Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 3 English Guides

Year 3 - English

Writing part 1 of the build-up in 'The Firework Maker's Daughter'

'The Firework Maker's Daughter': reading and narrative writing

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils develop their ability to summarise key events from the text, exploring Lila's feelings in the build-up to these. Pupils plan and write both the build-up and the climax of the story, focusing on developing their use of complex sentences, precise vocabulary and speech.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to write a well-structured paragraph for part 1 of the build-up.

Key Notes

  • The purpose of a build-up is to move the main character's journey forward and build tension.
  • Precise and ambitious vocabulary shows and tells the reader what happened on her journey and how she was feeling.
  • Using a range of sentence types (simple, compound and complex) improves text flow for the reader.
  • An adverbial clause begins with a subordinating conjunction.
  • An adverbial clause is joined with a main clause to form an adverbial complex sentence.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • text flow: how a text is written to keep the reader engaged
  • subordinating conjunction: a word that starts an adverbial clause
  • adverbial clause: a type of subordinate clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction
  • adverbial complex sentence: a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children may struggle with switching the order of the clauses in an adverbial complex sentence and remembering the comma rule.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

The purpose of a build-up is to move the main character's journey forward and build tension. Precise and ambitious vocabulary shows and tells the reader what happened on her journey and how she was feeling.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'text flow'

how a text is written to keep the reader engaged.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Children may struggle with switching the order of the clauses in an adverbial complex sentence and remembering the comma rule. Correction: Provide a model of an adverbial complex sentence. Example: 'Her heart raced as she tumbled backwards.' Ask children to identify the subordinating conjunction that begins the adverbial clause in order to switch the clauses.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 3 English guide library.