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Year 4

Writing the opening of a narrative based on 'Jabberwocky'

I can write the opening of a narrative based on ‘Jabberwocky’.

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New
New
Year 4

Writing the opening of a narrative based on 'Jabberwocky'

I can write the opening of a narrative based on ‘Jabberwocky’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The purpose of the opening is to engage the reader and introduce the setting and characters.
  2. Using a range of sentence types (simple, compound and complex) improves text flow for the reader.
  3. Direct speech is punctuated using inverted commas; dialogue moves the action forward.
  4. Notes from the plan can be used to form full sentences.
  5. A new paragraph is used to signal the start of a new idea or key moment.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle with using accurate punctuation in direct speech sentences.

Give pupils an opportunity to practise writing speech on mini-whiteboards and provide a visual scaffold to support them.

Keywords

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

  • Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma

  • Relative clause - a type of subordinate clause that starts with a relative pronoun

  • Direct speech - shows that a character is speaking out loud in a text

Refer to the Year 4 Grammar unit 'Apostrophes and speech punctuation' to support pupils with writing direct speech correctly. Remind pupils to start a new line each time there is a new speaker.
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.
What are the purposes of the opening of a narrative?
to build up tension
Correct answer: to engage the reader so that they want to carry on reading
to entertain the reader with lots of characters' spoken words
Correct answer: to introduce the setting and characters
Q2.
Put the four key moments of the opening in chronological order.
1 - Dusk approached the dark, magical woods.
2 - Strange, unknown creatures moved around the woods.
3 - A father warned his son about the dangers of the creatures.
4 - The boy felt scared, but he bravely entered the woods.
Q3.
What is a simple sentence?
Correct answer: a sentence made of just one main clause
a sentence with two main clauses and a co-ordinating conjunction
a sentence with a subordinating conjunction
Q4.
What is a compound sentence?
a sentence formed of two main clauses
Correct answer: a sentence formed of two main clauses joined by a co-ordinating conjunction
a sentence formed of two main clauses joined by a subordinating conjunction
Q5.
Which of the following are true about dialogue?
It gives factual information.
Correct answer: It is the written conversation between two characters in a narrative.
It tells the reader when something happened.
Correct answer: It helps move the story forward.
It describes a verb in further detail.
Q6.
Writers start a new to signal the start of a new idea or key moment.
Correct Answer: paragraph, Paragraph

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The __________ is the first section of a story where the writer describes the setting and main characters.
Correct answer: opening
build-up
climax
resolution
Q2.
True or false? 'A complex sentence is a sentence consisting of a main clause and a subordinate clause.'
Correct Answer: true, True
Q3.
What is the name of the punctuation mark that indicates where the words the character said begin and end?
comma
Correct answer: inverted commas
question mark
exclamation mark
full stop
Q4.
Which direct speech sentence is correctly punctuated?
‘‘Beware of the brutal, savage Jabberwock warned the concerned father.
Correct answer: ‘‘Beware of the brutal, savage Jabberwock,’’ warned the concerned father.
Beware of the brutal, savage Jabberwock warned the concerned father.
‘‘Beware of the brutal, savage Jabberwock’’ warned the concerned father.
Q5.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
In, the shadows, strange creatures were wriggling and writhing.
In the shadows strange creatures were wriggling and writhing.
In the shadows strange, creatures were wriggling and writhing.
Correct answer: In the shadows, strange creatures were wriggling and writhing.
Q6.
Which of these relative complex sentences is punctuated correctly?
The young boy who was listening intently, began to tremble nervously.
Correct answer: The young boy, who was listening intently, began to tremble nervously.
The young boy who was listening intently began to tremble nervously.
The young boy, who was listening intently began to tremble, nervously.

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