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Year 3 - English

Planning the climax of 'The Iron Man'

'The Iron Man': narrative writing

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils write their own complete narrative version of 'The Iron Man', based on their understanding and exploration of the original text by Ted Hughes from the accompanying reading unit. Pupils write the full narrative arc from opening to build-up, climax and resolution.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to plan the climax of 'The Iron Man'.

Key Notes

  • The purpose of the climax is to describe the main action and take the suspense to its highest point.
  • In the climax, the Iron Man resurfaces from the earth and Hogarth persuades the farmers not to harm him.
  • Precise and ambitious vocabulary, as well as 'show and tell', help take the suspense to its highest point in the climax.
  • Direct speech is used to convey Hogarth's intentions to the Iron Man.
  • A plan includes notes, a sequence of events and ambitious vocabulary.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • climax: the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point
  • suspense: when you are feeling anxious or excited about what may happen
  • ambitious vocabulary: high-level language in writing that meets the text purpose
  • 'show and tell': a writing technique for showing a character's feelings with description of their actions and expressions
  • direct speech: the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may find it hard to generate varied speech ideas for Hogarth and ambitious vocabulary for the reporting clause that conveys the appropriate tone.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The purpose of the climax is to describe the main action and take the suspense to its highest point. In the climax, the Iron Man resurfaces from the earth and Hogarth persuades the farmers not to harm him.

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

the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may find it hard to generate varied speech ideas for Hogarth and ambitious vocabulary for the reporting clause that conveys the appropriate tone. Correction: Get children to hot seat as Hogarth and imagine what they would say to the Iron Man in order to persuade him and win his trust. Ask children to consider how they said it in order to generate ideas for the reporting clause. Create a shared bank.

More Lessons In This Unit

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