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Year 4

Writing the climax of 'A Christmas Carol'

I can write the climax of 'A Christmas Carol'.

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New
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Year 4

Writing the climax of 'A Christmas Carol'

I can write the climax of 'A Christmas Carol'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The climax takes the suspense to its highest point as Scrooge encounters the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
  2. The climax is written over two paragraphs and it is important to demonstrate cohesion across them.
  3. Cohesion refers to how a text flows in order to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the purpose.
  4. Scrooge’s emotions increase in intensity across both paragraphs in the climax which supports cohesion.
  5. Oral rehearsal helps to structure grammatically correct full sentences and supports cohesion.

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

  • Cohesion - how a text flows in order to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the purpose

  • Direct speech - the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text

Common misconception

Pupils may find it hard to write ideas for Scrooge's inner thoughts in this lesson.

Ensure pupils have a plan to use with ideas for Scrooge's inner thoughts and model how to write these.

Revise the rules for punctuating direct speech prior to children writing paragraph two. Ensure a model of direct speech is available for children to refer to.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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.
True or false? The climax completely resolves the problem in the story.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q2.
Put the following events for paragraph one in chronological order.
1 - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives in Scrooge's home.
2 - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come transports Scrooge to an empty cemetery.
3 - Scrooge is shown his own neglected grave and visions of a lonely demise.
4 - Scrooge is shown the current fate of the impoverished Cratchit family.
Q3.
Put the following events for paragraph two in chronological order.
1 - Scrooge begins to experience panic at the thought of the visions coming true.
2 - Scrooge seeks reassurance from the Ghost that the visions are not guaranteed.
3 - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not respond to Scrooge.
4 - Scrooge has the stark realisation that he must change.
Q4.
Match the vocabulary below to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:ominous,something showing a sign of misfortune to come

something showing a sign of misfortune to come

Correct Answer:fraught,something that causes anxiety and stress

something that causes anxiety and stress

Correct Answer:suspense,excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

Q5.
True or false? The chronology of the notes in my narrative plan matters.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q6.
Match each sentence type to its example.
Correct Answer:simple sentence,The ghost did not utter a word.

The ghost did not utter a word.

Correct Answer:compound sentence,The Ghost of Christmas Future appeared and he swept Scrooge away.

The Ghost of Christmas Future appeared and he swept Scrooge away.

Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,Scrooge cried in desperation as he searched for reassurance.

Scrooge cried in desperation as he searched for reassurance.

Correct Answer:relative complex sentence,He was stood above a lonely grave, which he realised was his own.

He was stood above a lonely grave, which he realised was his own.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is cohesion?
Correct answer: how a text flows in order to achieve its purpose
the title or name given to a piece of writing
the direction in which a story is facing
Q2.
How is cohesion shown across both paragraphs in the climax?
the suspense reaches its highest point immediately
Correct answer: the suspense is gradually taken to its highest point
the level of suspense remains the same
Q3.
How will you convey a gradual building of suspense?
using 'show and tell' to convey the ghost's emotions
Correct answer: using a range of techniques to convey Scrooge's emotions building in intensity
using direct speech for all the characters
Q4.
Put the following in the correct order to show how Scrooge's emotions build in intensity.
1 - weary miser, exhausted eyes
2 - concerned, felt heavy weight
3 - overwhelmed by the pain he witnessed
4 - panic surged through his body
5 - voice trembled, desperately pleaded
Q5.
Why is oral rehearsal a key part of the writing process?
Correct answer: It helps to structure grammatically-correct full sentences.
It is fun and entertaining.
Correct answer: It offers an opportunity to refine ideas and sentence structures.
Q6.
How should you rehearse the direct speech for Scrooge?
in the same voice I use for all of my oral rehearsal
in a heavy and stern manner
Correct answer: in the way I want Scrooge to speak to appropriately convey his emotions