that follow youthful expectations." Excellent link.

"In 'Blackberry-Picking', the excitement and hope of childhood quickly turned to disappointment as the berries rot.

In 'Disabled', a young soldier reflects on the loss of his youth, health, and dreams after going to war.

Both poems highlight how time and experience can destroy early hopes, revealing the gap between expectation and reality.

It's a really great idea there.

Some really great ideas there from Jun.

And again, something that may not seem like an obvious combination has really given loads of ideas, haven't it? It's presented lots of ideas to explore.

So, an interesting discussion question now.

If this is how Jun approached the answer, what might the question have been about? So, what theme might the question have been about? Okay, let me repeat that question again.

If this is how Jun approached the answer, what might the question have been about, okay? So, pause the video to give yourself time to discuss this answer or even think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Thank you everyone.

So, you may have thought about conflict, the loss of innocence or time and experience.

So, Jun kind of hints at any one of those things.

So we can kind of assume or make predictions that that was what the question was about.

So, when choosing your poems for comparison, you could ask yourself the following questions.

So this is a really good thing to practice in terms of planning for your answers.

So, you want to think about the following questions.

Do they explore a similar theme or emotion? Do they present contrasting or complementary viewpoints? Is there a shared use of language, structure, or imagery? Will the comparison help me say something insightful or original? Okay, so true or false time.

Is the statement true or false? You should always pick poems with the same viewpoint.

Is that true or is that false? Come up with your answer now please.

Ready for the answer? Well done to everyone who said false, but you now need to explain why that statement is false.

So pause the video so you've got time to come up with your answer now.

Off you go.

Okay, so here's my answer.

Hopefully you have something similar.

So sometimes, so the reason that is false is that sometimes it is interesting to choose poems with different viewpoints.

It can lead to more original and nuanced analysis.

Comparing contrasting perspectives can deepen understanding and even reveal complexity.

Well done, everyone.

We have reached our first practice tasks, so let's keep up the good work.

So, what I would like us to do is I would like us to explore some less obvious comparisons between poems. So, the comparisons are going to be, number one, "Sonnet 29" and "Remains," number two, "Drummer Hodge" and "Origin Story," number three, "The Schoolboy" and "Kamikaze." So, your task is going to be, discuss how each pair of poems could be linked.

Use the following questions to help.

So, do they explore a similar theme or emotion? Do they present contrasting or complementary viewpoints? Is there a shared use of language, structure, or imagery? And finally, will the comparison help me say something insightful or original? So, this is a discussion task, but if you need to, you can think quietly to yourself or even write your answer down.

Get ready to pause the video and get this task completed.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Off you go.

Excellent.

Well done, everyone.

I really enjoyed seeing the comparisons you came up with in those less obvious poem combinations.

So, well done.

Let's look at how some of our Oak pupils answered.

So, Aisha said, "'Sonnet 29' and 'Remains' are both about intense internal struggles.

Both reveal intense internal battles with emotions like despair, but in very different contexts." Excellent ideas there, Aisha.

Well done.

And Alex has said that, "'Drummer Hodge' and 'Origin Story' both explore identity and belonging.

Both poems explore what it means to belong, whether through place or heritage." Again, some great ideas coming through there.

And Izzy says, "'The Schoolboy' and 'Kamikaze' both focus on lost freedom, both critique societal systems, school or military or cultural expectation, that stifle individuality and freedom." So, maybe these are ideas that you thought of.

Maybe not.

But what I would like you to do is look at our Oak pupils and just spend a few moments discussing to what extent do you agree with them and why.

Pause the video to get that task done.

Off you go.

So, we have now reached the second part of our lesson.

So, we're going to move on to planning a comparative response.

So let's look at the question we will be planning.

We kind of need that, don't we? So the question is, in "Sonnet 29," the poem explores ideas about love and relationships.

Choose one poem from the anthology that also explores love and relationships and compare the presentation of love and relationships.

So, perhaps you've already thought about this in the first part of the lesson, but I'd like you to discuss now which other poems in the anthology are about love and relationships.

Pause the video to come up with your answers.

Off you go.

Great.

Thank you so much.

I like how some of you are really stretching for those less obvious comparisons.

So well done.

So, you may have discussed the following "Cousin Kate," "Dusting the Phone," or "Origin Story," but you may have come up with something else and that's fine too.

So, which of these poems or any other from the anthology that also explores love and relationships are you going to choose to compare to "Sonnet 29" and why? So, now, you have to choose just one poem that you are going to use to compare.

Maybe pause the video to give yourself time to pick that poem.

Okay, so we have some ideas.

We've thought about which poems we're going to use.

Now, it's time to refine your argument.

So, we're going to write a thesis statement.

So, let's just remind ourselves through a quick discussion, what is a thesis statement and why might it be useful to plan your thesis statement before you begin writing? So, pause the video to give yourself time to discuss.

Jot down some ideas or think quietly to yourself about those questions.

Off you go.

Okay, so hopefully you came up with something similar.

So, your thesis statement is your main argument.

So, what you are proven your essay.

So, it's really important you know what your main argument is before you start writing.

So, that is your thesis statement.

You must make sure that it's specific.

So, by that, it means it's relevant to the poems you are exploring.

If you are making comments that could be said about any poems or any combination of poems in the anthology, you are not being specific, okay? So, it's really important we work on that.

So, planning your thesis before writing is so it can stay focused and keep your essay cohesive.

So this is why we plan it before we start.

So, here is the start of a thesis statement.

Both "Sonnet 29" and "Cousin Kate" explore ideas about love and relationships, but they present contrasting views on love's impact.

So, this makes a general statement about both poems and it references the question.

So, it's a good start.

Here is the next part of the thesis statement.

"Sonnet 29" portrays love as a deeply positive and transformative force while "Cousin Kate" reveals how love can be controlling, exploitative, and lead to betrayal.

So, this makes a really specific comment about each poem and has a clear focus.

So, "Sonnet 29" as positive and transformative.

"Cousin Kate" as controlling and exploitative.

So, you can see how these thesis statement starts from the general, so a general statement about the poem that references the question.

So this is about love.

And then it moves down to become more specific.

So we can see what this essay would argue that it would use lots of analysis and ideas to show "Sonnet 29" as positive and transformative and compare that to "Cousin Kate," which is controlling and exploitative.

So, it's really specific in what it's gonna explore about these poems and what these poems show.

Okay, so we've got two thesis statements here.

Which thesis statement offers a clear and specific overarching argument? Let's read these together first and then you need to decide whether A or B, out of those, which statement offers a clear and specific overarching arguments? Let's read them together.

So, A, both "Sonnet 29" and "Dusting the Phone" explore the theme of love and relationships, showing how people experience different emotions when they are in love.

B, while "Sonnet 29" presents love as a deeply fulfilling and stabilizing force, "Dusting the Phone" reveals love as a source of emotional uncertainty and longing.

Both poets show how love can dominate the speaker's thoughts, but with contrasting emotional outcomes.

Okay, so which of those thesis statements offers a clear and specific overarching argument? A or B? Pause the video to come up with your answer now.

And a very well done to everyone that said B.

B is our clear and specific overarching argument.

The reason why is that thesis A is too vague and simply repeats the question.

So it just says both poems explore the theme of love, but it doesn't really say the different, how they explore these themes of love specifically, okay? So it's really important that we're super, super specific.

And thesis B shows a clear argument based on the different presentations of love and emotional responses.

So, you can see here we've got "Sonnet 29" fulfilling and stabilizing force, very specific descriptions of the presentations of love.

"Dusting the Phone" as a source of emotional uncertainty and longing.

They are really, really specific in those different presentations of love.

Now, effective analytical writing includes a range of evidence throughout.

So, evidence from the poem should be precise, accurate, and judiciously chosen.

Now, some of these, you might notice judicious from our keywords, but we've also got precise and accurate there.

So I'd like you to discuss please, particularly in reference to quotations.

What do these words mean? So, pause the video to give yourself time to come up with your answer.

Off you go.

Okay, so precise in terms of quotations means you use only what you need to analyze and aim for no more than two lines.

So, you don't always have to include the whole line of the poem.

You just need to include what it is you need to analyze.

So, aiming for no more than two lines can help you achieve this.

It needs to be accurate as well.

So, you need to copy the quotation accurately as it appears in the text.

So, you can use square brackets to modify or you can use square brackets with the three dots, your ellipses, to cut out extra words.

So again, this links to that preciseness as well.

If you've got a really long quotation and you only need the beginning and the end, you can use those brackets to maybe separate.

Just cut that down.

And then judiciously, don't just settle for the first quotation you see, okay? Judiciously is all about choosing and finding the one which best suits your argument.

So you are really looking for that kind of golden quotation, the one that really supports your point and helps you make some really excellent analysis.

So, second practice task, and it's all over to you now.

So, here's a reminder of the question.

In "Sonnet 29," the poet explores ideas about love and relationships.

Choose one other poem from the anthology that also explores love and relationships and compare the presentation of love and relationships.

So, what I would like you to do is, first of all, write your thesis statement in response to the question.

So think about those thesis statements that we've looked at and what makes an effective thesis statement when you are writing that.

And you should include a general statement about both poems that references the question and a specific comment about each poem that has a clear focus.

So, you'll need to pause the video to get that thesis statement written.

I know you can do this.

Pause the video and off you go.

Okay, great.

So, you now have a thesis statement.

What I would now like you to do is to find evidence from those poems to support your thesis.

So, remember, your evidence needs to be precise, accurate, and judiciously chosen.

So, what does that mean? Use only what you need to analyze.

Aim for no more than two lines.

Copy the quotation down exactly as it appears in the text and use those square brackets to modify or to cut out extra words.

Don't settle for the first relevant quotation.

You have time today to really think about the quotations that are going to elevate your response.

So, find the best one that suits your argument.

Okay, are we ready to go? Great.

Pause the video so you've got time to find that evidence to support those wonderful thesis statements.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

Some excellent planning today.

So, what I would like you to do is just self-assess your work by using the following questions.

So it's important that we read back our work and just check that it's great.

So, I'd like you to check it through.

Does my thesis clearly answer the question? Are my comments about the poems specific and focused? Is the evidence relevant and effective? What's one thing I did well or what you did well? And what's one thing you could improve, okay? So, I'd like you please to complete that can self-assess your work by answering the following questions.

So pause the video to give yourself time to do that.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

We are now at the end of our lesson, and hopefully you have some really effective strategies and a much more secure way of how we can plan for those comparative poetry responses.

So, we know that the poems that you choose to compare should both be linked to the focus and nuances of the question you asked.

It is useful to consider the similarities between poems and then consider any subtleties, subtle differences between them.

Thesis statements help you to refine your argument and give you a point of reference to return to as you write, which is why it should be part of the planning process.

And evidence should be selected judiciously.

We know what that word means now.

And it is important to choose the quotation that best supports your argument.

So a very well done, everyone.

I can't wait to do this all again.

So do join me again soon for another English lesson.

I'll see you then.

Bye.