Starter quiz
- Which of these events represents the resolution in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf stabs the dragon in the head, snapping his sword.
- The dragon grabs Beowulf with its teeth.
- Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the belly so that it drops Beowulf.
- Beowulf uses his dagger to slit the dragon's neck; it dies. ✓
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- Put these events from the climax of 'Beowulf and the dragon' in order.
- 1⇔Beowulf tries to stab the dragon, but he can't.
- 2⇔The dragon breathes fire at Beowulf, who hides behind his shield.
- 3⇔Wiglaf runs over to help Beowulf and his own shield is destroyed.
- 4⇔Beowulf tries to stab the dragon in the head, shattering his sword.
- 5⇔The dragon picks up Beowulf with its teeth.
- Which items are destroyed by the dragon?
- Beowulf's dagger
- Beowulf's sword ✓
- Wiglaf's shield ✓
- Beowulf's shield
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- Which of these words could be used to describe a sword?
- impenetrable
- ornate ✓
- burnished ✓
- trusty ✓
- blunt-tipped
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- Which of the following similes and metaphors could be used to describe the dragon's fire?
- impenetrable shields
- a scalding hurricane ✓
- as hot as the midday sun ✓
- as strong as steel
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- Which of the examples below use 'show-not-tell'?
- Beowulf was shocked.
- His jaw dropped. ✓
- He let out a gasp. ✓
- He was stunned by what he saw.
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Exit quiz
- Which example of rich vocabulary below could be used to describe Beowulf's shield?
- ornate ✓
- burnished ✓
- sharp-tipped
- impenetrable ✓
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- Which example of rich vocabulary below could we use to describe the dragon's fire?
- impenetrable shield
- sharp-tipped dagger
- scalding hurricane ✓
- as bright and scorching as a comet's tail ✓
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- What emotion could we 'show-not-tell' using the following actions? 'watched open-mouthed; gasped; eyes widened'.
- anger
- calm
- shock ✓
- pain
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- Which narrative elements are most clearly shown in this note from Alex's plan? 'leapt behind Beowulf; “I’m here, my king!”'
- action ✓
- description
- emotion
- dialogue ✓
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- Which narrative elements are most obviously shown in this note from Alex's plan? 'other Geats gasped in fear; dropped weapons'
- action ✓
- description
- emotion ✓
- dialogue
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- Which paragraph of our text does the following note come from? 'plunged ornate sword into soft belly'
- Paragraph 1: Beowulf’s first attack fails & the dragon attacks
- Paragraph 2: the Geats flee & Wiglaf comes to help
- Paragraph 3: Beowulf attacks again & the dragon bites
- Paragraph 4: Wiglaf & Beowulf defeat the dragon ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning 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.
- 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.
Common misconception
Pupils may feel tempted to rush through the plan with too little detail in each paragraph.
This is the purpose of encouraging pupils to engage with the narrative elements - model and encourage reflecting on each event through these four lenses.
Keywords
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
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