Writing the climax of 'The Iron Man' | 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 from the climax in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  The mound over the Iron Man was covered in fresh grass and flowers.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  While a family had their picnic one day, the ground beneath them began to shake.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  The Iron Man rose out of the ground.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  The farmers wanted to respond by calling in armed forces to destroy the Iron Man
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Hogarth protested and said he had a different idea.
Which adjectives would be most appropriate to use to describe the mound over the Iron Man at the beginning of the climax?
- fresh ✓
- vibrant ✓
- dark
- gloomy
- blossoming ✓
Which verbs would be most appropriate to use to describe movements in the moment when the Iron Man appeared out of the ground?
- trembled ✓
- grinned
- walked
- roared ✓
- thrust ✓
Which 'show and tell' ideas would be most appropriate to use to describe how the people felt when they saw the Iron Man emerge out of the ground?
- shook heads in horror ✓
- smiled in amazement
- hearts beat wildly ✓
- jumped up and down while grinning
Match each sentence type to its example.
- simple sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The mound over the Iron Man was covered in fresh grass. ✓
- compound sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The ground cracked open and a huge, iron hand appeared. ✓
- adverbial complex sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  As the family ate their picnic, they felt the earth begin to tremble. ✓

Exit quiz

Match each sentence type to the correct example.
- simple sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The hill over the Iron Man was covered in fresh grass. ✓
- compound sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  The ground cracked open and a huge iron hand shot through. ✓
- adverbial complex sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  As a family happily picnicked on the hill, they felt the earth shake. ✓
Put the following examples of 'show and tell' in the correct order to show how the suspense heightens in the climax.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  peacefully picnicked on the fresh grass
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  thrust his hand violently
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  fled in utter terror
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  shook with rage, determined to destroy him
What is direct speech?
- the words a character thinks in their head
- the actions a character takes
- the words a character speaks out loud ✓
What is the name of the clause that tells the reader who said the speech?
- speaking clause
- reporting clause ✓
- adverbial clause
True or false? You must use the verb 'said' in reporting clauses.
- True
- False ✓
Put the following elements in the correct order to show the punctuation rules for direct speech.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  open inverted commas
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  capital letter
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  speech
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  exclamation mark, question mark or comma
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  close inverted commas
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  reporting clause
- 7
  
  ⇔
  
  full stop

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The climax takes the suspense to its highest point as the Iron Man resurfaces and humanity grapples with how to respond.
Precise and ambitious vocabulary, including ‘show and tell’, help take the suspense to its highest point in the climax.
Using a range of sentence types, including adverbial complex sentences, supports text flow.
Direct speech shows that a person is speaking out loud and the reporting clause tells us who said it and how.
Inverted commas are used to demarcate speech and a piece of punctuation separates speech from the reporting clause.

Common misconception

Children may assume that any mention of character speech is direct speech because that has been the focus of their learning.

Model how speech is still indirectly reported within the climax alongside direct speech. E.g. 'Hogarth opposed hurting the Iron Man and he told the farmers he had a plan to protect everyone.'

Keywords

Climax - the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point
Suspense - when you are feeling anxious or excited about what may happen
Direct speech - the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text
Reporting clause - a clause that tells the reader who said the speech and how
Inverted commas - punctuation marks used to indicate the beginning and end of direct speech