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Year 5

Planning part one of the opening of 'Macbeth'

I can use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical features to plan a narrative opening of 'Macbeth'.

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New
New
Year 5

Planning part one of the opening of 'Macbeth'

I can use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical features to plan a narrative opening of 'Macbeth'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Writing is most successful when it is planned.
  2. A narrative opening should engage the reader and describe the setting and any characters who are present.
  3. This narrative outcome will be written in the third person.
  4. Using a wide range of precise, ambitious vocabulary enhances text cohesion.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to recall, define and use different figurative language structures.

Provide plenty of additional examples of effective figurative language. A display board or working wall of the different types of figurative language with examples that match the text type will be helpful.

Keywords

  • Senses - the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste

  • Past tense - shows action has happened before now

  • Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma

  • Figurative language - the use of simile, metaphor and personification to create vivid imagery

Pupils may have limited experience of being on a heath. It is important to remind them what it is they are describing. Ask them to close their eyes and imagine being on an eerie, stormy heath. What can they hear? What can they see? What can they smell?
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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each description to the correct sense.
Correct Answer:the nauseating stench of decay,smell

smell

Correct Answer:ominous, dark clouds gathered above,sight

sight

Correct Answer:claps of threatening thunder rumbled ,hearing

hearing

Correct Answer:damp, sticky mist hung in the air,touch

touch

Q2.
Where is the opening of Macbeth set?
a sunny meadow
a tropical jungle
Correct answer: a wild heath
Q3.
What features might you find on a heath?
Correct answer: open land
exotic flowers
Correct answer: heather or small shrubs
sheltered and mild
Correct answer: strong winds due to open exposure
Q4.
Match each adjective to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:barren,empty or bare

empty or bare

Correct Answer:withered,old and drooping

old and drooping

Correct Answer:ominous,scary, threatening or menacing

scary, threatening or menacing

Q5.
Match each adjective to the most appropriate noun to form a word pair.
Correct Answer:putrid,carcass

carcass

Correct Answer:rugged ,rocks

rocks

Correct Answer:eerie,silence

silence

Q6.
True or false? The following sentence includes two adjectives in the noun phrase used: 'Everywhere, a suffocating, musty scent permeated the air.'
Correct Answer: true, True

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What order will we write our opening in?
1 - describe the setting (the heath)
2 - introduce the characters (the witches)
3 - include dialogue (between the witches)
Q2.
When we describe the setting, we will describe it from a bird's eye view and work our way down. What order would we describe these setting details in?
1 - the moon
2 - the wind
3 - the trees
4 - the shrubs
5 - the heath itself
Q3.
Which of these sentences is written in the past tense?
Ravenous crows swoop through the dark sky.
Withered trees struggle to grow in the harsh conditions.
Correct answer: The wind howled ominously as the wild sea foamed.
The witches will be coming soon ...
Q4.
Which of the following are fronted adverbials of place?
Correct answer: Beneath the trees,
Correct answer: In the distance,
Howling wildy,
Correct answer: All around,
That night,
Q5.
Match the figurative language types to their definitions.
Correct Answer:simile,compares two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’

compares two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’

Correct Answer:metaphor,compares two things by saying that one thing is another

compares two things by saying that one thing is another

Correct Answer:personification,assigns human characteristics to non-human things

assigns human characteristics to non-human things

Q6.
What linguistic features and figurative language are used in the following sentence? 'In all directions, the wailing wind whined like a desperate hound wanting to be freed.'
Correct answer: alliteration
metaphor
repetition
Correct answer: simile
Correct answer: personification