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Year 6 - English

Planning the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'

'Beowulf': narrative writing

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils rewrite the build-up, climax and resolution of the historical classic 'Beowulf', focusing on interspersing dialogue to convey atmosphere and advance the action. Pupils work to generate vocabulary that is appropriate for each section of the narrative.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to plan the structure and content of the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'.

Key Notes

  • Writing is most successful when it is planned and rehearsed.
  • When we plan, we can use our text map as a basis, breaking it down into key scenes.
  • For each scene, we make notes about the actions, descriptions, dialogue and emotions we might include (where relevant).
  • We also plan to include the rich vocabulary that we have generated in previous lessons.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • climax: the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reaches its highest point
  • resolution: the point in the narrative where problems are resolved
  • text map: a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events
  • rich vocabulary: words chosen intentionally to convey a certain impression to the reader of a place, person or thing
  • narrative elements: the content of a narrative, often including action, description, dialogue and emotions

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may feel tempted to rush through the plan with too little detail in each paragraph.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Writing is most successful when it is planned and rehearsed. When we plan, we can use our text map as a basis, breaking it down into key scenes.

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

the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reaches its highest point.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may feel tempted to rush through the plan with too little detail in each paragraph. Correction: This is the purpose of encouraging pupils to engage with the narrative elements - model and encourage reflecting on each event through these four lenses.

More Lessons In This Unit

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