Planning the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan the structure and content of the climax and resolution of ‘Beowulf and the dragon’.
Key learning points
- Writing is most successful when it is planned and rehearsed.
- When we plan, we can use our text map as a basis, breaking it down into key scenes.
- For each scene, we make notes about the actions, descriptions, dialogue and emotions we might include (where relevant).
- We also plan to include the rich vocabulary that we have generated in previous lessons.
Keywords
Climax - the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reaches its highest point
Resolution - the point in the narrative where problems are resolved
Text map - a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events
Rich vocabulary - words chosen intentionally to convey a certain impression to the reader of a place, person or thing
Narrative elements - the content of a narrative, often including action, description, dialogue and emotions
Common misconception
Pupils may feel tempted to rush through the plan with too little detail in each paragraph.
This is the purpose of encouraging pupils to engage with the narrative elements - model and encourage reflecting on each event through these four lenses.
Teacher tip
Make sure that the rich vocabulary learned in the previous lesson is readily available to pupils. As they plan, encourage pupils to continually refer back to their text map for ideas. You may want pupils to circle sections of the text map to show the four paragraphs.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these events represents the resolution in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
Q2.Put these events from the climax of 'Beowulf and the dragon' in order.
Q3.Which items are destroyed by the dragon?
Q4.Which of these words could be used to describe a sword?
Q5.Which of the following similes and metaphors could be used to describe the dragon's fire?
Q6.Which of the examples below use 'show-not-tell'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which example of rich vocabulary below could be used to describe Beowulf's shield?
Q2.Which example of rich vocabulary below could we use to describe the dragon's fire?
Q3.What emotion could we 'show-not-tell' using the following actions? 'watched open-mouthed; gasped; eyes widened'.
Q4.Which narrative elements are most clearly shown in this note from Alex's plan? 'leapt behind Beowulf; “I’m here, my king!”'
Q5.Which narrative elements are most obviously shown in this note from Alex's plan? 'other Geats gasped in fear; dropped weapons'
Q6.Which paragraph of our text does the following note come from? 'plunged ornate sword into soft belly'
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Planning the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Planning the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'Beowulf': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.