Reading Aloud: Episode 9
0001 10:00:12:09 10:00:15:16
Hello, and welcome to "Reading
Aloud", the programme about books
0002 10:00:15:16 10:00:17:21
that's more than just a review show.
0003 10:00:17:21 10:00:23:06
It's about sharing books that you're
passionate about using in schools.
0004 10:00:23:06 10:00:27:20
Now, these exam crammers
may not excite much passion,
0005 10:00:27:20 10:00:31:22
but in today's programme, one top
author launches a blistering attack
0006 10:00:31:22 10:00:33:06
on testing.
0007 10:00:33:06 10:00:37:16
These exams don't just crucify the
children, they crucify the teachers.
0008 10:00:37:16 10:00:41:15
(Michael) Also in this show: pupils
play pitching to the publisher,
0009 10:00:41:15 10:00:43:15
I do my Russell Crowe impression.
0010 10:00:43:15 10:00:46:20
"My name
is Maximus Decimus Meridius."
0011 10:00:46:20 10:00:50:12
And the public prove why we need
Bill Bryson's guide to science.
0012 10:00:50:12 10:00:53:21
- Do you know what a proton is?
- No.
0013 10:00:57:09 10:01:01:21
First, an author with a fascinating
range of material and interests 0014 10:01:01:21 10:01:03:13
Robert Swindells.
0015 10:01:03:13 10:01:06:05
He's not afraid
to tackle controversial issues
0016 10:01:06:05 10:01:08:19
like nuclear disarmament
and homelessness.
0017 10:01:08:19 10:01:12:19
He's also responsible for chilling
and magical adventure stories
0018 10:01:12:19 10:01:15:07
like "Ice Palace".
0019 10:01:15:07 10:01:17:14
The hero, Ivan, lives in a land
0020 10:01:17:14 10:01:20:02
where the winter
is dark and fearful.
0021 10:01:20:02 10:01:24:04
Starjik, King of Winter,
steals Ivan's little brother,
0022 10:01:24:04 10:01:27:17
and Ivan braves
the bitter cold and packs of wolves
0023 10:01:27:17 10:01:30:05
to find the little boy.
0024 10:01:31:05 10:01:33:24
"And somewhere, back there, he knew
0025 10:01:33:24 10:01:36:12
the wolves
were running in his tracks."
0026 10:01:36:12 10:01:39:13
"He must find a tree to climb."
0027 10:01:39:13 10:01:44:14
"Wolves can outrun any living
thing, but they cannot climb trees."
0028 10:01:44:14 10:01:49:03
"He stumbled on,
looking wildly around him,
0029 10:01:49:03 10:01:54:11
but the trees just here
were pines with smooth, icy trunks."
0030 10:01:54:11 10:01:56:11
"The wolf cries drew nearer."
0031 10:01:56:11 10:01:58:20
"He plunged forwards, gasping."
0032 10:01:58:20 10:02:00:15
"They had seen him now."
0033 10:02:00:15 10:02:05:12
"A few seconds more
and they would be upon him."
0034 10:02:07:12 10:02:10:24
(Michael) Ivan's adventures
have really captured the imagination
0035 10:02:10:24 10:02:14:16
of the children at Leegomery
Junior School in Shropshire.
0036 10:02:14:17 10:02:17:14
They've all read the book,
but teacher Merle Traves
0037 10:02:17:14 10:02:20:01
wants to know
how they would promote it.
0038 10:02:20:01 10:02:22:11
What is it that's so special
about this book
0039 10:02:22:11 10:02:24:17
that I should spend
the money to publish it?
0040 10:02:24:17 10:02:28:10
It's really exciting and thrilling,
0041 10:02:28:10 10:02:32:05
and every child in the world
would want to buy it.
0042 10:02:32:05 10:02:34:21
(Merle) Really, the focus
was children's writing.
0043 10:02:34:21 10:02:37:15
I wanted to improve their writing,
0044 10:02:37:15 10:02:39:18
instead of the sudden story
that started,
0045 10:02:39:18 10:02:42:08
this happened, this happened,
and there's the end.
0046 10:02:42:08 10:02:45:17
I wanted them to think carefully
about the type of language
0047 10:02:45:17 10:02:48:17
they were using
in that opening sequence.
0048 10:02:48:17 10:02:52:12
(Michael) Did you ask them to guess
what might come next as you read?
0049 10:02:52:12 10:02:55:15
(Merle) That's right.
I waited till the first incident,
0050 10:02:55:15 10:03:00:00
because what takes place
is he's got a number of obstacles.
0051 10:03:00:00 10:03:03:12
The main character
is going to get his brother back,
0052 10:03:03:12 10:03:07:13
and in order to do that he has
to overcome a number of obstacles.
0053 10:03:07:13 10:03:11:09
So after the first obstacle
I wanted them to predict
0054 10:03:11:09 10:03:13:12
what was going to happen next.
0055 10:03:13:12 10:03:16:19
There was some really good thinking
coming from the children.
0056 10:03:16:19 10:03:20:14
"As Ivan was walking,
he felt the ground start to shake."
0057 10:03:20:14 10:03:23:10
"He did not know
what was happening and felt scared."
0058 10:03:23:10 10:03:26:00
"He was alone in the woods
with the ground shaking."
0059 10:03:26:00 10:03:28:17
"And as he turned,
he saw a blinding light,
0060 10:03:28:17 10:03:31:20
and a crack in the ground
started to open
0061 10:03:31:20 10:03:34:11
until it was as big as a lake."
0062 10:03:34:11 10:03:36:21
"It's so cold
that the trees shiver."
0063 10:03:36:21 10:03:40:00
"Because it's magical
it's like a dream come true."
0064 10:03:40:00 10:03:42:05
"The snow looks..."
0065 10:03:42:05 10:03:46:03
(Merle) If they weren't committed
to the story, it wouldn't work,
0066 10:03:46:03 10:03:48:03
but at the same time,
you are able to say:
0067 10:03:48:03 10:03:50:19
"Listen to this.
How does he describe it?"
0068 10:03:50:19 10:03:55:18
And you've got really good examples
of the description in the book.
0069 10:03:55:18 10:03:58:12
I love that phrase you use "committed to the story".
0070 10:03:58:12 10:04:02:16
Yes, in the sense that they wanted
to know what happens at the end.
0071 10:04:02:16 10:04:07:06
And what works really well
is that it pulls the class together.
0072 10:04:07:06 10:04:11:06
There's a lovely shared experience
that they have.
0073 10:04:19:05 10:04:23:03
"My name
is Maximus Decimus Meridius,
0074 10:04:23:03 10:04:25:09
commander
of the Armies of the North,
0075 10:04:25:09 10:04:27:24
general of the Felix Legion,
0076 10:04:27:24 10:04:31:21
loyal servant to the true emperor,
Marcus Aurelius,
0077 10:04:31:21 10:04:36:07
father to a murdered son,
husband to a murdered wife."
0078 10:04:36:07 10:04:40:16
"And I will have my vengeance
in this life or the next."
0079 10:04:40:16 10:04:43:12
Russell Crowe, eat your heart out.
0080 10:04:43:12 10:04:46:17
Well, the man who penned
those famous lines from "Gladiator"
0081 10:04:46:17 10:04:49:21
is the Oscar-nominated writer
William Nicholson.
0082 10:04:49:21 10:04:52:03
The screenplay
has brought Nicholson fame,
0083 10:04:52:03 10:04:55:12
but he's also an award-winning,
best-selling children's writer
0084 10:04:55:12 10:04:58:05
specialising in fantasy.
0085 10:04:58:05 10:05:01:02
(William) What I'm doing now
is writing fantasy novels.
0086 10:05:01:02 10:05:04:15
I've got a new novel out
called "Seeker".
0087 10:05:04:15 10:05:08:08
What I'm trying to do in "Seeker" it's very ambitious 0088 10:05:08:08 10:05:12:10
it's three books,
and I'm taking three teenagers,
0089 10:05:12:10 10:05:16:15
and I'm putting them through
enormous changing experiences
0090 10:05:16:15 10:05:20:03
as they pursue what, to them, is
the most valuable thing they can do,
0091 10:05:20:03 10:05:21:19
which is serve their god.
0092 10:05:21:19 10:05:25:06
I have tell you, their god will
turn out to be not what you expect.
0093 10:05:25:06 10:05:27:00
Nothing is simple in these books.
0094 10:05:27:00 10:05:30:17
But what I promise you
is this is me trying to say:
0095 10:05:30:17 10:05:33:00
"Everything that you need
to learn for life,
0096 10:05:33:00 10:05:35:18
these characters will learn
in front of your eyes,
0097 10:05:35:18 10:05:37:17
including how to have superpowers."
0098 10:05:37:17 10:05:41:12
(Michael) In "Seeker" there's
a pirate called the Wildman.
0099 10:05:41:12 10:05:43:13
Now, the Wildman
looks rather like me,
0100 10:05:43:13 10:05:47:12
except you've got to imagine me
with long, blond curls, OK?
0101 10:05:47:12 10:05:49:12
My arms are bare and tanned,
0102 10:05:49:12 10:05:52:02
and I've got these
silver bangles all down it,
0103 10:05:52:02 10:05:55:07
and I've got bright-coloured
clothes, and I am a river pirate.
0104 10:05:55:07 10:05:57:23
I come in my boat
with my team of pirates,
0105 10:05:57:23 10:06:00:12
and all I want to do
is rob and kill.
0106 10:06:00:12 10:06:04:21
I come into a village of terrified
villagers, and I'm the Wildman,
0107 10:06:04:21 10:06:09:07
and the first thing I say is,
"Hee-ya! Do ya love me?"
0108 10:06:09:07 10:06:11:18
because the
Wildman loves to be loved.
0109 10:06:11:18 10:06:14:08
And if you don't love him,
he cuts your throat.
0110 10:06:14:08 10:06:17:19
Something very interesting happens
when you write a story.
0111 10:06:17:19 10:06:21:03
You think what you're doing
is writing a story that's just fun,
0112 10:06:21:03 10:06:25:00
and all you're interested in
is the plot and how it develops,
0113 10:06:25:00 10:06:27:06
and making your characters be fun.
0114 10:06:27:06 10:06:29:08
Actually, what happens
when you write
0115 10:06:29:08 10:06:32:14
is everything you most believe
starts to come out,
0116 10:06:32:14 10:06:34:11
and you don't know it's happening.
0117 10:06:34:11 10:06:39:09
But the act of storytelling
is also the creation of values,
0118 10:06:39:09 10:06:41:10
the communication of values.
0119 10:06:41:10 10:06:45:00
(Michael) Values that, in "Seeker",
involve a quest for power.
0120 10:06:45:00 10:06:47:20
And he doesn't even touch him,
and the Wildman flies,
0121 10:06:47:20 10:06:50:01
flies away,
he's completely knocked over.
0122 10:06:50:01 10:06:55:08
So the Wildman gets up
and he thinks, "This is real power."
0123 10:06:55:08 10:06:58:00
"I want some of this."
0124 10:06:58:00 10:07:02:00
When I started writing my first
children's novel, "The Wind Singer",
0125 10:07:02:00 10:07:04:15
I said to myself,
"If anybody will want to read this,
0126 10:07:04:15 10:07:06:22
it must have
strong emotion driving it",
0127 10:07:06:22 10:07:09:06
and, "What do I really
feel strongly about?"
0128 10:07:09:06 10:07:11:19
And up popped the idea - exams.
0129 10:07:11:19 10:07:16:23
My three children were beginning
to get into this mad testing thing,
0130 10:07:16:23 10:07:18:20
where everything gets tested.
0131 10:07:18:20 10:07:22:10
They get measured, the schools get
measured. It just drove me crazy.
0132 10:07:22:10 10:07:26:20
I thought, "I'll write a novel
which smashes the idea of exams."
0133 10:07:26:20 10:07:30:12
These exams don't just crucify the
children, they crucify the teachers.
0134 10:07:30:12 10:07:33:07
They force the teachers
to go down these narrow rails.
0135 10:07:33:07 10:07:36:06
And I know teachers hate this.
Many of them have told me.
0136 10:07:36:06 10:07:37:17
I'd hate it if I was a teacher.
0137 10:07:37:17 10:07:40:11
What I want from a teacher
who's teaching my child
0138 10:07:40:11 10:07:45:20
is for that individual to pass on
the passions and the enthusiasms
0139 10:07:45:20 10:07:49:12
and the knowledge and wisdom of that
individual, whatever that may be.
0140 10:07:49:12 10:07:51:16
I mean,
what else is worth passing on?
0141 10:07:51:16 10:07:55:05
And it just makes me weep
when I see that they say:
0142 10:07:55:05 10:07:57:21
"I'm sorry,
I can't answer that question."
0143 10:07:57:21 10:08:01:00
"It's not part of the syllabus.
We must stick to the syllabus."
0144 10:08:01:00 10:08:03:05
I mean, that's not education.
0145 10:08:03:05 10:08:06:14
William Nicholson
sounding off about exams there,
0146 10:08:06:14 10:08:08:10
and I tend to agree with him.
0147 10:08:08:10 10:08:13:10
I've sat a good few exam papers
in my time and had my scary moments.
0148 10:08:13:10 10:08:16:12
And the things that
nervous candidates come up with
0149 10:08:16:12 10:08:19:15
can be quite surprising.
0150 10:08:19:15 10:08:22:15
"The first five books of the Bible
are Genesis, Exodus,
0151 10:08:22:15 10:08:25:02
Deuteronomy, Numbers and Laxatives."
0152 10:08:25:02 10:08:27:05
"The First World War was caused by
0153 10:08:27:05 10:08:30:13
the assignation
of the archduck by a serf,
0154 10:08:30:13 10:08:35:03
and ushered in a new error
in the anals of human history."
0155 10:08:35:03 10:08:37:10
"In one of Shakespeare's
famous plays,
0156 10:08:37:10 10:08:40:08
Hamlet relieves himself
in a long soliloquy."
0157 10:08:40:08 10:08:42:18
"William Tell
shot an arrow through an apple
0158 10:08:42:18 10:08:44:22
while standing on his son's head."
0159 10:08:44:22 10:08:46:17
And my all-time favourite:
0160 10:08:46:17 10:08:52:16
"Sir Francis Drake circumcised the
world with a hundred-foot clipper."
0161 10:08:52:16 10:08:55:24
How much do we know
about the world around us?
0162 10:08:55:24 10:08:58:19
Travel writer Bill Bryson
woke up one morning
0163 10:08:58:19 10:09:01:00
and asked himself
that very question,
0164 10:09:01:00 10:09:05:06
and realised that, in his case, it
wasn't very much, or, as he put it,
0165 10:09:05:06 10:09:07:21
he didn't know
a quark from a quasar,
0166 10:09:07:21 10:09:09:19
a proton from a protein,
0167 10:09:09:19 10:09:13:09
and he had no idea
how an atom is put together.
0168 10:09:13:09 10:09:17:03
So he spent three years attempting
to answer these conundrums,
0169 10:09:17:03 10:09:20:09
and the result - a brilliantly
funny, bestselling book 0170 10:09:20:09 10:09:22:17
"A Short History
of Nearly Everything".
0171 10:09:22:17 10:09:25:04
In a moment,
I'll be putting it to our panel,
0172 10:09:25:04 10:09:31:04
but do we really know
our protons from our proteins?
0173 10:09:31:04 10:09:34:14
- Do you know what a proton is?
- No.
0174 10:09:34:14 10:09:36:07
- A car?
- No.
0175 10:09:36:07 10:09:38:19
- It's a fast vehicle.
- What is? A proton?
0176 10:09:38:19 10:09:40:20
- Part of a cell.
- Something to do with atoms.
0177 10:09:40:20 10:09:42:05
The bit in the middle.
0178 10:09:42:05 10:09:45:16
- Do you know what protein is?
- That's a coffee drink, man.
0179 10:09:45:16 10:09:48:05
- It helps builds muscles.
- A vitamin you need?
0180 10:09:48:05 10:09:50:14
- It's good for the body.
- Ah, right.
0181 10:09:50:14 10:09:53:13
- Ever heard of a quark?
- You can make cheesecake with it.
0182 10:09:53:13 10:09:55:14
A quark - a little bird
0183 10:09:55:14 10:09:59:15
we find in the wheat fields.
0184 10:09:59:15 10:10:02:01
- Right. What is it? Like a rodent?
- That's right.
0185 10:10:02:01 10:10:05:10
It's not some kind of fat, is it?
0186 10:10:05:10 10:10:07:08
Or is it a unit of measurement?
0187 10:10:07:08 10:10:13:05
It's a building block of an atom,
of protons, electrons and neutrons.
0188 10:10:13:05 10:10:15:09
- I didn't do science.
- He's a bit flash.
0189 10:10:19:12 10:10:23:01
Well, plenty of interpretations
of the word "quark" there.
0190 10:10:23:01 10:10:26:06
Now, is this book - "A Short History
of Nearly Everything" 0191 10:10:26:06 10:10:28:07
is this going to help them, Julia?
0192 10:10:28:07 10:10:31:10
Probably, but I can't remember
finding out about quarks.
0193 10:10:31:10 10:10:34:23
You would find out who discovered
the quark, who found the quark,
0194 10:10:34:23 10:10:37:15
how they are related
to others who knew about quarks.
0195 10:10:37:15 10:10:42:00
All of that would be in this. This
is more about people than science.
0196 10:10:42:00 10:10:46:02
You'd have to remember the detail.
There's a lot of detail in the book.
0197 10:10:46:02 10:10:49:00
- Too much detail, Ghulam?
- Yes.
0198 10:10:49:00 10:10:52:11
To to an extent, it's like going
maybe four rounds with Mike Tyson,
0199 10:10:52:11 10:10:54:23
but instead of having
brain cells knocked out,
0200 10:10:54:23 10:10:57:07
it's like having
a whole lot crammed in.
0201 10:10:57:07 10:11:00:10
At the end of it, you still wake up
face flat on the canvas.
0202 10:11:00:10 10:11:02:11
It's a lot to take in.
0203 10:11:02:11 10:11:05:04
But, having said that,
it's very informative.
0204 10:11:05:04 10:11:07:24
It's a lively style,
isn't it, Stacey?
0205 10:11:07:24 10:11:12:11
He's telling many stories and
knitting in a few gags on the way.
0206 10:11:12:11 10:11:15:13
Is that just
making science palatable?
0207 10:11:15:13 10:11:17:15
Is it a way of sugaring the pill?
0208 10:11:17:15 10:11:19:23
Well, I think that's
what he's trying to do,
0209 10:11:19:23 10:11:21:20
and, in a way, it sort of works.
0210 10:11:21:20 10:11:25:03
But ultimately,
it is still a book about science.
0211 10:11:25:03 10:11:30:00
And at the end of it, if that isn't
your particular interest, I think...
0212 10:11:30:00 10:11:33:23
- I suspect it may not be yours?
- No, it isn't, unfortunately.
0213 10:11:33:23 10:11:35:22
I did appreciate the literary style.
0214 10:11:35:22 10:11:38:16
There are a lot of techniques
that he uses to liven it up
0215 10:11:38:16 10:11:42:12
and make it interesting, but I'm
afraid for me, it just didn't work.
0216 10:11:42:12 10:11:45:21
Aren't you excited now that
you know how important carbon is?
0217 10:11:45:21 10:11:48:17
No. I've got through my life so far
without knowing.
0218 10:11:48:17 10:11:51:06
Now, I don't...
I think I am excited.
0219 10:11:51:06 10:11:53:21
I'm excited
by his excitement with science.
0220 10:11:53:21 10:11:57:16
Amazing stuff,
like about the Curies 0221 10:11:57:16 10:12:01:11
nobody realising how dangerous
everything they were working on was,
0222 10:12:01:11 10:12:04:05
and that Marie Curie's papers
are now kept in a lead box,
0223 10:12:04:05 10:12:08:12
because they are so incredibly
impregnated with plutonium.
0224 10:12:08:12 10:12:11:11
It's things like that
that were absolutely fascinating.
0225 10:12:11:11 10:12:13:07
You do come away knowing a lot.
0226 10:12:13:07 10:12:18:00
You come away knowing about
how people understood about fossils.
0227 10:12:18:00 10:12:19:22
The science is hard to remember.
0228 10:12:19:22 10:12:22:06
It's more the stories
about the science.
0229 10:12:22:06 10:12:27:02
The problem is it's not the "Oxford
Illustrated Guide to Science".
0230 10:12:27:02 10:12:30:03
It's not what a scientist
would pick up and use as a manual.
0231 10:12:30:03 10:12:33:11
If I walked into a book with
no knowledge, say, as a 13-year-old,
0232 10:12:33:11 10:12:36:04
if I walked into that book
and started hearing about
0233 10:12:36:04 10:12:41:03
protons being ten to the minus-nine
or whatever the figure is,
0234 10:12:41:03 10:12:43:22
I would put the book down.
I couldn't comprehend that.
0235 10:12:43:22 10:12:49:12
I think you need to have a bit
of background before you pick it up.
0236 10:12:49:12 10:12:51:20
It isn't a short history
of nearly everything.
0237 10:12:51:20 10:12:55:11
I think this is a short history of
the ideas and the people in science.
0238 10:12:55:11 10:12:57:12
Any implications
for teaching science?
0239 10:12:57:12 10:13:02:01
I think it would be a really useful
teaching tool in science classrooms.
0240 10:13:02:01 10:13:06:10
It would create cross-curricular
links because of how it's written.
0241 10:13:06:10 10:13:09:14
I think it would be an interesting
way for them to approach it.
0242 10:13:09:14 10:13:12:01
I don't know
how the science teachers would feel.
0243 10:13:12:01 10:13:15:09
I'll be positive and say there's
something in here for everyone,
0244 10:13:15:09 10:13:19:22
but it just might be
very different particles.
0245 10:13:22:23 10:13:25:10
Time to say goodbye,
but before I go,
0246 10:13:25:10 10:13:28:19
have you got any idea
where that word "quark" comes from?
0247 10:13:28:19 10:13:30:20
Bill Bryson's got the story.
0248 10:13:30:20 10:13:33:21
He says, to start with,
they wanted to call them "partons"
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as in "Dolly", but in the end,
they went for quarks,
0250 10:13:37:08 10:13:39:24
which they took
from a line in "Finnegans Wake":
0251 10:13:39:24 10:13:42:05
"Three quarks for Muster Mark."
0252 10:13:42:05 10:13:44:12
"Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce.
0253 10:13:44:12 10:13:47:02
You see, it all comes back to books,
doesn't it?
0254 10:13:47:02 10:13:48:22
Bye.
0255 10:13:55:04 10:13:57:20
Visiontext Subtitles:
Sarah Johnston
0256 10:13:57:20 10:13:59:20
www.visiontext.co.uk