Lesson video

Hi, I'm Ms. Miah.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson today.

For this lesson, you will need a copy of the novel, "The Twisted Tree.

" I hope you're excited about this lesson.

I am.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll be able to use your knowledge of the Gothic to make impressive inferences about the tree.

Your keywords are on the screen now, and you can write them down if you'd like to.

So we've got inference, connotation, the Gothic, and lastly, macabre.

So let's find out what these words mean.

Inference: a conclusion you reach by applying logic to the evidence you are given.

Connotation: a feeling or idea that a word makes you think about, in addition to its basic meaning.

The Gothic: a style of writing that involves dark, mysterious, and supernatural themes.

Macabre: related to death and things that are creepy or horrifying.

So those are our keywords today.

Let's move on.

So this lesson is all about "The Twisted Tree," and we're going to be making impressive inferences about the tree.

We've got two lesson cycles today, and our first lesson cycle is to do with impressive inferences, and then we're going to be moving on to looking at making inferences about the tree.

Let's begin.

So I'd like you to move into a discussion.

Look at the image below.

What could we suggest is going on here?

You can pause the video here.

Have a think and you can discuss with your partner.

So what did you discuss?

Let's have a look.

Well, from the picture, we can see that it is a wet or rainy day.

It is evening or wintertime.

The child is alone.

It is a town or city.

Over to you.

So what led us to make these suggestions?

Have a think.

Well, we can see that the child is wearing wellies and a raincoat.

The reflection of the streetlights suggests that it is dark.

No other people in the frame, so the child is alone.

Now for the fact that we're guessing it's a town or city, well, there is a pavement and a shop front.

Crucially, these things might not be true, but they are likely based on the evidence in the image.

We can call these inferences.

Inference is where you look for suggested ideas rather than just what is stated directly.

It is about looking at texts and coming up with interpretations based on evidence and reasoning.

Inferences usually rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated, but rather hinted at or suggested.

Inference is a different skill to analysis.

Over to you.

Inferences usually rely on things that have been directly stated.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've completed the first part of this check for understanding.

So what did you get?

If you got false, well done.

Why do you think this is?

You can pause the video again.

So what did you get?

Well, inferences rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated but hinted at or suggested.

Well done if you got that.

Let's move on.

These Oak pupils have some helpful tips on how to use inferences correctly.

Inferences should pick out suggested meanings, not to explain obvious statements.

Avoid overreliance on "this suggests" by using synonyms like illustrates, hints, implies.

Sometimes, looking at the connotations of a particular word can help us make inferences about it.

Let's move on to task A.

Read the below statements and explain what you can infer from each one.

One, despite the pouring rain, the concert hall was packed with people.

Two, after the big game, Clara's teammates lifted her onto their shoulders, cheering loudly.

Three, Sarah quickly hid the note in her pocket when the teacher approached.

Four, Tom's shoes were wet, and his hair was dripping with water when he came inside.

You can pause the video here and click play when you've completed this task.

So how did that go?

Well, let's have a look.

Here is how you could have approached this task.

One, so despite the pouring rain, the concert hall was packed with people.

So we could infer that the concert is very popular or highly anticipated.

So what do we know from this text?

Well, it was pouring with rain.

The concert hall was still packed with people.

What does despite tell us?

Well, despite means even though there was a problem, and the problem was the heavy rain.

So why is that important?

Heavy rain often makes people stay at home or change their plans, but in this case, lots of people still came.

What can we infer?

Well, the concert must have been very popular, important, or something people really wanted to see.

People thought it was worth going even in bad weather.

So how did we infer it?

Well, we used a clue from the text.

This clue could be pouring rain.

Another clue from the text, and that would be packed with people, and our own knowledge.

So bad weather usually puts people off from going out.

Then we join them together.

So if people came even though the weather was terrible, the concert was probably highly anticipated or very popular.

Two, after the big game, Clara's teammates lifted her onto their shoulders, cheering loudly.

So one can infer that Clara played exceptionally well or did something significant in the game.

I was also thinking that maybe they won the game.

We can see here that it was after the big game, Clara's teammates lifted her onto their shoulders.

They were cheering loudly.

So what does this make us think?

Well, people usually do this when they are celebrating someone, and it shows that Clara was the focus of the celebration.

So the inference here would be, Clara probably played really well or did something important in the game.

Three, Sarah quickly hid the note in her pocket when the teacher approached.

So we can infer that the note contains something private or secretive.

So what are we looking into?

Well, the text tells us, Sarah quickly hid the note, she put it in her pocket, and she did this when the teacher approached.

So what does this make us think?

Well, if she hides it quickly, she probably does not want the teacher to see it.

People usually hide things when they are private, secret, or they might get in trouble for them.

So the inference here is that the note probably contains something private or secretive.

Four, Tom's shoes were wet and his hair was dripping with water when he came inside.

So we can infer that Tom got caught in the rain.

So what does the text tell us?

Well, Tom's shoes were wet, his hair was dripping with water, and he had just come inside.

So what does this make us think?

Well, if his shoes and hair are very wet, he was probably outside in wet weather.

Dripping hair suggests he got very wet, not just a little bit damp.

So the inference here is that Tom probably got caught in the rain.

Well done for completing this task.

Let's move on.

Cycle two, making inferences about the tree.

Quick thoughts.

So how is the twisted tree presented throughout the novel?

Have a think.

Well, the twisted tree is regularly presented as a strange and mysterious presence in the novel.

In fact, its presentation can be seen as totally in keeping with the Gothic genre.

With a partner, I'd like you to discuss what you remember about the Gothic.

The Gothic is a genre of writing that creates a feeling of fear, mystery, and suspense.

It often includes dark settings like old houses, castles, storms, or graveyards, and may feature strange or supernatural events.

Gothic stories are designed to make the reader feel uneasy or curious.

So when we are first introduced to the tree by Martha, she describes it as swaying, jumping, and alive.

I'd like you to discuss with a partner, what can we infer from the tree from this description?

Well, you might have said: the tree has a restless energy of some kind, the tree has the ability to physically move, the tree is supernatural in some way, or there is a storm taking place, causing the tree to move in this way.

And I can say that because we're inferring based on those keywords, so swaying, jumping, and alive, there is some type of energy that the tree has.

So we are going to practice making inferences about the tree following the below structure.

Step one, identify an interesting quote.

Step two, we're going to make a clear inference.

Step three, we're going to make a link to the Gothic.

And step four, we will then develop with an additional inference.

So let's take a look at an example.

So here's an interesting quote.

Burge initially describes the tree as swaying and jumping.

So now we're going to make a clear inference.

The verbs have connotations of restless energy, perhaps hinting the tree is alive in some way.

This links to the Gothic as it evokes an eerie, supernatural atmosphere, a key convention of the Gothic.

And step four, we're now going to develop with an additional inference.

So Burge goes on to describe the tree as moving wildly, perhaps suggesting the tree has a sinister and unrestrained power.

Using the verbs swaying and jumping to describe the tree could suggest: A, it is supernatural in some way; B, it has a restless energy; C, it is entirely normal; or D, it is a vision or hallucination of some kind.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A and B, you are correct.

Using the verbs swaying and jumping could suggest that it is supernatural in some way or that it has a restless energy.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on.

Task B.

I'd like you to turn to page 53 of "The Twisted Tree.

" I'd like you to read the description of the tree from the paragraph that begins with the word "it" to the paragraph on page 54 that ends with the word "up.

" And I'd like you to answer the following question: how does Burge make the tree seem mysterious and terrifying?

I'd like you to pick out key descriptive words and explain the effect and then use the structure below for your answer.

Step one, identify an interesting quote.

Step two, make a clear inference.

Step three, make a link to the Gothic.

And then lastly, step four, develop with an additional inference.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this task.

So how did that go?

Well, here is how you could have approached this task.

Burge describes the frightening tree's roots, suggesting they look like the veins of a hand.

The word veins has connotations of blood and life, with the simile perhaps implying that the roots of the tree are in fact alive.

The Gothic is known for its macabre imagery, and therefore the description of the tree seems more frightening as it draws on this Gothic idea.

The Gothic is emphasized further as we learn of the beating heart at the center of the tree itself.

Over to you.

I'd like you to discuss, where has the above answer made inferences from the text?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here, and click play once you've thought about that.

So how did that go?

So we know that this is an inference because the text does not directly say the roots are alive.

We worked it out from the writer's language.

The clue is the word veins.

Veins are linked to blood and living things, so this gives us the idea of life.

The simile then helps us suggest that the roots seem alive.

So, evidence from the text, the word veins.

What does this make us think of?

Well, it makes us think of blood, life, and living things.

And the inference here is that the roots may be presented as if they are alive.

Well done if you managed to identify this inference.

Let's summarize our learning.

So this lesson was to do with "The Twisted Tree," and we were making impressive inferences about the tree.

You now understand that inferences usually rely on things that haven't been explicitly stated but rather hinted at or suggested.

We can use connotations to help us make inferences about a particular word or phrase.

Making links to the Gothic can make our inferences stronger.

And lastly, effective analysis is developed and can include an additional inference.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson, and I hope you really enjoyed it.

Bye.