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Year 3 - English

Writing the opening 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 opening of 'The Iron Man'.

Key Notes

  • The opening of 'The Iron Man' introduces the protagonist and conveys a mysterious atmosphere within the setting.
  • The use of precise and ambitious vocabulary engages the reader and conveys the mysterious atmosphere.
  • Using a range of sentence types supports text flow.
  • Fronted adverbials of time, place and manner add greater detail to a sentence and help convey the desired atmosphere.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • opening: the first section of a story where the writer describes the setting and the main characters
  • atmosphere: the mood created in a section or whole of a text
  • ambitious vocabulary: high-level language in writing that meets the text purpose
  • fronted adverbials: a sentence starter followed by a comma

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children may forget to refer to the Iron Man using a variety of nouns.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The opening of 'The Iron Man' introduces the protagonist and conveys a mysterious atmosphere within the setting. The use of precise and ambitious vocabulary engages the reader and conveys the mysterious atmosphere.

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

the first section of a story where the writer describes the setting and the main characters.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Children may forget to refer to the Iron Man using a variety of nouns. Correction: Ask children to brainstorm a variety of different nouns for the Iron Man. They can use their plan to help them with this. Create a shared bank for children to refer to during writing. Examples: figure, creature, lifeform.

More Lessons In This Unit

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