New
New
Year 3

Writing the opening of 'The Iron Man'

I can write the opening of ‘The Iron Man’.

New
New
Year 3

Writing the opening of 'The Iron Man'

I can write the opening of ‘The Iron Man’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The opening of ‘The Iron Man’ introduces the protagonist and conveys a mysterious atmosphere within the setting.
  2. The use of precise and ambitious vocabulary engages the reader and conveys the mysterious atmosphere.
  3. Using a range of sentence types supports text flow.
  4. Fronted adverbials of time, place and manner add greater detail to a sentence and help convey the desired atmosphere.

Keywords

  • Opening - the first section of a story where the writer describes the setting and the main characters

  • Atmosphere - the mood created in a section or whole of a text

  • Ambitious vocabulary - high-level language in writing that meets the text purpose

  • Fronted adverbials - a sentence starter followed by a comma

Common misconception

Children may forget to refer to the Iron Man using a variety of nouns.

Ask children to brainstorm a variety of different nouns for the Iron Man. They can use their plan to help them with this. Create a shared bank for children to refer to during writing. Examples: figure, creature, lifeform.

Include a teaching point on the use of commas after fronted adverbials. Ask children to identify where the missing comma should go in sentences containing fronted adverbials.
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.
Who is the protagonist introduced in the opening of 'The Iron Man'?
Correct answer: the Iron Man
Hogarth
a seagull
Q2.
Which of the following would be appropriate alternative nouns to refer to the Iron Man?
Correct answer: figure
Correct answer: lifeform
animal
Correct answer: creature
person
Q3.
Which of the following are part of the setting in the opening of 'The Iron Man'?
Correct answer: a cliff
a desert
Correct answer: the beach
Correct answer: the ocean
a jungle
Q4.
What kind of atmosphere needs to be conveyed in the opening of 'The Iron Man'?
a joyous atmosphere
a sad atmosphere
Correct answer: a mysterious atmosphere
Q5.
Put the key moments of the opening of 'The Iron Man' in the correct order.
1 - The Iron Man stood on the edge of a cliff in the middle of the night.
2 - The Iron Man fell off the cliff and landed on the beach below.
3 - The Iron Man’s body broke apart and his parts were dispersed across the beach.
4 - The Iron Man gradually reassembled his body and stared out at the sea.
5 - The Iron Man walked into the ocean until he disappeared under the water.
Q6.
How will you use your plan to support you in your writing?
copy it out
memorise it
Correct answer: use the notes to form full sentences

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a fronted adverbial?
a type of subordinate clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction
the state of owning something
Correct answer: a sentence starter followed by a comma
Q2.
Match each type of fronted adverbial to the correct example.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of time,At dusk,

At dusk,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of place,In the depths of the sea,

In the depths of the sea,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of manner,With a crashing sound,

With a crashing sound,

Q3.
True or false? The opening of a narrative should be written using only simple sentences with fronted adverbials.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q4.
Match each sentence type to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:simple sentence,a sentence about one idea that makes complete sense

a sentence about one idea that makes complete sense

Correct Answer:compound sentence,a sentence formed of two main clauses and a joining word

a sentence formed of two main clauses and a joining word

Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

Q5.
Match each sentence type to the correct example.
Correct Answer:simple sentence,Fiercely, he plunged towards the ground.

Fiercely, he plunged towards the ground.

Correct Answer:compound sentence,His body broke apart and the pieces lay spread across the rocky beach.

His body broke apart and the pieces lay spread across the rocky beach.

Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,When morning came, the Iron Man mustered all his strength.

When morning came, the Iron Man mustered all his strength.

Q6.
True or false? Oral rehearsal is an important part of the writing process.
Correct Answer: True, true