Starter quiz
- What parts of the climax of 'When the Sky Falls' are we including in our narrative retelling?
- Joseph running through the air raid to the zoo ✓
- Joseph training the gun on Adonis, but being knocked to the ground ✓
- Adonis guarding Joseph and helping him get free from the rubble
- Joseph trying to stop Adonis being shot
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- Why do we want to give a sense of 'speed' in our narrative retelling of the climax of 'When the Sky Falls'?
- so that it can be read quickly
- because the events are not very exciting
- to show that events are coming thick and fast ✓
- to build a sense of the pressure Joseph is under ✓
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- Match the features of writing a narrative climax to the examples.
- descriptive details⇔an explosion shattered the buildings to his left ✓
- emotive details⇔he was determined to press onwards ✓
- precise vocabulary⇔he threw himself on through the burning chaos ✓
- Which technique for increasing pace and tension is shown here? 'Then it came. A hail of fire from above. A cascade of destruction.'
- direct speech
- rhetorical questions
- succession of short simple sentences
- verbless sentences ✓
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- Which cohesive device for increasing pace and tension is shown here? 'Only one thought dominated his mind: what would Mrs F want him to do?'
- colon to introduce a question ✓
- ellipsis to show tension
- 'quick' fronted adverbial of time
- semi-colons to give rapid description
- colon to introduce an explanation
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- Which examples combine these two ideas correctly using cohesive devices? 'An explosion shook the ground. Joseph pressed on regardless.'
- An explosion shook the ground, but Joseph pressed on regardless. ✓
- As an explosion shook the ground, but Joseph pressed on regardless.
- As an explosion shook the ground, Joseph pressed on regardless. ✓
- As an explosion shook the ground and Joseph pressed on regardless.
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Exit quiz
- What attributes does Joseph show in the climax section of 'When the Sky Falls' that we have written?
- bravery ✓
- determination ✓
- helplessness
- sadness
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- What mood have we aimed to set in our narrative retelling of the climax of 'When the Sky Falls'?
- fast-paced ✓
- relaxed
- dramatic ✓
- tense ✓
- content
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- Which technique for increasing pace and tension is shown here? 'Why had he even come? What could he possibly achieve? How could he do anything in this chaos?'
- rhetorical questions ✓
- verbless sentences
- succession of short simple sentences
- 'quick' fronted adverbial of time
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- Which techniques for increasing pace and tension are shown here? 'Suddenly, above him, he saw the bombers turning again, racing down to attack him.'
- colon to introduce a question
- precise vocabulary that shows speed ✓
- 'quick' fronted adverbial of time ✓
- semi-colons to give rapid description
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- What is the effect of using a succession of simple sentences in our writing?
- it increases the pace and tension ✓
- it reduces the pace and tension
- it allows us to include lots of descriptive detail
- it allows us to include lots of emotive detail
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- If this passage comes at the end of our climax, what punctuation might follow it? 'Joseph knew he had to do his duty. No matter what'
- question mark
- colon
- ellipsis ✓
- full stop ✓
- semi-colon
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Writing is most successful when structure, content and vocabulary is planned.
- Our climax should have a tense, fast-paced mood.
- We can 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 forget to cover the 'events' of the story while focusing on descriptive and emotive details.
Ensure that you emphasise the need to move the action forwards and that you model this in oral rehearsal.
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
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