New
New
Year 6

Generating vocabulary for the climax of 'Beowulf and the dragon'

I can develop ideas for rich vocabulary to describe elements of the battle and the emotions being experienced in the climax and resolution of ‘Beowulf and the dragon’.

New
New
Year 6

Generating vocabulary for the climax of 'Beowulf and the dragon'

I can develop ideas for rich vocabulary to describe elements of the battle and the emotions being experienced in the climax and resolution of ‘Beowulf and the dragon’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Writing is most successful when its structure, content and vocabulary are planned.
  2. It is also useful to orally rehearse storytelling the events we're going to write.
  3. We will need to include rich vocabulary to show the action in the battle between Beowulf and the dragon.
  4. We will also need rich vocabulary to show the emotions Beowulf and Wiglaf experience.

Keywords

  • Text map - a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events

  • Climax - the point in the narrative where the suspense and excitement reach their highest point

  • Resolution - the point in the narrative where problems are resolved

  • Rich vocabulary - words chosen intentionally to convey a certain impression to the reader of a place, person or thing

  • ‘show-not-tell’ - a writing technique for showing a character’s feelings with description of their actions, body language and facial expressions

Common misconception

Pupils may believe they are expected to tell a detailed story using various sentence types at this stage.

The oral storytelling here is the basis on which the more detailed, varied writing will be built - pupils should try to make their storytelling 'interesting', but it doesn't need to use all the grammatical structures they know at this point.

It is worth investing time in the storytelling section of the lesson as this will make subsequent writing sessions much easier; you may wish to provide some pupils with additional opportunities to rehearse their storytelling.
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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6 Questions

Q1.
In which part of a narrative are problems usually introduced?
opening
Correct answer: build-up
climax
resolution
Q2.
In which part of a narrative does the tension in a story usually reach its highest point?
opening
build-up
Correct answer: climax
resolution
Q3.
What happens in the resolution of a narrative?
problems are introduced
Correct answer: problems are resolved
characters are introduced
the action reaches its high point
Q4.
Which event is the climax in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
Beowulf has been king for 50 years.
The dragon attacks the stronghold.
Correct answer: Beowulf fights the dragon.
Beowulf kills the dragon.
Q5.
Which event is the resolution in 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
Beowulf has been king for 50 years.
The dragon attacks the stronghold.
Beowulf fights the dragon.
Correct answer: Beowulf kills the dragon.
Q6.
Which characters are involved in the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
Correct answer: Beowulf
Correct answer: Wiglaf
Correct answer: the dragon
Correct answer: the other Geat warriors
King Hrothgar

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these events are included in the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon'?
Beowulf and the warriors approach Eagleness.
Correct answer: Beowulf tries to stab the dragon, but he fails.
Correct answer: The dragon breathes fire at Beowulf, who hides behind his shield.
Beowulf surveys the damage to the stronghold.
Q2.
Put these events from the climax and resolution of 'Beowulf and the dragon' in order.
1 - Beowulf stabs the dragon in the head, snapping his sword.
2 - The dragon grabs Beowulf with its teeth.
3 - Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the belly so that it drops Beowulf.
4 - Beowulf uses his dagger to slit the dragon's neck.
Q3.
Which of the following are items worn or carried by Beowulf in battle?
Correct answer: mail-shirt
Correct answer: helmet
wooden shield
Correct answer: dagger
Correct answer: metal shield
Q4.
Match each example of rich vocabulary to its meaning.
Correct Answer:ornate,decorative

decorative

Correct Answer:impenetrable,can't be broken through

can't be broken through

Correct Answer:burnished,highly-polished

highly-polished

Correct Answer:trusty,reliable

reliable

Q5.
Which of the following similes could be used to describe the dragon's scales?
as bright as a comet
Correct answer: as hard as diamond
like blunt knives
shattered like glass
Correct answer: as tough as any armour
Q6.
Which of the examples below use 'show-not-tell'?
Correct answer: Beowulf shook his fists.
Correct answer: Beowulf let out a huge roar.
Beowulf was furious.
Beowulf was full of rage.