Writing the climax of 'A Christmas Carol' | English | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

True or false? The climax completely resolves the problem in the story.
- True
- False ✓
Put the following events for paragraph one in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives in Scrooge's home.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come transports Scrooge to an empty cemetery.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge is shown his own neglected grave and visions of a lonely demise.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge is shown the current fate of the impoverished Cratchit family.
Put the following events for paragraph two in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge begins to experience panic at the thought of the visions coming true.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge seeks reassurance from the Ghost that the visions are not guaranteed.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not respond to Scrooge.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge has the stark realisation that he must change.
Match the vocabulary below to the correct definitions.
- ominous
  
  ⇔
  
  something showing a sign of misfortune to come ✓
- fraught
  
  ⇔
  
  something that causes anxiety and stress ✓
- suspense
  
  ⇔
  
  excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen ✓
True or false? The chronology of the notes in my narrative plan matters.
- True ✓
- False
Match each sentence type to its example.
- simple sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The ghost did not utter a word. ✓
- compound sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The Ghost of Christmas Future appeared and he swept Scrooge away. ✓
- adverbial complex sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  Scrooge cried in desperation as he searched for reassurance. ✓
- relative complex sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  He was stood above a lonely grave, which he realised was his own. ✓

Exit quiz

What is cohesion?
- how a text flows in order to achieve its purpose ✓
- the title or name given to a piece of writing
- the direction in which a story is facing
How is cohesion shown across both paragraphs in the climax?
- the suspense reaches its highest point immediately
- the suspense is gradually taken to its highest point ✓
- the level of suspense remains the same
How will you convey a gradual building of suspense?
- using 'show and tell' to convey the ghost's emotions
- using a range of techniques to convey Scrooge's emotions building in intensity ✓
- using direct speech for all the characters
Put the following in the correct order to show how Scrooge's emotions build in intensity.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  weary miser, exhausted eyes
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  concerned, felt heavy weight
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  overwhelmed by the pain he witnessed
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  panic surged through his body
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  voice trembled, desperately pleaded
Why is oral rehearsal a key part of the writing process?
- It helps to structure grammatically-correct full sentences. ✓
- It is fun and entertaining.
- It offers an opportunity to refine ideas and sentence structures. ✓
How should you rehearse the direct speech for Scrooge?
- in the same voice I use for all of my oral rehearsal
- in a heavy and stern manner
- in the way I want Scrooge to speak to appropriately convey his emotions ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The climax takes the suspense to its highest point as Scrooge encounters the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
The climax is written over two paragraphs and it is important to demonstrate cohesion across them.
Cohesion refers to how a text flows in order to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the purpose.
Scrooge’s emotions increase in intensity across both paragraphs in the climax which supports cohesion.
Oral rehearsal helps to structure grammatically correct full sentences and supports cohesion.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it hard to write ideas for Scrooge's inner thoughts in this lesson.

Ensure pupils have a plan to use with ideas for Scrooge's inner thoughts and model how to write these.

Keywords

Climax - the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point
Suspense - a state of feeling excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen
Cohesion - how a text flows in order to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the purpose
Direct speech - the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text