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Year 8

Writing a full descriptive piece: ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus

I can write a well-structured and developed piece of descriptive writing inspired by the painting, ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’.

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Year 8

Writing a full descriptive piece: ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus

I can write a well-structured and developed piece of descriptive writing inspired by the painting, ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In descriptive writing, sometimes developing the description of small details can be very engaging.
  2. To structure your piece, you could link the concluding sentence of paragraphs to the next topic sentence.
  3. To structure your piece, your first and final paragraph could repeat selected ideas or images.

Keywords

  • Third person omniscient - the narrator isn't a character in the story and presents the feelings and experiences of multiple characters using pronouns like 'she', 'he', 'they', 'it'

  • Sumptuous - expensive looking, luxurious, rich

  • Ensnared - caught in, usually some sort of trap

  • Suppress - of an emotion, to keep it hidden or bottled up

Common misconception

Once you have used an image or idea in a piece of writing, you can't reuse it in the same piece.

Sometimes repeating an idea or image throughout a piece can help give it a sense of structure. You might change certain details, but you can repeat them.


To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Writing a full descriptive piece: ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider how long your pupils will need for each writing practice task and work out the rest of the timings of the lesson from there. For Learning Cycle 1 they may have already completed their planning and so can review their plan before writing for Task A instead of planning again.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at a painting called 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey'. Who is in this painting?
Edward VI
Mary I
Correct answer: Lady Jane Grey
Correct answer: Lady Jane Grey's ladies-in-waiting
Correct answer: a person who works at the Tower of London
Q2.
Match each section of the single paragraph outline to its function ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer:topic sentence,first sentence of your paragraph stating its main focus
tick

first sentence of your paragraph stating its main focus

Correct Answer:supporting details,notes vocabulary, techniques and ideas you will include
tick

notes vocabulary, techniques and ideas you will include

Correct Answer:concluding sentence,completes your ideas and leads onto the next paragraph
tick

completes your ideas and leads onto the next paragraph

Q3.
Lady Jane Grey was executed in 1553 after days, making her the shortest reigning monarch in English history ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer: nine, 9
Q4.
A omniscient narrator is when the narrator isn't a character in the story and presents the feelings and experiences of multiple characters using pronouns like 'she', 'he', 'they', 'it'.
Correct Answer: third person, 3rd person
Q5.
Which sentences, all inspired by 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire'), use the word sumptuous (or a form of it) correctly?
Correct answer: The sumptuous fur cloak draped against the young girl's arms.
The axe was sumptuous, with a sharp, shining blade.
The executioner looked down sumptuously.
Correct answer: The sumptuous dress lay in her lap, and she stroked its golden threads.
Would she always remember the sumptuousness of the cell?
Q6.
Which sentences, all inspired by 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire'), use the word suppress (or a form of it) correctly?
The atmosphere of the cell was suppress.
Correct answer: She wanted to cry out, but she suppressed her sobs.
She looked round suppressively, hoping someone would come to her aid.
The executioner suppressed his axe, laying it on the ground until needed.
Correct answer: There were many emotions in the cell, but each chose to suppress them.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What might you do in your final paragraph of a piece of descriptive writing? (Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
repeat each of your topic sentences
Correct answer: repeat certain ideas or phrases from your first paragraph
rewrite your first paragraph
summarise everything you have described
Q2.
A is the first sentence of a paragraph and states the paragraph's main focus ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer: topic sentence
Q3.
Which sentences, all inspired by ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire'), are written using the third person?
Correct answer: "I will never forget this horror," she said.
I murmured under my breath that I forgave him.
She forgave me immediately, without a second thought.
Correct answer: She felt the block beneath her hand; the wood was splintered and rough.
Q4.
Which sentences, all inspired by 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire'), use the word 'ensnared' (or a form of it) correctly?
She looked ensnaringly at the executioner.
Correct answer: She wound her hands through the dress, ensnaring them in the fabric.
Correct answer: Previously, her hands had been ensnared in chains, but now they were free.
The time had come for her to be ensnared by the axe.
Q5.
The word means expensive looking, luxurious and rich and is often used to describe fabric ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer: sumptuous
Q6.
When talking about an emotion, the word means to bottle this emotion up, or to conceal it ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Correct Answer: suppress

Additional material

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