Writing the first half of a narrative climax scene in 'When The Sky Falls' | English

Starter quiz

Which event will not be covered in our rewriting of part of the climax of 'When the Sky Falls'?
- Joseph runs through the streets during the air raids.
- Joseph climbs the fence, grabs the gun and trains it on Adonis.
- Joseph is knocked down several times by explosions.
- Joseph and Mrs F cry together. ✓
Match the techniques for using precise vocabulary with the examples.
- description with adjectives
  
  ⇔
  
  ravenous bombers ✓
- actions, including personification
  
  ⇔
  
  attacked their prey ✓
- similes and metaphors
  
  ⇔
  
  circled like vultures ✓
- 'fast' words
  
  ⇔
  
  swooping down from the sky ✓
Which examples below use 'fast' words to help to add pace and speed to a narrative?
- Joseph raced through the streets. ✓
- Eventually, he reached the gates of the zoo.
- On every side, bombers flung down fire. ✓
- Flames raced across the dry ground towards him. ✓
Which features of a good narrative plan are shown in this note? 'Joseph knew he had to carry on.'
- descriptive details about senses
- details about emotions and thoughts ✓
- precise vocabulary to set a mood
- details about characters' actions
Which example uses show-not-tell to give us Joseph's emotions?
- Joseph gritted his teeth and he heaved himself up. ✓
- Joseph knew he had to get up.
- What would Mrs F say if he gave up now?
- "Come on, Joseph - get up!"
Match the example notes below to the features of a good narrative plan.
- descriptive details about senses
  
  ⇔
  
  The air was thick with the choking scent of smoke. ✓
- details about emotions and thoughts
  
  ⇔
  
  Would he make it there alive? ✓
- precise vocabulary to set a mood
  
  ⇔
  
  Explosions tore apart the night sky. ✓
- details about characters' actions
  
  ⇔
  
  Joseph dodged flying debris. ✓

Exit quiz

What is the mood of the climax in 'When the Sky Falls'?
- angry
- lonely
- tense ✓
- fast-paced ✓
What are Joseph's motivations in the climax?
- to get to the zoo ✓
- to guard Adonis ✓
- to protect the zoo buildings
- to keep his promise to Mrs F ✓
Match the features of writing a narrative climax to the examples.
- descriptive details
  
  ⇔
  
  he felt the ground tremor ✓
- emotive details
  
  ⇔
  
  his heart was pounding ✓
- precise vocabulary
  
  ⇔
  
  he raced through hellish streets ✓
Which technique for increasing pace and tension is shown here? 'He pushed on. He had to. He had no choice.'
- direct speech
- rhetorical questions
- succession of short simple sentences ✓
- verbless sentences
Which cohesive device for increasing pace and tension is shown here? 'Just then, an explosion nearly knocked Joseph off his feet.'
- colon to introduce a question
- ellipsis to show tension
- 'quick' fronted adverbial of time ✓
- semi-colons to give rapid description
Which examples combine these two ideas correctly using cohesive devices? 'Joseph dashed through the chaos. He was determined to get to the zoo.'
- Joseph, who was determined to get to the zoo, dashed through the chaos. ✓
- When Joseph was determined to get to the zoo, Joseph dashed through the chaos.
- Joseph dashed through the chaos; determined to get to the zoo.
- Joseph dashed through the chaos: he was determined to get to the zoo. ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Writing is most successful when structure, content and vocabulary are planned.
Our climax should have a tense, fast-paced mood.
We combine descriptive details and emotive details to paint a clear picture for the reader.
We can use a range of linguistic techniques and cohesive devices for increasing the pace.
We use precise vocabulary to add to the impression of speed.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to use the full range of cohesive devices and punctuation expected from them.

Our Y6 Grammar 'Revision' unit covers the full range of cohesive devices and punctuation expected of pupils in Year 6. You might wish to use these lessons to remind pupils of certain features they may wish to include.

Keywords

Climax - the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reach their highest point
Mood - the feeling or atmosphere in a section of text
Descriptive details - details that tell us what a character is experiencing (seeing, hearing, doing, smelling) during a scene
Emotive details - details that tell us what a character is feeling and thinking during a scene
Precise vocabulary - vocabulary chosen to create a particular impression or to have a particular effect on the reader