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Year 3

Writing the opening of 'The BFG' (part one)

I can write the first part of a narrative opening based on ‘The BFG’.

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New
New
Year 3

Writing the opening of 'The BFG' (part one)

I can write the first part of a narrative opening based on ‘The BFG’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The purpose of a narrative opening is to introduce the characters and to describe the setting to the reader.
  2. Saying sentences aloud before they are written helps to check for sense.
  3. Using the full range of sentence types (simple, compound and complex) improves text flow for the reader.
  4. Fronted adverbials of time, place and manner add extra detail to the main clause.
  5. This narrative version of ‘The BFG’ is written in the past tense.

Common misconception

Pupils might write about moments that take place later in the narrative.

The first part of the opening follows a clear, chronological order that includes the three key moments from pupils' plans.

Keywords

  • Text flow - how a text is written to keep the reader engaged

  • Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma

  • Past tense - shows that the action happened before now

  • Complex sentence - a sentence formed of at least one main clause and a subordinate clause

Pupils should be given lots of opportunities to say sentences aloud or to write sentences on whiteboards, using the notes from their plan ahead of writing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the 1989 film version of 'The BFG' for this lesson.

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).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Put the key moments of the first part of the opening in the correct order.
1 - Sophie awoke and she sat up in bed.
2 - Sophie looked at the owl.
3 - Sophie got out of bed.
Q2.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
Nervously, the girl picked up her round glasses
nervously, the girl picked up her round glasses.
Correct answer: Nervously, the girl picked up her round glasses.
nervously, sophie picked up her round glasses
Q3.
Which of these nouns must start with a capital letter?
owl
Correct answer: sophie
night
dormitory
Q4.
Which of these sentences is punctuated correctly?
One thundery night a young orphan bolted upright.
Correct answer: One thundery night, a young orphan bolted upright.
One, thundery night, a young orphan bolted upright
One thundery night a young, orphan bolted upright
Q5.
Match each word class to its example.
Correct Answer:noun,room

room

Correct Answer:adjective,curious

curious

Correct Answer:verb,stared

stared

Correct Answer:adverb,quietly

quietly

Q6.
Before writing sentences down, it is helpful to them aloud first.
Correct Answer: say, Say, practise, rehearse

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the purpose of the opening?
to build up excitement and tension
Correct answer: to introduce the characters and setting
to solve a problem
Correct answer: to engage the reader
Q2.
When we write, we ...
Correct answer: showcase the sentence types we know.
include only one type of sentence.
do not check back for spelling and punctuation errors.
Correct answer: say our sentences aloud first.
Q3.
Which of these is an example of a simple sentence?
Sophie picked up her glasses and she stared nervously at the owl.
Correct answer: Sophie stared nervously at the owl.
Sophie picked up her glasses because she heard a screeching sound.
Q4.
Match the sentence types to their examples.
Correct Answer:simple,Thunder raged wildly in the night sky.

Thunder raged wildly in the night sky.

Correct Answer:compound,Thunder raged wildly in the night sky and Sophie woke up.

Thunder raged wildly in the night sky and Sophie woke up.

Correct Answer:complex,Sophie bolted upright because thunder raged loudly.

Sophie bolted upright because thunder raged loudly.

Q5.
Which of these sentences is written in the past tense?
Correct answer: The inquisitive girl sat on the edge of her creaky bed.
The inquisitive girl is sitting on the edge of her creaky bed.
The inquisitive girl sits on the edge of her creaky bed.
Q6.
Complete the following complex sentence with an appropriate subordinate adverbial clause: 'Sophie woke up suddenly __________.'
, but thunder was raging wildly outside.
and she picked up her glasses.
Correct answer: because a dazzling moonbeam was shining on her face.