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Year 3 - English

Writing 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 write the climax of 'The Iron Man'.

Key Notes

  • The climax takes the suspense to its highest point as the Iron Man resurfaces and humanity grapples with how to respond.
  • Precise and ambitious vocabulary, including 'show and tell', help take the suspense to its highest point in the climax.
  • Using a range of sentence types, including adverbial complex sentences, supports text flow.
  • Direct speech shows that a person is speaking out loud and the reporting clause tells us who said it and how.
  • Inverted commas are used to demarcate speech and a piece of punctuation separates speech from the reporting clause.

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
  • direct speech: the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text
  • reporting clause: a clause that tells the reader who said the speech and how
  • inverted commas: punctuation marks used to indicate the beginning and end of direct speech

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children may assume that any mention of character speech is direct speech because that has been the focus of their learning.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The climax takes the suspense to its highest point as the Iron Man resurfaces and humanity grapples with how to respond. Precise and ambitious vocabulary, including 'show and tell', help take the suspense to its highest point in the climax.

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: Children may assume that any mention of character speech is direct speech because that has been the focus of their learning. Correction: Model how speech is still indirectly reported within the climax alongside direct speech. E.g. 'Hogarth opposed hurting the Iron Man and he told the farmers he had a plan to protect everyone.'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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