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Year 4

Planning the climax of a 'A Christmas Carol'

I can generate precise vocabulary to plan the climax of ‘A Christmas Carol’.

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New
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Year 4

Planning the climax of a 'A Christmas Carol'

I can generate precise vocabulary to plan the climax of ‘A Christmas Carol’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The purpose of the climax is to describe the main action and take the suspense to its highest point.
  2. The climax of ‘A Christmas Carol’ describes Scrooge’s encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Future).
  3. Scrooge feels great regret and sorrow upon seeing the future visions and realises he must change his ways.
  4. Precise and descriptive vocabulary, including 'show and tell' is used to convey an ominous atmosphere.
  5. Direct speech and Scrooge’s inner thoughts are used to convey Scrooge’s fraught emotions.

Keywords

  • Climax - the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point

  • Suspense - a state of feeling excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

  • Ominous - an adjective used to describe something showing a sign of misfortune to come

  • Fraught - an adjective used to describe something that causes anxiety and stress

Common misconception

Children may find it difficult to understand some of the vocabulary modelled (e.g. indifference) and they may struggle to generate their own vocabulary ideas to convey an ominous atmosphere.

Model the use of a thesaurus to up level simple pieces of vocabulary. For example, instead of 'lonely', children might use 'isolated' or 'deserted'.


To help you plan your year 4 english lesson on: Planning the climax of a 'A Christmas Carol', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Providing a visual of an appropriate cemetery that conveys an ominous scene will support children in generating precise and descriptive vocabulary.
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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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Put the key events from the build-up of the story 'A Christmas Carol' in the correct order.
1 - The Ghost of Jacob Marley visited Scrooge.
2 - Marley warned Scrooge of the consequences of his selfish and cruel ways.
3 - Marley informed Scrooge that he would be visited by three ghosts.
4 - Marley vanished and Scrooge felt scared of what was to come.
Q2.
Which part of a narrative follows the build-up?
opening
Correct answer: climax
resolution
Q3.
What are the names of the three ghosts that visit Scrooge after Marley?
Correct answer: the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Future)
the Ghost of Christmas Yesterday
Correct answer: the Ghost of Christmas Present
Correct answer: the Ghost of Christmas Past
the Ghost of Christmas Tomorrow
Q4.
What does an expanded noun phrase often consist of?
two adjectives listed to describe a verb
one adjective used to describe a noun
Correct answer: two adjectives listed to describe a noun
Q5.
What type of word is used to describe a verb?
a noun
an adjective
Correct answer: an adverb
Q6.
What is a paragraph?
visual elements that accompany a text
Correct answer: a section of writing that groups together related sentences or ideas
a conversation written between two or more people in a narrative

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the purpose of the climax?
to set the scene and introduce the main characters
to create an atmosphere that gradually builds suspense
Correct answer: to describe the main action and take the suspense to its highest point
Q2.
To show the chronology of events, put these key events from when Scrooge receives his visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future in the climax of the story in the correct order.
1 - The Ghost of Christmas Future arrives and shows Scrooge visions of the future.
2 - Scrooge witnesses his own lonely demise, unloved and unmourned.
3 - Scrooge is shown the current fate of the impoverished Cratchit family.
4 - Scrooge feels the weight of what the future holds if he does not change.
Q3.
What does 'ominous' mean?
Correct answer: being or showing a sign of misfortune to come
being or showing a sign of fortune to come
being or showing a sign of no change
Q4.
Which of the following phrases create an ominous atmosphere?
watched the future visions calmly while feeling relaxed
peaceful rows of well-kept gravestones with blossoming flowers
Correct answer: isolated, weathered grave, which lay unvisited and forgotten
Correct answer: felt a knot develop in his stomach as his feelings of guilt grew
Q5.
What does 'fraught' mean?
affected by positive circumstances
Correct answer: affected by anxiety and stress
affected by the weather
Q6.
Which of the following convey Scrooge's fraught emotions?
"I am not worried by what you have shown me," Scrooge said in an unmoved manner.
Correct answer: Scrooge panicked over what would happen if he did not alter his ways.
Correct answer: "Please, tell me what I should do to stop this!" Scrooge pleaded desperately.
Scrooge reflected on his past and felt there was no point in having regrets.