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      Planning the climax of ‘Lucky Dip'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can plan the climax of 'Lucky Dip'.

      Key learning points

      1. The purpose of the climax is to describe the problem and create the highest point of tension.
      2. Our plan will contain ambitious vocabulary.
      3. Our plan will contain nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs.
      4. Using ambitious vocabulary helps to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and make writing exciting to read.

      Keywords

      • Ambitious vocabulary - high-level language in writing that meets the text purpose

      • Planning - creating a framework before writing a section or whole text

      Common misconception

      Pupils may find it hard to remember all the action in the climax.

      Teach pupils to break down the climax into smaller sections and then focus on what happened in that section. Provide children will printed images from the animation, to support them with planning their climax.

      Teacher tip

      To ensure pupils have a strong understanding of the events in the climax, you may want to use a drama game such as 'freeze frames' to get the pupils to act out the key moments in advance of this lesson.

      Equipment

      You need access to the 2001 animation ‘Lucky Dip’ by Emily Skinner for this lesson.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Where does Emily enter in the build-up?

      a beach hut
      Correct answer: an arcade
      a fish restaurant

      Q2.
      Who does Emily see first in the arcade?

      her gandparents
      the bunny
      Correct answer: the Pin Man

      Q3.
      What does Emily do when she sees the Pin Man?

      She talks to him.
      She waves at him.
      Correct answer: She hides from him.

      Q4.
      What is so special about the bunny Emily sees in the Lucky Dipper machine?

      Correct answer: He is alive.
      He is very soft.
      He is holding a gold coin.

      Q5.
      Why does Emily leave the arcade?

      She is scared of the bunny.
      Correct answer: Her grandad pulls her out.
      The Pin Mn carries her out.

      Q6.
      Fronted adverbials of time will need which of these after it?

      a full stop
      a question mark
      Correct answer: a comma

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Put these parts of a story staircase in the correct order.

      1 - opening
      2 - build-up
      3 - climax
      4 - resolution

      Q2.
      What is the most exciting part of a story structure?

      opening
      build-up
      Correct answer: climax
      resolution

      Q3.
      Which of these is a purpose of the climax?

      to describe the setting
      to describe the main characters
      Correct answer: to describe the challenge or problem

      Q4.
      Which of these is another purpose of the climax?

      to introduce the problem
      Correct answer: to create lots of tension
      to resolve any problems and end the story

      Q5.
      In the climax, how does the Lucky Dipper machine become smashed?

      Emily pushes it over.
      The bunny pushes it over.
      Correct answer: The Pin Man pushes it over.

      Q6.
      What does Emily land on when she falls through the hole?

      rocks
      grass
      Correct answer: sand

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Planning the climax of ‘Lucky Dip', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...