Writing the second half of the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon' | English

Starter quiz

Put the climax and resolution paragraphs of our narrative about 'Beowulf and the dragon' in order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf tries to stab the dragon, but he fails; the dragon breathes fire on him.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  The Geat warriors flee, but Wiglaf comes to help Beowulf.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf stabs the dragon in the head and his sword breaks; he is bitten.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the belly; Beowulf slits its throat.
Which narrative elements are featured here? 'Determined, Wiglaf picked up his trusty, wooden shield.'
- description
- action ✓
- emotion ✓
- dialogue
In which sentence are the dashes for dramatic effect in the correct positions?
- In moments, it was a pile of ashes - useless, grey ashes - at his feet. ✓
- In moments - it was a pile of ashes useless, grey ashes - at his feet.
- In moments, it was a pile of - ashes useless, grey ashes - at his feet.
Which technique has been used here to increase pace? 'How could they betray their brave king? How could they leave him to die?'
- short sentences
- dashes for dramatic effect
- rhetorical questions ✓
- fronted adverbials of manner
Match each type of fronted adverbial to the correct example.
- fronted adverbial of time
  
  ⇔
  
  At that moment, ✓
- fronted adverbial of place
  
  ⇔
  
  On his right, ✓
- fronted adverbial of manner
  
  ⇔
  
  Full of despair, ✓
Which fronted adverbials of manner could fill the gap in the following sentence? '__________ the dragon opened its vast maw.'
- With a snarl, ✓
- Terrified,
- Full of fear,
- Slowly, ✓

Exit quiz

Which paragraph explores the resolution of the narrative of 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
- Beowulf attacks again & the dragon bites
- Beowulf’s first attack fails & the dragon attacks
- Wiglaf & Beowulf defeat the dragon ✓
- the Geats flee & Wiglaf comes to help
Which of the following are good techniques for increasing pace in our writing?
- short sentences ✓
- fronted adverbials of place
- rhetorical questions ✓
- 'quick' fronted adverbials of time ✓
Which techniques to increase pace have been used here? 'Instantly, the skin split open. Blood poured out.'
- short sentences ✓
- rhetorical questions
- 'quick' fronted adverbials of time ✓
- relative complex sentences
In which example is the colon in the right place to introduce a question?
- Wiglaf could think of: only one thing would his king survive?
- Wiglaf could think of only one thing would his king: survive?
- Wiglaf could think of only one thing: would his king survive? ✓
Which of these words in the following sentence is a preposition? 'He swung it violently at the dragon’s mighty head.'
- he
- it
- at ✓
- the
Which relative pronoun should complete the following relative complex sentence? 'The dragon, __________ stomach had been slit open, dropped Beowulf instantly.'
- where
- who
- whose ✓
- which's
- which

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Writing is most successful when structure, content and vocabulary are planned.
We are aiming to set a tense, pacy atmosphere in our climax and resolution.
Short sentences, rhetorical questions and 'quick' fronted adverbials of time can add pace to a piece of writing.
We can use a colon to introduce a question to show a character's inner thoughts.
We can use a relative complex sentence as a cohesive device to add detail after a noun.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to integrate techniques for increasing pace into their writing.

Model during oral rehearsal and shared writing how we can do this. For instance, ask pupils to consider what characters might be thinking at different points to generate rhetorical questions.

Keywords

Colon - a piece of punctuation placed after a main clause that can introduce a list or a question
Cohesive devices - language structures that develop text cohesion
Relative complex sentence - a sentence formed of a main clause and a relative subordinate clause
Oral rehearsal - practising saying ideas for sentences out loud before you write them