Starter quiz
- In which part of a narrative are problems usually introduced?
- opening
- build-up ✓
- climax
- resolution
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- In which part of a narrative does the tension in a story usually reach its highest point?
- opening
- build-up
- climax ✓
- resolution
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- What happens in the resolution of a narrative?
- problems are introduced
- problems are resolved ✓
- characters are introduced
- the action reaches its high point
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- Which event is the climax in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf has been king for 50 years.
- The dragon attacks the stronghold.
- Beowulf fights the dragon. ✓
- Beowulf kills the dragon.
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- Which event is the resolution in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf has been king for 50 years.
- The dragon attacks the stronghold.
- Beowulf fights the dragon.
- Beowulf kills the dragon. ✓
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- Which characters are involved in the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf ✓
- Wiglaf ✓
- the dragon ✓
- the other Geat warriors ✓
- King Hrothgar
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Exit quiz
- Which of these events are included in the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf and the warriors approach Eagleness.
- Beowulf tries to stab the dragon, but he fails. ✓
- The dragon breathes fire at Beowulf, who hides behind his shield. ✓
- Beowulf surveys the damage to the stronghold.
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- Put these events from the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon' in order.
- 1⇔Beowulf stabs the dragon in the head, snapping his sword.
- 2⇔The dragon grabs Beowulf with its teeth.
- 3⇔Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the belly so that it drops Beowulf.
- 4⇔Beowulf uses his dagger to slit the dragon's neck.
- Which of the following are items worn or carried by Beowulf in battle?
- mail-shirt ✓
- helmet ✓
- wooden shield
- dagger ✓
- metal shield ✓
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- Match each example of rich vocabulary to its meaning.
- ornate⇔decorative ✓
- impenetrable⇔can't be broken through ✓
- burnished⇔highly-polished ✓
- trusty⇔reliable ✓
- Which of the following similes could be used to describe the dragon's scales?
- as bright as a comet
- as hard as diamond ✓
- like blunt knives
- shattered like glass
- as tough as any armour ✓
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- Which of the examples below use 'show-not-tell'?
- Beowulf shook his fists. ✓
- Beowulf let out a huge roar. ✓
- Beowulf was furious.
- Beowulf was full of rage.
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Worksheet
Presentation
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Writing is most successful when its structure, content and vocabulary are planned.
- It is also useful to orally rehearse storytelling the events we're going to write.
- We will need to include rich vocabulary to show the action in the battle between Beowulf and the dragon.
- We will also need rich vocabulary to show the emotions Beowulf and Wiglaf experience.
Common misconception
Pupils may believe they are expected to tell a detailed story using various sentence types at this stage.
The oral storytelling here is the basis on which the more detailed, varied writing will be built - pupils should try to make their storytelling 'interesting', but it doesn't need to use all the grammatical structures they know at this point.
Keywords
Text map - a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events
Climax - the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reach their highest point
Resolution - the point in the narrative where problems are resolved
Rich vocabulary - words chosen intentionally to convey a certain impression to the reader of a place, person or thing
‘show-not-tell’ - a writing technique for showing a character’s feelings with description of their actions, body language and facial expressions